Chase-to-Hyatt Is Already Worse, a New IHG Card Changes the Math, and a 120% JetBlue Bonus Expired Mid-Week

Happy Sunday. This was one of those weeks where if you blinked, you missed a deadline - and a few of them actually hurt.

The Flying Blue 25% Amex transfer bonus is still live - and it's one of three bonuses that hit simultaneously this week. Flying Blue is one of the more underrated sweet spots for Air France and KLM business class, and a 25% bonus means your Amex points go meaningfully further right now.

The same post also breaks down the new IHG card with a 200K point welcome offer and a $350 annual fee - worth a serious look if you stay at IHG properties with any regularity. Full details on all three bonuses and whether the IHG card pencils out are in Friday's edition.

The Chase-to-Hyatt transfer ratio dropped from 1:1 to 4:3 this week, which is a clean 25% devaluation for anyone holding Chase Ultimate Rewards points. It's the kind of change that doesn't make headlines the way a category restructuring does, but it quietly chips away at one of the most popular redemption paths in the hobby.

If you had transfers on your to-do list, they needed to happen before Thursday, October 1 - that's when the new 4:3 ratio kicked in. That ship has sailed - but what's still worth doing is reassessing how you value your Chase points going forward. Hyatt redemptions didn't change; you just need more points to get there now.

Monday's post also flagged a $375 Rakuten bonus on Bank of America cards, plus a rare 120% buy-points bonus on JetBlue TrueBlue that expired this past Thursday - one of the best buy rates JetBlue has offered all year. If you blinked, you missed it, but it's worth remembering for next time a bonus like that resurfaces.

United is introducing a new 'Base' first-class fare that brings basic-economy-style restrictions into the front cabin for the first time - no free seat selection, one checked bag instead of two, no itinerary changes, and reduced MileagePlus earning. It's expected to go on sale in the coming weeks, so read the fine print before assuming any United first-class fare comes with the usual perks. Meanwhile, Delta quietly announced plans to monetize passenger data through targeted advertising - a move that's worth knowing about before you decide how much personal info to hand over at booking.

Alaska's Atmos Rewards rolled out a genuinely interesting new feature this week: members will eventually be able to choose how they earn - by distance, price, or segments flown. That kind of flexibility is rare in airline loyalty, though the change doesn't actually take effect until January 1, 2027, so there's no need to rework your strategy just yet.

Chase is reportedly testing a flow that redirects declined applicants toward a card they do qualify for rather than just sending them away empty-handed. It's a small but meaningful shift in how Chase manages its ecosystem - and if you've ever been on the wrong side of a rejection, this is good news for your next application strategy.

Were you paying attention to this week's biggest story? Take a shot at this one:

See you Monday.

- Jack