There's a window open right now that I think closes faster than most people expect - and it involves one of the most popular credit card offers we've seen in years.

Today's newsletter has a lot of Chase energy, but there's also a quietly devastating story buried in the middle about Lufthansa first class that every award traveler should read. Let's get into it.

What is the current welcome bonus on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card?

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

If you've been sitting on the fence about the Chase Sapphire Preferred, this is the moment the math changed. The card is back with a 100,000-point welcome bonus - its highest-ever offer and one that only surfaces a handful of times each year.

Chase Ultimate Rewards points are among the most flexible currencies in the game. You can transfer them to United, Hyatt, British Airways, Air Canada, and more - or use them through Chase Travel at solid fixed rates. At 2.05 cents per point (per TPG's July 2026 valuations), that's roughly $2,050 in value from the welcome bonus alone.

The Sapphire Preferred carries a $95 annual fee. The welcome bonus alone more than offsets years of fees if you redeem strategically. Pair it with a Chase business card to pool points, and you're looking at a genuinely powerful setup.

We covered the recent Sapphire Preferred refresh when it rolled out - some changes helped, some hurt depending on your travel patterns. But the 100K bonus cuts through all of that. If you're eligible, this is a hard offer to ignore.

One important note: this is a limited-time offer and Chase has pulled it before without warning. Don't overthink it.

If you carry the Chase Sapphire Reserve, there's a Marriott Bonvoy promotion worth enrolling in right now. Chase has brought back its complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status offer for eligible Reserve cardholders - giving you three months of Gold status, with the ability to extend it all the way through February 2028 by completing just three eligible paid nights.

Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite unlocks 25% bonus points on paid stays, enhanced room upgrades, late checkout (subject to availability), and lounge access at select properties. It's not Platinum, but it's a meaningful step up from baseline status - especially if you only stay at Marriott properties a few times a year.

The three qualifying nights to extend status through early 2028 is a low bar for most Sapphire Reserve holders. If you travel at all, this is essentially free status that you'd otherwise need to earn through stays.

Log into your Chase account or check your Sapphire Reserve benefits portal to see if you're eligible and enroll. This is the kind of perk that's easy to forget about until it's gone.

Here's the story that doesn't have a feel-good ending.

As of June 1, 2026, Lufthansa completely stopped releasing first class award space to partner frequent flyer programs. That means United MileagePlus, Air Canada Aeroplan, and every other Star Alliance partner program can no longer find Lufthansa First Class availability - because there isn't any.

Lufthansa has had temporary first class blackouts before. But one month of absolute zero is unprecedented. The analyst consensus - including at One Mile at a Time - is that this time feels structurally different, not a glitch or a short pause.

Lufthansa First Class on partner awards used to be one of the crown jewels of Star Alliance redemptions. The hard product is genuinely exceptional - private suites, caviar service, the works. Travelers would save United miles or Aeroplan points specifically for this redemption. If that avenue is permanently closed, it's a meaningful hit to those programs' top-end value.

There's no official statement from Lufthansa. No confirmed end date. No promise this comes back. If you had Lufthansa First Class on your award bucket list and were counting on partner miles to get there, the time to act may have already passed.

If you're searching for alternative premium cabin redemptions to Europe, Award Travel Finder is tracking live availability across all partner programs - it's the fastest way to see what's actually bookable right now.

Alaska's Atmos Rewards program just launched its July Global Getaways sale, offering up to 50% off award tickets in select regions. The program runs this promotion monthly on the first Wednesday (which they call Atmos Members Day), so the July window just opened - but booking windows on these sales tend to be short.

If you've been building up Atmos miles, this is the moment to put them to work. The buy points offer is also running through this Sunday (July 5) with a 100% bonus - so if you want to top up your balance before booking, that's a tight window. Check the current buy points promotions at the link below.

Rove - the credit card-free loyalty program that lets you earn points on everyday spending - just added Frontier Airlines as its first-ever airline transfer partner. To celebrate, they're running a 25% transfer bonus on Rove to Frontier Miles transfers through July 31.

Frontier flies under most people's radar in the points world, but the program has genuine value - particularly for domestic routes where Frontier competes hard on price. With the 25% bonus, you're stretching your Rove balance meaningfully on transfers.

Frontier also currently has a 100% buy points bonus running through Friday July 10, meaning you can double your Frontier Miles balance at a relatively low cost. If you're planning domestic travel on Frontier this summer, the combination of the Rove transfer bonus and the buy points deal creates a real stacking opportunity.

For the full picture on what's live right now across all transfer bonuses, our transfer bonuses tracker keeps everything in one place.

This one is part cautionary tale, part consumer win. American Airlines has refunded more than $900,000 to AAdvantage members after overcharging taxes on children's award tickets to 14 jurisdictions. The error was first flagged by a frequent flyer named Mike Borsetti back in 2015.

Here's the part that stings: the Department of Transportation ultimately declined enforcement because too much time had passed. American voluntarily issued the refunds anyway - but only after more than a decade of the complaint sitting unresolved.

The practical lesson is worth keeping in mind. If you've used AAdvantage miles for award tickets for children traveling internationally, it's worth reviewing whether you were impacted. The refunds have reportedly been issued automatically to affected accounts.

More broadly: keep your own records of award bookings. Consumer protections in loyalty programs are thin, and the clock on disputes can run out faster than the government gets around to looking at them.

The answer is 🅲️ - 100,000 points.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred's current welcome bonus is 100,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points after meeting the minimum spending requirement - the card's highest-ever public offer and one of the most popular bonuses in the travel rewards space. It's a limited-time offer, so if you've been waiting to apply, the clock is ticking.

Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards - if you had to pick just one transferable points currency to earn for the next year, which would it be and why? Hit reply and let me know. I read every response and the split on this one is always fascinating.

Happy 4th of July weekend to everyone celebrating. Whether you're traveling or not, hopefully there are some great redemptions in your near future.

- Jack

We track airline Starlink rollouts, live equipped aircraft, and in-flight Wi-Fi details at SeatWiFi. If connectivity matters on your next trip, check the aircraft before you book.

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These are the top credit card welcome bonuses we're tracking. Offers change frequently - see all cards.

1. Business Gold Card: 200,000 points after spending $15,000 in 3 months ($3.75/yr)

2. Business Platinum Card: 200,000 points after spending $20,000 in 3 months ($8.95/yr)

3. Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on t... ($5.5/yr)

Here's what we're seeing in award availability right now (via Award Travel Finder):

Hotels:

• The St. Regis New York - New York, NY, US | 2.3cpp value | 128,000 pts/night

• The Naka Island, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Phuket - Phuket, TH | 3.4cpp value | 80,000 pts/night

• Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi - Male, MV | 2.7cpp value | 150,000 pts/night

• Conrad Maldives Rangali Island - Rangali Island, MV | 1.4cpp value | 120,000 pts/night

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

Status Matches & Challenges:

• Flying Blue Status Match - Air France / KLM | SkyTeam

• Flying Blue UK (BA Status Holders) - Air France / KLM | SkyTeam

• Flying Blue (Iberia) - Air France / KLM | SkyTeam

Live Transfer Bonuses:

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

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

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

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

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

• Capital One Miles → EVA Air Infinity MileageLands: +30% bonus - ends July 31, 2026

Buy Points & Miles Deals:

• Alaska Airlines (Atmos Rewards): 100% bonus at null (ends July 05, 2026)

• American Airlines (AAdvantage): 40% discount at null (ends August 02, 2026)

• Etihad Airways (Etihad Guest): 20% discount at null (ends August 02, 2026)

• Frontier Airlines (Frontier Miles): 100% bonus at null (ends July 10, 2026)

• Garuda (GarudaMiles): 25% discount at null (ends August 02, 2026)

• JetBlue Airways (TrueBlue): 125% bonus at null (ends August 09, 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 →