Breaking Points: Credit Card News

Preferred Hotels & Resorts has a partnership with Sixt, and every time you rent a car from Sixt, I Prefer members will earn 5,000 bonus points. There are a few requirements: You must book through the Preferred Hotels Sixt offer and add your I Prefer number to the reservation. The rental must cost at least €25 or the equivalent in local currency before taxes and fees, but there is no minimum rental length. This can be a good return on short, inexpensive one-day rentals. We value I Prefer points at around 0.5¢ each, making the 5,000-point bonus worth roughly $25. You can also stack the bonus with eligible card-linked Sixt offers from programs like Amex or Citi.

Flying Blue is the latest airline to add "Light" fares, essentially basic fares, to its lowest-priced Air France and KLM awards starting September 8, 2026. These new Light fares will be available in all cabin classes and cannot be changed or refunded. They also come with fewer benefits, including reduced baggage allowances, no advance seat selection without paying, and no lounge access even when flying business class. The next step up will be a Standard award with the same benefits Flying Blue awards generally offer today, but expect to pay roughly 25-30% more miles when Light pricing is available. For example, New York to Paris business class will cost 60,000 miles as a Light award when Saver pricing is available, while the Standard fare will cost 75,000 miles and include the same benefits that today's 60,000-mile Saver award offers. The good news is that Light fares will only apply to the lowest-priced Air France and KLM awards, while higher-priced awards will continue to book as Standard when no Saver awards are available. Partner awards are also unaffected. Platinum elite members will still retain benefits like free changes and cancellations even when booking a "Light" fare. Overall, this is a devaluation for anyone who values the flexibility of Flying Blue's lowest-priced awards, as comparable Standard awards will now cost around 25-30% more than they do today.

Wyndham Vacation Resorts is offering three-night award stays for the price of one night at participating properties. Since Wyndham awards cost 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points per night, you'll pay just 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points total for all three nights. Wyndham credit cardholders can save another 10-25% on award bookings, so Wyndham Earner Premier cardholders with the 25% discount could pay just 5,625, 11,250, or 22,500 points for the entire stay. The big catch is that you must attend a Wyndham timeshare presentation during your stay. Timeshare presentations aren't for everyone, but if you're comfortable sitting through the presentation and saying no, three nights for as little as 5,625 points is an excellent deal.

Join Wyndham Business and earn 15,000 bonus points after completing just one qualifying stay. You must join Wyndham Business and book using your new corporate code by September 30, 2026, then complete your stay by December 31, 2026. There is no minimum two-night stay requirement, so even a one-night stay at a participating Wyndham property should qualify for the bonus. The person staying also earns Wyndham points separately from the business, so you may be able to stack this with other Wyndham Rewards promotions you're eligible for.

Cathay Pacific is offering 800 Asia Miles back for every 5,000 redeemed, for a 16% rebate on eligible award flights. The promotion is capped at 80,000 miles back. You must register and book by August 27, 2026 for travel between September 10 and December 10, 2026. There are several terms to be aware of. The rebate only applies to Standard Awards in economy or premium economy on Cathay Pacific-operated flights between Hong Kong and another destination. Connecting itineraries and partner awards are excluded, although round trips and open jaws are permitted. You can also stack this with Cathay's current 10% transfer bonus from participating bank and hotel programs (the deadline to transfer points for this promo is August 28, 2026). Neither promotion discounts the award at booking, as the bonus miles are deposited later. For example, if you transfer 100,000 points during the 10% promo and then redeem 100,000 Asia Miles on an eligible award, you'll later receive 10,000 miles from the transfer bonus and 16,000 miles from the award rebate, for 26,000 miles back in total. The award rebate will be deposited by January 31, 2027.