Picture this: you've got an Asiana award ticket booked, your trip is locked in, and then the airline quietly exits Star Alliance and tells you the ticket no longer exists. No proactive notification. No rebooking. Just gone.

That's the situation playing out right now - and it's a story worth paying close attention to, because the same pattern could repeat with any airline going through consolidation or program changes.

We've got that, plus a legitimately excellent Alaska card offer with a hard deadline, a Hilton CEO interview dropping hints about the future of elite status, and a critical reminder about statement credits expiring at the end of the month. Plenty to dig into today.

Asiana Airlines is being acquired by which airline, causing its eventual exit from Star Alliance?

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

Asiana Airlines is in the middle of being absorbed by Korean Air, and as part of that process, the Asiana brand is set to disappear later this year. That means Asiana is leaving Star Alliance - the entire combined entity will eventually become part of SkyTeam alongside Korean Air.

So far, not shocking. But here's where it gets genuinely problematic: Asiana is refusing to honor existing award tickets that were booked through Star Alliance partner programs before this transition. Passengers with confirmed bookings are being told those tickets are no longer valid.

The issue isn't just the cancellations themselves - it's the total lack of proactive outreach. Affected travelers aren't getting emails, calls, or rebooking options. They're finding out when they try to check in, or when they happen to notice their itinerary has disappeared.

If you have any award bookings on Asiana - through United MileagePlus, Air Canada Aeroplan, or any other Star Alliance currency - check those tickets right now. Don't wait for Asiana to contact you, because they won't.

The broader lesson here: when airlines go through mergers or alliance shifts, confirmed award tickets are not as protected as you'd assume. Always screenshot your booking confirmations and monitor your upcoming itineraries closely during any airline consolidation period.

The Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite card is currently sitting on one of the strongest publicly available credit card welcome offers in the market right now - and it closes this Tuesday, June 30.

Here's what the current offer looks like: 100,000 Alaska miles plus a 25,000-mile award certificate, plus 50% off the first year's annual fee of $395. That combination is genuinely hard to beat for anyone who values Alaska Mileage Plan miles, which are some of the most flexible in the oneworld ecosystem.

Alaska Mileage Plan miles are particularly valuable because they partner with airlines across multiple alliances - American, British Airways, Finnair, Cathay Pacific, and more. You can use them for first-class redemptions on partner carriers that would cost a fortune in other programs.

If you've been on the fence about this card, Tuesday's deadline is real. Use our Alaska Miles Calculator to check what 100K miles could be worth for your specific routes before you decide.

In an exclusive interview with The Points Guy, Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta dropped some interesting hints about the future of the Honors program - including the possibility of a new elite tier above Diamond, potentially called Diamond Reserve.

Nassetta didn't commit to a timeline or specific details, but the direction is clear: Hilton is thinking about how to further reward its highest-spending loyalists. The interview also touched on rising award rates, which Nassetta framed as a natural result of hotels becoming more valuable during high-demand periods.

On the topic of climbing award costs, Nassetta was candid - rates have gone up, and the trend isn't reversing. If you've noticed your favorite Hilton properties requiring more points than they used to, this interview confirms it's intentional, not a glitch.

The silver lining: Hilton's transfer bonus from Amex Membership Rewards is currently at 20%, running until July 14. If you have a stash of Amex points and a Hilton redemption coming up, that bonus makes your points go meaningfully further before the window closes.

When United MileagePlus rolled out its big program changes in April, one update got buried in the noise - and it's actually useful for families. If you have an eligible United credit card, you can now share certain cardholder earning benefits with your children under 18.

Here's the practical impact: a general MileagePlus member without any status or United card earns 3 miles per eligible dollar. With the cardmember benefit shared, kids can earn at a higher rate on their own United tickets. It doesn't activate automatically - you have to opt in through your account settings.

If you fly United as a family and have a United card, this is worth five minutes of your time to set up. The miles accumulate in your child's account, which is a nice way to build a points balance for future family travel.

June 30 is four days away, and several premium credit cards reset their biannual or quarterly statement credits on that date. If you haven't used them, they disappear - no rollover, no extension.

The most commonly missed credits around this time of year include credits on cards tied to dining, streaming, travel, and lifestyle perks that reset mid-year. The exact credits depend on your specific cards, but if you carry any premium travel card with a high annual fee, there's a good chance something resets at the end of this month.

Log into your card accounts today and check. It takes two minutes and could save you from losing $50, $100, or more in value you've already paid for through your annual fee.

With June 30 landing this Tuesday, several of the best transfer bonuses currently live are about to close. This is the deadline cluster you don't want to sleep on.

Chase Ultimate Rewards to Marriott Bonvoy is sitting at a 55% bonus - one of the richest in the market right now. Amex Membership Rewards to Flying Blue (Air France/KLM) is at 25%. Amex to Marriott Bonvoy is at 20%. Citi ThankYou to Qatar Privilege Club Avios is at 30%. And Marriott Bonvoy to United MileagePlus is at 25%.

All of these end this Tuesday. If you've been thinking about any of these transfers, the window is closing fast. You can see all live transfer bonuses and their current rates on our transfer bonuses tracker.

Award Travel Finder has been surfacing some strong Marriott redemptions this week for anyone looking at where to actually deploy those points once they land - worth checking before you transfer.

The answer is Korean Air. Asiana is being acquired by Korean Air as part of a major consolidation of the South Korean airline industry. Because Korean Air is in SkyTeam, the combined entity will eventually leave Star Alliance - which is exactly what's triggering the current award ticket disruptions.

Have you ever had an award booking canceled or significantly changed by an airline without any notice? It seems to happen more than people expect - especially during mergers and alliance changes. Hit reply and tell me your story - I read every response and the good ones often turn into future newsletter topics!

The Asiana situation is the kind of thing that sounds like it could never happen to you - until it does. Screenshot your award bookings. Check your itineraries regularly. And if you're holding tickets on any airline going through a merger right now, keep a close eye.

Also: Tuesday is coming fast. Transfer bonuses, the Alaska card, and those statement credits all land on the same deadline. Make sure you've checked everything off before the week starts.

See you tomorrow.

- Jack

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)

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

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

• Zemi Beach House, LXR Hotels & Resorts - West Indies, AI | 2.3cpp value | 110,000 pts/night

• Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal - Cabo San Lucas, BCS, MX | 1.4cpp value | 140,000 pts/night

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

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 →