✈️ Miles & Points Daily

☀️ TRENDING MILES & POINTS NEWS

• ✈️ EVA Air just opened Star Alliance business class awards to partner miles - a massive shift for Asia redemptions

• 💳 Chase Sapphire Preferred is now outperforming the Reserve on hotel bookings through Chase Travel

• 🚨 Alaska/Atmos 100% buy-points bonus ends this Sunday - just 3 days left

• 💳 Amex and Chase both running 30% transfer bonuses to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club right now

There's a window open right now that I think closes faster than most people expect - and it involves one of the best business class products in the sky suddenly becoming bookable in a way it never was before. More on that in a moment.

But first, let's get the July quarter housekeeping out of the way - because there are a few things you should activate before the end of the week.

🤓 Miles & Points Trivia

Which transfer ratio does Capital One use when sending miles to EVA Air Infinity MileageLands (before any bonus)?

• 🔵 1:1 (one Capital One mile = one EVA mile)

• 🔴 2:1 (two Capital One miles = one EVA mile)

• 🟢 1.5:1 (1.5 Capital One miles = one EVA mile)

• 🟡 1:1.5 (one Capital One mile = 1.5 EVA miles)

The answer is waiting near the bottom. Keep scrolling. 👇

✈️ EVA Air Business Class Is Now Bookable With Partner Miles

A Door That Was Closed for Years

Here's the short version: EVA Air has long been one of the best business class products in the world - Royal Laurel Class on their 777s is genuinely spectacular - but award availability through Star Alliance partner programs was essentially nonexistent. You needed to use EVA's own Infinity MileageLands miles to get in.

That just changed. EVA has begun releasing business class award space to Star Alliance partners, and the best availability so far is on their Seattle and Chicago routes. The program appears to practice journey pricing, meaning shorter segments on longer itineraries can price very attractively.

How to Actually Book This

The best path right now is through Aeroplan, United MileagePlus, or other Star Alliance currencies you may be holding. But there's also a Capital One angle: the current 30% transfer bonus to EVA Air Infinity MileageLands (running through July 31) gets the effective transfer ratio to nearly 1:1 - which is a significant improvement over the standard rate. If you're sitting on Capital One miles and want EVA business class, this bonus changes the math considerably.

We covered this Capital One-EVA bonus in detail yesterday - but the Star Alliance partner availability piece is the genuinely new development worth acting on today. Use Award Travel Finder to search EVA award space across partner programs before it fills up.

💳 Chase Sapphire Preferred Just Beat the Reserve on Hotels - Here's Why

The Assumption That Was Wrong

Most people assume the Chase Sapphire Reserve always wins over the Preferred when booking through Chase Travel. Higher annual fee, more perks, therefore better pricing - right? Turns out, not right. At least not for hotel bookings right now.

For a limited time, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is offering better hotel pricing through Chase Travel than the Reserve. That's a notable flip, and if you're a Preferred cardholder who's been eyeing a hotel booking, this is the moment to use your card over a friend's Reserve.

Q3 2026 Registration Reminder

While we're on Chase: if you hold the Chase Freedom Flex, the new Q3 2026 bonus categories are live as of today. You'll earn 5x points on the first $1,500 spent at gas stations and EV charging through September 30. Registration is required - it takes about 30 seconds in the Chase app and is absolutely worth doing before you forget.

🚨 Deal Alert: 30% Amex-to-Virgin Atlantic Bonus - And the Math Is Interesting

Both Amex Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards are currently running 30% transfer bonuses to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. The Amex bonus runs through July 31 (29 days left). The Chase bonus ends Tuesday, July 14 - so you have 12 days on that one.

Virgin Atlantic miles are one of those programs that can unlock outsized value in very specific situations - particularly Delta One business class to Europe, which prices at rates that would be much more expensive through SkyMiles. The standard transfer ratio from Amex is 1:1, so a 30% bonus means every 1,000 Amex points becomes 1,300 Flying Club miles.

One flag worth noting: this bonus maxes out its value when you have a specific redemption in mind. Transferring speculatively just to bank the bonus is a higher-risk move since Flying Club miles don't expire but program devaluations are always possible. If you have a trip in mind, this is a strong window. Use the Virgin Atlantic Reward Seat Finder to check availability first.

🚨 Deal Alert: Alaska Atmos 100% Buy-Points Bonus Ends This Sunday

Alaska Airlines (now under the Atmos Rewards umbrella alongside Hawaiian) is running a 100% buy-points bonus that ends this Sunday, July 5. That's 3 days from today. Alaska Mileage Plan miles are among the most valuable in the game for international first and business class redemptions - Cathay Pacific First Class, Japan Airlines, and Finnair business class are all bookable at rates that don't exist elsewhere.

A 100% bonus means you're effectively paying half price per mile. If you have a premium cabin redemption on your radar and need a points top-up, this is one of the better buy-points windows available right now. Check all current offers at our buy-points tracker.

The Atmos Rewards credit cards also just got new welcome bonuses - up to 80,000 points plus companion fares depending on the card. Worth a look if you're building toward an Alaska redemption.

🏨 Flying Blue July Promo Rewards: 25% Off Select Long-Haul Awards

Air France-KLM's Flying Blue program has dropped its July Promo Rewards list, and it's a solid one. Select short-haul and long-haul awards are discounted by 25% for travel over the coming months. These change monthly, so the window to book at these rates is limited.

Flying Blue is also running a status match campaign right now if you hold status with another airline - it's one of the more accessible paths to SkyTeam Silver or Gold without flying a full qualifying year. If you've got Delta Medallion, United Premier, or similar status gathering dust, this is worth 5 minutes of your time.

UK readers - Smart With Points has a full breakdown of Flying Blue's Promo Rewards and which European routes are hitting the best discounts this month.

💡 Bilt Rent Day Was Yesterday - But the Hilton Bonus Is Still Running

Bilt's monthly Rent Day promotion was July 1, and if you missed it, don't worry - the Hilton Honors points bonus tied to this month's promotion extends beyond just the single day. Bilt is running a transfer bonus to Hilton Honors as part of July's Rent Day promotion, which is worth knowing if you're building toward a Hilton award stay.

Separately, Amex is also running a 20% transfer bonus to Hilton through July 14. The combined effect is that Hilton points are relatively cheap to acquire right now through multiple channels. That said - Hilton points typically need to be deployed at scale (Category 1-3 properties) to get real value. A quick check on the Hilton Points Calculator before transferring is always a good move.

🌎 Trivia Reveal

The answer: Capital One transfers to EVA Air Infinity MileageLands at a 2:1 ratio - meaning two Capital One miles get you one EVA mile at the standard rate. That makes the current 30% transfer bonus critically important: it brings the effective rate to roughly 1.54:1, which is close enough to 1:1 that it transforms EVA from a questionable transfer destination into a genuinely compelling one for business class redemptions to Asia.

💬 Quick Question

With both Amex and Chase running 30% bonuses to Virgin Atlantic right now - are you transferring to book a specific trip, or do you tend to wait until you have a redemption locked in? I'm curious how people approach speculative transfers. Hit reply and tell me your strategy - I read every response!

EVA Air opening up to partner miles is the kind of thing that changes itinerary planning for a lot of people. I'll be keeping a close eye on which Star Alliance programs have the best availability and pricing - expect a deeper dive on this one soon.

- 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: New York (JFK)

New York (JFK) — 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. Business Gold Card: 200,000 points after spending $15,000 in 3 months ($3.75/yr)

2. Business Platinum Card: 200,000 points after spending $20,000 in 3 months ($8.95/yr)

3. Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on t... ($5.5/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:

• JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge - Mara Simba, Narok County, KE | 2.6cpp value | 212,000 pts/night

• W Osaka - Osaka, JP | 5.4cpp value | 58,000 pts/night

• Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island - Platte Island, SC | 1.7cpp value | 130,000 pts/night

• Waldorf Astoria New York - New York, NY, US | 1.7cpp value | 130,000 pts/night

• Hotel Indigo Grand Cayman - Grand Cayman, KY | 1.8cpp value | 50,000 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 → Avianca LifeMiles: +15% bonus - ends July 15, 2026

• Amex Membership Rewards → Hilton: +20% bonus - ends July 14, 2026

• Amex Membership Rewards → Hilton: +20% bonus - ends July 14, 2026

• 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

Buy Points & Miles Deals:

• Alaska Airlines (Atmos Rewards): 100% bonus at null (ends July 05, 2026)

• American Airlines (AAdvantage): 40% discount at null (ends August 01, 2026)

• Etihad Airways (Etihad Guest): 20% discount at null (ends August 01, 2026)

• Frontier Airlines (Frontier Miles): 100% bonus at null (ends July 10, 2026)

• Garuda (GarudaMiles): 25% discount at null (ends August 01, 2026)

• JetBlue Airways (TrueBlue): 125% bonus at null (ends August 09, 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 →