Breaking Points: Credit Card News

IHG is offering 10,000 bonus points for every two eligible paid nights at Ruby Hotels through early November. Ruby is IHG's newest hotel brand and has 21 properties in its portfolio, but they are all across Europe. It must be a cash booking to qualify, so you will not be able to use points or a combination of cash + points. If you stay by the end of August, you can stack this with a separate promotion IHG is running where you can earn 2,000 points per night stay or 8,000 points per 5 night stay. If you were already planning to stay at one of these properties or are planning a trip to Europe during this time frame, it's a worthwhile promotion to register for.

Capital One has begun migrating Discover card accounts to its network, although the transition is happening gradually and may not occur at the same time for all of your Discover cards. Once your account is moved, you'll manage your Discover card through Capital One while keeping your existing rewards balance. We've also seen reports that Discover It Miles can now be converted to Capital One miles if you have a Capital One miles-earning card. Cash back cards don't currently offer the same option, but because Capital One already allows its own cash back rewards to be converted to miles, we're hopeful that capability may eventually expand to Discover cash back cards as well.

American Express has added Leading Hotels of the World Leaders Club as a new Membership Rewards transfer partner at a 4:1 ratio. While that transfer ratio may not sound impressive, Leaders Club points can often be redeemed for around 8¢ each, making this one of Amex's strongest hotel transfer options at roughly 2¢ per Membership Rewards point. Citi is the only other transferable currency partner, but it transfers at a weaker 5:1 ratio. If you have an Amex Platinum or Business Platinum Card, you also receive complimentary Leaders Club Sterling Status, which includes benefits like daily breakfast for two, upgrade priority, and early check-in or late checkout when available.

JetBlue is jumping on the bandwagon by introducing new, restrictive fare classes. JetBlue's lowest-priced "Base" fares will now be available for premium cabin seats like EvenMore and BlueFirst seats. Those tickets will still include the premium seat, but it won't include seat selection and they will also charge change and cancellation fees. There will now be three fare classes to choose from: Base, Standard, and Flex, and these changes are expected to roll out soon. It's worth paying close attention to the fare you book, as the cheapest fare may come with more restrictions than you'd expect, especially when booking a premium cabin. There is also some good news as JetBlue announced a new premium domestic BlueFirst cabin on routes without Mint, giving another premium option for travelers.

Atmos has started offering Philippine Airlines award flights, with business class from the West Coast to the Philippines available from just 75,000 miles one-way. Flights from the Midwest and East Coast start at 85,000 miles, and you can continue to several destinations throughout Southeast Asia from 85,000 miles. Philippine Airlines flies nonstop to Manila from LA, San Francisco, Seatte, Vancouver, New York (JFK), and Toronto. We've seen flights with as many as six business class award seats available, making this an excellent option for families traveling together. Philippine Airlines is expected to officially join oneworld later this year, at which point these awards should become available through programs like American Airlines. That added competition will likely make this level of availability much harder to find, so book sooner rather than later if you're interested.