π° My Top Picks, Recommendation & More (8/15/26)
This week, we’ll cover the new rules of points & miles in 2026, 20% Aeroplan bonus + 25% off awards, Hyatt's hidden 50% discount on second rooms, U.S. Bank finally has transfer partners, Amex kills multi-card offer activation, Resy to add 25k+ restaurants, wineries and experiences, redeem your Bilt Cash for BLADE helicopter rides, offer for $199 back on $199+ at Trust & Will, and more!
π The New Rules of Points & Miles in 2026
This week, we'll break down the biggest trends reshaping points and miles. We discuss new ways to earn transferable points without a credit card, the award search tools worth using right now, a six-month check-in on Bilt, and what's coming next for premium cards.
β My Top Picks
βοΈ Aeroplan: 25% Off Awards + 20% Transfer Bonus
Two Aeroplan deals landed this week:
- Award Sale: βUp to 25% off award flights worldwideβ when you book by Tue 8/18β. Travel must be between 9/8/26 and 6/30/27.
- Transfer Bonus: β20% bonusβ when you move Ultimate Rewards points to Aeroplan until 9/30. You also get an extra 10% on 50k+ point transfers if you're an βeligible cardholderβ.
π« Amex Kills Activating Offers on Multiple Cards
Historically many tools like CardPointers have been able to use a workaround to activate Amex offers on multiple cards at once. Unfortunately, that βstopped workingβ for most people this past week, so each offer can only be activated on one card (which is the way Amex always intended).
π Bilt Cash Now Books BLADE Helicopters
Bilt finally turned on the BLADE redemption it promised at launch. You can now βbook BLADE helicopter transfersβ between Manhattan and JFK or EWR in the Bilt app and apply up to $350 of Bilt Cash per seat, twice a year. If you hit platinum two years in a row, that means you could end up getting a great deal on 4 seats on a BLADE flight all at once.
π U.S. Bank Finally Has Transfer Partners
After a year of delays, U.S. Bank βlaunched its first four transfer partnersβ for Altitude Reserve cardholders, but two of them (Flying Blue and Qantas) are no longer showing up. That leaves Ethiopian at 1:1 and Accor at 2:1. The Accor transfer will only get you ~1.15¢/point, but Ethiopian is interesting, with βbusiness class from 15,000 milesβ.
π½οΈ Resy Credits to Work at Some Tock Restaurants
Resy has βjust addedβ Tock's 25,000+ restaurants, wineries and tasting experiences to their app, and starting 9/15 "select" Tock restaurants will work with Amex Resy statement credits. Resy recently βadded some restrictive languageβ that made people worry about many restaurants not qualifying, but so far that hasn't actually happened, so I'm optimistic that the Resy credit will work at most Tock restaurants (and possibly the wineries and experiences).
π¨ Recommendation: Hyatt Family Plan
When traveling with our family I much prefer booking a suite that has room for all of us, but sometimes it's not possible or wildly expensive, so we need to book two rooms. In that case, you should know that Hyatt has an βunpublished Family Plan Rateβ that takes up to 50% off a second room when you're traveling with kids. I actually booked two second rooms with points that I'm about to cancel because 50% of the cash rate is a much better deal. To book these rates, you can call the hotel, message β@HyattConciergeβ on X or email your My Hyatt Concierge (if you're Globalist). Note that the second room has to be a cash rate, but the first room can be cash or points.
π° The Rest of the Week
π³ Credit Cards & Points
- Amex: β350 new Fine Hotels + Resorts propertiesβ — I find it hard to use my FHR credits, so more hotels will hopefully help!
βοΈ Airline News & Promos
- American: βUp to 50x miles for cancer donationsβ (ends 9/30) — You're paying ~2¢ per mile and it's likely not tax-deductible, so I wouldn't consider this unless you were already looking to donate.
- Avios: βFree award calendar for BA, Aer Lingus & Iberiaβ — This is a great addition that will make it even easier to find award availability on Avios flights.
π¨ Hotel News & Promos
- Hyatt: βUp to 5 free nights in LatAm & Caribbeanβ
- IHG: βIberostar up to 50% off + $800 creditβ
- Radisson: βFinnair transfers & status matchβ — Transfers are not a good deal unless (like me) you have a small Radisson balance you'd love to get rid of.
π Award Deals
- π¦π· Argentina: βBiz to Buenos Aires from 50K Alaskaβ
- π§π· Brazil: βBiz to São Paulo from 40K AAβ
- πͺπΊ Europe: βBiz to Vienna for 75K Aeroplanβ
- π²π» Maldives: βPark Hyatt Hadahaa from 25K Hyattβ
- π―π΅ Tokyo: βReopened Park Hyatt from 35K Hyattβ
π Card-Linked Offers
- ADT: β$250 back on $250+ β— Only for new residential service.
- AT&T: β$50 back on $55+ fiber internetβ — Free money if AT&T Fiber is already your provider.
- Caesars: β10% back, up to $50 in Vegas, Reno & ACβ — You have to book direct with Caesars Rewards.
- Marriott: β$30 back on $300+ via Citiβ
- Trust & Will: β$199 back on $199+β — We used Trust & Will for our Estate Plan and this offer (if targeted) stacks with this β20% dealβ.
Editor’s Note: The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.