Amex took the single-night hotel credit away on the Platinum Card, and then handed back a consolation prize: 5x points on almost any Airbnb, plus a new $250 Experiences credit. And if Wall Street gets its way, the next fight will be over the “rewards maxers” that Amex is now openly promising to police. Citi, meanwhile, adds a new transfer partner, plus a $200 inKind dining credit on its top AA card.
- 🛏️ Amex’s Silver Linings Playbook for Airbnb Stays
- 🤝 Deal of the Day: Nonstop to Cancún from $375 Roundtrip!
- 🎮 Wall Street is Worried About Gamers … & Amex is Listening
- ↔️ Citi Adds Copa ConnectMiles as New 1:1 Transfer Partner
- 🎙️ On the Pod: 12 Biz Class Seats You Can Actually Book
- 🍽️ Citi’s Top AA Card Adds a $200 Dining Perk
- ✈️ Other Travel Tidbits
🛏️ Amex’s Silver Linings Playbook for Airbnb Stays
I’ll be honest with you: I’m still smarting from Amex’s painful changes to the Platinum Card last week. The days of booking single-night stays with the card’s twice-a-year, $300 hotel credits – a true differentiator and the best way to maximize those credits – are ending soon.
Pour one out.
But there’s a genuine silver lining in this otherwise ugly change – three of them, actually.
- The Platinum Card’s rebranded “Lodging Credit” of up to $600 per year now works on Airbnb Luxe listings – again, requiring at least a two-night stay.
- Booking one of those Luxe properties via Amex Travel unlocks a new $250 credit for Airbnb Experiences to use through the rest of the calendar year – and that’s not a one-and-done but something you can do each and every year!
- And the biggest one of all, in my humble opinion: Platinum cardholders can now earn 5x points per dollar when booking Airbnbs via Amex Travel – on virtually any Airbnb, not just Luxe properties!
Those three changes instantly make the Platinum Card a favorite for booking Airbnbs.
Is that enough to offset the pain of the negative changes to the card’s hotel credits? That depends entirely on how you feel about Airbnb…
Read our full story on these changes!
– Kyle Potter, executive editor
🤝 Deal of the Day: Nonstop to Cancún from $375 Roundtrip!
Heat scale (out of 3): 🔥🔥
Why we love it: Book your winter escape to Cancún (CUN) using this price drop!
Flying from 15 different U.S. cities nonstop to CUN with the best availability this December through February – the perfect time to get away and beat the cold this winter!
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
🎮 Wall Street is Worried About Gamers … & Amex is Listening
American Express hosted its third-quarter earnings call last week, and as usual, it was full of back-patting and “in the weeds” financial reporting. But one topic came up twice in the Q&A … and it’s something points and miles aficionados should pay attention to.
Wall Street is worried about points maximizers.
The very first analyst question asked how Amex would respond if customers start using AI to gamify rewards. Later, an analyst from UBS used the phrase “rewards maxing” directly when asking whether AI agents will make it easier for cardholders to squeeze every last dollar out of their benefits, and what that might cost Amex.
CEO Steve Squeri’s answer was telling. He acknowledged there’s already plenty of gaming happening today, even conceding that AI might let people game a little more. But he said AI will also help Amex understand what cardholders are doing and adjust its cards accordingly. He pointed to the $75,000 spending threshold on the *amex platinum* to bring guests with you into Amex Centurion Lounges as an example, then added that “you’ll see other controls that are put into the system.”
To be clear, that $75,000 requirement isn’t new. Platinum cardholders have needed to spend $75,000 in a calendar year to bring guests into Centurion Lounges for free for the past few years. The same threshold also unlocks unlimited Delta Sky Club visits for Platinum and Delta Reserve cardholders, who otherwise face annual visit caps. Squeri cited it more as a model than any sort of new announcement.
But we don’t need to think too hard about where this is headed next. After rumors swirled about changes to the Platinum Card’s semi-annual up to $300 hotel credit, Amex confirmed last week that Fine Hotels + Resorts bookings will soon require a two-night minimum stay – a stipulation previously reserved for cheaper The Hotel Collection properties.
When Amex sees a benefit being heavily used, its preferred fix is to make cardholders jump through a hoop to use it … rather than cut it entirely. Now it’s telling investors it’ll have better tools to spot those loopholes.
In addition to using AI to squeeze out “gamers,” Squeri also said Amex is using it (and its own data) to better identify the right customers and match them with relevant products and offers. If you’ve been frustrated by Amex’s “as high as” welcome offers, that last piece probably isn’t what you want to hear.
The bank is already tailoring offers to individual applicants, and getting better at it likely means fewer big bonuses landing in the hands of points enthusiasts – the very people Wall Street is now asking about.
None of this changes anything about your Amex cards today: No new restrictions were announced. But if you’ve been treating a perk as a sure thing, this is a good reminder that Amex is watching how it gets used … and raising the bar accordingly.
– Jackson Newman, senior editor
↔️ Citi Adds Copa ConnectMiles as New 1:1 Transfer Partner
Fresh off adding Japan Airlines Mileage Bank as a 1:1 transfer partner last month, Citi is at it again.
This time, the bank behind popular cards like the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card and the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card tapped Latin American carrier Copa Airlines and its ConnectMiles loyalty program. That means every 1,000 Citi points you send over becomes 1,000 ConnectMiles.
For the uninitiated, Copa isn’t just a nice regional carrier with a hub in Panama City (PTY) – it’s a Star Alliance member that unlocks award space across United, Lufthansa, SWISS, ANA, Turkish, and more. And ConnectMiles has a few quirks that make it worth taking advantage of:
- No fuel surcharges on partner awards, including Emirates. A business class award from the U.S. to Dubai runs 80,000 ConnectMiles.
- Enhanced access to United award space – way more than you’ll find with other partners like Air Canada or Avianca. Think San Francisco (SFO) to Newark (EWR) in United Polaris business for 55,000 ConnectMiles. Meanwhile, United itself wants 108,000 miles for the same seat.
- Intra-Latin America pricing is pretty sweet. Lie-flat business class within South America starts at 40,000 ConnectMiles – compared to 90,000 United miles for the same Panama City to Santiago (SCL) route on Copa.
- Business class to Europe from 90,000 ConnectMiles on Lufthansa or Austrian, with no surcharges tacked on.
A word of warning: ConnectMiles award search can be clunky, and Copa’s site takes some getting used to. But considering Rove miles (1:1 transfer ratio) and Marriott Bonvoy (at a sub-par 3:1 ratio) are the only other transfer options, Citi’s addition of Copa Airlines could make it worth the hassle.
If you’re sitting on a stash of Citi ThankYou points, this new partnership is worth a good, hard look.
You’ll find the best sweet spots on Star Alliance long-haul business class and transcontinental United Polaris routes, where Copa’s surcharge-free pricing and expanded United availability often beat booking direct.
– 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.
🍽️ Citi’s Top AA Card Adds a $200 Dining Perk
Another premium card, another dining credit.
As of yesterday (Oct. 25), the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Legend Mastercard® now comes with up to $200 a year in dining credits through inKind.
If you’re not familiar, inKind is an app for paying your restaurant bill at more than 10,000 participating restaurants, bars, and cafes nationwide.
To use the credit, download the app and add your card as a payment method. The credit then appears in your account and is applied to the bill at checkout. That works the same way whether you’re new to inKind or already use it.
The $200 isn’t chopped into monthly slivers. You get $100 for January through June and another $100 for July through December, and you can split each half across as many meals as you want. That’s one nice dinner every six months, not one more monthly reminder to spend $10 somewhere before the clock runs out.
Because the credit is live now, current cardholders already have $100 to use before Dec. 31.
As always, there are some catches:
- You have to pay through the inKind app at a participating spot, and the credit won’t cover tips, fees, or service charges.
- The $200 is shared across the account, so adding authorized users doesn’t double it. One credit per account.
- You also can’t stack it with inKind’s own cash-back rewards on the same bill.
Does this justify a $695 annual fee? Not on its own. Admirals Club access is still the reason to carry this card, but Citi says the credit is permanent and hopes to bring inKind to more of its cards.
– Nick Serati, Thrifty Traveler co-founder
✈️ Other Travel Tidbits
- 🇦🇪 Emirates is eyeing new flights to Denver (DEN), Detroit (DTW), and Philadelphia (PHL), according to its president, Tim Clark, who says the list “goes on and on.” (The Points Guy)
- 🇯🇵 Heads up if you’re shopping in Japan: Starting Nov. 1, stores can’t take the tax off at the register anymore. You’ll pay full price and get the refund after a customs check at the airport when you leave. (Global Blue)
- 🇭🇰 Citi has a 10% transfer bonus to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles through Nov. 14. It’s Citi’s first Cathay bonus since 2024. (Doctor of Credit)
- 🛜 Aer Lingus now has free Starlink Wi-Fi on its entire long-haul fleet, months ahead of its early-2027 target, and you don’t need to join its loyalty program to use it. (One Mile at a Time)
