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The Points Daily
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Tuesday, May 26, 2026
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| 🔥 FIRE | | Qantas First Class to Australia Available Through June on AAdvantage | | Qantas first class seats are showing up for U.S. to Australia routes through June—a rare sight for one of the world's most exclusive products. You can book through American AAdvantage for 110,000 to 119,500 miles plus $34 in fees, or Alaska for 130,000 points plus $48, with routes including Dallas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco to Sydney. This is about as good as award availability gets for Qantas first class, which typically disappears faster than free champagne in a lounge, and the American program offers better value than Alaska here. Act on this if you've got the miles and Australia on your list—these won't stick around. | | source → |
| 🦨 STINKER | | Bank of America Raises Preferred Rewards Cap to $1M, Cuts Mid-Tier Bonus | | Bank of America just torched its Preferred Rewards program by raising the top credit card bonus tier requirement from $100,000 to $1,000,000 in deposits—a 10x increase to access the same 75% bonus you could get before. They're also cutting the bonus rate for mid-tier customers in the $100,000 to $999,999 range from 75% to 50%, with changes going live tomorrow while existing customers keep their current benefits for 6 months. This is aggressive even by bank standards, so skip this program unless you were already planning to park 7 figures with BofA. | | source → |
| ✅ SOLID | | Hyatt Mexico Sale Offers 30% Off 70 Properties Through June 2 | | Hyatt is offering up to 30% off stays at nearly 70 properties across Mexico with a booking deadline of June 2, covering everything from beach resorts to city hotels and all-inclusives with no restrictions on travel dates. The catch is pretty standard: full prepayment required with zero flexibility on changes or cancellations, and the promotional rate isn't always the cheapest option since the regular member rate sometimes beats it. Check those member rates first if you've got firm Mexico plans and can commit to non-refundable bookings. | | source → |
| ✅ SOLID | | Choice's 40% Points Bonus Brings Value to 0.74¢ Through July | | Choice is offering a 40% bonus on purchased points through July 1st, with a minimum purchase of 8,000 points at 0.74¢ each—decent value when Choice points typically redeem around 1.25¢ per point. The promotion is potentially targeted, so you'll need to check your account to see if the bonus appears. The math works if you've got a specific Choice redemption lined up, but buying points speculatively for a mid-tier hotel program isn't particularly compelling. Only pull the trigger if you're short points for a booking you want to make. | | source → |
| ✅ SOLID | | IHG Third Night Free on Premium Rooms Through September 15 | | IHG is offering a third night free on premium rooms and suites at select properties worldwide through September 30, with bookings accepted until September 15 for stays starting yesterday through fall. The catch is you need to book a premium room or suite specifically, not their standard offerings, and it spans budget to luxury brands across multiple countries for decent geographic coverage. The value depends entirely on the premium room markup versus getting 2 regular nights elsewhere, and since it's cash-only and excludes award stays, you're paying full freight for those upgraded accommodations. Run the numbers if you were already planning premium stays in participating markets. | | source → |
| 🔥 STEAL OF THE DAY | | Steal of the Day: Hilton Honors is serving up 2,000 to 4,000 bonus points per stay this summer from June 1 to August 15, 2026, with the bigger bonuses going to longer stays. Register for the promotion and book those extended summer getaways to maximize the haul. It's a solid summer boost if you're already planning Hilton stays anyway. | | source → |
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| 💳 CARD OF THE DAY | | Card of the Day: The Hilton Honors Aspire Card makes sense if you're planning multiple Hilton stays this summer. With the Summer 2026 promotion offering up to 4,000 bonus points per stay, the Aspire's automatic Diamond status means you'll earn those bonus points on top of the card's existing benefits, including 14 points per dollar at Hilton properties when you factor in the base rate plus card bonus. Diamond members also get room upgrades and late checkout when available, so if you're doing 3 or more Hilton stays between now and summer's end, the math works. |
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