Staples Gift Cards Hit $200 With Zero Fees - And Finnair Is Selling 200,000 Avios for Under $2,200

Two people. One credit card. Both of them earning American Airlines elite status from the same spend. That quirk is back in the spotlight today with a bigger offer, and it is the kind of thing most people never notice until someone points it out.

We have a lot of ground to cover, from a cheap way to chase status to a refresher on the weird little rules that trip people up. Let's get into it.

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

The Citi AAdvantage Business card is now offering 75,000 bonus miles after $5,000 in purchases within the first five months. View from the Wing calls it a limited-time offer, and the $99 annual fee is waived for the first 12 months. Spending on an employee card earns Loyalty Points for both the employee and the primary cardmember.

The unusual part is the status angle. Spending on an employee card earns Loyalty Points for both the employee and the primary cardmember, so the same purchases can help two people climb toward American Airlines elite status at the same time. For a household where two people fly American, that is real leverage.

If you run business expenses through the card, the status benefit is effectively a second reward stacked on top of the miles. Pair that with a partner or family member who is a legitimate employee cardholder, and you are not leaving Loyalty Points on the table. If you are comparing how much AAdvantage miles are worth to you, our American Airlines miles calculator is a quick gut check before you commit.

If you have genuine business spend and care about AA status, this is one of the better ways to go after both. If you only want miles, weigh the $5,000 spend requirement honestly before you apply.

Finnair is selling 200,000 Avios for about $2,170, which is roughly 1.09 cents per Avios at the top 50% discount tier (purchases of 85,000 to 200,000 Avios). Every Avios purchase also earns a 10% bonus in Finnair Plus tier points, so 200,000 Avios comes with 20,000 tier points.

Those Avios can buy business class awards on Finnair, or move over to British Airways and Qatar Airways. If you want to price out a redemption first, run it through our British Airways Avios calculator before you spend a dollar.

That is enough for Finnair Plus Silver (15,000 tier points), which is oneworld Ruby. Ruby does not include lounge access, though. The bigger prize is Finnair Platinum (oneworld Emerald, 80,000 tier points), which gets you into American Airlines Flagship lounges even on a same-day domestic oneworld flight. This purchase gets you a quarter of the way there.

The sale runs through Monday, November 16 (11:59 PM Finland time). You need to have joined Finnair Plus before October 30 and hold at least 50 Avios, and gifted Avios earn no tier points. All of the live deals are tracked on our buy points promotions page.

Buy this only if you already know where you will use the Avios. Speculative points rarely pay off, but a planned business class redemption plus a lounge perk can make the math work.

Staples is running its fee-free $200 Mastercard gift card promo in stores from Sunday, November 8 through Saturday, November 14, with a limit of nine per customer per day. Check your local store's weekly ad before you go. Note that Staples.com dropped Visa and Mastercard gift cards in October, so this one is in-store only.

This is an in-store-only deal, so there is nothing to do online. If you are chasing a spending requirement on a new card, fee-free gift cards are one of the simplest ways to hit it without paying extra for the privilege.

If you have a minimum spend to hit, this is an easy way to do it. If you do not, skip it and save yourself the trip.

Frequent Miler ran a list of 20+ points and miles quirks to be aware of, and it is a good reminder that this hobby is full of rules nobody can memorize. Some quirks help you, some hurt you, and some are just trivia worth knowing before they cost you.

The Points Guy also explained how the Chase Travel portal works, including Points Boost and redemption rates. The short version: the portal is great when award space is thin or cash fares are low, but it is not always the best deal. Run the numbers with our Chase points calculator first.

And if you have ever wondered whether you can redeem points for someone else, One Mile at a Time published separate guides on redeeming airline miles for others and hotel points for others, plus how to combine World of Hyatt points between accounts for free. The answer is usually yes, with caveats that vary by program.

Spend ten minutes on the Chase portal explainer before your next booking. It could be the difference between a decent redemption and a great one.

Several buy-points discounts are live right now, with the closest deadlines worth circling. Finnair Plus ends Monday, November 16 (50% discount). Southwest Rapid Rewards ends Tuesday, November 17 (45% discount). Aeroplan ends Wednesday, November 18 (30% discount).

Further out, American AAdvantage (40% discount) runs to November 23 and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club (50% bonus) runs to November 26. Track every live offer on our buy points promotions page.

Would you chase American Airlines status with a business card, or do you prefer to keep your points flexible? Hit reply and tell me your approach - I read every response!

The answer is Qantas Frequent Flyer. Avios can move to British Airways, Qatar Airways and Iberia, but Qantas runs its own separate currency and is not a destination for Avios.

That's it for today. If one of these deals fits a trip you are already planning, jump on it before the deadline. See you tomorrow.

- Jack

A real US flight runs today. Pin the airport on the map, then guess the route in 5 tries. Wordle for plane geeks.

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

1. Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Earn 200,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on t... ($550/yr)

2. Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 in purchases in t... ($195/yr)

3. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $2,000 in the first 3 mon... ($150/yr)

The Award Travel Finder team has been tracking these redemptions - here's what stands out:

Hotels:

• JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge - Mara Simba, Narok County, KE | 1.8cpp value | 212,000 pts/night

• Planet Hollywood Cancun Adult Scene by Royalton, Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort - Adults - Costa Mujeres, QROO, MX | 2.5cpp value | 61,000 pts/night

• Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island - Platte Island, SC | 1.3cpp value | 130,000 pts/night

• InterContinental Bora Bora Resort Thalasso Spa - Bora Bora, PF | 2.0cpp value | 207,000 pts/night

Status Matches & Challenges:

• GHA DISCOVERY Status Match

• Club Avolta

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

Buy Points & Miles Deals:

• Air Canada (Aeroplan): 30% discount - ends Wednesday November 18 (in 9 days)

• American Airlines (AAdvantage): 40% discount - ends November 23 (in 14 days)

• Etihad Airways (Etihad Guest): 25% bonus - ends November 23 (in 14 days)

• Finnair Plus: 50% discount - ends Monday November 16 (in 7 days)

• Garuda (GarudaMiles): 25% bonus - ends December 5 (in 26 days)

• Lufthansa (Miles and More): 50% bonus - ends December 2 (in 23 days)

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 →