The Extra Mile, Oct. 28: Are These Points Underrated? + A New Flight to Japan… on a 737

🤔 Are Citi ThankYou Points Underrated?

Citi ThankYou points have long been treated as fourth fiddle to Chase, Amex, and even Capital One. But I’m not convinced that holds up anymore.

Over the last year and change, Citi has quietly built one of the most unique rosters of airline transfer partners in the game. There are now 16 airlines in all, and a handful of them are hard (if not impossible) to reach with any other bank’s points:

• American AAdvantage: Outside of an AA co-branded card, Citi points are the only way to earn AA miles in bulk. That opens the door to domestic one-ways for 5,000 miles or less, roundtrip flights to the Caribbean from 12,000 miles, and business class to Tokyo for just 60,000 miles each way.
• Japan Airlines Mileage Bank: Citi is now the only one of the big four banks with a 1:1 transfer to JAL. Because JAL adds up the distance of your whole trip, roundtrips on partner airlines can cost far less than two one-ways. Miami to Madrid in American business class is 60,000 miles one-way … or just 85,000 roundtrip.
• Copa ConnectMiles: The newest addition (just this week) is an especially unique one. Copa shines for Star Alliance awards to Europe (without added surcharges) and better access to United award space than most partners.
• EVA Air Infinity MileageLands: Citi is the only bank with a 1:1 transfer to EVA, where business class between the U.S. and Asia costs 75,000 to 80,000 miles one-way.

Add in Turkish, Virgin Atlantic, Flying Blue, Qatar, and more, and the airline side is genuinely strong.

Hotels? Not so much. There’s no Hyatt, Marriott, or Hilton, and this spring Citi cut transfers to Choice by 25% and to Preferred Hotels & Resorts by 50%. If hotels are your main goal, Chase and Amex are both better bets.

But here’s the catch: Citi points are harder to earn than Amex and Chase points … or even Capital One miles. The Citi Strata Premier℠ Card and the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card are the only two options (open to new applicants) that unlock Citi’s slate of transfer partners at full strength. Plus, Citi limits you to one bonus per Strata card (per lifetime), and big limited-time offers are rare.

There’s no ThankYou points-earning business card, either … at least not yet. Citi recently surveyed some business customers about a premium card with a $600-plus annual fee, though that could just as easily end up AA-branded – or never launch at all.

If you’re just getting started, Citi probably isn’t your one-size-fits-all currency. But if you’re already in the points game, pairing the Strata Premier with a no-fee Citi Double Cash is a cheap way into some of the best award deals out there.

Bottom line? These points deserve a lot more credit than they get!

Read our full story here.

– Jackson Newman, senior editor

🤝 Deal of the Day: Delta One to Africa & Europe from 98K SkyMiles!

Heat scale (out of 3): 🦄🦄🦄

Why we love it: Unicorn Alert! Move quickly to book these Delta One seats flying to cities in Europe and West Africa this winter starting at just 98,000 SkyMiles each way!

Best availability this December through February, including Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s availability on several routes!

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

🏨 Bilt’s First Hotel Sale: Up to $150 Off

We’re back in your inbox with more Bilt news.

Yesterday, Bilt announced a big shake-up for 2027, including a one-way deadline for cardholders earning Bilt Cash. Today, it rolled out its November Rent Day lineup, and this batch is mostly good news.

Rent Day usually means waiting until the first of the month … but not this time.

For the first time, Bilt is offering up to $150 off a hotel stay booked through the Bilt Travel Portal, and the offer is live now through the end of Rent Day on Sunday, Nov. 1 (technically 3 a.m. ET Monday).

Here’s what the offers look like:

• $150 off a booking of $1,000 or more
• $100 off a booking of $750 or more
• $50 off a booking of $500 or more

A few other details worth knowing:

• No travel date restrictions or blackout dates. Book now for a trip next summer if you want.
• It stacks with Bilt Points and Bilt Cash, but not with the hotel credit on a Bilt card.
• It’s good for one booking. Cancel during the offer window, and you can use it again, but it won’t apply to a stay you’ve already booked.

Like most travel portals, hotel stays booked through Bilt generally won’t earn hotel points or elite perks, so compare against booking direct first. But for a $1,000 stay you were going to book anyway, $150 back is hard to argue with.

Then on Rent Day itself, Bilt is juicing gift card redemptions with a bonus of 25% for Blue members, up to 100% for Platinum members, across more than 125 brands. Gift cards are usually a lousy use of points, but doubling their value just ahead of holiday shopping changes the math.

– Nick Serati, Thrifty Traveler co-founder

📈 Citi Hikes AA Platinum Select Fee, Adds New Perks

Another month, another airline credit card getting more expensive.

American Airlines and Citi announced Tuesday that the annual fee on the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® is climbing from $99 to $150 – a $51 bump, about 50% – on Jan. 24, 2027. Meanwhile, the business version is getting the same fee hike and new benefits, too.

The good news? The annual fee is still waived for the first year, so you can test drive either card without fully committing to the bigger annual fee.

To help soften the blow, the personal card is adding:

• Up to $100 a year in in-flight credits, replacing the old 25% discount on food and drinks
• A free Walmart+ membership (normally $98 a year)
• A Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit worth up to $120 every four years
• Real travel protections, including up to $500 per traveler in trip delay coverage, which even applies to award tickets
• New 2x categories for streaming, rideshares, transit, and EV charging, plus 3x on AAdvantage Hotels and Cars bookings

The new perks are live for new applicants now. Current cardholders get them starting Jan. 24, 2027, and won’t see the $150 fee until their first card anniversary after that date.

The math still works for most casual American flyers. One roundtrip for two with a checked bag each way covers $180 in bag fees – that’s more than the annual fee on its own, before the $100 in-flight credit even enters the picture.

The bigger story is what’s missing: There’s no discount on award tickets. Delta gives its cardholders 15% off with TakeOff 15, and United rolled out its own 10% discount earlier this year. In an industry where every airline copies the others, that’s a surprising omission.

Whether it means AAdvantage award pricing is safe for now … or that a devaluation is coming without any consolation prize for cardholders, I’m not quite sure. Either way, it’s worth watching.

Read our full breakdown of the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select changes

– Jackson Newman, senior editor

🎙️ On the Pod: 12 Biz Class Seats You Can Actually Book

🧠 Having points is one thing, but finding availability to use them is another. That’s why we’re going through the business class flights you can actually book if you follow a few simple rules.

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

🛩️ Alaska’s Bizarre New Route to Japan … on a 737!?

If you’ve ever read this newsletter, you know about my obsession with new airline routes. I’ve seen a lot of them come and go over the years … but this one stunned me.

Alaska Airlines is launching a new nonstop route from Anchorage, Alaska (ANC) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) … on a tiny, single-aisle Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

Enilria was the first to spot the news of the new route now on sale for next summer, taking off May 13 and ending the season Tuesday, Sept. 7.

Fares are now available for purchase on Alaska’s website. The cheapest dates are available for 30,000 Atmos Rewards points each way in Main Cabin or 120,000 each way in first class. If you search for cash fares, you won’t find anything less than $1,000 roundtrip.

If and when the route begins operating, it will be the first nonstop flight from Alaska to Asia since 2011 (when China Airlines operated nonstop service to Taipei).

But what really makes this new route so fascinating is the aircraft – a relatively small 737 MAX 8 plane that you’re far more likely to see flying between Portland (PDX) and Las Vegas (LAS) than on a long-haul flight across the Pacific Ocean.

This won’t be the longest MAX 8 flight in the world (A few GOL, Arajet, and Icelandair flights are slightly longer), but at 3,400 miles each way (and more to avoid Russian airspace), this is a shockingly long flight on a plane with no lie-flat beds and one aisle.

The route is still “Pending Government Approval” on the Alaska website, but fares are bookable. If and when this route operates, though, this is a fascinating move by Alaska.

Trip to Tokyo with an Alaska stopover, anyone … 👀

Read our full story here.

– Gunnar Olson, flight deal analyst, travel reporter, and host of the Thrifty Traveler Podcast

✈️ Other Travel Tidbits

• 📵 Delta has shut down its text message customer service, one of the best ways to skip long phone holds. Now it’s pushing flyers to its AI “Delta Concierge” in the app, which is still in beta and hasn’t been nearly as fast or helpful so far.
• 🛋️ It’s official: Seattle approved a 16,000-square-foot Chase Sapphire Lounge in Concourse A at Seattle-Tacoma (SEA). Don’t hold your breath, though. There’s no timeline yet, and it probably won’t open for at least a year.
• 🛬 In 2028, Delta, Finnair, and Japan Airlines will move from Terminal 3 to Terminal 4 at London-Heathrow (LHR). That puts Delta a terminal away from its joint-venture partner, Virgin Atlantic, which says it will challenge the move. (One Mile at a Time)
• 💳 Southwest’s personal cards now offer up to 90,000 bonus points, and they’re one last shot at the Companion Pass under the old rules. Get approved by Dec. 2, and the bonus still counts toward the pass, even if it posts in 2027.