Breaking Points: Credit Card News

August 28, 2026 update: Rakuten has added the Chase Ink Business Cash to this promotion, offering the same $100 cash back or 10,000 Bilt points available with the Ink Business Unlimited. The Ink Business Cash also currently offers an elevated 100,000-point welcome bonus and has no annual fee. The same advice applies regarding two-player mode and a referral bonus for new Chase for Business customers being the better play if it's available to you.

Rakuten is offering a $100 bonus (or 10,000 Bilt points if you've selected Bilt as your earning preference) when applying for the Chase Ink Business Unlimited as a new Chase for Business customer. That stacks with the card's current elevated welcome offer of 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points, creating an outstanding return on a no-annual-fee card. If you're in two-player mode, however, the 40,000-point referral bonus is generally the better play. The catch is that the applicant must be a brand new Chase for Business customer to be eligible for that referral offer. If your Rakuten account is set to earn Amex Membership Rewards, you will not see this offer. Your Rakuten earnings must be set to cash back or Bilt points.

Some Delta Business cardholders are receiving targeted upgrade offers on their Delta Business Gold and Platinum cards. The offers include 50,000 SkyMiles after spending $8,000 in 6 months to upgrade from Gold to Platinum, or 60,000 SkyMiles after spending $12,000 in 6 months to upgrade from Platinum to Reserve. Our advice? Don't do it. The current welcome offers on both cards are significantly better: 100,000 SkyMiles on the Business Platinum and 125,000 SkyMiles on the Business Reserve. Since Delta Amex cards are subject to Amex's 7-year family restrictions, you're generally much better off applying for the higher-tier card separately and earning the full welcome bonus instead of accepting the smaller upgrade offer.

The elevated public welcome offers on all three Southwest personal credit cards have ended, but they're still available through referral links, which we've updated on each card page. Earn 90,000 points on the Rapid Rewards Priority card after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months, 85,000 points on the Premier card after spending $2,000, or 80,000 points on the Plus card after spending just $1,000. Each offer is 30,000 points higher than the current public offer.

Rakuten is offering a $100 bonus (or 10,000 Bilt points if you've selected Bilt as your earning preference) when applying for the Citi Strata Premier card. That stacks with the card's current welcome offer of 60,000 ThankYou Rewards points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 months. The Strata Premier is one of Citi's best cards, unlocking full access to Citi's airline and hotel transfer partners at the best transfer ratios. The annual fee is $95. If your Rakuten account is set to earn Amex Membership Rewards, you will not see or be eligible for this offer. Your Rakuten earnings must be set to cash back or Bilt points.

Atmos Members Day is back with another round of discounted award fares. Book by July 4, 2026 for travel between September 1 and November 15, 2026. Highlights include Honolulu from 11,500 points; Seoul, Dublin, and Amsterdam from 20,000; London from 22,500; and Tokyo from 27,500. These prices are for economy awards only. During our searches, we found good availability from multiple U.S. cities at these starting at price points, with taxes as low as $26, even on flights to London. See all the details here.