Picture this: you log into your frequent flyer account to book that business class redemption you've been planning for months, and your balance is lower than it should be. Not by a little. By thousands of miles. And you have no idea where they went.

That's exactly what's happening to real travelers right now - and the method is sophisticated enough that most victims don't catch it until it's too late. That's our lead story today.

The Air France-KLM Flying Blue card just rolled out its best-ever welcome bonus. How many Flying Blue miles does the new limited-time offer include?

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

This one genuinely rattled me when I read it yesterday. Cathay Pacific passengers are discovering that mileage credits from completed flights are being diverted into fake partner accounts created in their own names - accounts they never opened.

It's not just Cathay. Reports are surfacing involving American Airlines, Qantas, Finnair, British Airways, and Qatar Airways. The pattern is alarming: someone with apparent access to booking records appears to be harvesting miles at scale, specifically targeting premium cabin flyers where the mileage hauls are largest.

The fraudsters are creating partner loyalty accounts in passengers' real names, then redirecting earned miles into those fake accounts instead of the traveler's primary account. Because the name matches, it can slip past basic verification. By the time the passenger notices a shortfall, the miles may have been transferred or redeemed.

Log into every loyalty program you're a member of today - not just your primary ones. Check your earning history against your actual travel. Look specifically for any partner accounts linked to your profile that you didn't create. If something is off, contact the airline's fraud team immediately, not just general customer service.

Also worth enabling: two-factor authentication wherever it's available, and activity alerts if the program offers them. This is exactly the kind of threat that rewards people who pay attention to their accounts regularly.

The Air France-KLM Visa Signature Card, issued by Bank of America, just rolled out a limited-time welcome bonus that matches the highest offer ever seen on this card: 70,000 Flying Blue miles after hitting the minimum spend, plus 100 XP toward Flying Blue status.

Flying Blue uses Experience Points (XP) to determine status tiers. Silver status requires 100 XP annually - meaning this welcome bonus alone could land you Silver status straight out of the gate. That's real value: priority boarding, bonus miles on flights, and lounge access on some routes.

And if you're already a Flying Blue member looking to top up your balance, note that Citi ThankYou Rewards is currently running a 20% transfer bonus to Flying Blue through August 22 (in 30 days). That stacks nicely with any points you might be moving to book Air France or KLM award flights.

Award Travel Finder has been spotting some solid Air France business class availability to Europe lately - worth checking if you're building toward a redemption.

This one deserves its own spotlight. Chase Ultimate Rewards is offering a 100% transfer bonus to IHG One Rewards, ending Thursday July 30. That means every point you transfer doubles on arrival - 10,000 Chase points become 20,000 IHG points.

IHG has some genuinely good sweet spots if you know where to look, including Holiday Inn Express redemptions that can come in well under 20,000 points per night. Doubling your transfer rate on a program where nightly costs are already modest makes this unusually compelling.

If you've been sitting on Chase Ultimate Rewards and haven't touched your IHG balance in a while, this is worth a close look before the clock runs out. You can check all live transfer bonuses on our transfer bonuses tracker.

If buying miles is ever going to pencil out, a 130% bonus is usually when it does. Avianca LifeMiles is offering exactly that on purchased miles, but the window closes tomorrow, Friday July 24. This is genuinely one of the better buy-miles deals available right now.

LifeMiles is a Star Alliance program, which means you can use them to book United, Lufthansa, ANA, and a long list of other partners - often at rates that beat booking directly through those carriers' own programs. If you have a redemption in mind and need to top up, tonight is the time to act.

You can compare this and all other live buy-points promotions on our buy points tracker before you decide.

This is one of those strategies that sounds counterintuitive until you run the math. Ever since Chase changed its eligibility rules to allow cardholders to have both the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred in the same household at the same time, there's a real argument for pairing them.

The core play: one person holds the Reserve (for Priority Pass, 3x dining, the $300 travel credit, and the higher points redemption rate), while someone in the same household holds the Preferred (for its refreshed bonus categories, the annual hotel credit, and a lower annual fee). The earning stacks, the benefits complement each other, and you're not duplicating much.

If you've been wondering whether the Chase Sapphire Reserve is still worth the $550 annual fee, our full breakdown covers the math in detail.

Both cards are sitting at strong welcome bonuses right now, so if the household strategy fits your situation, the timing is decent. Friday Flight Deals is also worth a look this week - sometimes the right move is a cheap cash fare rather than a points redemption, especially for domestic routes.

The answer is B - 70,000 Flying Blue miles. The Air France-KLM Visa Signature Card's new limited-time bonus is exactly 70,000 miles plus 100 XP toward Flying Blue status. It matches the best offer ever seen on this card, and the 100 XP alone is enough to unlock Silver status for new members.

The miles theft story today is a good reminder that most of us don't check our loyalty accounts nearly enough. How often do you actually log in and review your balances and earning history - weekly, monthly, or basically never? Hit reply and let me know - I read every response and I'm genuinely curious how vigilant people are being.

The miles theft story is going to develop further - I'll be watching for any airline responses and will report back when they surface. In the meantime, go check your accounts.

- Jack

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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 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points with the Hilton Honors American Express ... ($5.5/yr)

2. The Platinum Card: 175,000 points after spending $12,000 in 6 months ($8.95/yr)

3. Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $8,000 in purchases on t... ($1.95/yr (waived first year))

Whether you're spending hotel points or airline miles, these are the standout deals right now via Award Travel Finder:

Hotels:

• The Ritz-Carlton, Kyoto - Kyoto, JP | 2.1cpp value | 110,000 pts/night

• The St. Regis Aspen Resort - Aspen, CO, US | 2.5cpp value | 114,000 pts/night

• Oceana Santa Monica, LXR Hotels & Resorts - Santa Monica, CA, US | 1.9cpp value | 105,000 pts/night

• Waldorf Astoria Park City - Park City, UT, US | 2.1cpp value | 110,000 pts/night

• Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kailua-Kona - Kailua-Kona, HI, US | 1.1cpp value | 40,000 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 → 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

• Chase Ultimate Rewards → IHG: +100% bonus - ends July 30, 2026

• Citi ThankYou Rewards → Air France KLM Flying Blue: +20% bonus - ends August 22, 2026

• Rove Miles → Frontier Miles: +25% bonus - ends July 31, 2026

Buy Points & Miles Deals:

• Air Canada (Aeroplan): 85% bonus at (ends August 12, 2026)

• Avianca (LifeMiles): 130% bonus at (ends July 24, 2026)

• Breeze Airways (Breezy Rewards): 50% discount at (ends August 27, 2026)

• Copa Airlines (ConnectMiles): 90% bonus at (ends July 30, 2026)

• Etihad Airways (Etihad Guest): 35% discount at (ends August 22, 2026)

• EVA Air (Infinity MileageLands): 40% bonus at (ends August 05, 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 →