There's a window closing tonight that I don't want you to miss - and another one slamming shut in 6 days that could permanently change how you use your Amex points. Let's get into it.

Which loyalty program is American Express removing as a Membership Rewards transfer partner on June 30, 2026?

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

This one snuck up on a lot of people. American Express confirmed that Etihad Guest will be removed from the Membership Rewards transfer partner lineup on June 30, 2026. That means today is effectively day six of your final window to move points across.

If you have Amex Membership Rewards points sitting idle and any interest in flying Etihad - whether for their Business Class product, partner redemptions on American Airlines metal, or stopovers in Abu Dhabi - now is the time to move them. Transfers process quickly, usually within a few hours or less.

The bigger picture here: Etihad Guest is a genuinely underrated program. It prices some partner redemptions well, and losing direct Amex access means you'd need to route through another program or buy miles directly in the future. Once June 30 hits, that bridge is gone.

If you want to search for Etihad award availability before committing to a transfer, our Etihad Award Seat Finder can help you check what's actually bookable right now.

This is genuinely time-sensitive: United MileagePlus is offering a 100% bonus when you buy miles today, at 1.88 cents per mile. That effectively means you're paying 0.94 cents per mile after the bonus - a rate that makes some premium cabin redemptions look very attractive.

Buying miles is not always a good deal - but a 100% bonus changes the math significantly. If you're a few thousand miles short of a business class award, or you're eyeing a redemption where United MileagePlus prices partner flights well (think ANA First Class or Lufthansa Business), topping up at this rate can represent real value.

The key is having a specific redemption in mind before you buy. Never stockpile speculatively. But if you know exactly what you're going to book, tonight's deadline is worth acting on. Check all live buy-points offers at our buy-points promotions tracker.

The Southwest Companion Pass remains one of the most valuable perks in all of domestic travel loyalty - and it's more achievable in 2026 than most people realize. The premise is simple: earn 135,000 Rapid Rewards points in a calendar year and you get to bring a designated companion on every paid and award Southwest flight for the rest of that year and the full following year. They only pay taxes and fees.

The fastest route to the Companion Pass runs directly through Southwest credit card welcome bonuses. Points earned from card sign-up bonuses count toward the 135,000 threshold. Pair two Southwest personal cards, or a personal and business card, and you can hit the target with just your welcome bonus spending - sometimes without a single flight.

The timing strategy matters too. Apply in January and you get the Companion Pass for nearly two full years. Apply mid-year (like now) and you still get it through the end of 2027 if you can hit the threshold before December 31 - which is very achievable with card bonuses in the mix.

This is one of those situations where the math really does favor moving quickly. Award Travel Finder tracks Southwest award availability alongside other programs, so you can plan exactly where the Companion Pass will take you before you commit.

The Citi AAdvantage Globe Mastercard is running its highest welcome bonus for only the second time in its history: 90,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles. If you fly American regularly and don't already hold this card, that's a number worth paying attention to.

To put that in perspective - 90,000 AAdvantage miles can get you to Europe in Business Class on partner metal, or cover multiple domestic round-trips in Main Cabin. American's AAdvantage program still prices some partner redemptions competitively, especially on routes operated by British Airways, Iberia, and Japan Airlines.

The offer is described as ending soon, so if this card is on your radar, this isn't the moment to wait. Citi's approval rules are worth understanding before you apply - we covered the Citi 48-month rule in depth recently if you want to check your eligibility.

Here's a question I get asked surprisingly often: if I open a Chase Ink or Amex Business card, does it hurt my personal credit score? The answer is nuanced - and worth understanding before you apply.

Most major business credit cards - Chase Ink, Amex Business Gold, Amex Business Platinum - do NOT report to personal credit bureaus for ongoing activity. That means your utilization and payment history on those cards won't show up on your personal report month to month.

However, the hard inquiry from applying does hit your personal credit report in most cases. And some issuers (Capital One is the notable exception) do report business cards to personal bureaus. So the impact is real at application, then largely invisible going forward for most issuers.

Why does this matter for points? Because it means you can hold multiple Chase Ink cards without those balances affecting your personal credit utilization - which is a significant structural advantage for churners and heavy spenders building points through business cards.

A cluster of transfer bonuses all share the same June 30 expiration - just 6 days away. The standout is Chase Ultimate Rewards to Marriott Bonvoy at +55%, which is one of the richer Chase transfer bonuses we've seen. There's also Amex to Flying Blue at +25%, Amex to Marriott Bonvoy at +20%, Citi to Qatar Privilege Club Avios at +30%, and Marriott Bonvoy to United MileagePlus at +25%.

That Marriott to United transfer is particularly interesting - it runs at a base ratio of 3:1 (3 Marriott points to 1 United mile), and with the +25% bonus you effectively get 1.25 United miles per 3 Marriott points. Not a slam-dunk, but useful if you're topping up a United redemption and have surplus Marriott points. See all live bonuses on our transfer bonuses tracker.

Not a US-based reader? Smart With Points has a full rundown on the Amex UK transfer bonuses running in parallel this month - well worth a look if you hold a UK Amex card.

The answer is A - Etihad Guest. American Express confirmed that Etihad Guest will be removed from the Membership Rewards transfer partner lineup effective June 30, 2026. You have until June 29 to initiate transfers. After that, the direct Amex-to-Etihad bridge is gone permanently (at least for now).

Do you have any Amex Membership Rewards points earmarked for Etihad - or are you planning to transfer them somewhere else before June 30? Hit reply and let me know. I read every response, and I'm genuinely curious how people are thinking about this one.

That's a lot happening before Tuesday. Etihad coming off Amex, the Chase-to-Marriott +55% bonus, and United's buy-miles window already closing tonight - if there's one day to take action this week, it's today.

- Jack

A real US flight runs today. Pin the airport on the map, then guess the route in 5 tries. Wordle for plane geeks.

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 Aspire Card: Earn 150,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $4,000 in the first 3 mon... ($5.5/yr)

3. Chase Sapphire Reserve: 150,000 points after spending $6,000 in 3 months ($7.95/yr)

If you're planning a redemption, check these out first. Data from Award Travel Finder:

Hotels:

• JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa - Aventura, FL, US | 6.0cpp value | 65,000 pts/night

• The Westin Bora Bora Resort & Spa - Bora Bora, PF | 1.6cpp value | 76,000 pts/night

• Hilton Cancun, an All-Inclusive Resort - Cancun, ROO, MX | 1.3cpp value | 100,000 pts/night

• Casa Marina Key West, Curio Collection by Hilton - Key West, FL, US | 1.7cpp value | 95,000 pts/night

• InterContinental Hotels Yokohama Pier 8 - Yokohama, 14, JP | 1.2cpp value | 50,000 pts/night

Live Transfer Bonuses:

• Amex Membership Rewards → Air France KLM Flying Blue: +25% bonus - ends June 30, 2026

• Amex Membership Rewards → Avianca LifeMiles: +15% bonus - ends July 15, 2026

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

• Amex Membership Rewards → Marriott Bonvoy: +20% bonus - ends June 30, 2026

• Amex Membership Rewards → Marriott Bonvoy: +20% bonus - ends June 30, 2026

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

Buy Points & Miles Deals:

• United Airlines (MileagePlus): 100% bonus at 1.88¢ (ends June 24, 2026)

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

Browse every award deal we track at AwardTravelFinder.com →

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

Browse all deals at FridayFlightDeals.com →