Breaking Points: Credit Card News

Chase has updated the Freedom Flex benefits guide and will remove cell phone protection starting September 20, 2026. The card currently covers theft or damage to eligible cell phones when the monthly wireless bill is paid with the card. Coverage is limited to $800 per claim with a $50 deductible and $1,000 total per 12-month period. Eligible losses that occur through September 19, 2026 will still be covered, but the benefit ends the following day.

Sapphire Exclusive Tables has added 91 restaurants and removed 64 from its list of eligible properties. Chase Sapphire Reserve personal and business cardholders receive two $150 dining credits each year, one from January through June and another from July through December, for purchases at participating restaurants. Chase updates the list regularly, but not typically at this scale since this card benefit was introduced in June 2025. Las Vegas was hit especially hard, dropping from nine eligible restaurants to just one. Our friends at Frequent Miler have compiled the full list of restaurants by city. Chase has also confirmed a 60-day grace period for existing reservations at restaurants removed from the program, allowing cardholders to request a manual credit.

If you're comfortable sitting through a two-hour timeshare presentation, Hilton is offering 125,000 Hilton Honors points with select vacation packages. Options include three nights in Orlando or Las Vegas starting at $229, or four nights in Hawaii starting between $899 and $1,099. Book by July 14, 2026, and complete your stay within the next 12 months. You'll need to attend the required presentation to receive the bonus points. We generally don't recommend timeshare presentations, but if you've done them before and know what you're getting into, this can be an inexpensive way to pick up a large number of Hilton points.

August 13, 2026 Update: Chase and Hyatt announced this offer is ending Thursday, August 20, 2026 at 7am Eastern.

World of Hyatt is offering 45,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months, plus up to 30,000 additional points by earning 2x on up to $15,000 in purchases during the first 6 months. That's up 15,000 points over the standard offer of 30,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. The standard offer still includes the same opportunity to earn up to 30,000 additional points by spending $15,000 in the first 6 months. The annual fee is $95.

World of Hyatt has launched another promotion, this time offering 3,000 bonus points on stays of three or more nights at Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, and Hyatt Studios completed by July 31, 2026. The bonus is capped at 30,000 points and is available on both paid and award stays.

Where this gets interesting is the stacking. You can combine this promotion with Hyatt's current offer of 5,000 bonus points on stays of five or more nights at Hyatt House and Hyatt Studios, plus Hyatt's 2,000-point promotion for every two nights beginning with your second stay. Trigger all three offers on a qualifying five-night stay and you'll earn 12,000 bonus Hyatt points. Since Category 1 Hyatt hotels start at just 3,000 points per night, a qualifying five-night award stay could cost 15,000 points upfront and earn back 12,000 bonus points, dropping the net cost to just 3,000 points total while still earning elite night credits. For anyone chasing Hyatt status or Milestone Rewards, this could even make a mattress run worth considering.