Happy Friday, Extra Mile readers! Starting Oct. 1, Chase Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred cardholders lose the 1:1 transfer ratio to Hyatt – Kyle breaks down what to do in the next two weeks to lock in any Hyatt stays you’re planning. Also today: a $510 sale to Germany with Icelandair stopovers included, and a new Under Canvas property opening near Santa Fe.
🔨 Hyatt’s About to Take Another Hit (For Some of You…)
Hyatt did you, me, and the entire world of award travel dirty earlier this year with a brutal reshaping of its award chart, raising award rates by as much as 67%.
Another shoe is about to drop for millions of Chase cardholders.
Come Oct. 1, travelers with the *chase sapphire preferred* (or the Ink Business Preferred) will no longer be able to transfer points to Hyatt on a 1:1 basis – that declines to a subpar (and confusing) 4:3 transfer ratio. It means you’ll need to send 67,000 Chase points to get 50,000 Hyatt points for a free night or two.
Want those trusty 1:1 transfers back? You’ll have to either transfer Bilt points … or bump up to the annual_fees -a-year *chase sapphire reserve* card. Pretty bald-faced move from Chase, isn’t it?
This raises all sorts of philosophical questions about the future of points. Are Chase points less valuable now? Is the era of 1:1 points transfers over?
But that’s a topic for another newsletter, because there’s a more pressing concern for all you Sapphire Preferred cardholders: You’ve got less than two weeks to map out your hotel stays and transfer your Chase points to Hyatt.
Waiting could seriously cost you. Here’s a quick example.
I stayed at (the absolutely lovely and worthy of every ounce of hype) Park Hyatt Tokyo last month and booked just before Hyatt’s big award chart changeover. If you take my advice and decide to book a three-night stay in early March for 45,000 points apiece, you could lock it in now by transferring 135,000 Chase points.
In two weeks when this new transfer ratio takes hold, you’d have to transfer 180,000 Chase points to book the exact same stay.
So it’s time to lock in, folks. Look at your calendar, start cooking up your travel plans and figure out where Hyatt may (or may not) fit in over the next 12 months.
… or, maybe – just maybe – it’s worth sending some Chase points over to Hyatt regardless? We typically urge travelers to steer clear of these kinds of speculative transfers.
But this is a unique scenario for Chase Sapphire Preferred cardholders. As my coworker Jackson put it, it could make sense if:
- You regularly stay at Hyatt properties, or
- you’ve got a few solid, realistic use cases already in mind – and have researched their current rates – and
- you’re flush enough with Chase points that locking some away in Hyatt doesn’t cramp your other travel plans.
Whichever path you take, the clock is ticking. Consider this your … well, probably penultimate warning. We’ll be back in your inbox before we turn the calendar on September.
Read our full story on Hyatt’s big changes & what you should do!
– Kyle Potter, executive editor
🤝 Deal of the Day: Roundtrip Flights to Germany from $510!
Heat scale (out of 3): 🔥🔥
Why we love it: It’s been months since we saw fares to Germany this cheap!
Flying Icelandair (and eligible for Iceland stopovers!) with best availability this November through March with fares in the $500s from 12 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
📡 On Our Radar
Welcome to On Our Radar – a weekly look at the news and trends we’re watching lately!
🏕️ Under Canvas Santa Fe Opening Next Spring
I’m a big fan of glamping and a huge fan of the glamping brand Under Canvas. I’m also a huge fan of northern New Mexico, which is why Under Canvas’s announcement of Under Canvas Santa Fe opening next spring was music to my ears.
I’ve glamped at Under Canvas–Glacier several times and I glamped a few weeks ago at the Fields of Michigan – an Under Canvas partner property. The best part? I booked almost all of those nights using World of Hyatt points!
So, the idea of using some Hyatt points (or the Chase or Bilt points that transfer there) on a glamping stay in the high desert outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico really piqued my interest.
According to Under Canvas, this property will be very unique, too, featuring more than 640 acres, miles and miles of on-site hiking trails, and an onsite sauna. It’ll also have the usual Under Canvas classics like the pet friendliness, a camp cafe, and a nightly fire pit with s’mores.
Bottom line: My Hyatt points should be scared. They aren’t safe with UC Santa Fe opening next year.
🐘 British Airways Adds Fun Tanzania Route
After Under Canvas, the second place I ever glamped was in Africa on my honeymoon – a honeymoon that started in Zanzibar. Yesterday, British Airways announced a fun, new way to get there with a cool triangle route from London-Gatwick (LGW).
The flight will leave Gatwick at 9:05 a.m. and land at Mt. Kilimanjaro airport (JRO) at 8:20 p.m. Then it will leave an hour later for Zanzibar (ZNZ), landing at 10:25 p.m. before turning back to Gatwick just after midnight and landing around 8 a.m.
This fun route would make for a perfect African trip: Piece together a few days on safari or hiking at Mt. Kilimanjaro before heading to Zanzibar for some beachside R&R (throw some Hyatt points at the Park Hyatt Zanzibar, you won’t regret it!) and then fly nonstop back to London.
Of course, this flight is much more convenient for Londoners, as it departs from Gatwick, but I think U.S. travelers can make this work in a fun way, too. Bookend your Africa trip with a night or two in London on either end? I can think of worse trips!
– Gunnar Olson, travel reporter and flight deal analyst
🎙️ On the Pod: Award Travel Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Award travel is full of potholes if you don’t know where to look. Luckily, we’ve made every mistake in the books … so you don’t have to! Join us as we go through the most common mistakes in points and miles.
Watch it now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And stay tuned for the next installment next week!
🧳 Come Work With Us: We’re Hiring a Hotel Expert!
Are you a diehard traveler and bona fide “sicko” (that’s a term of endearment around here) when it comes to hotels and award travel?
Do you love nothing more than scouring for the next great hotel redemption? Want to help others do the same? Loathe the prospect of another devaluation but relish the thought of breaking that news?
We don’t just want you. We need you.
Here at TT HQ, we’re hiring again – this time for a dedicated hotel deal analyst & reporter. It’s a hybrid role, split between the two worlds of what we do here at Thrifty Traveler:
- You’ll spearhead and even expand the hotel deal alerts that make our Thrifty Traveler Premium+ service so special, and
- Help us cover the news and must-knows of all things hotels on our site, social media, and in this very newsletter!
Not the right fit but know someone who could be? Send them our way – if we hire them, we’ll give you a $500 airline gift card to an airline of your choice!
There’s tons of additional details, responsibilities, qualifications, and basics about the job on our site, but here’s a big one: We’re specifically looking for someone who can join us in our Minneapolis office.
Fit the bill? Be sure to apply by the Sept. 27 deadline!
… and see you soon in the office?
– Kyle Potter, executive editor
✈️ Other Travel Tidbits
- 🧳 Chase Sapphire cardholders can now earn $50 back on Away luggage purchases of $295 or more. The offer expires Nov. 5, and works both in-store and online. Check your Chase Offers!
- 📡 A new Viasat satellite just went into service, expected to boost Wi-Fi speeds on Delta and several other airlines. (Ben Bearup, via X)
- 🔢 Chase may be tightening its 5/24 rule for sole proprietors, with front-line reps reportedly telling applicants the new limit is 3 cards in 24 months. Data points are mixed so far, so it’s unclear yet if this is an official policy change. (Doctor of Credit)
- 🎁 Bilt is boosting its referral bonus through Sept. 30, giving members 5,000 points for each of their first 4 approved referrals, plus 10,000 for a fifth – up to 30,000 points total. (Upgraded Points)
Parting Picture: Would You Take This Upgrade?
I got this upgrade offer from Main Cabin to Delta Comfort for my flight this evening. I can’t remember ever seeing something this cheap! The flight is fewer than 350 miles (Minneapolis to O’Hare), so there is no drink service. It’s also not a middle seat.
So, should I take it? Would you? And would you do 700 SkyMiles or $7.53?
– Gunnar Olson, Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal analyst
