The Extra Mile, July 13: Delta Basic Biz Awards, The Best Hawaii Redemption & More

😅 Good News (For Now) About Delta’s Basic Biz Class Fares…

Delta sure did us dirty last week, huh?

The Atlanta-based airline rolled out “basic” business class fares, stripping away free seat assignment, flexibility, and even Delta One Lounge access. And despite what you might have seen from the mainstream media, these aren’t cheaper lie-flat fares: This is Delta’s way of squeezing customers for a few hundred extra bucks for what was once included. Sound familiar?

Much as it hurt, it was no big surprise: Delta had been working toward this for months years. Plus, did you really think Delta was going to let United Airlines have all the fun with basic business class?!

So far, we’re only seeing Delta’s newest basic fares on a handful of long-haul routes, like this one from New York City (JFK) to Rome (FCO). Don’t start celebrating yet – these pesky fares will steadily expand across the globe, just like basic economy did almost a decade ago.

But so far, we haven’t seen them crop up on any SkyMiles award tickets. Here’s what Delta told me late last week (emphasis mine):

“Basic fares in Delta Comfort, Delta First, Delta Premium Select and Basic Business are only available on revenue tickets at this time. Main Basic is the only Basic experience that’s available for Award purchase.”

The words “at this time” are doing bodybuilder levels of heavy lifting there. It’s only a matter of time before these awful basic business class fares expand to SkyMiles redemptions, too.

And that’s troubling for two reasons:

1. It means you’ll have to fork over more miles to book the same experience – same seat with free selection, same flexibility to cancel and get all your miles back for free, same Delta One Lounge visit before hopping on a flight abroad – as you do today. It’ll be another SkyMiles hike, plain and simple.
2. I’d bet every SkyMile in my account that when Delta decides to slash SkyMiles rates on business class redemptions (and Thrifty Traveler Premium members know there’s been a ton of those lately…), those will book into these terrible basic fares.

Which all begs the question: When? When does basic business class spread to SkyMiles?

We don’t know for sure, and the airline sure isn’t saying. It took a few years for Delta to give SkyMiles the basic treatment back in economy after it started selling those fares to passengers paying cash …

… but I wouldn’t expect that long of a grace period this time around. Honestly, I’d be shocked if we made it to the end of the year without basic business class redemptions.

All of which is to say: Book those Delta One deals now, folks. Before long, your SkyMiles won’t go nearly as far.

– Kyle Potter, executive editor

🤝 Deal of the Day: 100K Bonus Offer Still Out There … For Now

Heat scale (out of 3): 🔥🔥

Why we love it: The *chase sapphire preferred*‘s 100,000-point bonus offer after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months is the best credit card sign-up bonus offer we’ve ever seen, period.

This $95 annual fee credit card gives you a shot at 100,000 of some of the most valuable points out there if you hit the minimum spend requirement.

– Gunnar Olson, Thrifty Traveler Premium deal analyst

📲 From the Thrifty Traveler Company Slack

We can’t say for certain that there’s a monkey named Wilson running the show at Avianca LifeMiles, but our Thrifty Traveler Premium team is a big fan of the lower business class award prices that started popping up last week!

Don’t get too comfortable with these cheaper rates, tough: The only constant with LifeMiles is change.

– Jackson Newman, senior editor

🌺 The New Best Way to Book Hawaiian First Class: From 26K Points!

Alaska and Hawaiian 787 First Class is the best way to fly to Hawaii, period. These lie-flat suites are super comfortable, and the Hawaiian service and vibe are unique and fun.

For years now, booking these with 40,000 Alaska Atmos points has made it even more attractive. But it just got better.

You can now book these suites for just 26,000 Finnair Avios each way! 🇫🇮

Finnair Avios are easy to earn – transferable directly from Capital One and Rove Miles, and indirectly from British Airways and all of its many transfer partners (Amex, Bilt, Chase, and more).

But there’s a catch: You have to call or chat with a Finnair agent to book. 📞

Luckily, Finnair’s customer support is excellent, and this isn’t hard to do. And at a rate of just 26,000 miles each way, it’s well worth the effort!

To help you get this booked, I put together a checklist. Happy booking!

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

🎙️ 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!

🥳 Hey, Fargo: Join us July 29 for the Thrifty Traveler Podcast LIVE!

We’re officially taking this show on the road – and returning to our roots!

That’s right: The Thrifty Traveler Podcast is going live again in Fargo, North Dakota! Join us on Wednesday, July 29 for an hour of our usual blend of travel insights, tips, and unhinged takes.

Buy your tickets now!

Fargo is near and dear to our hearts – that’s why it’s one of the airport maps in our podcast studio. Our founder, co-founder, and COO are all native Fargoans. I myself worked (and met my wife!) there for a year and change out of college.

Our live recording of the pod is part of the run-up to TEDxFargo, an amazing annual event that our CEO, Jared, spoke at a few years back. Getting involved with this amazing community again was an absolute no-brainer.

See you in downtown Fargo in a few weeks, folks!

– Kyle Potter, executive editor & podcast co-host

✈️ Other Travel Tidbits

• 💳 There’s a new bonus offer out on *world of hyatt card*, allowing new applicants to earn up to 75,000 bonus points through a new two-tiered welcome offer.
• 🛒 Today Only: Rakuten is offering 10% cash back (or 10x Amex or Bilt points) at a number of stores for what they’re calling Black Friday in July. (Rakuten)
• 💳 Time’s almost up on Amex’s supercharged Delta SkyMiles bonuses: up to 125,000 miles across the Gold, Platinum, and Reserve cards. These boosted offers disappear on Wednesday, July 15.
• ⚽ British Airways and Norwegian Air turned Saturday’s World Cup game into a bet: the loser had to swap its social media logo for the winner’s for 24 hours. England beat Norway, so Norwegian’s Instagram is now sporting BA’s logo — and Norwegian’s throwing in a flash sale on “Norwenglish” destinations. (One Mile at a Time)