Breaking Points: Credit Card News

We don't generally cover shopping portal offers, but Capital One Shopping is targeting some members with unusually lucrative offers. You can earn $100 back after spending $100 or more on either a hotel or vacation rental booking or event tickets. To qualify, you must book through Capital One Shopping’s dedicated hotel comparison or event ticket portal rather than clicking through to another site. The offer appears on the Capital One Shopping website but may not show in the app. Keep in mind that Capital One rewards cannot be withdrawn as cash and must be redeemed for eligible gift cards, but this is still an excellent return, especially if you can find a qualifying purchase near the $100 minimum.

Certain Capital One business cardholders are being targeted with unusually lucrative referral offers of up to 100,000 miles per approved referral, capped at 500,000 miles for the year, or as much as $2,000 cash back. Offers vary by account, so business cardholders should log in and check their referral options. I was only targeted for $250 cash back per referral, up to $1,250 for the year. The biggest restriction is that your referral must not already have a Capital One business card. Existing personal Capital One cardholders are still eligible.

Citi Travel is targeting some cardholders with $75 off a hotel booking of $400 or more through the Citi Travel portal. Book by August 7, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET, with travel valid through the end of the current booking calendar. The $75 discount is applied directly at checkout and can stack with Citi’s existing hotel credits. Strata Premier cardholders can combine it with the card’s $100 annual hotel credit on stays of $500 or more, while Strata Elite cardholders can stack it with the card’s $300 hotel credit on eligible two-night stays of $400 or more.

Beginning July 8, 2026, Delta has expanded its Basic fare product to Delta First, Delta Premium Select, and Delta One on both paid and award tickets. While you'll still receive the premium seat, Basic fares lose many of the benefits traditionally associated with premium cabins. Seat assignments are given at check-in, baggage allowances are reduced, you'll earn fewer SkyMiles, changes incur a fee, and Delta One passengers lose access to Delta One Check-In and Delta One and Sky Club lounges. Delta says the new fares provide customers with more choice, but we're not fans of paying premium cabin prices while giving up benefits that were previously included. If you're booking a premium cabin, pay close attention to the fare type before checking out.

Citi is removing JetBlue as a transfer partner for its no-annual-fee ThankYou Rewards cards, including the Citi Double Cash, Custom Cash, Rewards+, and Citi Strata Card, effective September 20, 2026. Those cards currently transfer to JetBlue at a reduced 1:0.7 ratio, while the Citi Strata Premier and Citi Strata Elite will continue to offer the full 1:1 transfer ratio. This is another small devaluation for cardholders who rely on Citi's no-fee cards to access transfer partners, although most serious points enthusiasts will likely already have a Strata Premier or Elite.