175,000 Virgin Atlantic points. That's what 40,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards can become starting today. If you've been wondering when to move points from Chase to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, this is your answer.

How many first class seats will Delta's new A321neo configuration feature?

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

Chase Ultimate Rewards just launched its Valentine's gift to points collectors: a 40% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club running through February 28th. This is the largest transfer bonus we've seen from Chase to Virgin Atlantic in quite some time.

The math works out nicely: transfer 50,000 Chase points and you'll receive 70,000 Virgin Atlantic points. That's enough for a one-way business class ticket from the U.S. to London on Virgin Atlantic, which typically requires 50,000-90,000 points depending on availability and season.

Chase points transfer to Virgin Atlantic instantly, so you don't need to move points speculatively. But here's the strategy: if you've been eyeing summer travel to Europe, now is the time to search availability. Award Travel Finder has been tracking strong Upper Class availability on Virgin Atlantic throughout June and July.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is also useful for booking Delta flights at lower rates than SkyMiles, especially for domestic first class and transcontinental routes. The 40% bonus makes those redemptions even more attractive.

If you're sitting on Chase Ultimate Rewards points from the Sapphire Reserve, Sapphire Preferred, or any Ink Business card, this is one of the better opportunities we've seen this year to maximize their value.

Starting June 7th, Delta will operate what might be the most premium domestic narrow body aircraft in the United States: an Airbus A321neo featuring 44 first class seats. That's 11 rows of first class recliners.

This isn't by design. It's Delta making lemonade out of lemons.

Delta has been waiting on seven A321neos that were supposed to arrive from Airbus in their standard configuration. The delivery delays have stretched months beyond schedule, creating a capacity crunch for the airline's summer schedule.

The solution? Delta pulled seven older A321s that were already configured with extra first class seats from domestic routes and slapped new A321neo engines on them. These aircraft were originally meant to be reconfigured to a standard layout, but summer demand doesn't wait for interior renovations.

The result: passengers on select Delta routes this summer will have an unusually high chance of scoring first class upgrades or award seats. With 44 first class seats to fill, Delta's upgrade algorithms will be working overtime.

Delta hasn't announced specific routes yet, but expect these premium-heavy aircraft on high-demand business routes where the airline can fill those 44 seats. Think transcontinental flights, major hubs, and routes with strong corporate travel demand.

This configuration is temporary - Delta plans to reconfigure these aircraft to a standard layout eventually. But for summer 2026 travelers, this is an unexpected gift.

Air France-KLM Flying Blue just launched its first buy miles promotion of 2026, offering an 80% bonus on purchased miles. That brings the effective cost down to 1.69 cents per mile.

Is it worth it? That depends entirely on what you're planning to book.

Flying Blue's sweet spot has always been business class to Europe. The program offers some of the most reasonable business class award rates to Europe, especially on Air France and KLM metal. If you're just short of an award booking, buying miles at 1.69 cents each can close the gap.

For example: a business class ticket from New York to Paris typically costs around 53,000-62,000 Flying Blue miles one-way during off-peak periods. At 1.69 cents per mile, that's roughly $895-$1,048 for a ticket that would cost $3,000-$4,000 in cash. The math works.

If you don't have a specific redemption in mind, this probably isn't worth it. Speculative mile purchases rarely work out, and Flying Blue miles do expire after 24 months of account inactivity.

Also worth noting: we recently covered the Qatar Airways Avios buy miles promotion running through tomorrow, which offers Avios at 1.53 cents each. For many redemptions, Qatar Avios offer better value, especially for premium cabin travel on Qatar Airways or partner airlines.

The Waldorf Astoria New York is about to hit the market, and it's not great news for its current owners. China's Anbang Insurance paid $1.95 billion for the iconic property back in 2014. After an eight-year renovation that ran $1 billion over budget and five years behind schedule, they're looking to sell at an almost certain loss.

The hotel reopened in 2025 after the marathon renovation, and early reviews have been mixed. The property now offers 375 guest rooms and 375 private residences, down from its original 1,400+ rooms. That dramatic reduction in inventory fundamentally changes the economics of the building.

The Waldorf Astoria New York doesn't participate in Hilton Honors award stays, which means you can't use your Hilton points here anyway. But the property's struggles highlight a broader trend: iconic hotel renovations rarely deliver the financial returns owners expect.

For travelers, this is mostly a curiosity rather than actionable intel. Unless you're booking cash stays at luxury New York properties, the Waldorf's ownership drama won't impact your points strategy.

The answer: 44 first class seats. Delta's temporary A321neo configuration features an unprecedented 11 rows of first class seating, making it one of the most premium domestic narrow body aircraft flying in the United States. These seven aircraft will begin service on June 7th.

That's it for today, my friends. See you tomorrow with more miles and points intel.

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.

Award Travel Finder hunts down the best redemptions so you don't have to.

See all deals at AwardTravelFinder.com →