The Points Tool You've Always Wanted

Amex has a targeted ANA offer that gives you 30,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $2,500 or more in one or more qualifying purchases through November 30, 2026. If you spend exactly $2,500, that's an extra 12 Membership Rewards points per dollar. If you're targeted on an Amex Platinum or Gold Card this could be even better, as each card earns 5X and 3X, respectively, on eligible airfare purchased directly from airlines. That could give you a total of 42,500 Membership Rewards points on $2,500 in ANA airfare with the Platinum Card or 37,500 points with the Gold. Qualifying flights must originate in the U.S., be charged in U.S. dollars, and be purchased directly through ANA's website. If you're planning on paying cash for an upcoming trip on ANA that meets the requirements, make sure you check your Amex Offers before booking.

Atmos Rewards has released its October Members Day Global Getaways, with discounted one-way awards to six international destinations starting at 20,000 points. Fly to Seoul starting at 20,000 points; Paris, Helsinki, and Munich starting at 25,000; and Stavanger and Sapporo starting at 30,000. You must book by October 10, 2026, for travel between January 15 and March 8, 2027. There is also some overlap with Atmos' new Communities feature announced last week. Seoul is one of the 10 Bonus Points Challenge destinations for Families on the Go, while Helsinki is one of the 10 for Global Locals. Visiting new destinations on your Community's list earns progressively larger amounts of bonus points and status points, with up to 10,000 of each available for visiting all 10. Read more about Atmos communities here and read all the details about the Global Getaways for October here.

Rakuten is offering $400 back when you apply for the Bank of America Premium Rewards Card through its portal. That stacks with the card’s current welcome offer of 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months. Since Bank of America points can be redeemed for 1¢ each, that gives you $1,000 in combined cash value before accounting for the card’s $95 annual fee. If your Rakuten earning preference is set to Bilt points and you have Bilt Silver status or higher, the $400 Rakuten bonus can instead become 40,000 Bilt points, which can increase the overall value even more. If your Rakuten account is set to earn Amex Membership Rewards points, you will not see this offer. Rakuten bonuses on Bank of America cards have been changing frequently, sometimes from one day to the next, so check the current offer before applying.

October 7, 2026 update: Southwest has brought back its up-to-40%-off sale. Book by October 8 for select travel between October 26, 2026 and March 3, 2027. The discount applies automatically to both cash and award fares, with no promo code required. Blackout dates apply around Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and several holiday weekends. If you already have Southwest travel booked, it’s worth checking the current price and repricing or rebooking if the fare has dropped.

Southwest is offering up to 40% off select flights when you book by September 17, 2026, for travel between October 5, 2026 and March 3, 2027. The discount is applied automatically to both cash and points fares, with no promo code required. There are no clear parameters around which flights are on sale and which aren't, so you'll just have to search the route you're interested in. If you're planning a trip and may fly Southwest, it's certainly worth checking to see if your route is discounted. More importantly, if you already have an eligible Southwest flight booked, it's definitely worth checking the current price to see if it's cheaper than what you originally booked. If you booked Choice or above, those fares can be changed without a fee. Even if you booked a Basic fare, which cannot be changed, you can cancel and rebook if the new fare is cheaper.