THE POINTS GUY

August 9, 2026

Top stories of the week

by Becky Blaine, Managing Editor, Newsletters

Hi friends —

I hope you are all enjoying a relaxing weekend. There was a flurry of airline and loyalty news this week — some great (see award bookings) and some not so great (looking at you, American Airlines). Let’s jump into it:

Delta Air Lines announced it would increase service to Asia from this West Coast hub.

One of my favorite airline programs has updated its monthly list of award flights bookable from 18,750 miles — it’s one of the best deals in points and miles. Paris, anyone?

And members of this airline loyalty program can save up to 50% on award tickets to places like Australia, Fiji, Italy, Japan and French Polynesia.

A must-pack for any international traveler — a credit card with no foreign transaction fees. Check out our updated list.

Transfer bonuses are a great way to stretch your points and miles, and Amex just brought back a 30% bonus to this airline loyalty program that you can use to book a variety of different flights across multiple carriers.

It was a big week of announcements for American Airlines. First, up was a major refresh on its premium cobrand card while also hiking the price for Admirals Club memberships to $1,400 and adding a tier for solo members without guests. Then, the airline cut free upgrades from coach to business class. As an elite-status member, I have mixed feelings about all of this.

The public comment period was extended to Aug. 21 regarding the Trump Administration’s proposed plan to allow airlines more leeway in how they display the cost of a flight, from the base fare to the taxes and required fees.

Is it too early to book holiday flights? Check out Sean Cudahy’s deep dive into the data to find out.

Have a great rest of the weekend,

Becky

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