✈️ Miles & Points Daily

☀️ TRENDING MILES & POINTS NEWS

• ✈️ Airline Alert: American Airlines quietly raised Japan Airlines award prices by up to 40,000 miles roundtrip - no announcement made

• ✈️ Sweet Spot: Alaska Mileage Plan Starlux Business Class availability just opened wide - rare window to book

• 💳 Transfer Bonus: Chase Ultimate Rewards to IHG hits a best-ever 100% bonus, ending July 30

• 🚨 Deal Alert: Buy American AAdvantage miles at 50% off - best price of the year, ends this Wednesday (July 22)

There's a specific kind of frustration reserved for discovering that the award you were planning to book now costs 40,000 more miles than it did last week - and nobody told you.

That's exactly what's happening right now with American AAdvantage and Japan Airlines awards. No announcement, no warning, no email. Just higher prices sitting there quietly on the booking page. We're going to dig into that, but there's also genuinely good news today: Alaska Mileage Plan has one of those rare Starlux Business Class availability dumps, Rove Miles just launched Qantas transfers with a 50% bonus, and the Chase-IHG 100% transfer bonus is real - even if the math is trickier than it sounds.

🤓 Miles & Points Trivia

Starlux Airlines is based in which country - and which Alaska Mileage Plan partner did it first launch a partnership with in 2023?

• 🇯🇵 Japan - partnered with ANA

• 🇰🇷 South Korea - partnered with Korean Air

• 🇹🇼 Taiwan - partnered with Alaska Airlines

• 🇸🇬 Singapore - partnered with Singapore Airlines

Scroll down for the answer - it's near the bottom of today's issue. 👇

✈️ American Airlines Just Raised JAL Award Prices - Silently

Up to 20,000 Extra Miles Each Way

Here's what we know: American AAdvantage has started pricing some Japan Airlines award itineraries at up to 20,000 miles more each way than what its published partner award chart shows. That's up to 40,000 extra miles roundtrip - poof, gone, no explanation.

The published chart hasn't changed. The prices on the booking engine have. Whether this is a pricing glitch or the beginning of a quiet, unannounced devaluation is still unclear - but the pattern is concerning. American has been promising industry-leading value for AAdvantage members, and this is the opposite of that.

If you were planning a JAL redemption, search now and screenshot what you find. If prices are inflated on your route, it's worth waiting briefly to see if this corrects - but don't wait long. And if you're holding AAdvantage miles for a Japan trip, consider whether any alternative programs like Alaska or Avios might work better for your specific routing.

We covered the Alaska-JAL sweet spot a while back - that program remains a cleaner option for certain Japan routings if AAdvantage keeps drifting in this direction.

✈️ Alaska Starlux Business Class: Book It Before This Window Closes

Wide Open After Nearly Three Years of Drought

Alaska Mileage Plan and Starlux Airlines launched their partnership back in 2023 - and for about 24 hours, the availability was excellent. Then it vanished almost entirely. Until now.

A new dump of Starlux award availability has just appeared, and Business Class seats are bookable using Alaska miles. Starlux operates sleek, modern product on routes between the US and Taiwan, and the cabin is genuinely impressive for the miles required. These availability dumps don't last - the 2023 window closed within days.

If you've been sitting on Alaska miles waiting for a moment like this, this is the moment. Use Award Travel Finder to pull up current availability and route options across the Starlux network - availability like this moves fast.

For anyone unsure of Alaska miles' value right now, our Alaska Miles Calculator can help you sense-check whether this redemption pencils out for your specific trip.

💳 Chase to IHG: 100% Transfer Bonus Is Real - Here's the Catch

Best-Ever Bonus, Worst-Ever Partner Timing

Chase Ultimate Rewards just launched a 100% transfer bonus to IHG One Rewards - the biggest bonus we've ever seen between these two programs. Transfer 10,000 Chase points and you'll land 20,000 IHG points. Sounds great on paper.

But here's where it gets complicated. IHG points are among the least valuable hotel currencies out there, even after you double them. IHG properties regularly price at 30,000-60,000 points per night, and cash rates are often low enough that the points-to-dollar math rarely justifies burning valuable Chase Ultimate Rewards.

The narrow case where it works: if you're targeting a specific high-end IHG property - think InterContinental Bora Bora or similar - where the cash rate is genuinely expensive and the award price is capped. In those cases, the 100% bonus changes the math meaningfully.

The bonus runs through July 30. Our Chase Points Calculator can help you model whether this transfer makes sense for your specific target property before you pull the trigger.

🚨 Deal Alert: 50% Off American AAdvantage Miles - Ends This Wednesday

This one's a bit ironic given the JAL award pricing news above, but it's real: American is currently selling AAdvantage miles at 50% off, which works out to roughly 1.65 cents per mile. That's the best purchase price we've seen from AAdvantage in years.

The obvious tension: you're buying miles into a program that may be quietly devaluing partner awards without warning. So this makes the most sense if you have a specific redemption already in mind - ideally one that doesn't involve Japan Airlines right now - and you're slightly short on miles to book it.

The offer ends this Wednesday (July 22). See all current buy points promotions - including 16 active offers across programs - on our buy points tracker.

🌟 Rove Miles Adds Qantas Transfers - With a 50% Launch Bonus

Award Seats American, Alaska, and BA Can't See

Rove Miles has just launched 1:1 transfers to Qantas Frequent Flyer - and to sweeten the deal, there's a 50% launch bonus running through August 14. Transfer Rove Miles to Qantas and you'll get 1.5 Qantas points for every Rove mile you send over.

What makes this interesting isn't just the bonus. Qantas members get access to award inventory that isn't visible through American, Alaska, or British Airways. That includes some unique partners - El Al and Aircalin among them - that you simply can't reach through the usual oneworld booking channels.

Rove also now lets you search Qantas award availability directly on their website, which makes it easier to spot and book those exclusive seats before committing your miles. If you haven't looked at Rove Miles as a transfer hub yet, this is a good reason to start. You can sign up via our Rove Miles referral link.

🏨 Air Canada Aeroplan Meets World of Hyatt

Link Your Accounts for Reciprocal Status Perks

Air Canada Aeroplan and World of Hyatt have launched a new partnership, letting members link their accounts for reciprocal status recognition and points opportunities. If you hold status in one program, you may unlock perks in the other simply by connecting the two.

The most useful angle here depends on which program you're already invested in. Aeroplan is one of the more flexible and underrated points currencies, and Hyatt remains the gold standard for hotel redemptions. The partnership creates a new on-ramp for earning Hyatt points through Aeroplan activity - and for Hyatt members flying Air Canada, there's reciprocal recognition on the other side.

Award Travel Finder has been tracking some strong Hyatt redemption availability recently - if this partnership has you thinking about your next hotel booking, it's a good place to start hunting for open award nights.

🚨 Deal Alert: British Airways Club Miles - Buy Bonus Ends Today

Quick note for anyone holding British Airways Avios: the current buy points promotion with a 40% bonus expires today (July 16). If you've been on the fence about topping up your Avios balance, this is literally your last window. Tomorrow it's gone.

Avios remain one of the most flexible currencies in the game - redeemable across British Airways, Iberia, Qatar, Finnair, and more. If you have a short-haul redemption in mind or you're chasing a Qatar Qsuites booking, buying now at a 40% bonus could make that trip meaningfully cheaper in miles.

💡 FlightQueue Now Shows Fast-Track Links

Quick tool update worth knowing: FlightQueue just added skip-security fast-track pass links directly on airport pages. So when you're checking live security wait times before your flight, you'll now see a direct link to purchase a fast-track pass if one's available at that airport - right next to the live queue data.

It's a small addition but a useful one, especially at busy European airports where fast-track can mean the difference between a calm connection and a sprint. Check your departure airport at FlightQueue before your next trip.

🌎 Trivia Reveal

The answer is C - Taiwan. Starlux Airlines is a Taiwanese carrier, and it launched its partnership with Alaska Airlines in 2023, coinciding with the airline beginning US service. Alaska Mileage Plan members can redeem miles on Starlux - which is exactly why today's availability window is such a rare opportunity.

💬 Quick Question

American quietly raising JAL award prices without an announcement is a pattern we're seeing more of. Have you noticed unexplained pricing changes on any other partner awards recently - or has your go-to redemption program blindsided you with a silent devaluation? Hit reply and tell me which program did it - I read every single response and it helps me know what to dig into next.

The JAL story is the one I'll be watching most closely over the next few days. If this turns out to be a permanent, unannounced devaluation rather than a glitch, it's a meaningful shift for anyone building AAdvantage balances with Japan trips in mind. I'll update you the moment we know more.

- Jack

💳 Best Card Signup Offers Right Now

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 ($8.95/yr)

2. Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points with the Hilton Honors American Express ... ($5.5/yr)

3. The Platinum Card: 175,000 points after spending $12,000 in 6 months ($8.95/yr)

🔥 Points Redemptions Worth Your Attention

Whether you're spending hotel points or airline miles, these are the standout deals right now via Award Travel Finder:

Hotels:

• The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo - Tokyo, JP | 1.7cpp value | 121,000 pts/night

• The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort - Dhaalu Atoll, MV | 3.0cpp value | 122,000 pts/night

• Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort and Spa - Papetoai, Pf | 1.3cpp value | 95,000 pts/night

• Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort - Wailea, HI, US | 1.5cpp value | 110,000 pts/night

• InterContinental Hotels San Diego - San Diego, CA, US | 1.1cpp value | 68,000 pts/night

Status Matches & Challenges:

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

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

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

Live Transfer Bonuses:

• Amex Membership Rewards → Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: +30% bonus - ends July 31, 2026

• Amex Membership Rewards → Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: +30% bonus - ends July 31, 2026

• Capital One Miles → EVA Air Infinity MileageLands: +30% bonus - ends July 31, 2026

• Chase Ultimate Rewards → IHG: +100% bonus - ends July 30, 2026

• Citi ThankYou Rewards → ALL Accor: +50% bonus - ends July 18, 2026

• Rove Miles → Frontier Miles: +25% bonus - ends July 31, 2026

Buy Points & Miles Deals:

• American Airlines (AAdvantage): 100% discount at (ends July 22, 2026)

• Breeze Airways (Breezy Rewards): 50% discount at (ends August 27, 2026)

• British Airways (Club): 40% bonus at (ends July 16, 2026)

• Copa Airlines (ConnectMiles): 90% bonus at (ends July 30, 2026)

• Etihad Airways (Etihad Guest): 35% discount at (ends August 15, 2026)

• Garuda (GarudaMiles): 50% discount at (ends July 28, 2026)

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

Browse every award deal we track at AwardTravelFinder.com →

🔥 Hot Cash Flight Deals

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

Browse all deals at FridayFlightDeals.com →