Something quietly shifted in the loyalty world this week - and if you're a Hyatt collector, you felt it.

Hyatt just announced a significant overhaul of its award chart, replacing the familiar three-level pricing system (off-peak, standard, peak) with a brand new five-tier structure. The new labels sound innocuous enough: Lowest, Low, Moderate, Upper, and Top. But the math underneath tells a different story, with base rates at many properties increasing by 20% to over 37.5%.

This goes live before the end of May 2026, which means the clock is ticking on some of the best remaining sweet spots in hotel loyalty. More on this in a moment.

Before we dive in - here's today's trivia question:

Bilt Rewards is offering up to a 125% transfer bonus to Japan Airlines for March Rent Day. But what status level do you need to reach that maximum 125% bonus?

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

Let's be direct: this is a devaluation. Hyatt is restructuring its existing 8-category system into 5 pricing bands, and the new "Lowest" tier - which sounds promising - will apply to only a limited number of hotels and a limited number of nights. Most properties will land in higher tiers than they sit in today.

The shift from three pricing levels per category to five means more granularity, but in practice it also means more opportunities for Hyatt to charge you more points. Off-peak pricing was the sweet spot for budget-conscious award bookers. Under the new structure, that ceiling gets higher.

If you have a Hyatt stay in mind - particularly at a property that currently sits at off-peak pricing - the move is to book it now and cancel later if needed. Award rates that are visible today are your best guide to pre-devaluation pricing. Hyatt does allow free cancellations on most award bookings, so there's very little downside to locking in.

The program's generous transfer partnership with Chase Ultimate Rewards still makes Hyatt one of the best hotel programs out there - but the math on top-tier properties just got harder. For all our ongoing

March Rent Day is shaping up to be one of Bilt's strongest promotions yet. The program is offering a tiered transfer bonus to Japan Airlines (JAL) Mileage Bank that ranges from 25% for Blue members all the way up to 125% for Platinum members who opt into an upgrade.

Here's the tier breakdown: Blue gets 25%, Silver gets 50%, Gold gets 75%, Platinum gets 100%, and Platinum members can unlock 125% by upgrading. JAL miles are genuinely valuable - they're particularly powerful for booking American Airlines flights domestically and internationally, since JAL is an oneworld partner with a distance-based award chart that still prices routes very favorably.

The new Bilt Palladium card comes with Gold status when you spend $4,000 in the first three months. That means new Palladium cardholders could be sitting on Gold-tier access for this exact promotion - a 75% bonus to JAL is not something you see every day.

To maximize this, make sure your transfer processes on Rent Day itself (the first of the month). Bilt bonuses are only active on that specific day, so timing matters.

Planning to use JAL miles for a specific route? Award Travel Finder is tracking availability across JAL's partner network daily - worth checking before you commit your points.

If you've been eyeing Lufthansa's Allegris business class product - their highly-reviewed new cabin with direct-aisle access, privacy doors, and a genuinely impressive hard product - here's something that's been quietly frustrating: the product has been flying on 787 Dreamliners for a while, but you often couldn't actually book the seats properly. The plane was in service, the seats were installed, but availability was a mess.

Lufthansa says it's now officially opening up sales for Allegris business class on the 787. This is meaningful because the A350 routes (where Allegris was more consistently bookable) don't serve every major hub. The 787 opens up new city pairs.

There is a catch - pricing and availability details suggest this isn't a wide-open floodgate. Award availability in Allegris specifically has been inconsistent, and that pattern may continue even with this announcement. If you're planning to book with miles, check availability carefully before getting excited.

For all our Lufthansa news and Allegris updates, we've been covering this rollout closely.

If you hold an Amex card and have an upcoming IHG stay, check your Amex Offers dashboard now. American Express has rolled out a targeted offer giving $50 back when you spend $250 or more at select IHG properties. The offer runs through May 26, 2026.

This is a "targeted" offer, meaning not every Amex cardholder will see it - but it's worth logging in to check. IHG properties included in the offer span their mainstream brands, and stacking this with IHG Rewards points earning makes for solid overall value.

If you're shopping for a room at an IHG property and debating between paying cash or points, our Award vs Cash Calculator can help you figure out which option puts more value in your pocket.

Speaking of IHG - the program is also running a 100% bonus on purchased points through March 17, 2026, bringing the effective cost down to 0.5 cents per point. That's one of the better buy rates we've seen for IHG. If you have a specific redemption in mind and know the property you want, that math can work.

Here's a quick stacking opportunity worth flagging if you have travel activities on the agenda. Rakuten is currently offering elevated earnings on Viator - the tours and experiences booking platform - while some targeted Amex cardholders also have an Amex Offer active at Viator simultaneously.

The play: activate the Amex Offer if you have it, then book through Rakuten for additional cashback or points on top. Both rewards should stack since Rakuten earns on the purchase and the Amex Offer tracks separately. This is the kind of double-dip that adds up quickly if you're booking activities for an upcoming trip.

Rakuten is one of the most underused tools in the miles-and-points toolkit - sign up if you haven't already and get an additional bonus.

If you hold an Amex card with dining credits tied to Resy - like the Amex Gold or Platinum - this one's worth paying attention to. American Express announced that its Resy restaurant reservation platform is merging with Tock this summer, adding over 25,000 additional restaurants, wineries, and hospitality venues to the Resy network.

For cardholders who've found Resy's current selection limiting - particularly outside major metro areas - this expansion dramatically widens where you can actually use your monthly or annual dining credits. Wineries are a particularly interesting addition.

No action needed right now, but keep this in mind as the summer merge approaches. If your Amex dining credits have been sitting unused because the Resy options in your area are thin, that problem may solve itself.

The answer to today's trivia question: to earn the maximum 125% transfer bonus to Japan Airlines on Bilt March Rent Day, you need to be a Platinum member AND opt into an upgrade.

Platinum base earns 100% - but there's an upgrade path available that unlocks the full 125% tier. Gold status (which comes with new Palladium cardholders who hit $4K in three months) earns a still-excellent 75%.

A few live opportunities worth noting as you head into the weekend:

Hit reply and let me know your take - I genuinely read every response and love hearing how you're thinking about your points strategy. Even a one-line answer is great.

That's all for today - see you tomorrow with more!

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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 →