Breaking Points: Credit Card News

American Airlines is offering 50 AAdvantage miles per $1 donated to Stand Up To Cancer when you donate at least $25 with an eligible American Airlines Mastercard through September 30, 2026 (or until qualifying donations reach $5 million). You can earn the bonus on up to $10,000 in donations, but there are some caveats. The miles do not count toward Loyalty Points or elite status. If you make charitable donations annually or were already planning to donate, earning 50x AAdvantage miles is a nice little cherry on top. We wouldn't make a donation just to earn the miles. A $1,000 donation would earn about 51,000 miles after including the card's standard 1x earning, which means you're basically buying AA miles for 1.96¢ per mile. American also notes that receiving miles may reduce the tax-deductible portion of your donation, so keep that in mind before participating.

In one of the more unique ways to use Bilt Cash if you're part of the Bilt ecosystem, Bilt members can finally redeem Bilt Cash for BLADE helicopter rides booked through the Bilt Travel Portal. Cardholders can use up to $350 in Bilt Cash per seat, twice per year, or up to $700 if booking for two people on one ride. If you are a Bilt elite member, you can stack your existing BLADE discounts, including 10% off eligible flights for Silver members and higher. You can also redeem Bilt points for BLADE flights, but the redemption rates is 0.7¢ per point, so we do not recomend doing this. BLADE bookings through Bilt are currently limited to transfers between Manhattan and JFK or Newark, with additional locations expected in the future.

U.S. Bank is targeting some cardholders with an offer for $100 off a hotel booking of $500 or more through the U.S. Bank Travel portal. The offer is valid through September 30, 2026. If you have the Altitude Reserve and are targeted, you may be able to stack this with the card’s annual $325 travel credit, creating a much larger discount on an eligible hotel stay.

Amex is targeting some cardholders with an offer for $80 back after spending $400 or more on flights purchased directly from Alaska or Hawaiian Airlines. Eligible flights must originate in the U.S., so this is a nice 20% discount if you already have a cash booking planned. Even without immediate travel plans, you could book an eligible Alaska Main Cabin fare, wait more than 24 hours, then cancel and receive the value as Alaska wallet funds while still triggering the Amex credit. Wallet funds technically expire 12 months after the original ticket purchase, but booking and later canceling another eligible flight resets the expiration clock.