Breaking Points: Credit Card News

Flying Blue has released its October 2026 Promo Rewards, offering 25% off select Air France and KLM award flights for travel through March 31, 2027. North American options include economy awards from Boston, Houston, Montreal, Ottawa, Raleigh, Calgary, and Toronto starting at 18,750 miles each way; premium economy from Las Vegas, Miami, Austin, and Chicago starting at 30,000 miles; and business class from Seattle and Mexico City starting at 45,000 miles. There are also some interesting awards beyond Europe, including Atlanta to Beijing for 30,000 miles in economy, Houston to Beijing and New York to Nairobi for 48,750 miles in premium economy, and Chicago to Shanghai for 86,250 miles in business. Most importantly, we now have an answer to the question we raised after Flying Blue introduced its new fare tiers last month. The lowest Promo Rewards prices now apply to the more restrictive Light fares, but Standard fares are discounted as well. For example, we found Boston to Paris for 18,750 miles in Light or 22,500 miles in Standard, compared with the normal 25,000- and 30,000-mile prices. That's good news if you want the additional benefits of a Standard award without giving up the Promo Rewards discount. Book by October 31 for travel through March 31, 2027.

Chase has elevated the welcome offers across all four personal United credit cards. The United Explorer Card is offering 70,000 bonus miles after spending $3,000 in the first three months, up from its standard 50,000-mile offer, with a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year and $150 thereafter. The United Quest Card is offering 80,000 miles after spending $4,000 in three months, up from 60,000 miles, with a $350 annual fee. The United Club Card is offering 90,000 miles after spending $5,000 in three months, up from 80,000 miles, with a $695 annual fee. The no-annual-fee United Gateway Card is offering 40,000 miles after spending $1,000 in three months, up from 30,000 miles. Each offer also includes another 10,000 bonus miles for adding an authorized user.

Marriott Bonvoy is offering a 15% transfer bonus to Air Canada Aeroplan. The standard transfer ratio is 3:1, plus a 5,000 Aeroplan-point bonus for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred. With the bonus, you’ll receive 28,750 Aeroplan points for every 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points transferred. Offer expires October 31, 2026.

Bilt Rewards will reduce its transfer ratio to World of Hyatt from 1:1 to 4:3 beginning January 1, 2027. That means every 1,000 Bilt points transferred will get you 750 Hyatt points instead of 1,000, a 25% reduction. The change comes just three months after Chase announced the same reduced 4:3 ratio for Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred cardholders, which took effect today, October 1. Bilt members still have through the end of 2026 to transfer to Hyatt at 1:1. While we don't generally recommend speculative transfers, if you transfer points to Hyatt regularly each year, this may be a case where one makes sense. Keep in mind, though, that there is likely a flood of points entering Hyatt's system right now, as many Chase cardholders transferred points ahead of today's devaluation. We expect a similar rush of Bilt-to-Hyatt transfers before the ratio changes in 2027. That could mean more competition for Hyatt award space, especially at popular properties and during peak dates, simply because more members will already have points sitting in their Hyatt accounts and ready to use.

Amex Membership Rewards is offering a 20% transfer bonus to Aeromexico Rewards. The standard transfer ratio is 1:1.6, so with the bonus, you’ll receive 1,920 Aeromexico Rewards points for every 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards points transferred. Offer expires October 30, 2026.