Breaking Points: Credit Card News

Chase announced a refresh of the popular Chase Sapphire Preferred card, adding several new perks while keeping the annual fee at $95. The annual hotel credit for bookings made through Chase Travel is increasing from $50 to $100, meaning the credit alone can now offset the card's annual fee. Chase is also adding new bonus categories, including 3x on gas stations and vacation rentals such as Airbnb and VRBO, up to $120 in Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credits every four years, emergency evacuation coverage of up to $100,000, and a complimentary year of Apple TV+ when activated by December 31, 2026. All changes become effective for current cardholders on June 15, 2026. While many card refreshes come with higher annual fees, Chase managed to add meaningful benefits without increasing the cost of the card. Too bad they chose to announce it alongside the Hyatt devaluation.

Chase announced that both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Ink Business Preferred will transfer to Hyatt at a 4:3 ratio instead of 1:1. Coming on the heels of the recent Hyatt devaluation, this is terrible news for those who primarily use Chase Ultimate Rewards points for Hyatt transfers and don't also hold a Sapphire Reserve card. Cardholders will now have to decide whether to hold onto or apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Chase Sapphire Reserve Business card, both of which will continue to transfer to Hyatt at 1:1 but also carry a $795 annual fee. The change is effective immediately for anyone approved on or after June 15, 2026, while existing cardholders will retain 1:1 transfers until October 1, 2026.

It's hard not to view this as Chase pushing Hyatt users toward the Sapphire Reserve family of cards. This is also great news for Bilt, which now remains the only transferable points currency where all cards transfer to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio.

Capital One's Venture Business card is now offering 100,000 miles after spending $10,000 in the first three months. The previous offer, which launched alongside the card's April 2026 rebrand from Spark Miles, included 75,000 miles after $7,500 in spending plus an additional 75,000 miles after spending $30,000 in six months. While that offer had a higher ceiling, the new bonus will likely be more appealing to many small businesses thanks to the lower spending requirement. Another major improvement from the old Spark Miles card is that Venture Business approvals no longer count toward Chase's 5/24 rule. Capital One can still be particularly selective with approvals, especially for applicants who have opened multiple new cards in the past year. Katie's Travel Tricks has been tracking approvals, so check out the data if you're considering the card and want to gauge your chances.

Bank of America launched a targeted referral program in late May 2026, initially making referral links available only through its mobile app. It now appears that eligible cardholders can generate referral links through the website as well. Referrals are not available to all customers and are currently limited to the Customized Cash Rewards, Premium Rewards, Travel Rewards, Unlimited Cash Rewards, and BankAmericard cards. Eligible cardholders can earn $100 per approved referral, up to five referrals per calendar year. To see if you have access to referrals, check here while logged in to your account. Hopefully this is a sign that Bank of America plans to expand referrals to additional cardholders and products in the future.

Chase Ultimate Rewards is offering a 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. The standard transfer ratio is 1:1, so with the bonus, you’ll receive 1,300 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points for every 1,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points transferred. Offer expires July 14, 2026.