Flying Blue's 25% Amex Bonus + IHG Just Launched a $350 Card With 200K Points

✈️ Miles & Points Daily

Something quietly shifted in the loyalty world overnight - and it happened on multiple fronts at once. Three transfer bonuses went live yesterday, IHG dropped a completely new premium card, and Bilt confirmed it's following Chase's lead on Hyatt. There's a lot to unpack, so let's get into it.

Flying Blue's Promo Rewards program discounts select awards by 25% each month. But which of these is NOT a valid way to earn Flying Blue miles right now?

• 🇺🇸 Transferring Amex Membership Rewards (with a 25% bonus through Oct 31)

• 💳 Transferring Rove Miles (with a 40% bonus through Oct 31)

• 🏦 Transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards directly to Flying Blue

• 🛍️ Shopping through the Flying Blue e-shop

The answer is near the bottom - keep scrolling. 👇

Air France-KLM's Flying Blue program just became one of the most interesting places to park your Amex Membership Rewards points this month. Through October 31, you'll get a 25% bonus when transferring Amex points to Flying Blue - meaning 10,000 Amex points becomes 12,500 Flying Blue miles.

That bonus stacks with Flying Blue's October Promo Rewards, which offer 25% discounts on select award tickets. The combination of more miles in your account and cheaper awards is genuinely rare, and it's the kind of window that closes faster than people expect.

Upgraded Points flagged this week that you can reach Europe in business class for as few as 48,000 Amex points after the transfer bonus is applied - flights to Paris or Amsterdam from multiple US departure cities. That's a real number for a premium cabin transatlantic flight.

There's also a limited-time offer on the $89 annual fee Air France KLM Visa Signature card right now: 70,000 Flying Blue miles plus 100 XP (experience points toward elite status). The 100 XP on signup, combined with cardmember spending that can add another 160 XP at anniversary, puts Flying Blue Platinum status within reach for strategic applicants - and Platinum unlocks meaningfully better award availability.

If Europe business class is on your radar for 2027, this is the rare moment where the card bonus, the transfer bonus, and the discounted awards are all live simultaneously.

If you've been sitting on Amex Membership Rewards and have any interest in Air France, KLM, or any SkyTeam partner redemption, the Amex-to-Flying-Blue 25% bonus is worth acting on before October 31. Pair it with the Promo Rewards list to find your discounted award, and the math gets genuinely compelling.

Capital One is offering a 20% transfer bonus to British Airways Club Avios through October 31. This one doesn't come around often - Capital One to BA is typically a standard 1:1 transfer, so getting 20% more miles for the same cost is a legitimate upgrade to the math. If you've been building up Capital One miles, this is a good moment to top off an Avios balance before a booking.

Rove is going further. Through the end of October, Rove Miles are transferring to JAL Mileage Bank at a 50% bonus, to Flying Blue at 40%, and to Qatar Privilege Club Avios at 35%. The JAL bonus is the headline here - Rove is flagging business class to Japan for 36,700 Rove miles one-way when award space is available. That's a remarkably low price for a premium Japan routing.

The Capital One to Avios bonus is solid if you're sitting on miles and have a BA redemption in mind - use our British Airways Avios calculator to check whether the numbers work for your route. The Rove bonuses are more aggressive and worth checking if you hold Rove miles and have flexible award dates.

Yesterday was a big day for IHG. Chase and IHG didn't just tweak their co-branded cards - they overhauled the entire lineup. The headline move is the brand new IHG One Rewards Premier Select Credit Card, with a $350 annual fee and a welcome bonus of 200,000 points. That's a substantial offer for anyone who stays at IHG properties with any regularity.

The existing portfolio also changed. Annual fees increased on two of the three legacy cards, and perks were reshuffled across the board. If you currently hold an IHG Chase card, it's worth reviewing what changed - both in terms of what you're paying and what you're getting in return.

IHG's award rates are wide-ranging across properties, but 200,000 points can stretch to 5+ free nights at mid-tier properties or 2-3 nights at higher-end InterContinental hotels. If you're a frequent IHG guest, the new Premier Select's perks structure - combined with that welcome bonus - makes a strong case relative to the older cards.

If you're not an active IHG guest, this doesn't move the needle. But if you're loyal to Holiday Inn, InterContinental, or any IHG brand, the timing of the 200K welcome bonus on the new card is worth a serious look before the offer changes.

If you missed Monday's newsletter covering the Chase-to-Hyatt devaluation, here's a quick recap: Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders who hadn't already lost it saw their 1:1 Hyatt transfer ratio drop to 4:3 on October 1 - yesterday. Bilt is following the identical path, but on a later timeline: it confirmed this week that its own Hyatt transfers drop from 1:1 to 4:3 on January 1, 2027.

Miles to Memories flagged this week that Chase and Bilt making the same move in quick succession is worth a second look - it may not just be two card issuers independently getting stingier. That's a meaningful framing shift. It's possible Hyatt itself is pushing for less access via transferable points currencies as it manages award inventory.

The practical impact: if you're planning a Hyatt redemption in 2027 or later, transfer your Bilt points before January 1 to lock in the 1:1 ratio. The Chase Sapphire Reserve still gets 1:1 with Hyatt, and some Preferred cardholders are reportedly seeing targeted upgrade offers worth up to 75,000 bonus points - check your account if that applies to you.

Quick one, because this window is almost closed. Virgin Atlantic is offering a 70% bonus on purchased Flying Club miles right now, but it expires this Sunday, October 4. That's two days from today.

Buying points is rarely the move unless you have a specific redemption in mind - but Virgin Atlantic miles are genuinely useful, particularly for booking Delta One business class or ANA First Class at partner rates. If you're short on miles for a booking you've already found, the 70% bonus makes the per-mile cost materially lower than usual.

This one is time-flexible but worth flagging: Rakuten is offering a $50 welcome bonus through December 31, 2026 for new members who sign up via a referral link and spend $50 within 90 days. The person who refers you also gets $50 - making this one of the cleaner two-sided referral offers in the space.

The part that makes this interesting for points collectors: you can opt to earn in Amex Membership Rewards instead of cash back. Given that Amex points can be worth 1.5-2 cents each through premium redemptions, that $50 bonus can effectively deliver $75-100 in travel value if you're transferring to the right programs - like Flying Blue, which has a 25% bonus running right now.

Three different transfer bonuses hit simultaneously this week - Amex to Flying Blue (25%), Capital One to Avios (20%), and Rove to JAL (50%). Which of these has you most tempted to move some points? Hit reply and tell me - I read every response and the answers genuinely help shape what I cover next.

That's it for today. October is shaping up to be a genuinely busy month for transfer bonuses and card moves - I'll keep tracking what's worth acting on versus what's noise. Have a great weekend.

- Jack

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

1. Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Earn 200,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on t... ($550/yr)

2. Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: Limited Time Offer: Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points plus a Free Night Re... ($195/yr)

3. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card: Earn 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy bonus points plus a $250 statement credit after you... ($650/yr)

Here's what we're seeing in award availability right now (via Award Travel Finder):

Hotels:

• The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara - Santa Barbara, US | 1.3cpp value | 88,000 pts/night

• Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Autograph Collection - Kohala Coast, HI, US | 1.5cpp value | 97,000 pts/night

• Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa - Atoll, MV | 1.6cpp value | 120,000 pts/night

• Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique - Guanacaste, CR | 3.3cpp value | 120,000 pts/night

• InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace - Rome, IT | 1.1cpp value | 120,000 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 → AeroMexico ClubPremier: +20% bonus - ends October 30 (in 28 days)

• Amex Membership Rewards → Air France KLM Flying Blue: +25% bonus - ends October 31 (in 29 days)

• Amex Membership Rewards → Hilton: +30% bonus - ends Wednesday October 14 (in 12 days)

• Capital One Miles → British Airways Avios: +20% bonus - ends October 31 (in 29 days)

• Chase Ultimate Rewards → Marriott Bonvoy: +70% bonus - ends Thursday October 15 (in 13 days)

• Citi ThankYou Rewards → Avianca LifeMiles: +25% bonus - ends October 24 (in 22 days)

Buy Points & Miles Deals:

• American Airlines (AAdvantage): 40% discount at - ends November 1 (in 30 days)

• Copa Airlines (ConnectMiles): 80% bonus at - ENDS TODAY - the send date (October 2)

• Delta Air Lines (SkyMiles): 50% bonus at - ends October 31 (in 29 days)

• Etihad Airways (Etihad Guest): 25% bonus at - ends November 1 (in 30 days)

• EVA Air (Infinity MileageLands): 40% discount at - ends this Thursday (October 8, in 6 days)

• Finnair Plus: 50% bonus at - ends this Monday (October 5, in 3 days)

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

Browse every award deal we track at AwardTravelFinder.com →

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