Something quietly disappeared from Turo's website this week - and if you've been stacking United MileagePlus miles on car rentals, you'll want to know about it before you book your next trip.

More on that below. But first, let's talk about United's shiny new planes, because the route map for their upgraded 787-9 Elevate cabins is finally taking shape - and it matters if you're planning where to point your miles.

Which transfer partner ratio does Marriott Bonvoy use when transferring points to airline miles?

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

United Airlines has been teasing its upgraded Boeing 787-9 fleet for a while, and the new cabins - branded as United Elevate - are now operating on real routes. The headline product is all-new Polaris business class seats, representing a meaningful step up from the older configuration.

The upgraded 787-9s are being deployed on select long-haul routes as United rolls out the fleet. If you're booking a United Polaris redemption and want to know whether your specific flight has the new seats, the aircraft type and configuration matter a lot - older 787s still operate many routes.

This is where a quick seatmap check pays off. Before you lock in an award, you can use Flight Seatmap to verify which aircraft is assigned to your flight and whether the new Polaris product is on board - especially useful when two flights on the same route have different equipment.

If you're actively hunting United Polaris award space, Award Travel Finder has been surfacing some solid availability on the new equipment routes this week - worth a search before those seats fill up.

This one flew under the radar. Turo and United MileagePlus had a partnership that let you earn miles on car rentals - 5x on your first rental, 1x after that. It was a nice perk for road-trip planning, especially after Turo's partnership with Delta ended on December 31, 2025.

Now it looks like the United partnership has ended too, though no official announcement has been made. The partnership page has effectively disappeared, and earning appears to have stopped. This is the same playbook as the Delta wind-down - quiet, no fanfare, just gone.

If you were factoring in MileagePlus earning when choosing Turo over traditional rental companies, that equation has changed. Traditional rental companies still offer miles earning through United's partners - Hertz, Avis, and Budget all have active MileagePlus earning programs. Worth recalculating before your next booking.

Condor just announced daily nonstop service between Chicago O'Hare (ORD) and Frankfurt (FRA), launching May 14, 2027, and running through the summer season. That puts the German leisure carrier directly up against United and Lufthansa on one of the busiest transatlantic corridors.

Condor's pitch has always been value - they typically price below the mainline carriers, which historically creates fare pressure that benefits everyone. Chicago travelers have had limited nonstop options to Frankfurt dominated by the big two, so a new entrant could shake up award pricing and cash fares alike.

The announcement is for summer 2027, so you've got time - but transatlantic award space tends to evaporate fast once routes get attention. If Frankfurt is on your radar for next summer, it's not too early to start watching. For cash bookings on the Chicago-Frankfurt route, Friday Flight Deals will be tracking any competitive fares as they emerge.

A podcast listener named FlyerDad raised a great question this week: everyone talks about Amex, Chase, and Citi transfer partners, but what about Marriott Bonvoy? They transfer to more than 40 airline programs - so which ones are actually worth using?

The short answer: Marriott transfers at 3:1 to most airlines, meaning 3,000 Marriott points become 1,000 airline miles. That's not efficient on its own. But there's a sweetener - transfer 60,000 Marriott points to any airline and you get a 5,000-mile bonus, effectively bringing you to 25,000 miles. That makes the ratio work out to roughly 3:1.25 on larger transfers.

The programs that benefit most from that 60k threshold bonus are ones with high per-mile value - think Air Canada Aeroplan, Alaska Mileage Plan, and Flying Blue. If you're transferring to a partner with a strong sweet spot booking, the math can work in your favor. Right now, Citi has a 20% transfer bonus to Flying Blue running through August 22, which stacks interestingly if you're moving points from a Citi card rather than Marriott directly.

Want to run the numbers on whether a Marriott transfer makes sense for your specific redemption? The Marriott Points Calculator can help you compare scenarios before committing.

Staples.com is selling $200 digital Visa gift cards with zero purchase fee right now. The limit is 4 cards (up to $800 total), and this offer expires this Wednesday, August 5.

For points collectors, fee-free Visa gift cards are a classic manufactured spend play. Load them onto your credit card, use them for everyday purchases, and pocket the points without eating a purchase fee. Pair this with a card earning bonus categories (like 3x on online shopping) and the math gets interesting fast.

Head to Staples.com directly and search for digital Visa gift cards - the no-fee pricing should show at checkout. Two days left on this one.

A few buy-points offers are running right now that deserve a mention - some with tight windows. JetBlue is selling TrueBlue points at a 125% bonus, and that offer expires this Sunday, August 9. EVA Air has a 40% bonus on Infinity MileageLands points that closes even sooner - this Wednesday, August 5.

On the transfer bonus side, Chase Ultimate Rewards to IHG is still running at a 70% bonus through August 31. If you've been considering a Marriott or IHG hotel stay later this year, this is a solid window to top up at better-than-usual rates.

Full list of live buy-points deals and transfer bonuses is tracked in real time if you want the complete picture.

The answer: 3 Marriott points = 1 airline mile (option A). The standard Marriott Bonvoy transfer ratio to airline partners is 3:1, with a 5,000-mile bonus when you transfer 60,000 points at once - which effectively improves the ratio on larger transfers to roughly 3:1.25.

Have you ever used Marriott Bonvoy points to transfer to an airline - and if so, which partner did you use? Hit reply and let me know. I read every response and I'm genuinely curious whether readers are finding value in those transfers or leaving them on the table.

The Turo-United story is a good reminder that partner earning programs can disappear without warning - always worth double-checking before you assume you're earning miles on a rental. I'll keep an eye on whether an official announcement comes.

- 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.

Flying soon? Check your exact flight on SeatWiFi before you board.

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

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

2. Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you make purchases with your new C... ($1.95/yr)

3. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after spending $2,000 in the first 3 mon... ($0.95/yr)

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

Hotels:

• Wailea Beach Resort - Marriott, Maui - Wailea, HI, US | 1.8cpp value | 88,000 pts/night

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

• Conrad Bora Bora Nui - Bora Bora, PF | 2.2cpp value | 120,000 pts/night

• Zemi Beach House, LXR Hotels & Resorts - West Indies, AI | 2.3cpp value | 110,000 pts/night

• Crowne Plaza - ANA Kyoto - Kyoto-shi, 26, JP | 1.2cpp value | 31,000 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:

• Capital One Miles → Avianca LifeMiles: +15% bonus - ends August 31, 2026

• Chase Ultimate Rewards → IHG: +70% bonus - ends August 31, 2026

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

• Rove Miles → Qantas Frequent Flyer: +50% bonus - ends August 14, 2026

Buy Points & Miles Deals:

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

• Alaska Airlines (Atmos Rewards): 900% bonus at (ends August 20, 2026)

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

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

• Etihad Airways (Etihad Guest): 25% bonus at (ends September 02, 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 →