Today we're covering a major legal victory for travelers in Germany, a painful Amex devaluation announcement, and why United's Polaris business class awards are becoming impossible to find. Plus, Citi just improved its Strata Elite offer to 100,000 points—but only through December 11th. Let's dive in.

A German court just handed down a ruling that could reshape how European airlines handle throwaway ticketing. Lufthansa tried to bill a HON Circle member (that's their top-tier elite status) €414 after a flight attendant noticed he didn't board his connecting flight and reported him to the airline.

The passenger took Lufthansa to court—and won decisively. The airline has now rewritten its terms and conditions to explicitly allow skiplagging when travel plans change. This is a remarkable about-face for an airline that had been aggressively pursuing passengers for this practice. The fact that even a flight attendant was actively monitoring passenger connections tells you how seriously Lufthansa was taking enforcement before this legal defeat.

The ruling applies specifically to situations where circumstances change after booking—which is actually most throwaway ticketing scenarios. While I wouldn't recommend making it a regular habit, this precedent offers significant protection for European travelers who need flexibility.

If you've been eyeing the new Citi Strata Elite card, this week brought excellent news. The welcome bonus jumped from 80,000 points to 100,000 Strata points after $6,000 in spend—and comes with substantial first-year credits that effectively slash the $595 annual fee.

According to an in-branch flyer, this improved offer ends December 11th—that's this Wednesday. Strata points transfer 1:1 to 19 airline and hotel partners including all major programs, making this effectively a flexible currency card that competes directly with Chase Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum. The timing is particularly interesting given that Citi is clearly trying to grab market share in the premium card space.

The first-year credits significantly offset that annual fee, and if you're already in the Citi ecosystem with ThankYou points, having another transfer currency option adds valuable flexibility to your strategy.

American Express just announced that starting March 1, 2026, Membership Rewards transfers to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles will drop from the current 1:1 ratio to 5:4. That means you'll need 12,500 Amex points to get 10,000 Asia Miles—a 20% haircut on every transfer.

This is painful because Asia Miles remains one of the better programs for booking Cathay Pacific's excellent business and first class products, plus it offers solid redemption rates on partner airlines like Alaska Airlines and American. If you have any existing travel plans that would benefit from Asia Miles, now would be the time to move those points before the rate change kicks in.

What makes this particularly frustrating is that Amex gave nearly three months' notice—which is generous compared to some devaluations—but it's still a reminder that transfer partners can and will change their economics. The silver lining is that Citi ThankYou points still transfer 1:1 to Asia Miles, at least for now.

Ever wondered why hotel room categories are so confusing? There's actually no standardized definition for what constitutes a "suite" versus a "junior suite." One hotel's suite might be two separate rooms with a door between them, while another property calls a slightly larger room with a sitting area a suite.

This matters enormously when you're using points for award stays or planning suite night upgrades. A "junior suite" at one Marriott might be genuinely spacious and valuable, while at another property it's basically a standard room with a couch. The lesson here: always check photos and floor plans rather than relying on category names. Hotel chains take massive liberties with these descriptions, and there's no regulatory oversight forcing consistency.

Before burning 40,000 points on what's described as a suite, spend five minutes looking at actual room dimensions and guest photos. You might discover that the "deluxe room" one category down offers nearly identical space for 15,000 fewer points.

If you've been searching for United Polaris business class awards lately, you've probably noticed the space has become significantly harder to find. This isn't your imagination—United has been systematically reducing Saver-level award availability on long-haul international routes, particularly to Europe and Asia.

Routes that used to show consistent award space are now either completely blocked or only available at astronomical "Everyday" pricing that can run 200,000+ miles roundtrip. This trend has accelerated over the past few months as United clearly prioritizes revenue over partner awards. The sweet spot opportunities that made United MileagePlus attractive—particularly using transferred Chase points—are becoming increasingly rare.

If you have flexible Chase Ultimate Rewards or Bilt points and were planning United redemptions, you might want to book sooner rather than later. Award space isn't getting better, and United's revenue management appears to be tightening the screws on partner bookings as demand for premium cabins remains strong.

Air France is bringing its ultra-exclusive La Premiere first class cabin to Atlanta, Boston, and Houston starting in March 2026. The cabin will fly on select Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, expanding La Premiere's U.S. network to eight total cities.

This is particularly noteworthy because La Premiere is genuinely one of the world's best first class products, and it's bookable with Flying Blue miles—which transfer from all major U.S. bank currencies. The catch is that La Premiere award availability is notoriously sparse, and Air France doesn't consistently release these seats to partners. But if you're based in one of these three cities and have been sitting on a pile of Amex, Chase, or Citi points, it's worth monitoring for special occasions.

Flying Blue occasionally runs transfer bonuses that can make these redemptions more palatable, though even at the standard rate, experiencing La Premiere's private suites and exceptional service can be worth the splurge for a milestone trip.

Today's biggest moves: If you want the Citi Strata Elite at 100,000 points, you have until Wednesday. If you have Amex points earmarked for Cathay Pacific, transfer them before March 1st to preserve the 1:1 ratio. And if you're planning United Polaris redemptions, don't wait—award space is only getting scarcer.

The Lufthansa skiplagging ruling is fascinating from a legal perspective, though I'd still be cautious about making it a regular practice on any airline. But it's encouraging to see courts pushing back on airlines' most aggressive enforcement tactics.

What's your take on the Amex to Cathay devaluation? Worth moving points now, or are you shifting your strategy to other transfer partners? Hit reply and let me know.

Safe travels, The Miles & Points Daily Team

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: