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• New Amex Marriott offers: Brilliant 150K + $250, Bevy 125K + $150, plus Chase Boundless four 50K free-night certs.

• Chase IHG Premier is up to 160K points + $100 F&B credit + 10K for adding an authorized user.

• Flying Blue's August promo drops one-way US-to-Europe economy to 18,750 miles.

• New Amex Offer gives up to $100 back at Hertz, though terms vary by card.

• On r/awardtravel, LAX-LHR nonstop in Virgin Upper Class books for as low as 47K at calendar open.

• Buy World of Hyatt points at 20% off (2.08 cents), only worth it against a specific booking.

• Radar: Alaska Global Getaways 50%-off awards end Aug 8; Aeroplan 100K is back but needs heavy spend.

Marriott cards refresh with elevated welcome offers

The Amex Marriott lineup jumped: the Brilliant at 150K points plus a $250 statement credit after $6K in six months, the Bevy at 125K plus $150 after $5K, while Chase's Boundless is offering four 50K free-night certificates after $3K. Several Amex versions are running as NLL (no lifetime language) offers, so people who held these cards before may qualify again. These are the strongest Marriott card offers in a while.

→ Compare the Brilliant and Bevy math against your planned spend and apply through the NLL links while they last.

Corroborated across Frequent Miler, Doctor of Credit, and One Mile at a Time. · Frequent Miler (Amex offers) · DoC Brilliant 150K + $250 (NLL) · DoC Bevy 125K + $150 (NLL) · FM Boundless 4x50K free nights

Chase IHG Premier up to 160K plus $100 dining credit

The Chase IHG Premier is offering up to 160K points after spend, another 10K for adding an authorized user, and a $100 IHG food and beverage credit. Miles to Memories frames it as up to 170K, which is the 160K plus the authorized-user bonus combined. On a $99 annual fee card that covers Kimpton, Holiday Inn and InterContinental, it is a strong haul.

→ Add an authorized user during signup to capture the extra 10K, and plan to use the $100 F&B credit at an IHG property.

Corroborated (Doctor of Credit, Miles to Memories). · Doctor of Credit · Miles to Memories

Flying Blue August promo: Europe from 18,750 miles

Air France and KLM's Flying Blue Promo Rewards drop select one-way US-to-Europe economy awards to 18,750 miles for August, with business discounted too. Flying Blue is a transfer partner of Amex, Chase, Citi, Capital One and Bilt, so nearly any flexible points balance can reach it.

→ Check the August promo list for your route, then transfer points only after you confirm the award space is live.

Single source (The Points Guy). · The Points Guy

Citi Strata Elite: 75K points plus $1,200 in credits

Citi's Strata Elite is running 75K points plus up to $1,200 in first-year credits. The points transfer to Citi partners including Turkish and Avianca, both of which have their own sweet spots.

→ Weigh the 75K plus $1,200 against the annual fee and whether you will actually use the travel credits.

Single source (View from the Wing). · View from the Wing

AAdvantage Business account: 10K miles just to join

Doctor of Credit flags promo code BNS10K for 10,000 AAdvantage miles for opening an AAdvantage Business loyalty account, which is the free program, not a credit card. Easy miles if you run any small business or side gig.

→ Register an AAdvantage Business account and enter code BNS10K.

Single source (Doctor of Credit). · Doctor of Credit

Merrill+ points now redeem at 2 cents on airfare

Merrill+ cardholders can redeem points at a flat 2 cents each toward airfare through September 30, 2026. That is a fixed floor worth comparing against any transfer option before you burn the points.

→ If you hold Merrill+, use the 2-cent airfare redemption before the Sept 2026 cutoff.

Single source (Doctor of Credit). · Doctor of Credit

New Amex Offer for money back at Hertz

A fresh Amex Offer gives a statement credit at Hertz, but the terms vary by card: Doctor of Credit's headline shows spend $350 get $75 while the body cites spend $500 get $100. Check your own Amex Offers tab for the exact figure before you count on it.

→ Add the Hertz offer from your Amex account and confirm your specific spend threshold before booking a rental.

Single source, terms vary by card (Doctor of Credit). · Doctor of Credit

IHG portal-via-Chase datapoints: two-night minimum

On r/chasesapphire, multiple cardholders confirm the $250 select-hotel credit on Chase Travel works at IHG properties like Kimpton, but only on stays of two nights or more, and you must add your IHG number at booking to still earn points and elite perks. One reader stacked both the $250 Edit credit and the $250 IHG credit on the same Barcelona stay.

→ Book a two-night-plus IHG stay through Chase Travel, enter your IHG number, and confirm the Eligible banner shows.

Corroborated by multiple community datapoints. · r/chasesapphire

Buy Hyatt points at 20% off, but do the math

World of Hyatt is selling points at 20% off, about 2.08 cents each. One Mile at a Time's verdict: only worth it when you have a specific high-value redemption locked in, since Hyatt's normal award rates and Chase's Points Boost often beat buying outright.

→ Only buy if a confirmed booking values the points above 2.08 cents; otherwise transfer from Chase instead.

Single source (One Mile at a Time). · One Mile at a Time

LAX-LHR business: Virgin Upper Class wins on points

On r/awardtravel, a reader weighing LAX to London business class got a clear community answer: Virgin Atlantic Upper Class nonstop books for as low as 47K points at calendar open, dropping toward 41K if seats do not sell, versus 85K on British Airways or 126K on Air France. Virgin's downside is high fuel surcharges, but the low points cost and nonstop routing win for most people.

→ For LAX-LHR business, check Virgin Atlantic Upper Class at calendar open before defaulting to BA or Air France.

Community datapoints (r/awardtravel). · r/awardtravel

Chase Travel hotel stranded a reader twice

On r/chasesapphire, a reader was left stranded twice when hotels cancelled Chase Travel bookings and Chase never relayed the cancellation. The community fix is consistent: call or email the property a few days before arrival to confirm and attach your loyalty number, and file for a full refund plus any extra expenses if the booking was killed.

→ Confirm every Chase Travel hotel booking directly with the property before you travel, and dispute for a full refund if it was cancelled.

Single report plus community consensus (r/chasesapphire). · r/chasesapphire

United quietly testing compound award pricing

Live and Lets Fly flags a concerning United trend called compound pricing, where a one-stop award is priced as the sum of each leg rather than a single through-fare, which quietly raises the miles cost. Watch for it when a connecting award prices higher than the two cities should cost together.

→ Price United one-stops leg by leg and compare to the through-fare before you book.

Single source (Live and Lets Fly). · Live and Lets Fly

Alaska Global Getaways 50% off ends Aug 8

Alaska's August Global Getaways awards at up to 50% off to Italy, Australia, Fiji, Japan and more end tomorrow, Aug 8. We have covered this before, so this is your final-day reminder.

→ Book a Global Getaways award today if any of the routes fit your plans.

Corroborated, firm Aug 8 deadline (The Points Guy). · The Points Guy

Aeroplan 100K back, but with heavier spend

The Chase Aeroplan card's 100K welcome offer has returned, now carrying a larger minimum spend requirement than the last version. Worth it only if you can hit the higher threshold naturally.

→ Check the spend requirement against your budget before applying for the 100K Aeroplan offer.

Update, single source (Frequent Miler). · Frequent Miler

American cuts free coach-to-business upgrades

American ended free coach-to-business elite upgrades on three-cabin domestic and transcon routes, replacing them with premium economy upgrades instead. If you fly American transcons on status, your upgrade expectations just changed.

→ If you hold AA status, recheck upgrade eligibility on your transcon routes before booking.

Corroborated (View from the Wing, One Mile at a Time). · View from the Wing · One Mile at a Time

Singapore KrisFlyer now gates award search

Singapore KrisFlyer now requires recent points activity on your account before it will let you search award space. If your balance has been idle, you may need a transfer or earn to unlock searching.

→ Keep some activity on your KrisFlyer account if you plan to search Singapore awards.

Update, single source (r/chasesapphire). · r/chasesapphire

Calendar open: The day an airline first releases award seats for a date, usually about a year out, when award prices are often lowest.

Compound pricing: Pricing a multi-segment award as the sum of each leg instead of one through-fare, which usually costs more miles.

F&B credit: A food and beverage statement credit usable on dining at the hotel brand.

Free night certificate: An award voucher good for one hotel night up to a set points value.

NLL (No Lifetime Language): A card offer without the usual once-per-lifetime restriction, so past cardholders may qualify again.

Promo Rewards: Flying Blue's rotating monthly list of discounted award routes.

Upper Class: Virgin Atlantic's business class cabin.

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