Breaking Points: Credit Card News

Southwest is offering up to 40% off base fares with promo code FLYWOW. Book by June 11, 2026 for travel between August 4 and December 16, 2026. While there are some blackout dates and not every flight is eligible, we found the discount available on a wide variety of routes during our searches. The best part is that the discount applies to both cash fares and award flights, making this promotion useful whether you're paying with dollars or Rapid Rewards points.

We value Emirates miles at 0.9¢ each, which makes this promotion particularly interesting. Through August 31, 2026, Emirates is allowing members to redeem Skywards miles toward paid flights on Emirates, flydubai, EasyJet, and Jet2 at roughly 1.5¢ per mile. We generally prefer straightforward award redemptions, but Emirates' high surcharges and recent devaluations have made it increasingly difficult to get good value from Skywards miles. We wouldn't transfer points to Emirates solely to take advantage of this offer, but it could be a solid use if you have miles sitting with Emirates, especially if they are nearing expiration or you don't have a specific award redemption in mind.

Wells Fargo has announced several changes to its rewards program, the biggest of which is the elimination of point sharing between members. Beginning September 25, 2026, cardholders will no longer be able to gift points to another Wells Fargo Rewards member. That's disappointing news, as Wells Fargo now joins Citi and Amex in prohibiting members from combining or sharing transferable points. Wells Fargo is also ending automatic point pooling across multiple cards. Going forward, cardholders will need to manually combine points within their account, similar to how Chase and Capital One handle rewards. This minor change takes effect immediately.

Book a Hilton stay and complete it between June 1 and August 31, 2026 to earn 1,000 Qatar Avios. You must register before booking and completing your stay, and reservations must be made through Hilton's direct booking channels. The names on your Hilton Honors and Qatar Airways Privilege Club accounts must also match. While 1,000 Avios isn't a huge bonus, it's essentially free points for anyone who already has a Hilton stay planned.

IHG is targeting some members with an offer for double elite night credits on stays completed through July 31, 2026. The promotion is capped at five bonus elite nights, meaning a five-night stay could earn credit for 10 nights. Even if you're not pursuing IHG elite status, the extra nights can help you reach Milestone Rewards, which begin at 20 elite nights. You can try to register here to see if you're eligible.