Breaking Points: Credit Card News

Chase is targeting some cardholders with unusually large welcome offers on the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred. Reported offers include 175,000 points on the Sapphire Reserve after spending $6,000 and 125,000 points on the Sapphire Preferred after spending $5,000, matching the public spending requirements but with significantly higher bonuses. These appear to be the highest offers we’ve seen on either card, so if you’re targeted and were already considering applying, these are excellent opportunities. Log in to your Chase account or check your pre-approved offers to see if you’ve been targeted.

Amex has an offer for a $100 statement credit after spending $500 or more at participating Accor properties between August 3 and December 2, 2026. You must enroll in the offer by November 2, 2026 and book directly through Accor. You can view the list of participating properties here. Accor points have a fixed redemption value of 2 euro cents each and can be combined with cash, including when paying at checkout. That means you could redeem points for part of your stay and charge at least $500 to your enrolled Amex card to trigger the statement credit.

American Express has added more than 350 properties to its Fine Hotels + Resorts and The Hotel Collection portfolios, bringing the combined footprint to more than 3,400 properties across 116 countries. We like both programs, particularly for Amex Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders, who receive up to $600 in annual hotel credits split into two $300 semi-annual credits. Fine Hotels + Resorts bookings can also include valuable perks such as daily breakfast for two, a $100 property credit, guaranteed 4 p.m. checkout, and possible early check-in and room upgrades.

August 15 update: Flying Blue is back. Qatar is still missing after the original announcement, though. We will keep updating as we receive more information.

August 13 update: There has been no official announcement from U.S. Bank, but Qantas and Flying Blue have been removed from transfer options. We'll update as more information comes in.

August 12, 2026: U.S. Bank has finally delivered on its long-promised addition of transfer partners. Altitude Reserve cardholders can now transfer points 1:1 to Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Qantas Frequent Flyer, and Ethiopian ShebaMiles, or 2:1 to ALL - Accor Live Limitless. Another transferable points currency is always welcome, but there's a major catch: The Altitude Reserve is currently the only U.S. Bank card with access to these partners, and it has been closed to new applicants since 2024. That makes this great news for existing cardholders but largely irrelevant to everyone else for now. We'll be watching to see whether U.S. Bank reopens the Altitude Reserve, adds transfers to other cards, or launches a new transferable-points card.

Chase Ultimate Rewards is offering a 20% transfer bonus to Air Canada Aeroplan. The standard transfer ratio is 1:1, so with the bonus, you’ll receive 1,200 Air Canada Aeroplan points for every 1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points transferred. This Aeroplan transfer bonus gets even better for those with a Chase Aeroplan card. Cardholders can get an extra 10% bonus on their transfers when transferring at least 50k points. Offer expires September 30, 2026.