Today we're unpacking Chase's quiet retreat on its Points Boost guarantee, American's stunning decision to make basic economy worthless zero miles starting yesterday (yes, without warning), and why Delta's leadership change matters more than you think. Plus, the British Airways Twitter scam that should terrify anyone who uses social media for customer service.

Remember when Chase launched Points Boost with guaranteed 2¢ per point on The Edit hotels? That certainty just evaporated. Chase quietly rewrote the terms so The Edit properties now price at "up to 2¢" instead of a fixed value—turning the Sapphire Reserve's most straightforward redemption option into another dynamic pricing gamble.

Here's the saving grace: Book any Edit property through December 22, and Chase will credit you back to the full 2¢ valuation even if the portal prices lower. It's a short-term fix that buys Chase goodwill while effectively admitting the guarantee wasn't sustainable. For anyone sitting on Chase Ultimate Rewards points and planning a hotel stay, this weekend is your window.

There's one upside: Points Boost appears to be expanding on airfare, with JetBlue premium cabins now pricing at 2¢ per point. But the broader message is clear—Chase is moving away from fixed-value redemptions and toward the revenue-based pricing that every other issuer already uses.

No announcement, no warning, no grace period. As of December 18, 2025, American Airlines basic economy tickets earn zero AAdvantage miles, zero Loyalty Points, and zero status credit. If you booked a basic economy ticket yesterday or earlier, you're grandfathered. But anything purchased starting today? You're flying for free—for American, not for you.

This is a sharp departure from how American has historically used basic economy as an on-ramp into the AAdvantage program. Budget travelers who were willing to deal with no seat selection and no carry-on in exchange for miles are now completely shut out. It's a bet that those customers weren't engaging with the loyalty program anyway—but it's also likely to push price-sensitive flyers toward Southwest or JetBlue, where even the cheapest tickets still earn something.

The bigger question: Is this the first step toward American introducing a paid loyalty program tier, where you need status or a co-brand card to earn anything at all? We've seen Delta experiment with similar restrictions on partner-operated flights. If American follows that playbook, basic economy could be just the beginning.

Glen Hauenstein, Delta's president and the architect behind its revenue-based SkyMiles program, is retiring February 28, 2026. If you've been frustrated by Delta's shift away from award charts and toward dynamic pricing, Hauenstein is the person who made that happen. He's also the reason Delta has the most profitable loyalty program in the US airline industry.

At 64 years old, this was always coming. But the timing is interesting: Delta just announced massive Asia expansion, new premium cabins, and a push into corporate travel that looks nothing like the legacy carrier playbook. Hauenstein's successor will inherit a program that prints money—but also one that's increasingly alienating the loyalists who made it valuable in the first place.

For SkyMiles members, this could go two ways: either Delta doubles down on revenue optimization (bad for award availability), or the new leadership opens the door to small concessions like better partner awards or fixed-value redemptions. History suggests the former, but we'll be watching closely.

A British Airways passenger tweeted about a lost jacket. Scammers posing as BA support replied, got his booking reference, cancelled his return ticket, and British Airways refused to reinstate it—quoting $17,511 to fly home. The airline's position? He gave his booking details to a third party, so the cancellation stands.

This isn't new, but it's getting worse. Fake airline accounts on Twitter (and Instagram, and Facebook) are increasingly sophisticated, often replying within minutes of a customer complaint. The scam works because people expect airlines to use social media for customer service—and because booking references are treated like passwords even though they're printed on baggage tags and boarding passes.

Protect yourself: Never share booking references or confirmation numbers via social media DM, even if the account looks official. Always navigate directly to the airline's website or app rather than clicking links in replies. And if you're going to use Twitter for customer service, make sure you're messaging the verified account—not a copycat with a similar name.

Bilt Rewards added Spirit Airlines as its 23rd airline and hotel transfer partner—giving it a bigger transfer network than American Express or Chase. Yes, you read that correctly: Bilt now offers more transfer options than the two dominant premium card issuers.

Should you transfer points to Spirit? Almost certainly not. But the move says something important about Bilt's strategy: they're prioritizing breadth over depth, betting that more options will attract casual users even if many of those partners offer poor value. It's working—Bilt's rent payment model has attracted millions of members who would never apply for a premium travel card.

The real value in Bilt remains its Hyatt, United, and American transfers—plus the fact that you're earning points on rent payments that would otherwise generate nothing. But this Spirit partnership is a signal that Bilt is playing a volume game, not a premium one.

If you're stuck with Mesa rewards points following the card program's collapse, Rove Miles is offering a "match"—really a giveaway of up to 5,000 Rove points per member, capped at 2 million points total across all claimants. Upload a screenshot of your most recent Mesa statement and current rewards balance, and Rove will credit your account within two weeks.

It's a smart PR move for a program that's still building awareness. Rove points transfer to Finnair with a 20% bonus right now, which makes this essentially free oneworld miles for anyone who was holding Mesa points they couldn't use. The 2 million point cap means this won't last long—if you have Mesa points sitting around, claim them now at rovemiles.com.

Rakuten is offering new members $50 back on their first $50 purchase through December 31. The easiest play? Buy a $50 gift card at a participating retailer and pocket the $50 bonus—effectively making the gift card free. Participating stores include major retailers where you were probably going to spend money anyway.

This is one of the few genuinely "free money" offers left in the miles and points world. Sign up through a referral link (like this one), make your $50 purchase, and wait for the bonus to post. You can also set Rakuten to pay out in American Express Membership Rewards points instead of cash, which bumps the value even higher if you were planning to transfer those points to an airline partner.

Several buy points offers are ending before Christmas: Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles at 100% bonus (ends December 22), Air France-KLM Flying Blue at 80% bonus (ends December 22), and United MileagePlus at 100% bonus (ends December 24). That United offer is particularly compelling if you're looking at business class to Europe or Asia—100% bonus brings the effective cost down to under 1¢ per mile.

On the transfer bonus front, Amex Membership Rewards to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is running a targeted 40% bonus, while Rove Miles to Finnair is offering 20% to all members. If you're planning transatlantic travel in 2026, that Virgin Atlantic bonus is worth checking—40% extra miles can be the difference between economy and premium economy on many routes.

That wraps today's newsletter. Chase backing away from guaranteed redemption values, American gutting basic economy, and Delta losing its strategy architect all signal bigger shifts coming in 2026. We'll be watching closely—and keeping you ahead of the changes.

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.

Active transfer bonuses worth considering:

Airline programs:

Hotel programs: