The Extra Mile, Oct. 2: SkyMiles Deals are Out of Control, Allegiant’s CEO Promises an MSP Comeback & More

💳 Why Now is the Best Time to Get a New United Card

One by one, Thrifty Traveler team members have been adding United co-branded cards to their wallets this year … and now’s as good of time as any for you to do the same.

Chase just rolled out big, new bonus offers on the full suite of United Cards, offering up to 100,000 bonus miles after qualifying activities, depending on which card you choose.

• *united explorer*: bonus_miles_full
• *united quest*: bonus_miles_full
• *united club*: bonus_miles_full
• *united gateway*: Earn 40,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.

With each of these offers, you can earn an extra 10,000 miles by adding an authorized user in the first three months, bumping the total bonus as high as 100,000 miles.

Those limited-time offers are why now is the best time to get a United Card, but they’re not the reason why a United Card makes so much sense in the first place … or why are our team is suddenly so high on them.

Earlier this year, United revamped its MileagePlus Card portfolio, making them more essential than ever for scoring a good deal on award redemptions. With an automatic 10% discount for cardholders and expanded “saver” award space, having a United Card in your wallet is quite literally the difference between paying 200,000 miles for a business class flight to Europe … or just 72,000 miles.

And it’s not just United’s fancy Polaris business class seats where this discount applies. You’ll find (smaller) savings and expanded availability in economy and premium economy, too.

So no matter if you’re looking to splurge for a fancy lie-flat seat or book a handful of trips in the back of the bus, having one of these cards will stretch your miles to the absolute fullest.

On top of that, these cards come with added perks like free checked bags on United flights, an easier path to elite status, access to United Club lounges, hundreds of dollars per year in statement credits, and much more.

As sweet as these bonus offers are, they’re really just the reason why now is the time to add one to your wallet – everything else is what makes them worth holding for the long-haul.

Learn more about the United Cards and these exciting new bonus offers!

– Jackson Newman, senior editor

🦘 Delta SkyMiles Are Out of Control … In a Good Way

Look, I know I probably lost you with that headline. It’s an unpopular take: People love to hate Delta SkyMiles.

But we’ve been making the case for years that it’s unwarranted. Frustrating though they may be with constantly changing and often sky-high award rates – especially for business class – there is value … if you know where to look.

In fact, I’d say SkyMiles deals have been better in 2026 than they have been in something close to a decade. A pair of deals we’ve found and sent our Thrifty Traveler Premium members within the past week make the case better than I ever could:

• It started Sunday with a screaming deal on Delta’s new route to Hong Kong (HKG) for as low as 29,000 SkyMiles roundtrip – like a quarter of the usual cost! And that’s not just on the nonstop from Los Angeles (LAX) but from nearly 100 airports across the country, big and small.
• And then on Tuesday, there was an even crazier deal all the way to Australia, with roundtrips to Melbourne (MEL) as low as 25,400 SkyMiles roundtrip – again, from 100-some airports nationwide.

These aren’t just “great for Delta” but outstanding redemptions, period – a fraction of what virtually every other airline on the globe would charge you to get to Australia or Southeast Asia. And considering many of these fares cost $1,200 or more, they were phenomenal ways to use your SkyMiles.

… especially at a time when roundtrip flights to Chicago or Vegas might cost 40,000 SkyMiles or more.

But these didn’t come out of nowhere. No, there have been tons of 8,000-SkyMile trips to Mexico and the Caribbean, 20,000-some SkyMiles to Europe and back, and an unprecedented slew of deeply discounted Delta One business class deals: 79,000 to Tokyo, 97,000 to Europe in peak summer, 83,000 to Taipei, 102,000 to Brisbane, 85,000 to Seoul, 85,000 to Marrakech, 71,000 to Wachovia…

OK, that last one isn’t even a place. But you get the point: Against all odds, Delta SkyMiles are so back.

But why? What changed down in Atlanta?

Delta isn’t talking, least of all to us. Our relationship with the country’s most profitable airline is … well, it’s complicated. That’s a topic for another newsletter.

But as I do my best to read the tea leaves and figure out what’s going on here, this is what I keep coming back to:

• New routes are a goldmine for deals – especially for Delta. Scan the list of the SkyMiles deals we’ve found over the last few months and the vast majority are on new(ish) routes where Delta may be anxious to fill seats … and cutting flyers a good deal is the best way to do it. It’s akin to clearance meat, and we are here for it.
• SkyMiles deals are a clever way to protect their (frustratingly high) prices. Yes, we’ve all seen Delta fares. Yes, they’re (almost) all disgustingly high. If Delta struggles to fill seats at those fares, slashing SkyMiles rates instead is an elegant way to do so.
• This is the big one: I honestly think Delta has realized that SkyMiles need to be better. Selling miles and credit cards is where all airlines make their real money these days, and – fair or not – SkyMiles have been the butt of every joke for nearly a decade. If they want to convince travelers to open a SkyMiles Amex card and keep swiping it, travelers need to believe that the miles are worth earning in the first place.

Maybe I’m wrong! Maybe Delta will make me look like an idiot (they wouldn’t be the first!) by putting a stop to these deals next week.

But I wouldn’t bet on it.

– Kyle Potter, executive editor

🤝 Deal of the Day: Wide-Open Biz Class Award Space to Europe!

Heat scale (out of 3): 🦄

Why we love it: This deal earned our special “Unicorn Alert” designation because it’s so rare: Wide-open KLM and Air France Business Class award space to Europe this fall and winter … from 48,000 points each way (with a transfer bonus)!

Since we sent it, availability has dried up some … but there are still some dates on most routes – book ASAP!

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.

– Gunnar Olson, Thrifty Traveler Premium deal analyst

📡 On Our Radar: Travelers Want China, Do Airlines?

Welcome to On Our Radar – a weekly look at the news and trends we’re watching lately!

🇨🇳 U.S. Travelers are More Interested in China … But are Airlines?

Over the past year, I’ve noticed more and more travelers signaling an interest in traveling to China.

It started as a few anecdotes from people I know who were curious, a few Thrifty Traveler Premium members asking for more deals to China, and a glut of American influencers sending back dispatches from the Great Wall.

So, I asked the folks at Google Trends to find me an answer to the question: Are more Americans searching for flights to China than in recent years?

The data says, yes. According to Google Trends, there was a 300% increase in the search term “flights to China” in the last year versus the year prior. 📈

That’s … a big leap. It’s a leap that the airlines’ internal data must surely be showing them, too. Which leads me to wonder: Are the U.S. airlines due to add more capacity to China in 2027 and beyond? 🤔

According to data from Cirium, American, Delta, and United are scheduled to fly only a combined 4.7 million available seat miles (ASMs) to China in 2026 – a 62% decrease from pre-pandemic levels, when the airlines combined for more than 12 million ASMs.

Since 2004 (when Cirium data begins), United has flown the most capacity to China among the big 3 airlines by a long shot – usually doubling up both Delta and American. Here’s how the big 3 currently serve China:

• United – Los Angeles (LAX) to Beijing (PEK) – 3x weekly
• United – Los Angeles (LAX) to Shanghai (PVG) – Daily
• United – San Francisco (SFO) to Beijing (PEK) – Daily
• United – San Francisco (SFO) to Shanghai (PVG) – Daily
• Delta – Seattle (SEA) to Shanghai (PVG) – Daily
• Delta – Los Angeles (LAX) to Shanghai (PVG) – 5x weekly
• Delta – Detroit (DTW) to Shanghai (PVG) – Daily
• American – Dallas (DFW) to Shanghai (PVG) – Daily

Chinese Airlines like Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Hainan, Sichuan, and Xiamen also serve the U.S. from some of those same cities as well as Boston (BOS), Washington-Dulles (IAD), and New York (JFK), too.

💰 Why Are China Flights So Expensive? And Will That Ever Change?

You may have noticed airfare to China is just flat-out expensive right now.

Our Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal alert subscribers haven’t seen very many China deals recently (except for that awesome SkyMiles deal to Shanghai for 51,000 miles roundtrip 🤩), and that’s because competition is lacking.

There are plenty of deals to nearby hubs like Taipei (TPE) and Hong Kong (HKG) if you’re looking to get close to or connect to the country, but fares to China are so high that they’re simply above our threshold for what we consider a Thrifty Traveler Premium deal.

But if the U.S. airlines are seeing more and more travelers searching for China flights, a logical next step would be to add service to accommodate them. And as we know, more service (a.k.a. ASMs) usually means better flight deals.

🐼 Bottom Line:

Google Trends says there’s a 300% increase in Americans searching for flights to China, and the airlines certainly have data that says something similar. So I think we’re going to see route or capacity expansions into China by U.S. airlines next year, and hopefully that leads to better flight deals, too.

– Gunnar Olson, travel reporter and flight deal analyst

🤔 Allegiant CEO Says Sun Country Will Get Back on Track in MSP

Fair warning: This one is for my Minneapolis peeps … which includes me. Look, I never said I wasn’t selfish.

All eyes around these parts have been on Sun Country for the last few months since Allegiant officially took over in a headline-grabbing acquisition. Because despite selling that merger by promising, in part, that the airline would grow in Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) as two ultra-low-cost carriers became one, they’ve done just the opposite.

In September, Sun Country’s schedule was down by a third compared to a year ago. Cutbacks have extended into October and through much of the fall, with some minor reductions in the winter.

I’ve been waiting for a chance to hear directly from Allegiant CEO Greg Anderson about these supposedly temporary cutbacks and whether the airline would live up to its word. I finally got that chance Thursday as Anderson spoke at the annual “State of the Airport” luncheon.

“It’s not a good first impression,” Anderson admitted.

He explained (again) that they were forced to reduce Sun Country’s schedule due to a combination of flying tons of packages for Amazon and especially “pilot attrition” – basically, that far more pilots left to go fly for Delta once the merger was finalized than they anticipated.

Cutting back flights in September, October, and beyond – painful though it was – was the only way to ensure the airline wasn’t overextended.

Again, he insisted it was a temporary problem – and one that’s mostly behind them.

“I don’t want to conflate these short-term operational challenges with our long-term strategy,” Anderson said. “We expect to continue to grow the Twin Cities.”

Here at TT HQ roughly 10 minutes from the Minneapolis airport, we have a dog in the fight.

None of us exactly loved flying Sun Country, but they were solid. They were a cheaper alternative to Delta and their notoriously high fares. And most importantly, just by going head-to-head with Delta, it forced Delta to compete on price.

I worried from the start that Allegiant wouldn’t have the stomach to duke it out with Delta, because that’s just not in the airline’s DNA like it was for Sun Country. Anderson made that point for me.

He told the luncheon that Allegiant is the only carrier flying nonstop on 75% of its routes nationwide. Contrast that with Sun Country: It overlapped with Delta on 90% of its routes last year.

Here’s hoping my skepticism was misguided … and that Allegiant lives up to its word.

Because without a strong Sun Country Allegiant here, the already-ugly fares we Minnesotans pay will only get worse.

– Kyle Potter, executive editor

🎙️ On the Pod: Who’s Up & Who’s Down in Airline Loyalty?

✈️ Who’s up and who’s down in airline and hotel loyalty programs? That’s the question we seek to answer this week, going A to Z through (almost) every airline loyalty program to let you know what’s worth earning and what’s not.

Watch it now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

🏨 A New IHG Card and Higher Fees Across the Board

Chase just gave its entire IHG credit card lineup a makeover … and like most credit card makeovers these days, it comes with a bigger bill.

The headliner is a brand-new card: *IHG Premier Select*, a $350-a-year card that now sits at the top of Chase’s IHG lineup. It comes with automatic Platinum Elite status, 20 elite night credits every year, an anniversary free night at hotels costing up to 60,000 points, and a stack of new credits for airfare, and food & drinks at IHG hotels. Better yet, existing IHG cardholders can open it and still earn the welcome bonus.

But for most of you, the bigger news is what’s happening to the cards you already carry:

• IHG Premier: The annual fee jumps from $99 to $150, and automatic Platinum status gets downgraded to Gold. To keep Platinum, you’ll need to spend $15,000 in a calendar year. Current cardholders keep Platinum through the end of 2027.
• IHG Business: The annual fee more than doubles, from $99 to $200, but it keeps automatic Platinum status.
• IHG Traveler (no annual fee): The fourth-night-free perk on award stays will require $5,000 in annual spending starting in 2027.
• Grandfathered IHG Select Cardholders: The annual fee doubles from $49 to $99.

The good news? Nothing changes overnight. Most of the cuts don’t take effect until Jan. 1, 2027, and the higher fees hit at your account anniversary next year. Chase is also running elevated welcome offers on all four cards through Nov. 18.

Read our full breakdown of all the IHG card changes here!

– Nick Serati, Thrifty Traveler co-founder

✈️ Other Travel Tidbits

• 🍔 The Chase Sapphire Reserve’s monthly DoorDash restaurant credit is now $15, up from $5, and works on any DoorDash order.
• 🌺 Hilton has opened the 210-room Hale Hōkūala Kauaʻi, the first Hawaii resort in its Curio Collection. (Hilton)
• 🏔️ Delta is adding twice-daily nonstop flights from Salt Lake City to Flagstaff, Arizona, starting June 7, 2027. (Delta)
• 📦 The Amex Business Gold card’s $240 Flexible Business Credit now covers UPS.com shipments, replacing FedEx. (Danny the Deal Guru)