Happy Election Day. Here’s your miles, points, travel, and deals news for November 5, 2024:
Chase Ink Bonus Ends Soon
Time is running out to grab the massive $900 bonus on Chase’s Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card, with the increased offer ending November 7, 2024, at 7 am EST. This limited-time bonus requires $6,000 in spending within three months and represents a significant jump from the standard offer.
Your $900 bonus value can jump to $1,700 when paired with premium Chase cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, or Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card through travel partner transfers. The no-annual-fee card earns 1.5% cash back on all purchases and includes nice protections like primary rental car insurance.
This matches the best bonus ever seen on this card, making it an optimal time to apply before the offer expires.
HawaiianMiles Sale
Hawaiian Airlines introduces an unprecedented miles sale, offering HawaiianMiles at 1.27 cents each through November 15, 2024. This represents significant value due to the new 1:1 transfer option to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.
You’ll need to purchase at least 3,000 miles to unlock the 100% bonus, and there are no annual purchase limits during this promotion. The promotion allows purchases in increments of 1,000 miles up to 100,000 miles per transaction before the bonus, meaning you could acquire up to 200,000 miles in a single purchase.
There is a 1.6% tax recovery fee that applies to all purchases. Miles purchases are processed through Points.com and don’t qualify for travel category bonuses, so focus on cards with spending thresholds or general rewards.
I decided to take advantage of this bonus and purchased 100,000 (or 200,000 miles with bonus) for $2,540.
Deals and Points News
Citi Travel Hotel Deal: Targeted Citi Double Cash cardholders can get $100 off hotel bookings of $300+ through Citi Travel, valid November 4-December 6, 2024 with required prepayment using their card or ThankYou Points.
Business Centurion Changes: Starting February 1, 2025, American Express Business Centurion cardholders will face a new 3,000,000-point annual cap on the 50% points rebate for airfare redemptions, marking a significant change from the previously unlimited benefit that helped justify the card’s $10,000 joining fee and $5,000 annual fee.
New Amex Offers: Check your accounts for valuable targeted offers including LEGO ($15 back on $75+, ends 1/5/25), Shop Small restaurants (10% back up to $15, ends 12/31/24), Hilton Nevada ($100 back on $500+, ends 3/17/25), and ANA flights (30,000 Membership Rewards points on $1,000+, ends 12/31/24), along with Amazon offers up to 12,000 points on $1,000 spend. Additional targeted offers include Marriott family deals featuring $150 back at Ritz-Carlton, $100 back on standard Marriott stays, $300 back on Homes & Villas bookings, plus ZIPAIR offering $100 back on $500+ through 1/15/25.
Flying Blue Miles Subscription: Flying Blue launched a new monthly subscription service offering 2,000-17,000 miles per month at rates from 1.71 to 1.34 cents per mile, with prices ranging from $34.20 to $227.80 monthly. The program includes a 14-day cancellation policy with full refund, miles don’t expire during active subscription (24 months after cancellation), and miles are deposited within 72 hours of payment.
Travel and Other News
Boeing Strike Finally Ends: Workers approved a four-year contract with a 38% wage increase after an eight-week strike, with 33,000 Pacific Northwest machinists set to return Wednesday to Boeing’s factories. The deal includes a $12,000 ratification bonus and promises to build the next aircraft in the Pacific Northwest, though production restart will take weeks to reach pre-strike levels while Boeing grapples with ongoing quality issues, financial challenges, and a commitment to cut 17,000 jobs.
Southwest Names Gangwal Chair: IndiGo founder Rakesh Gangwal has been appointed as Southwest Airlines’ new independent Board Chair, bringing extensive aviation expertise and a track record of success in the low-cost carrier segment to help address Southwest’s recent challenges.
Singapore A350 Cabin Overhaul: Singapore Airlines will launch major A350-900 fleet retrofits starting mid-2026, introducing first-class suites on ultra-long-haul routes plus upgraded business and economy cabins, with completion by 2030. The program will outfit ultra-long-haul aircraft with four first-class suites and 70 business-class seats featuring sliding doors, serving routes from Singapore to US cities and fifth-freedom flights.
AA Route Network Changes: American Airlines will end Chicago-Columbia, SC service on January 8, 2025, while launching daily Los Angeles-Columbus flights starting March 6, 2025, along with limited-time February routes from Boston to Orlando, Fort Myers, and New Orleans (for Super Bowl LVIII).
Breeze Boosts Florida Service: Breeze Airways has resumed Westchester-Sarasota flights and will add eight more routes from Sarasota through February 2025, including Long Island, Portland, and Richmond, with most routes operating twice weekly. Service begins with Akron-Canton on November 20, followed by several other cities including Syracuse (BreezeThru service) on November 22, all operated by A220 aircraft.
Southwest Reveals Summer Routes: Southwest Airlines will launch 13 new overnight routes starting June 5, 2025, primarily connecting West Coast cities to Baltimore/Washington International, while also introducing its first-ever international service from Colorado Springs to Cancun beginning June 7, 2025, with complete route details including Honolulu-Los Angeles, Lihue-Las Vegas, Long Beach-BWI, Ontario-BWI, Portland-BWI, Sacramento-Orlando, San Francisco-BWI/Nashville, San Jose-BWI, Seattle-BWI/Chicago/Houston/Nashville. Among the significant developments is Colorado Springs’ first international route, marking Southwest’s expansion in a market where it now carries over half of all passenger traffic since beginning service in March 2021.
Norse Grows London Routes: Norse Atlantic Airways will boost winter 2025/2026 service with 6 weekly JFK-Gatwick flights from November 30 and 4 weekly Orlando-Gatwick flights from December 14.
