The Extra Mile, July 14: Explaining United’s Strange New Seats & More

🏨 5 Ways to Turn Chase Points Into Free Hotel Nights

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few weeks, you’ve probably heard that the *chase sapphire preferred* is out with a big, limited-time offer of 100,000 bonus points after spending $5,000 in 3 months.

That’s tied for the biggest offer we’ve ever seen on this card, making now the absolute best time to apply if this card’s been on your radar. While that 100,000-point bonus is worth a bare minimum of $1,000, you can often do even better by transferring Chase points to one of the bank’s airline partners.

But what if hotels are more your jam?

Chase has you covered there, too: Ultimate Rewards are some of the most flexible points out there for booking a free night stay, whether you transfer them to a hotel partner or cash out through Chase Travel℠.

Here’s how to put them to work:

1. World of Hyatt – Still our top pick despite recent devaluations. Award nights start at just 3,000 points, and mid-tier properties like the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis can run 12,000 points or less, getting you nearly 2 cents per point in value, even with the Sapphire Preferred’s new 4:3 transfer ratio.
2. Marriott Bonvoy – A 1:1 transfer partner with dynamic pricing that’s hit-or-miss. A simple Courtyard by Marriott might cost 26,000 points for what would otherwise be a $300 night stay. You can find similar value at higher end properties, but it’s far from guaranteed.
3. IHG One Rewards – Another 1:1 transfer best used when you’re just short a few thousand points or chasing a transfer bonus, thanks to unpredictable dynamic pricing.
4. Wyndham Rewards – The budget option (think Days Inn, La Quinta), with award nights at 7,500, 15,000, or 30,000 points – though the chart shifts to four tiers (with some higher prices) on Sept. 15.
5. Chase Travel℠ – Book almost any hotel at a flat 1 cent per point, or more with Points Boost – Sapphire Preferred holders can hit 1.5 cents per point on featured properties.

While those are the most straightforward ways to use Chase points to book hotels, we recently highlighted a crafty workaround to turn 1 Chase point into 2 Hilton points – the same transfer ratio as Hilton’s close partner, Amex.

That opportunity will only be around for a couple more days (for now), so be sure to check that out if you’ve got a stash of Chase points and your eyes on a Hilton hotel!

Bottom line? There’s no single best way to use Chase points for hotels – it depends on the property and the deal in front of you. But with a big sign-up bonus on the table, now’s a good time to start stockpiling.

Check out our full breakdown for more ideas of what’s possible with Chase points!

– Jackson Newman, senior editor

🤝 Deal of the Day: Faroe Islands from $415 Roundtrip

Heat scale (out of 3): 🔥🔥

Why we love it: The stunning Faroe Islands might just need to be your next trip with fares like these!

Flying Icelandair this fall, starting at just $415 roundtrip from several cities – including Iceland stopovers from all cities, too!

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

🧐 United’s Wonky New “Euro-Business” Seats

Ask almost anyone about flying business class within Europe, and they’ll scoff. “Euro-business” is the butt of many jokes: Seats identical to the rest of economy, just with a blocked middle seat between them.

United just unveiled its own rendition, proudly calling it “another economy class innovation.”

On the airline’s new Airbus A321XLR planes that will begin flying across the country and even over to Europe later this year, United will offer two rows of its extra legroom Economy Plus seats with a blocked middle seat featuring a fixed tray table between. So instead of six seats in that single row, there’ll be just four.

The seats will go on sale and begin flying sometime later this year. Cue the airline buzzwords and marketing victory lap, with United saying they’re “investing nose-to-tail across our fleet and giving customers choice and value in every cabin.”

Here’s what United’s not saying out loud: They’re doing it to save money on flight attendant staffing.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires airlines to have one flight attendant onboard for every 50 passenger seats, plus another when business class features a door – as United will on these narrowbody jets. With 150 seats total, that means you need four crew members. Add just one more seat, and you need a fifth.

Guess how many seats United’s A321XLR’s will have by pulling out two seats for these “extra elbow room” seats? You got it: 150, on the nose.

It’s a staffing play, plain and simple. If “necessity is the mother of invention,” as the old proverb goes, what is penny-pinching the mother of? Airline stock performance? Happy investors?

Anyway, you almost have to hand it to the Chicago-based airline for this master stroke of marketing, turning a bald-faced financial calculation into a supposed win for passengers.

One exception? United explicitly says it will staff five flight attendants on transatlantic flights over to Europe.

– Kyle Potter, executive editor

⏰ Two Transfer Bonuses Are About to Disappear

Got Chase or Amex points sitting around? Tonight’s your last call for two transfer bonuses.

Both of these expire tonight, Tuesday, July 14, at 11:59 p.m. ET … so if you’ve been sitting on points with no plan, now might be the time to make one.

🔄 Chase to Virgin Atlantic: 30% Bonus

Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Virgin Atlantic and get a 30% points bonus.

Send 50,000 Chase points, and you’ll land 65,000 Virgin Atlantic points – which you can use to book Virgin’s own flights, or even Delta and ANA flights at a fraction of the miles they’d normally cost. A lie-flat business seat to London can go for as low as 23,000 Chase points each way with this bonus applied.

Read more on the Virgin Atlantic transfer bonus

🏨 Amex to Hilton: 20% Bonus

Amex Membership Rewards points are getting a smaller but still solid bump to Hilton Honors – 20% more when you transfer.

Since Amex normally sends points to Hilton at a 1:2 ratio, every 1,000 Amex points becomes 2,400 Hilton points with the bonus. That’s enough to make a real dent in aspirational stays – think the Conrad Bora Bora Nui for as few as 84,000 Amex points a night.

Read more on the Amex to Hilton transfer bonus

The catch with both? Transfers are a one-way street. Meaning once you transfer points, you can’t get them back in your Amex or Chase account.

Don’t send points anywhere without a redemption already in mind.

– Nick Serati, Thrifty Traveler co-founder

🎙️ On the Pod: Top 10 Deals of 2026 (So Far)

✈️ We’re halfway through 2026, so we check in on Gunnar’s list of the top 10 flight deals (and top 3 hotel deals) of the year so far … and give Kyle ample opportunity to roast Gunnar’s list. That, plus more Taco Bell Cantina DEN talk!

Tune in now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

💂 London Luxury Showdown: New Hotels Go Head-to-Head-to-Head

Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt have all recently opened (or will soon open) brand new luxury hotels in London. And our hotel guru Katie Rollins got me thinking … Which one are we most excited about?

Katie and our Thrifty Traveler Premium+ hotel deal analysts have found solid availability to use your points to book each of these hotels. (And Katie even stayed at one of them!)

So let’s go through our London luxury options and see what we like, and we’ll start with the one that’s already open …

🏊‍♀️ The Park Hyatt London River Thames (Open Now!)

Bookable: From 35k (off-peak) to 75k (peak) World of Hyatt points/night. (Transfer from Bilt or Chase)

Location: Not in central London, but only about 20 mins away from major London attractions by tube.

The Highlights: The hotel boasts typical Park Hyatt details like amazing service and a classy indoor pool. Plus, the views overlooking the Thames from the (surprisingly big) rooms were amazing. (Read Katie’s review)

💂 Waldorf Astoria London – Admirality Arch (Opens This Fall)

Bookable: From 160k to 170k Hilton points/night (Transfer from Amex 1:2) with best availability next winter and spring.

Location: The gateway between Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace – an iconic landmark in the heart of the city. Walking distance to Big Ben, St. James’s Park, and Westminster Abbey. Maybe the best location in London.

The Highlights: Besides the ideal sight-seeing location, this spot promises two different Michelin-starred chefs, a spa, and excellent views of the grounds.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 The St. Regis London (Re-Opens as the St. Regis This Fall)

Bookable: From 134k Marriott points/night (Transfer from Amex, Chase, and Bilt) Best availability next winter and spring.

Location: Formerly the location of the Westbury Mayfair, this hotel is on Bond Street – just a 15-minute walk from Hyde Park and Buckingham Palace.

The Highlights: All guests have access to the St. Regis’s famous butler service, which is a huge perk. The hotel’s spa, bar, and French brasserie also look beautiful.

🤔 Bottom Line

Whether you have Hyatt, Hilton, or Marriott points (or transferable points to send there), you’ve got three awesome, brand new, luxurious London hotels to choose from for a trip this year or next.

✅ My choice: The location alone makes the Waldorf Astoria London – Admirality Arch the most appealing option in my book. Plus, they’re going to treat you right at a Waldorf. That’s a sweet use of Hilton points or a free night certificate for your next trip to London!

– Gunnar Olson, travel reporter & host of the Thrifty Traveler Podcast

✈️ Other Travel Tidbits

• 🇯🇵 Japan Airlines (JAL) is bringing its best business class to more planes. The airline will roll out the same doored business class suites currently on its A350-1000s to 11 existing Boeing 787-9s, plus new Dreamliners and A350-900s arriving between 2027 and 2031. (Executive Traveller)
• 📉 Airline fares dropped 1.8% from May to June, but they’re still up 26.5% compared to a year ago. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• ☀️ We’ve known this for months, but Sun Country’s name will not survive its merger with Allegiant. The combined airline will operate under the Allegiant brand exclusively once it secures a single FAA certificate – a process that could take 18 to 24 months. (Airline Geeks)
• 💳 Check out our full list of the 10 best credit card offers for July – including a few that end tomorrow!