United Just Raised Its Card Bonus to 100,000 Miles - And Alaska Is Giving 20% Back on Kids' Awards

✈️ Miles & Points Daily

There's a window open right now that I think closes faster than people expect - and it involves one of the most underrated card bonuses to hit the market in months. Let's get into it.

Alaska Airlines just launched a 20% refund on award tickets for kids 12 and under. But which transfer partner did Alaska recently add that also earns elite status credit through point transfers?

• 🏠 Bilt Rewards

• 🏨 Marriott Bonvoy

• 💳 Chase Ultimate Rewards

• 🌊 Capital One Miles

The answer is waiting near the bottom of today's newsletter... keep scrolling. 👇

United and Chase quietly raised welcome bonuses across the United card lineup - and the top-tier United Club Card now hits 100,000 miles (90,000 plus a 10,000-mile authorized-user bonus), its highest offer in years. The other personal cards moved up too, just not that far: Explorer tops out around 80,000 miles and Quest around 90,000, while the no-fee Gateway sits at 50,000. Both United business cards land at 100,000 miles plus 2,000 PQP - though that's actually a step down from the up-to-110,000-mile offer they were running earlier this year. Whichever card you're eyeing, there's a twist that makes it harder to skip than ever before.

Here's what's changed beyond the bonus: eligible primary cardholders now earn more miles per flight on United, and they pay fewer miles when booking United awards. That's a double disadvantage for flying United without one of these cards. Even elite status doesn't fully close the gap anymore.

At 100,000 miles, you're looking at a solid business class redemption on a partner airline or a couple of domestic round-trips with miles to spare. If you've been on the fence about a United card, this is the strongest argument they've made in a while.

If you fly United with any regularity and don't hold one of their cards, the math has shifted against you. The 100,000 mile bonus is the hook, but the ongoing earn and award discount are the reason to keep it long-term.

Alaska Airlines just announced something that families booking award travel have never had before: a 20% points refund on award tickets for children 12 and under. This applies to eligible partner airline awards too, not just Alaska-operated flights.

Think about what that means practically. If you're booking a family of four - two adults, two kids - you're getting back nearly half a ticket's worth of points just from the kids' discount. For a round-trip redemption that might cost 40,000 miles per child, you're getting 8,000 miles back per kid, automatically.

Separately, Alaska is now offering elite status credit when you transfer Bilt or Marriott points into their Atmos Rewards program - with no cap on how much status credit you can earn. That's a meaningful development for anyone trying to hit Alaska elite status without flying as much.

We covered the launch of Alaska Atmos Rewards in detail a few days ago - if you missed it, that story has the full breakdown of how the new earning structure works alongside this update.

The kids' award refund is genuinely useful for family redemptions, and it stacks with existing Alaska Mileage Plan sweet spots. If you're planning a multi-person trip, run the numbers - you might get a free domestic one-way back from the refunds alone.

We flagged this bonus last week, but it's worth a reminder with the deadline now in 10 days: Chase Ultimate Rewards is offering a 70% bonus when you transfer to Marriott Bonvoy, ending Thursday October 15. That turns 10,000 Chase points into 17,000 Marriott points - a significant jump from the standard 1:1 transfer ratio.

Marriott points are most valuable when you're targeting specific properties - especially Category 1-4 hotels where a free night certificate stretches furthest. The bonus doesn't change the transfer direction's fundamental economics, but it does make topping off a Marriott balance much cheaper right now.

Chase Marriott cardholders are also being targeted for a separate spending bonus running through December - spend $500 in a calendar month and pick up 1,000 bonus points, up to 3,000 total between now and year-end. Registration required by October 14. Check your Chase account to see if you're targeted.

If you're eyeing a Marriott stay in the next several months and have Chase points sitting idle, transferring before Thursday gets you 70% more Marriott points for free. Use our transfer bonuses tracker to see everything live right now.

Through October 31, Marriott Bonvoy is offering a 15% bonus when you convert points to Air Canada Aeroplan. The standard ratio is 3:1 (60,000 Marriott to 20,000 Aeroplan), and with the bonus that rises to 23,000 Aeroplan points for the same 60,000 Marriott.

Aeroplan is one of the better programs for booking Star Alliance partners - United business class to Europe, ANA in premium cabins to Japan, and Lufthansa connections through Frankfurt all price reasonably through Aeroplan. If you've been accumulating Marriott points and have a Star Alliance redemption in mind, this bonus nudges the math a bit more in your favor.

The Milenomics podcast this week featured a full round-the-world trip built around award travel through Japan and Southeast Asia - a reminder that multi-stop premium itineraries built through programs like Aeroplan are still very much achievable if you plan early enough.

15% isn't a barn-burning bonus, but if you already planned to move Marriott points to Aeroplan, doing it before October 31 is a free upgrade. Don't transfer speculatively - have a specific redemption in mind first.

World of Hyatt's buy-points promotion with a 20% discount expires tonight. If you're short on Hyatt points for an upcoming stay - especially a higher-category property where cash rates are eye-watering - tonight is your last shot to top off at a discount.

Hyatt points are among the most valuable hotel currency out there, particularly for Category 7 and 8 properties where a free night can replace a $600-$800 cash rate. Buying at a 20% discount moves the effective cost per point down meaningfully. Check your planned redemptions first before buying - but if the math works, this closes at midnight.

You can see all current buy-points offers, including the Frontier 150% bonus and Delta's 50% SkyMiles bonus running through October 31, on our buy points promotions tracker.

Frequent Miler put together a useful rundown today on airline and hotel programs that let you book activities and experiences with your points - no cash required. These come in two flavors: auction-style (you bid a max number of points and the highest bidder wins) and redeem-now style (fixed-price activities booked directly).

It's not for everyone, and the redemption value rarely beats flights or hotels. But if you're sitting on a balance that's too small for an award flight and you're not sure what to do with it, this is worth knowing about. Programs like World of Hyatt and several airline loyalty programs have live options right now.

Don't burn miles on experiences unless the cash alternative is also something you'd genuinely pay for. The value per point is usually low - but for small balances with no obvious flight use, it beats letting them expire.

This one isn't miles and points, but it's real money that can fund travel: Chase is running a targeted $900 bonus for opening both a new Chase Total Checking and a Chase Savings account (available via invitation or coupon code, not to every reader). To get it, you need direct deposit set up on the checking side and $15,000 deposited into savings within 30 days, maintained for a total of 90 days from enrollment. The offer runs through January 27, 2027.

$900 cash in hand covers a lot of travel costs - airport transfers, travel insurance, or even a domestic flight that you'd rather not spend points on. If you don't already bank with Chase and have the liquidity to park $15,000 for a few months, this is worth a serious look.

Not every win has to come from points. Sometimes Friday Flight Deals finds $300 round-trips to Europe that make more sense as cash bookings than award redemptions - and $900 in your pocket covers a lot of those.

Family travel or solo points maximization - which do you spend more time optimizing for? Hit reply and let me know. I read every response and I'm genuinely curious how many of you are booking for families versus flying solo or as a couple.

That's it from me today. The United card bonus bump is the headline, but the Alaska kids' award refund is the sleeper story of the week - families should be running the numbers on that one right now.

- Jack

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

1. Business Platinum Card: 300,000 points after spending $20,000 in 3 months ($895/yr)

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

3. Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points and a Free Night Reward after you spend ... ($195/yr)

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

Hotels:

• HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO, a Luxury Collection Hotel & Spa - Kyoto, JP | 1.7cpp value | 104,000 pts/night

• The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort - Dhaalu Atoll, MV | 1.7cpp value | 122,000 pts/night

• Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal - Cabo San Lucas, BCS, MX | 2.5cpp value | 140,000 pts/night

• Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi - Male, MV | 4.4cpp value | 150,000 pts/night

• InterContinental Hotels The Clement Monterey - Monterey, CA, US | 1.2cpp value | 68,000 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 25 days)

• Amex Membership Rewards → Air France KLM Flying Blue: +25% bonus - ends October 31 (in 26 days)

• Amex Membership Rewards → Hilton: +30% bonus - ends Wednesday October 14 (in 9 days)

• Capital One Miles → British Airways Avios: +20% bonus - ends October 31 (in 26 days)

• Chase Ultimate Rewards → Marriott Bonvoy: +70% bonus - ends Thursday October 15 (in 10 days)

• Citi ThankYou Rewards → Avianca LifeMiles: +25% bonus - ends October 24 (in 19 days)

Buy Points & Miles Deals:

• American Airlines (AAdvantage): 40% discount at - ends November 4 (in 30 days)

• Delta Air Lines (SkyMiles): 50% bonus at - ends October 31 (in 26 days)

• Etihad Airways (Etihad Guest): 25% bonus at - ends November 4 (in 30 days)

• EVA Air (Infinity MileageLands): 40% discount at - ends this Thursday (October 8, in 3 days)

• Finnair Plus: 50% bonus at - ENDS TODAY - the send date (October 5)

• Frontier Airlines (Frontier Miles): 150% bonus at - ends October 23 (in 18 days)

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

Browse every award deal we track at AwardTravelFinder.com →

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