✈️ Miles & Points Daily

☀️ TRENDING MILES & POINTS NEWS

• ✈️ Airline News: American Airlines cuts domestic business-class upgrades for elite members starting August 25 - premium economy is now the ceiling on affected routes

• ✈️ Airline News: Delta returns to Tokyo Narita in March 2027 after a 7-year absence, adding a second nonstop Tokyo option from Seattle

• 💳 Credit Cards: Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex is offering 150,000 points plus a $250 statement credit - one of the stronger offers this year

• 🚨 Deal Alert: Delta's Atlanta-Riyadh flights are reportedly so empty that award seats are wide open right now

There's a pattern forming at American Airlines, and it's not a flattering one.

We covered the 75% Admirals Club fee increase earlier this week. Now AA is pulling lie-flat business-class upgrades from elite members on domestic routes. Two hits in the same week - that's not a coincidence, that's a strategy shift. And if you're an AAdvantage elite who relies on complimentary upgrades, you need to know exactly what's changing before August 25.

🤓 Miles & Points Trivia

World of Hyatt just launched its third buy-points promotion of 2026. What's the discount on purchased Hyatt points right now?

• 🅰️ 10% off (2.31 cents per point)

• 🅱️ 20% off (2.08 cents per point)

• 🅲️ 30% off (1.80 cents per point)

• 🅳️ 40% off (1.55 cents per point)

The answer is waiting for you near the bottom of today's newsletter. Keep scrolling. 👇

✈️ American Just Quietly Gutted a Core Elite Benefit

Premium Economy Is Now the Ceiling on Affected Routes

Starting August 25, if you're an AAdvantage elite member booked in economy on certain domestic routes, you will no longer be eligible for a complimentary upgrade to business class. Instead, you'll get bumped to premium economy - full stop.

American is expanding premium economy to more domestic flights, and rather than keep business-class upgrades in play, they've used the rollout as cover to cap the benefit. The catch is that this only applies on routes where premium economy exists - so not every domestic flight is affected yet. But that scope will only grow as the cabin expands.

This matters more than it sounds. A lot of elite members book economy specifically because they expect to clear into a flat-bed seat on longer transcontinental routes. That calculus just changed. If a lie-flat domestic upgrade was part of how you justified your AAdvantage status, it's worth reconsidering your loyalty strategy before the fall travel season kicks in.

Between this and the Admirals Club fee hike we covered earlier this week, it's hard to ignore the direction AA is headed for its elite members. On the flip side, this might be the push some of you need to look at status match options elsewhere.

✈️ Delta Is Flying Half-Empty Planes to Riyadh - And Award Seats Are Wide Open

Saudi Subsidies Are the Real Engine Here

Delta launched nonstop service between Atlanta and Riyadh in late 2025, backed by a partnership with Riyadh Air and what's widely understood to be Saudi government subsidies aimed at driving international traffic to the kingdom. The problem? Demand hasn't followed.

Reports indicate that Delta's ATL-RUH flights are running with very low load factors - essentially, the airline is flying nearly empty widebodies across the Atlantic and Arabian Peninsula. That's operationally painful, but for award travelers it's a window. When seats aren't selling for cash, airlines tend to release award inventory.

If you've been curious about visiting Saudi Arabia - and Riyadh is genuinely worth considering as a destination, especially with the country investing heavily in tourism infrastructure - now is a very good time to search Delta SkyMiles awards on this route. Award Travel Finder has been surfacing availability on routes like this regularly, and a quick search could turn up a surprisingly accessible redemption before load factors tighten up.

✈️ Delta Is Coming Back to Tokyo Narita in 2027

Seven Years and a Symbolic Return From Seattle

Delta just announced it will resume nonstop service between Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) and Tokyo Narita (NRT) starting March 27, 2027 - ending a seven-year absence from the airport.

This is notable for a few reasons. First, Delta already operates SEA-HND (Haneda), so this gives Seattle passengers a second nonstop Tokyo option. Second, Narita unlocks different onward connections across Asia than Haneda does. And third, it's symbolically significant for Delta, which used Narita as its primary Tokyo hub for decades before pulling out.

The practical implication for points travelers: more award availability between the Pacific Northwest and Japan is almost always good news. More Delta metal on a route typically means more SkyMiles inventory. If Tokyo is on your list for 2027, bookmark this route and watch for award space to open up closer to the launch date.

💳 The Marriott Brilliant's Best Offer in a While - 150K Points + $250 Credit

When the Math Actually Works in Your Favor

The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card is currently offering 150,000 bonus points plus a $250 statement credit after hitting the minimum spend. For the most premium card in Marriott's co-brand lineup, this is a legitimately strong offer.

The card carries a high annual fee, but it comes with meaningful perks: a $300 dining credit, automatic Marriott Platinum Elite status (which includes complimentary breakfast at many properties), 85,000-point free night certificate annually, and Priority Pass lounge access. The ongoing value story is real if you're a frequent Marriott traveler.

The 150,000 points alone are worth serious consideration. Our Marriott Points Calculator values those at roughly $900-$1,200 depending on how you redeem them - and that's before you factor in the $250 statement credit. If you're eligible for this card, this is the window to apply.

Not sure if you're eligible? The Amex once-per-lifetime rule applies here, so it's worth checking before you apply.

💡 Buy Hyatt Points at 20% Off - But Read This First

Third Promotion of the Year and the Caveats Are Real

World of Hyatt is running its third buy-points promotion of 2026, offering a 20% discount that brings the cost to approximately 2.08 cents per point. That's a historically reasonable price for a program that consistently delivers outsized value at high-end properties.

Here's the honest context: Hyatt has been introducing more dynamic pricing on award nights, which means those ultra-cheap redemptions that made buying points a no-brainer a few years ago are harder to count on. You're not buying points blind into a guaranteed sweet spot anymore.

Where this makes sense: if you have a specific aspirational property in mind - a Park Hyatt or Alila resort with a known award price - and you're just short on points to complete the booking, buying at 2.08 cents per point to bridge the gap is defensible. Speculative buying just to stockpile? A tougher case in 2026. Check our buy points tracker for the full picture on this and other live offers.

💳 Citi Strata Elite: 75,000 Points + $1,200 in Credits in Year One

The AAdvantage Transfer Link Makes This More Interesting

The Citi Strata Elite is putting up a compelling first-year value stack: 75,000 ThankYou points plus up to $1,200 in travel credits. That combination is hard to ignore on paper.

What makes this particularly timely is that Citi ThankYou points now transfer directly to American Airlines AAdvantage. Given the downgrade to elite upgrade benefits we covered above, AAdvantage miles for award bookings become more interesting even as the status perks erode. And right now, there's a 40% transfer bonus running on Citi points to Turkish Airlines Miles and Smiles through August 31 - a route worth knowing if you're looking to maximize a transfer.

The $1,200 in credits takes some work to unlock, so make sure the spending categories fit your habits before applying. But if they do, this is a legitimate first-year play worth evaluating alongside the Amex and Chase options.

🌎 Trivia Reveal

The answer is B - 20% off, bringing the price to approximately 2.08 cents per Hyatt point. That's the current promotion running right now, and it's the program's third such offer of 2026 - a sign that Hyatt is leaning into purchased-points revenue more than it used to.

💬 Quick Question

American pulling domestic business-class upgrades is going to change the calculus for a lot of elite members. Here's my question for you: does the loss of complimentary lie-flat upgrades change your loyalty strategy - or were you already planning to match to another program? Hit reply and tell me what you're thinking - I read every response.

That's it for today. The American Airlines story is the one I'll be watching most closely - it's the second elite benefit hit in one week, and I don't think it's the last. If you haven't stress-tested your loyalty strategy lately, this week is a good reminder to do it.

- Jack

Before you book: check the Wi-Fi

We track airline Starlink rollouts, live equipped aircraft, and in-flight Wi-Fi details at SeatWiFi. If connectivity matters on your next trip, check the aircraft before you book.

• Wizz Air: Wizz Air signs with Starlink to provide fleet-wide Wi-Fi from 2027

• Wizz Air: Wizz Air to introduce Starlink WiFi

• Singapore Airlines: Singapore Airlines Selects Starlink To Deliver Next-Generation High-Speed In-Flight Wi-Fi

• 4Y: planned on Airbus A320 (0%)

• 4Y: planned on Airbus A330 (0%)

Flying soon? Check your exact flight on SeatWiFi before you board.

🗺️ Wallpaper of the day: Singapore (SIN)

Singapore (SIN) — from the World Hubs pack

Frequent flyer? Make every device look the part. 5+ hand-designed airport maps, formatted for iPhone, iPad, Mac and desktop.

💳 Best Card Signup Offers Right Now

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

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

2. Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you make purchases with your new C... ($1.95/yr)

3. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $2,000 in the first 3 mon... ($0.95/yr)

✈️ Where Your Points Go Furthest

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

Hotels:

• The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort - Bora Bora, PF | 2.3cpp value | 130,000 pts/night

• JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge - Mara Simba, Narok County, KE | 2.3cpp value | 212,000 pts/night

• Hermitage Bay, an SLH Hotel - St. Mary, AG | 2.6cpp value | 150,000 pts/night

• Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach - Dana Point, CA, US | 2.2cpp value | 95,000 pts/night

• Kimpton Grand Roatan Resort and Spa - Roatan, Bay Islands, HN | 1.3cpp value | 58,666 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, 2026

• Amex Membership Rewards → British Airways Avios: +30% bonus - ends September 27, 2026

• Amex Membership Rewards → Iberia Avios: +30% bonus - ends September 27, 2026

• Capital One Miles → Avianca LifeMiles: +15% bonus - ends August 31, 2026

• Chase Ultimate Rewards → IHG: +70% bonus - ends August 31, 2026

• Citi ThankYou Rewards → Air France KLM Flying Blue: +20% bonus - ends August 22, 2026

Buy Points & Miles Deals:

• Air Canada (Aeroplan): 110% bonus at (ends August 12, 2026)

• Alaska Airlines (Atmos Rewards): 100% bonus at (ends August 20, 2026)

• American Airlines (AAdvantage): 40% discount at (ends September 06, 2026)

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

• Etihad Airways (Etihad Guest): 25% bonus at (ends September 06, 2026)

• Frontier Airlines (Frontier Miles): 150% bonus at (ends August 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 →