There's a window open right now that closes faster than most people expect - and one of them shuts in literally hours. But before we get to the Hyatt card ticking clock, Chase dropped some news this morning that quietly reshapes how you might think about your Ultimate Rewards balance.

Quick question before we dive in: Which hotel chain's loyalty program just became a brand-new Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner?

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

Chase has officially added Wyndham Rewards as a transfer partner for Ultimate Rewards - making it the latest addition to an already strong roster.

Wyndham is one of the world's largest hotel groups, with over 9,000 properties across brands like Wyndham, La Quinta, Ramada, Days Inn, and Super 8. It's not a luxury play, but it's a practical one - especially for road warriors who pass through markets where Wyndham properties dominate.

The Wyndham Rewards program lets you redeem points for free nights at a flat rate of 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points per night depending on the property tier. That means a straightforward transfer from Chase could get you a free night without chasing complicated award charts. If you're planning a domestic road trip or need a budget-friendly stop along the way, this opens up a new lane.

Citi ThankYou is also in on the action - they're currently offering a 25% bonus on transfers to Wyndham Rewards through March 21, 2026. If you hold a Citi card, that's worth noting.

For all our Chase credit card coverage, check out our Chase cards page for the full picture.

This is the one you don't want to sleep on. The elevated welcome bonus on the World of Hyatt Credit Card disappears at 9am Eastern this morning - and it's the best offer we've seen on this card, possibly ever.

Here's how the math breaks down. The card is advertised as offering 5 free nights - but the full structure gets you to 7. You earn bonus Category 1-4 award nights based on spending, stacking on top of the initial bonus nights. Spread across $15,000 in spend over the earning period, that's a potential yield of 7 free nights at properties across the World of Hyatt portfolio.

Park Hyatt properties, Andaz hotels, Alila resorts - Category 1-4 covers a serious range of options. For anyone eyeing a Hyatt stay this year, this card application makes the math work significantly better than it normally would.

If you're not sure whether you're eligible, we've got a guide to help you figure out which Marriott and Hyatt card options still work for you.

You can also use Award Travel Finder to search for Hyatt availability before you commit - it's a great way to confirm there's actually space at the properties you want before you apply.

This one is genuinely alarming. An American Airlines Boeing 737 was discovered with apparent bullet damage after an overnight stop in Medellín, Colombia. Ground crews found the holes the following morning, triggering urgent security investigations into whether any critical aircraft systems were compromised.

The aircraft had landed at Medellín's José María Córdova International Airport the previous evening. When crews began pre-flight checks, they identified what appeared to be bullet entry points on the fuselage. The discovery immediately raised concerns about aircraft airworthiness and the security of the airport perimeter.

American Airlines confirmed an investigation is underway. The airline has been operating flights to and from Colombia as part of its South American network. This incident follows a separate American Airlines headline from earlier this week when a flight departing Phoenix was stopped on the runway after a man was spotted walking on the tarmac waving his arms at the aircraft.

Two completely unrelated incidents, but they paint a picture of the operational pressures airlines are navigating right now. If you're flying to or through Colombia in the near future, it's worth keeping an eye on how this investigation develops.

If Iceland has been on your list, JetBlue TrueBlue just made it significantly easier to get there. East Coast travelers can book one-way flights to Reykjavik starting at just 17,000 TrueBlue points - a genuinely strong redemption rate for transatlantic travel.

Iceland offers hot springs, glacier hikes, whale watching, and some of the best northern lights viewing in the world. It's also consistently ranked as one of the top destinations for solo travelers. The availability isn't unlimited, so if you're flexible with dates, now is the time to search.

JetBlue's TrueBlue program doesn't have traditional award charts - it prices awards based on cash fare, which means deals like this come and go quickly. For all our JetBlue coverage and TrueBlue updates, see our dedicated page.

Not a points traveler on this particular trip? Friday Flight Deals tracks cash fares to Iceland and Europe every week - worth a look if you'd rather pay cash and keep your points for a bigger redemption.

Southwest's shift from open seating to assigned seats was supposed to make flying easier. But a new wrinkle is emerging: passengers are reporting that they're being required to stay in their assigned seats even when they're seated next to someone significantly encroaching on their space - and even when entire rows sit empty nearby.

Flight attendants are apparently enforcing the assigned seating policy strictly, declining to allow passengers to move even when there's an obvious comfort issue. For Southwest, which made its open-seating model a core part of its brand identity for decades, this is a genuine customer experience challenge that they haven't fully worked out yet.

The irony is that open seating - for all its chaos - gave passengers the flexibility to self-sort around these situations naturally. Assigned seating removes that escape valve. For all our coverage on Southwest's seating revolution and what's changed, see our Southwest stories.

This is the kind of thing that sounds too good to be true - but it's real, at least for a very short window. Marriott Bonvoy members can bid on tickets to two California music festivals for just 1 Marriott Bonvoy point through the Marriott Moments platform.

Marriott Moments is Bonvoy's experience marketplace - similar to Amex's Fine Hotels and Resorts experience offerings, it lets members use points for concerts, sporting events, and exclusive experiences. The 1-point pricing on these music festival tickets is a standout offer, though availability is limited and you'll need to act fast given how quickly these windows close.

If you're a Marriott Bonvoy member sitting on a stash of points, this is worth checking against what spring events are available on the platform right now. For more on Marriott's loyalty program and promotions, see our Marriott coverage.

The answer is: 🏨 Wyndham Rewards!

Chase officially added Wyndham Rewards as a new Ultimate Rewards transfer partner, giving Chase cardholders a new hotel option for their points. Combined with the Citi ThankYou 25% transfer bonus to Wyndham running through March 21st, there are now two flexible currency options pointing toward the same program right now.

That's all for today. A tight one this morning with a genuine deadline to watch - that Hyatt card offer is gone by the time most of you read this, so I hope this landed in your inbox in time. See you tomorrow!

Looking to redeem your points? Here's what's available right now:

Before we wrap up, I wanted to share some timely opportunities I've been tracking (courtesy of our friends at AwardTravelFinder). These deals won't last long, so let's dive in.

The points and miles world is unusually quiet today - no major transfer bonuses or buy points promotions to report. Sometimes patience pays off in this game.

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

Browse all deals at FridayFlightDeals.com →