Breaking Points: Credit Card News

Atmos Members Day is back with another round of discounted award fares. Book by July 4, 2026 for travel between September 1 and November 15, 2026. Highlights include Honolulu from 11,500 points; Seoul, Dublin, and Amsterdam from 20,000; London from 22,500; and Tokyo from 27,500. These prices are for economy awards only. During our searches, we found good availability from multiple U.S. cities at these starting at price points, with taxes as low as $26, even on flights to London. See all the details here.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve and J.P. Morgan Reserve cards are offering complimentary Marriott Gold Elite status for three months, with the opportunity to extend it through February 2028. Register by September 30, 2026, then complete three paid nights booked directly with Marriott during your three-month trial period to keep Gold status through February 2028. Marriott Gold includes 2 p.m. late checkout (subject to availability), a 25% points bonus on paid stays, complimentary enhanced Wi-Fi, and space-available room upgrades (excluding suites). If you already have the Amex Platinum or Business Platinum card, this promotion won't provide any additional value since those cards already include Marriott Gold status. We wouldn't book extra stays just to earn Gold, but if you already have Marriott stays planned, it's worth registering.

IHG has refreshed its monthly list of new and recently updated hotels available for 15% off award stays, adding another batch of eligible properties through December 31, 2026. Booking and travel deadlines now range from August 31 through December 31, depending on the hotel. Highlights this month include new Ruby properties across Europe, several new voco hotels in China, the UK, and Australia, plus a handful of interesting U.S. options like Atwell Suites Panama City Beach and Holiday Inn Resort Orlando Suites - Waterpark. If you hold an IHG free night certificate, the discount could also bring some properties below the 40,000-point cap, making them eligible for redemption. You can view the full list of participating hotels here.

Flying Blue's July 2026 Promo Rewards feature one-way flights to Europe starting at 18,750 miles in economy, a 25% discount from the normal saver price. Discounted economy routes are available from Denver, Raleigh/Durham, Portland, Miami, Atlanta, Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto. There are also premium economy awards from Los Angeles and Chicago starting at 30,000 miles, plus a business class option from New York for just 45,000 miles. Be sure to check multiple destinations, as availability extends beyond just Paris and Amsterdam. Keep in mind that Flying Blue recently increased taxes and fees, with economy awards carrying roughly $160 in surcharges, premium economy around $230, and business class about $340. Book by July 31, 2026 for travel through December 31, 2026. Full promotion details are available on Flying Blue's website.

Rove has added Frontier Airlines as a new transfer partner and is celebrating the launch with a 25% transfer bonus through July 31, 2026. The standard transfer ratio is 1:1, so you'll receive 1,250 Frontier miles for every 1,000 Rove Miles transferred during the promotion. Frontier is a nice addition for anyone who regularly flies the airline, and there can be good redemption opportunities on certain routes. As always, we wouldn't recommend transferring speculatively. Only move points if you have a specific redemption in mind.