Here’s the latest miles, points, travel, and deals news:
Bilt Transition from Wells Fargo
Bilt is transitioning all existing cardholders from Wells Fargo to Cardless on February 7, 2026, with the move happening seamlessly—your card number stays the same, digital wallets auto-update, and there’s no hard credit inquiry.
Current Bilt Mastercard holders can keep using their Wells Fargo cards normally through February 6, 2026, with all points and membership details carrying over unchanged.
You’ll have three options when the switch happens: transition to the new Bilt Card 2.0 and transfer any balance with just a soft credit pull, close your account completely, or keep your Wells Fargo account but have it converted to an Autograph Visa with a different card number.
The big unanswered question is whether agreeing to transition will create a new account on your credit report, which could hurt your average account age—something that already happened during Bilt’s previous issuer switch.
The new Cardless lineup includes three cards at different price points—no annual fee, $95 annual fee, and $495 annual fee—though the actual benefits and features won’t be revealed until January 2026.
UPS Plane Crashes in Louisville
A UPS cargo plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport on Tuesday night, killing at least nine people and injuring others.
The MD-11 aircraft lost an engine during the incident and crashed into an industrial area south of the airport, narrowly missing a restaurant and other facilities with large numbers of people.
The airport has since reopened with limited operations on one runway, though flights face significant delays and cancellations as the NTSB investigates the crash site.
Two burn victims remain in critical condition while eight other patients are hospitalized with injuries expected to be survivable.
Choice Privileges Unveils Major Overhaul
Choice Privileges is rolling out a completely redesigned program in early 2026 that makes earning rewards and elite status significantly easier across the board.
You’ll now reach Gold Elite after just 5 nights, Platinum Elite at 15 nights, and Diamond Elite at 35 nights—that’s 5 fewer nights required for each tier compared to the current program—plus you can earn status through spending on the Choice Privileges Mastercard, and you’ll score milestone rewards like bonus points or gift cards every 5 qualifying nights.
The program introduces a brand-new Titanium Elite tier at 55 nights or 110,000 Elite Qualifying Credits, which unlocks the Titanium travel award that lets you book up to 7 nights at over 400 premium properties (including Cambria Hotels, Radisson Blu, and Bluegreen Vacations) for half the normal points cost.
Additional perks include 1,000 bonus points after your second and third qualifying stays each year, a soft landing feature where elite members only drop one tier per year starting in 2027, points that never expire for elite members, and points sharing with friends and family coming later in 2026.
Rove Adds Miles & More
Rove just rolled out Miles & More as its 13th transfer partner, giving you access to Europe’s largest loyalty program with over 39 million members and airlines including Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways, Air Dolomiti, Luxair, Croatia Airlines, and Eurowings.
Starting November 3, 2025, you can transfer your Rove Miles to Miles & More at a 1:1 ratio with instant transfers in most cases, matching the same transfer ratio Rove offers with its other 11 airline partners: Aeromexico Rewards, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, Air India Maharaja Club, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, Etihad Guest, Finnair Plus, Hainan Airlines Fortune Wings Club, Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus, Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, and Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles.
Southwest Adds Philippine Airlines
Southwest Airlines launched an interline partnership with Philippine Airlines this week, marking its fourth international airline collaboration after recent tie-ups with Icelandair, China Airlines, and EVA Air.
You can now book single-ticket journeys connecting Philippine Airlines flights to Southwest’s domestic network through four gateways: Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), and Honolulu (HNL), with potential future expansion to Rapid Rewards redemptions on routes across the Philippines, Southeast Asia, Australia, and the South Pacific.
T-Mobile AutoPay Discount Returns
Capital One and T-Mobile just launched the T-Mobile Visa card exclusively for existing T-Mobile customers, bringing back the $5 per line AutoPay discount (up to 8 lines) that the carrier eliminated for credit card users earlier this year, along with earning 2% back in T-Mobile Rewards on everyday purchases and 5% on phones, devices, and accessories bought directly from T-Mobile — all with no annual fee.
You can redeem your rewards toward new devices, accessories, or to pay down your monthly bill, and the card includes additional perks like up to 50% off select hotels and 45% off rental cars through T-Mobile Travel, plus a limited-time 25¢ per gallon discount on Shell fuel on Tuesdays through December 23, 2025.
United’s New Debit Card
United just rolled out a MileagePlus debit card that earns you 1 mile per dollar on United purchases and 1 mile per $2 everywhere else, plus you’ll snag 2,500 bonus miles once you hit $10,000 in annual spending.
You can score a 10,000-mile welcome bonus after spending $500 in the first four months, and the $4 monthly fee disappears if you keep at least $2,000 in your account—plus United throws in bonus miles based on your average daily balance, ranging from 2,500 miles at $2,500 all the way up to 70,000 miles if you’re parking $50,000 or more in there.
This card won’t replace your United credit card since it lacks Premier benefits and travel perks, but it could work for you if you prefer debit spending or can’t qualify for traditional credit cards—though you’ll probably earn more by stashing that cash in a high-yield savings account earning 4% than by chasing these mileage bonuses..
Capital One 20% British Airways Transfer Bonus
Capital One launched a 20% transfer bonus to British Airways Club through November 21, 2025, giving you 1,200 Avios for every 1,000 Capital One Miles you transfer with a minimum of 1,000 miles required. You can redeem through British Airways or transfer Avios to partner airlines (Qatar Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Finnair, Loganair)
15% LifeMiles Transfer Bonus
Amex Membership Rewards is offering a 15% bonus when you transfer points to Avianca LifeMiles through November 30, making it cheaper to book Star Alliance awards without carrier-imposed surcharges.
The program works well for transatlantic business class tickets, though you’ll need to watch out for website search issues, inaccurate tax displays until checkout, and a 12-month expiration policy that’s shorter than most other programs.
Amex Opens Vegas Pop-Up Lounge
American Express is launching a temporary lounge called 1850 by American Express at ARIA Resort on the Las Vegas Strip, running from November 13 to December 17, 2025, which coincides with the Formula 1 Grand Prix happening November 20-22.
You’ll need a Platinum Card from American Express, Business Platinum Card from American Express, or Centurion Card from American Express to get in for free, with Platinum cardholders able to bring 1 guest and Centurion cardholders able to bring up to 3 guests.
The lounge opens daily from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. and features live DJs, a photo booth, complimentary drinks and light bites, giveaways, and an MGM Resorts concierge, with reservations available through Resy or walk-ins based on space availability.
