Here's today's rundown, most useful first. Each item is the short version, and "more" takes you to the full story.
Southwest's biggest summer ever is open for booking. The summer 2027 schedule runs June 3 through August 2, with 11 new routes and more flights in Orlando, Las Vegas, Austin, Nashville, and San Diego. Booking a family trip? Compare fares and bag fees before you pick the cheapest ticket. more
Capital One Venture's welcome offer is a big one right now. It's 75,000 miles after $4,000 in spending within 90 days, plus a one-time $300 credit for hotels and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel. The card has a $95 annual fee and earns 2x miles on everything. The offer is limited-time. more
Booking an award flight for someone else can cost you. One example has Delta charging $330 to send 30,000 miles to another person. Booking the ticket yourself avoids that fee. more
Amex to Hilton: 30% transfer bonus through October 14. That turns 1,000 Amex points into 2,600 Hilton points. It may not show up in every account, so check yours before you move anything. more
Using Capital One miles for Disney. A Disney-focused walkthrough covers hotels, flights, and theme park tickets, starting with a Venture card and its 75,000-mile welcome offer. more
Cheaper shipping, just in time for the holidays. Some Amex cardholders have a targeted offer for 45% off UPS shipping, and the Amex Business Gold swapped FedEx for UPS in its up-to-$240 flexible credit. Check your Amex Offers. more
Wine now flies free for Delta SkyMiles members. If you're bringing bottles home from wine country, checking them no longer costs extra. more
Hilton turns two Riviera Maya luxury resorts all-inclusive. A handy change if you like knowing the food and drink bill up front. more
Capital One lounge guests aren't free like they used to be. Venture X and Venture X Business cardholders could once bring guests into lounges at no charge, and that has changed. Coverage mentions a $35 guest fee. If you plan to use lounges, check the current rules before your trip. more
Flying Blue transfer bonuses through October. Amex is offering 25% more miles when you transfer to Air France-KLM Flying Blue, so 1,000 points becomes 1,250 miles. Rove is running a 40% bonus on Flying Blue transfers through October 31. more
United card bonuses are climbing. Chase is offering up to 100,000 United miles to new cardholders, with perks like free bags, lounge access, and travel credits valid through 2027. more
Chase reshuffles its IHG cards. The fee on the older IHG Select card doubles in 2027, though its automatic Platinum status stays. There's also a new premium IHG card at $350 a year with a 200,000-point welcome offer. more
Hyatt points are getting harder to come by. One travel news site reports that Chase is cutting the value of transfers to World of Hyatt by 25%. If you're sitting on points for a Hyatt stay, check the current ratio before you move them. more
Radisson Rewards has a new 10,000-point bonus promotion. more
Accor has a 4x points promo. If you're traveling through early next year, it could add up to extra points on your stays. more
Emirates' A350 is coming to Orlando in November 2026. more
Splitting payments across cards to earn more points. A writer explains using a Hilton card for everyday spending beyond its credit, rather than putting everything on one card. more
Instant Delta Silver status with two credit cards. It comes with priority boarding and free bags, but you'd be weighing $700 in combined annual fees. more
Capital One Venture X Business: $500 travel credit. It looks aimed at existing cardholders. more
If one of these changed your plans, I break the big ones down on the YouTube channel, @ChasingSummerPoints. Come say hi there.
