Breaking Points: Credit Card News

Amex is targeting Hilton cardholders with several different offers to earn bonus Hilton points on everyday spending through December 31, 2026. The offers vary significantly, with versions we've seen ranging from 3,500 bonus points after spending $2,000 to 5,000 points after spending $1,000 and 13,500 points after spending $4,500. Each of these offers can be triggered up to three times. Depending on your offer, that works out to an additional 1.75X to 5X Hilton points per dollar, and the bonus stacks with your card's normal earning rates. These offers can be especially useful if you're already working toward a spending-based benefit, such as the free night certificate earned after spending $15,000 in a calendar year on the Hilton Honors Surpass Card. Check the Amex Offers on each of your Hilton cards to see whether you're targeted and which version you received.

Citi is ending the grandfathered benefits that remained on Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red and Silver cards after they were converted to Citi cards in April 2026. Starting October 25, 2026, former Aviator Silver cardholders, whose cards became the Citi AAdvantage Globe, will lose 2x miles on car rentals and hotels, the $25 daily food and beverage credit, and the $50 anniversary Wi-Fi credit. The benefit to earn up to 15,000 additional Loyalty Points will remain through the current status qualification period ending February 28, 2027. Former Aviator Red cardholders, whose cards became the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select, will lose their $25 anniversary Wi-Fi credit on October 25. The Companion Certificate benefit will also end on both converted cards, although cardholders remain eligible to earn it one more time through their next cardmembership anniversary date. Any Companion Certificates already earned will remain valid through their original expiration dates. It's disappointing to see these benefits disappear only six months after the cards moved to Citi, but it's not surprising that Citi doesn't want to continue offering benefits from the old Barclays cards indefinitely.

Chase has added referral bonuses to the three of its cards: the Amazon Prime Visa, Amazon Visa, and Chase Freedom Rise cards. The Prime Visa and Amazon Visa cardholders can earn a $50 Amazon gift card for each approved referral, up to $500 per year. Chase Freedom Rise cardholders can earn 2,500 Ultimate Rewards points, worth $25 as cash back, for each approved referral, up to 25,000 points per year. If you have one of these cards, you can check Chase's referral page to generate your referral link. The person applying can still receive the publicly available welcome offer when applying through your link.

IHG is targeting some members with an offer to earn 2,000 bonus points for every two qualifying paid nights completed between September 1 and September 30, 2026, up to 6,000 bonus points total. There are a few details to be aware of. You must be targeted and register before completing your stay, and award nights and Points + Cash bookings do not qualify. This isn't a great promotion on its own, but it gets interesting because it can stack with several other current IHG promotions, including 10,000 bonus points for every two nights at Ruby Hotels and targeted double elite-night promotions. If you're eligible for multiple offers and already have September IHG stays planned, the combined bonuses could make them much more rewarding.

Receive 2X points from ALL Accor on eligible stays of at least two nights across Europe and select countries in North Africa and surrounding regions. ALL Accor+ members can earn 3X points when booking an eligible Accor+ rate. You must register for the promotion before booking and make your reservation by September 13, 2026 for stays between September 7 and December 27, 2026. The bonus is limited to two stays per member. This isn't a promotion we'd plan a trip around, but Accor has a large footprint throughout Europe, so it's worth registering if you have an eligible trip coming up.