Chase Ink 100K Offer Dies Soon - And Two No-Fee Cards Are in the Crosshairs

✈️ Miles & Points Daily

Quick question before we start: when was the last time you checked whether a welcome bonus you've been eyeing is about to disappear? Because two of the best no-annual-fee card offers we've ever tracked are closing out, and the clock is genuinely ticking.

Which transferable points currency currently has a 30% transfer bonus running to British Airways Avios, Iberia Avios, AND Aer Lingus Avios simultaneously?

• 🏦 Chase Ultimate Rewards

• 💚 Amex Membership Rewards

• 🏙️ Citi ThankYou Rewards

• 🏠 Bilt Rewards

The answer is hanging out near the bottom of today's newsletter - keep scrolling. 👇

Both the Ink Business Cash and the Ink Business Unlimited are sitting at 100,000-point welcome bonuses right now - and according to reports from yesterday, these offers are wrapping up. We've never seen either card hit 100K before. The fact that they're both no-annual-fee products makes this even more unusual.

The Ink Cash earns 5x at office supply stores and on internet, cable, and phone services. The Ink Unlimited earns a flat 1.5x on everything. Both are Chase Ultimate Rewards cards, which means those 100K points can transfer to United, Hyatt, Southwest, Air Canada Aeroplan, and more.

There's an active 20% transfer bonus from Chase to Air Canada Aeroplan running through September 30. So those 100K points become 120,000 Aeroplan miles if you move them now. Aeroplan is one of the most flexible programs out there - it prices awards based on distance and has no fuel surcharges on partner bookings.

If you've been on the fence about an Ink card, this is the moment. No annual fee means zero risk of regretting the first year. The spending requirement to unlock the bonus is the only hurdle - check the application page for current details, as these offers may close any day.

Apply for at least one of these before the offer disappears. If you spend across both personal and business categories, the Ink Cash's 5x at office supply stores pairs perfectly with the gift card deals below. If you want simplicity, the Unlimited's flat 1.5x requires zero thinking.

Staples has fee-free $200 Visa gift cards in-store through Saturday, September 12. The limit is nine per customer per day, though individual store policies vary. Buying these with an Ink Cash card - especially while that 100K welcome bonus is live - means you're earning 5x Chase Ultimate Rewards points on what is effectively a cash purchase.

Meanwhile, Office Depot and OfficeMax are running a parallel promotion: buy $300 or more in Visa gift cards and get $15 off instantly, also through September 12. The household limit is 10. These two promos don't overlap (different stores), so you can hit both this week if you're motivated.

Office supply stores are a 5x category on the Ink Cash. If you're buying $300 in Visa gift cards at Office Depot, you're getting $15 back instantly AND 1,500 Chase points on top. That stacks into genuinely strong value if you can liquidate gift cards through your normal spending. Just know your local store's policy before you make a trip - limits can be inconsistent.

These deals are open today and run through this Saturday. If you have an Ink Cash (or are about to apply for one while the 100K bonus is live), this is exactly the kind of spending that makes that card sing. Act before the weekend.

Amex Membership Rewards is running a 30% transfer bonus to British Airways Avios, Iberia Avios, AND Aer Lingus Avios through September 27. These are three separate transfer partnerships, but they all land in the same Avios ecosystem - and with British Airways' household account, you can pool Avios from all three sources.

The 30% bonus means 100,000 Amex points become 130,000 Avios. That's meaningful if you're targeting a short-haul award that British Airways prices by distance - or a Qatar Qsuites redemption through Avios, which remains one of the best business class sweet spots in the game.

Iberia Avios prices some routes - particularly between Europe and Latin America - significantly cheaper than BA would. If you're chasing a transatlantic redemption, transfer to Iberia and search availability there first. The British Airways Reward Avios Flight Finder is a good starting point for checking what's actually bookable before you commit to a transfer.

UK readers planning BA or Iberia redemptions should check Smart With Points for the full breakdown of how this bonus plays in the Avios ecosystem.

Yesterday's post on One Mile at a Time raised a topic worth spending a minute on: speculative transfers. This is when you move points from a flexible currency like Amex or Chase into an airline or hotel program before you've confirmed award availability - usually to grab a transfer bonus or because you think a program is about to devalue.

The risk is obvious: once points are transferred, they don't come back. If the award you were targeting disappears, or the program devalues before you book, you're stuck with miles in a less flexible currency. So when is it worth it?

First: if the transfer bonus is large enough (30% or more) and you already have a clear redemption target, the math often works even with some uncertainty. Second: if the program is actively signaling an upcoming devaluation - award chart changes, partner policy shifts - moving points before the cut makes sense even without a booking in hand.

The Amex-to-Avios bonus running right now is a textbook case of scenario one. If you're planning a European or transatlantic trip in the next 12 months, locking in 130K Avios instead of 100K is a defensible speculative move. Award Travel Finder tracks live Avios availability across both BA and Iberia routes if you want to confirm space exists before pulling the trigger.

Don't transfer points speculatively just to chase a bonus. Transfer speculatively when you have a redemption target, a large enough bonus to justify the flexibility loss, and at least some confidence in the program's stability. Right now, Avios checks all three boxes for most travelers.

JetBlue is selling TrueBlue points with a 120% bonus through October 1. That's the highest buy-points bonus across any major program right now. If you're short on points for a JetBlue redemption - especially Mint business class - this is the window to top up. Check current pricing at the buy points promotions tracker to see if the math works for your specific target redemption.

KLM Flying Blue is also selling miles with an 80% bonus, but that one closes in 9 days on Wednesday, September 16. If you missed the Flying Blue business class devaluation window we covered last week and still want to book before rates climb further, this is your fastest path to topping up.

The answer is Amex Membership Rewards. All three Avios programs - British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus - are Amex transfer partners, and all three are running a 30% bonus through September 27. Chase, Citi, and Bilt each have Avios partnerships too, but none of them are currently running a simultaneous triple bonus. Transfer wisely.

Have you ever made a speculative points transfer - moving miles before you had award space confirmed? Did it work out, or did it backfire? Hit reply and tell me your story - I read every response and the good ones make it into a future issue.

That's the lineup for today. The Chase Ink deadline is the one I'd act on fastest - we've never seen 100K on a no-fee card before, and there's no telling how many more days it runs. Everything else has a clear expiry you can plan around. Go get it.

- Jack

A real US flight runs today. Pin the airport on the map, then guess the route in 5 tries. Wordle for plane geeks.

These are the top credit card welcome bonuses we're tracking. Offers change frequently - see all cards.

1. Business Gold Card: 200,000 points after spending $15,000 in 3 months ($3.75/yr)

2. American Express Green Card: 175,000 points ($8.95/yr)

3. Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on t... ($5.5/yr)

The Award Travel Finder team has been tracking these redemptions - here's what stands out:

Hotels:

• JW Marriott Jeju Resort & Spa - Kr | 2.0cpp value | 53,000 pts/night

• The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands - Male, MV | 3.4cpp value | 128,000 pts/night

• Milaidhoo Maldives, an SLH Hotel - Baa Atoll, MV | 1.9cpp value | 150,000 pts/night

• Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal - Cabo San Lucas, BCS, MX | 2.2cpp value | 140,000 pts/night

• Hotel Indigo Florence - Florence, IT | 1.1cpp value | 58,000 pts/night

Status Matches & Challenges:

• Flying Blue Status Match - Air France / KLM | SkyTeam

• Flying Blue (New Markets) - Air France / KLM | SkyTeam

• Flying Blue UK (BA Status Holders) - Air France / KLM | SkyTeam

Live Transfer Bonuses:

• Amex Membership Rewards → Aer Lingus Avios: +30% bonus - ends September 27 (in 20 days)

• Amex Membership Rewards → British Airways Avios: +30% bonus - ends September 27 (in 20 days)

• Amex Membership Rewards → Hilton: +30% bonus - ends October 14 (in 37 days)

• Amex Membership Rewards → Iberia Avios: +30% bonus - ends September 27 (in 20 days)

• Capital One Miles → JAL (Japan Airlines) Mileage Bank: +30% bonus - ends September 30 (in 23 days)

• Chase Ultimate Rewards → Air Canada Aeroplan: +20% bonus - ends September 30 (in 23 days)

Buy Points & Miles Deals:

• American Airlines (AAdvantage): 40% discount at - ends October 7 (in 30 days)

• Delta Air Lines (SkyMiles): 50% bonus at - ends October 31 (in 54 days)

• Etihad Airways (Etihad Guest): 25% bonus at - ends October 7 (in 30 days)

• Garuda (GarudaMiles): 100% bonus at - ends September 30 (in 23 days)

• JetBlue Airways (TrueBlue): 120% bonus at - ends October 1 (in 24 days)

• KLM (Flying Blue): 80% bonus at - ends Wednesday September 16 (in 9 days)

Full live tracker → milesandpointsdaily.com/buy-points-promotions

Browse every award deal we track at AwardTravelFinder.com →

Friday Flight Deals finds the best flight deals when paying cash beats using points.

Browse all deals at FridayFlightDeals.com →