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The Points Daily
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Friday, May 15, 2026
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| 🦨 STINKER | | Emirates Jacking Up Award Tickets and Upgrades Prices | | Emirates announced that select Classic Rewards and upgrade awards will cost more miles starting May 20, 2026, though they haven't specified which routes are affected. This is classic Emirates—steadily devaluing Skywards while pushing cash fares harder, following their pattern of restricting first-class awards to elites only and cutting credit card transfer bonuses. You have exactly 5 days to lock in any Emirates bookings you've been considering before prices increase on May 20. | | source → |
| 😐 MEH | | Singapore 30% Off with Spontaneous Escapes | | Singapore Airlines brought back its Spontaneous Escapes promotion for June 2026 travel with 30% off KrisFlyer awards on select routes, but the catch is severe—no U.S. or European routes made the cut, leaving only Asia and Australia options departing from or arriving in Singapore. A 30% discount on awards is strong math when available, turning 50,000-mile bookings into 35,000-mile ones, but the route selection continues shrinking and this month's omissions are hard to ignore. You have until May 31 to book on a first-come, first-served basis, and it's only worth pursuing if Singapore fits your Asia-Pacific travel plans. | | source → |
| ✅ SOLID | | U.S. to Europe From $605 Round-Trip On LOT Polish Airlines | | LOT Polish Airlines dropped summer fares from the U.S. to Europe starting at $605 round-trip, which is solid pricing for peak season when most carriers charge premium rates. The sale covers summer and fall travel, giving you options beyond the usual July-August price nightmare, and LOT is reliable with their Warsaw hub connecting you to most of Europe without the premium you'd pay on Lufthansa or United. Book now before inventory shrinks further, and consider earning 3x points with the Chase Sapphire Reserve since Ultimate Rewards transfers to United, which partners with LOT on Star Alliance routes. | | source → |
| 😐 MEH | | United 100% Bonus on Buying Miles | | United launched a buy-miles promo with up to 100% bonus through June 24, dropping the cost to 1.88¢ per mile at the full bonus level, though some members are only seeing 55% bonuses so check your account first. The new 50,000-mile purchase cap is down from the usual 200,000, reflecting United's pattern of shrinking limits across recent promos, making this less useful for big redemptions but still workable for topping off accounts. At 1.88¢ per mile, this beats United's typical award pricing on most routes, and it's worth checking if you're short miles for a planned trip—just don't expect to stockpile. | | source → |
| 🔥 STEAL OF THE DAY | | Steal of the Day: Accor is offering 1,000 bonus Qatar Privilege Club points for a stay, with registration deadline May 24 and stay completion by July 11. Register if you have Accor stays already planned and want to pad your Qatar account. | | source → |
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| 💳 CARD OF THE DAY | | Card of the Day: Chase Sapphire Reserve. This premium travel card just became significantly more valuable for everyday spending thanks to Chase's new Paze integration, which lets Sapphire and Freedom cardholders earn up to 15x points on purchases. The Reserve's existing 3x points on dining and travel already made it a solid daily driver, but this Paze boost transforms routine transactions into serious point-earning opportunities. While the $795 annual fee remains steep, the math gets easier when you're earning 5 times the usual rate on regular purchases, and the card's transfer partners and travel protections remain its strongest selling points alongside its new everyday appeal. | | Apply here → (referral link) |
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