The clock’s ticking … literally. That 100,000-point Chase Sapphire Preferred® bonus disappears at 3 p.m. ET today, so consider this your final nudge. Also today: Alaska just unlocked a genuinely great way to fly business class to Manila, Delta’s rolling out its first foray into in-flight sports prediction (make of that what you will), and Jared’s back in the Gettin’ Booksy chair for a second straight week.
🇵🇭 A New Way to Get to Southeast Asia Using Points
For a little over a year, Alaska Airlines’ partnership with Philippine Airlines (PAL) has been more theory than practice – you could earn Atmos Rewards points on PAL flights, but there was no way to actually book an award seat on the airline.
That finally changed this week, and it’s a big deal if you’ve been sitting on a stash of Atmos Rewards points with dreams of visiting Southeast Asia. 🥳
You can now book Philippine Airlines flights using Alaska’s Atmos points, with nonstop business class to Manila starting at 75,000 points one-way from West Coast gateways like San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), and Vancouver (YVR). Flights from Chicago (ORD), New York (JFK), and Toronto (YYZ) run a bit higher at 85,000 points one-way in business class, while economy starts at 37,500 points from the West Coast or just 42,500 on the longer routes.
Either way, you’re only on the hook for about $26 in taxes and fees one-way or $80 roundtrip – which is about as cheap as an international business class redemption gets these days. You can even shave an extra $20 to $40 off that amount by avoiding Alaska’s partner award booking fee with the right credit card.
Even if the Philippines isn’t your final destination, you can add connections to Southeast Asian cities like Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hong Kong for another 5,000 to 35,000 points each way, depending on the routing and cabin.
My advice? Don’t do it. Domestic flights and short regional hops on PAL are shockingly cheap to book on their own – as little as 7,500 points in economy or 15,000 in business class – and connecting through MNL has a reputation for being a headache. You’re better off booking Manila as its own stop, spending a day or two there, and then booking onward flights separately. You’ll usually save points and skip the stress of a tight connection through one of the more chaotic hubs in Asia.
The best part right now is availability. Whatever your departure city, there’s a wide-open calendar of dates to choose from through next June, including peak winter travel season from December through February – a time period that’s usually the first to get squeezed out on award calendars.
But that likely won’t last long. This wide-open availability will almost certainly dry up when Philippine Airlines joins the Oneworld alliance sometime next year, as this will open the door for American AAdvantage and other Oneworld programs to chase the same inventory.
If you’re sitting on a stash of Atmos points – or transferable Bilt points – this is the kind of opening you don’t want to sit on. Thrifty Traveler Premium members got the heads-up on this the moment it opened up – the availability’s still solid, but it’s not quite as wide open as it was a few days ago.
– Jackson Newman, senior editor
🎙️ New Pod Alert!
⭐ The Current State of Points & Miles Deals in 2026
✈️ The world of all things points and miles is changing rapidly. So to dig into where things are at and what’s ahead, Gunnar and Kyle bring in the man they call “St. Peter” to talk about the state of award availability and spell out the best uses of your points and miles as we enter the second half of 2026.
Tune in now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!
🤝 Deal of the Day: Puerto Rico from $186 Roundtrip!
Heat scale (out of 3): 🔥🔥
Why we love it: Big savings on flights to San Juan (SJU), with fares in the $200s roundtrip (and as low as $186 from South Florida!)
Flying this fall and during peak season (this winter) from several U.S. cities!
Sign up now to get all the details on this deal & don’t miss the next flight deal alert.
Already a member? Log in to see all your deals. (Not seeing it? Remove your airport filters to see every deal.)
– Gunnar Olson, Thrifty Traveler Premium deal analyst
🎲 Delta and DraftKings Are Rolling the Dice at 35K Feet
Back at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in early 2025, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian teased a new partnership with DraftKings from the stage at the Sphere … then went quiet on details.
We wrote at the time that full-blown in-flight sports betting was illegal under federal law, but that didn’t stop us from wondering if Delta was laying the groundwork for something bigger. Eighteen months later, we finally got an answer.
On Wednesday, Delta launched SkyPicks – a free-to-play sports prediction contest for SkyMiles Members ages 21 and up that doesn’t involve wagering or real money.
You log into Delta Sync Wi-Fi on your own device (it’s not on the seatback screens), sign in with a DraftKings account, and pick winners for real MLB matchups. Get enough picks correct, and you can win a Delta gift card. NFL contests come later this year.
So, is this the in-flight gambling we were bracing for? No. But it’s hard not to read SkyPicks as the on-ramp.
Delta will get millions of SkyMiles Members comfortable logging into a DraftKings account from 35,000 feet and playing for prizes instead of cash.
The infrastructure is now built. All that’s missing is a change in federal law to allow them to flip the switch on real-money wagering in the sky.
I wouldn’t bet on that happening tomorrow, but I also wouldn’t bet against Delta being first in line the day it does.
Read Delta’s press release here
– Nick Serati, Thrifty Traveler co-founder
📖 Gettin’ Booksy: Jared’s On a Roll!
Welcome to Gettin’ Booksy, a celebration of our favorite feeling: Booking something awesome! Book something lately? Let us know at [email protected]!
What Did Jared Book?
Our pal Jared is back for a second straight week of Gettin’ Booksy because he snagged another awesome business class deal thanks to his Thrifty Traveler Premium alerts!
This time, he booked the iconic Lufthansa 747-400 in the business class cabin on the upper deck!
How’d He Book It?
Jared transferred 120,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards to Air Canada to book the flights for him and his wife to fly from Frankfurt (FRA) to Houston (IAH) for 60,000 miles each, and $816 in taxes and fees total for the two of them.
What Makes it So Awesome?
The double-decker “Queen of the Skies” Boeing 747s (pictured above) are a dying breed. There are only about 40 of them left flying passengers in the world (27 of which are flown by Lufthansa), and they are no longer in production, so their days are numbered. If you want to fly one like Jared, you’d better make a plan!
From Jared:
I’m getting to scratch 3 things off my bucket list: Going to Germany, the Netherlands, and flying in the upper deck of the Queen of the Skies, the 747. I’m super pumped!
Can Jared book something amazing again next week, too? Someone has to dethrone him!
– Gunnar Olson, flight deal analyst and travel reporter
🙄 Delta’s Basic Biz & First Fares Go From Bad to Worse
Ouch, Delta.
The entire concept of paying $3,000-plus for a business class fare that doesn’t let you select seats or even enter a lounge is bad enough. But Delta just took its pesky new basic business class fares – plus first class and Premium Select – to a new low … with egregious cancellation fees.
Plans change? Or prices drop and want to rebook to pocket the difference (as a Delta eCredit)? You’ll now fork over:
- $99 for basic economy and Comfort tickets domestically (or within Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America) – unchanged
- $199 on a basic economy and Comfort tickets flying long-haul internationally – unchanged, too
- $300 on all basic Delta First fares
- $400 on all basic Premium Select fares
- And a flat $500 on basic business class tickets
Like I said: Ouch.
There’s no fee for canceling or changing basic business class award tickets you booked with SkyMiles … because currently, there aren’t any basic business class award tickets bookable with SkyMiles.
But let’s be real: It’s only a matter of time before Delta expands these stingy tickets with hefty fees to more routes and across its SkyMiles ecosystem.
– Kyle Potter, executive editor
✈️ Other Travel Tidbits
- 💳 Amex’s 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club ends tomorrow (7/31). It’s one of the best transfer bonuses we’ve seen this year.
- 💺 Allegiant is adding a new “Allegiant First” premium seating option starting in 2027. The budget carrier says select aircraft will get front-of-plane seating with extra space and upgraded service. (Allegiant Air, via X)
- 🦓 Condor is launching a new route between Frankfurt and Chicago starting May 14, 2027. The route will fly once daily. (Ishrion Aviation via X)
- ✈️ Capital One’s first-ever transfer bonus to EVA Air – a rare 30% bonus – also ends tomorrow (7/31).
