Breaking Points: Credit Card News

American Airlines is running an award sale with flights to Europe starting at 21,000 miles each way. Domestic U.S. flights and routes to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America start at 9,000 miles each way. Book by July 7, 2026 for travel from August 1 through September 30, 2026. The sale is only valid on flights marketed and operated by American Airlines or American Eagle.

July 21, 2026 Update: Qatar added an exception to the new rules, allowing Privilge Club Platinum and Gold members to redeem for others without creating a "My List." The restrictions below remain in place for everyone else as of now.

Qatar Airways has introduced new restrictions on booking award flights for other travelers. Privilege Club members may now only redeem miles for people on their designated "My List," which can include up to four additional Privilege Club members. To create a My List, you must have been a Privilege Club member for at least 30 days and have earned Avios by either flying Qatar Airways or spending on a co-branded credit card. Transferring points from a transferable rewards program does not satisfy that requirement. That means many users who only transfer points into Qatar may now be limited to booking award flights for themselves. Fortunately, Avios can still be transferred between participating Avios programs, providing a potential workaround for those affected by the new rules.

Bilt has added Preferred Hotels & Resorts' iPrefer program as a new transfer partner. Points transfer at a 1:2 ratio, matching Capital One and Citi, the only other transferable currencies that partner with iPrefer. More hotel transfer partners are generally a positive development, giving Bilt members additional redemption options. The timing is also interesting, as Bilt has frequently featured newly added partners in future Rent Day transfer bonuses. We wouldn't be surprised to see iPrefer receive that treatment, especially after Citi recently devalued its iPrefer transfer ratio from 1:4 to 1:2.

Capital One is targeting some cardholders with travel-related offers through its travel portal. The best offers we've seen include 20x points (up to 50,000 points) on your first hotel, vacation rental, car rental, or activity booking through July 28, 2026; $200 off Lifestyle Collection vacation rentals through June 30, 2026 with no minimum spend requirement; and 20% off up to $200 on Premier and Lifestyle Collection vacation rentals through June 30, 2026. We wouldn't book a trip solely to take advantage of these offers, but if you already have travel plans and have been targeted, there could be some meaningful savings available.

Some business owners choose to pay taxes with a credit card when working toward a welcome bonus, even after accounting for the processing fee. Venture Business cardholders receive a $50 annual software credit, and some users have reported that fees paid through PayPal using ACI Payments were reimbursed by Capital One under that benefit. The fee is charged separately from the tax payment itself, which may explain why it triggered the credit. We have no idea whether this was intentional, and opportunities like this often get shut down once discovered, but it may be worth a try if you already planned to pay taxes with the card and incur a fee.