Hello and welcome to the Miles and Points Daily Podcast! I'm Lucas, your host, and I'm here to bring you the latest and greatest from the world of miles, points, and travel rewards. Now, before we dive into today's news, I've got to say - some of the stories we're covering today are wild. From pilots failing breathalyzers to passengers fighting over seats, the travel world never ceases to amaze me. But don't worry, we've got some fantastic points and miles updates too that'll make your travel planning much more exciting. Let's get started! But first, let me tell you about today's sponsor. Introducing hotelredemptions.com, a tool that monitors your hotel bookings and alerts you when you can rebook for less points. It's like having a personal assistant watching your reservations twenty-four seven, making sure you're always getting the best deal possible. Check out the link in our show notes to learn more. Now, let's jump into today's miles and points news. First up, we have an interesting development from American Airlines regarding their AAdvantage program. The airline has now expanded their onboard miles redemption program to regional jets. This means you can now redeem your AAdvantage miles for drinks and snacks not just on mainline flights, but also on those smaller regional aircraft. This is particularly useful for casual mile collectors who might not accumulate enough points for big redemptions but want to get some value from their miles. My tip here is simple - if you're flying American and have some AAdvantage miles sitting around that you're not sure what to do with, this could be a great way to treat yourself to a premium beverage or snack without spending cash. It's not the most efficient use of miles, but sometimes convenience wins out. Next, let's talk about a fantastic hotel opening that points enthusiasts should definitely have on their radar. Marriott's Lake Como Edition is now accepting reservations and is set to open in September two thousand and twenty-five. This one hundred and forty-five room property is being described as a great deal with Marriott Bonvoy points. Lake Como is one of those bucket list destinations that typically comes with a hefty price tag, so having a points option there is fantastic news. The Edition brand is known for luxury and style, so this should be a premium redemption opportunity. My recommendation? If Lake Como is on your travel wishlist, start accumulating Marriott points now. The Edition properties tend to be popular and book up quickly, especially in such a coveted destination. Consider getting a Marriott co-brand credit card to boost your earning potential. Now, for those of you looking at credit card strategies, we have some great analysis on the best no annual fee business cards from Chase. The comparison between the Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited cards is particularly relevant right now. The Ink Cash offers five times points on office supplies and internet, cable, and phone services on up to twenty-five thousand dollars in purchases per year, while the Ink Unlimited gives a flat one and a half times points on all purchases. For businesses with specific spending patterns, the Ink Cash can be incredibly valuable, especially if you're buying office supplies or paying for business services. However, the Ink Unlimited's simplicity makes it great for businesses that want to earn points without worrying about categories. Both cards can be valuable additions to your wallet, and since they're no annual fee, there's little downside to having both. Speaking of credit cards, let's discuss an interesting feature of the Hilton Aspire card - the two hundred dollar flight credit. This American Express card offers this annual benefit, and understanding how it works can help you maximize its value. The credit applies to incidental fees with your selected airline, which can include things like seat upgrades, baggage fees, and in-flight purchases. The key is to register your preferred airline at the beginning of each calendar year and then use that airline for your incidental purchases. Pro tip: some people have success using this credit for gift card purchases, though American Express terms technically exclude this, so your mileage may vary. For those interested in the Hilton Aspire card, you can find the link in our show notes to apply and get the current sign-up bonus. Now, here's something really exciting for first-class travelers. There's currently a fantastic deal available for first-class flights to London this summer, starting at just sixty-eight thousand miles on British Airways. This is an exceptional value for transatlantic first-class travel, which typically costs much more. The key to finding these deals is flexibility with your dates and booking as soon as you see availability. British Airways first class is a premium product, and getting it for under seventy thousand miles is remarkable. If you're planning a London trip, this could be the perfect opportunity to experience luxury travel at a fraction of the usual cost. For our business travelers, there's excellent news from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. Passengers connecting from London can now bypass bag claim and security recheck through a new program. This is huge for time savings and convenience, especially for those long international to domestic connections. Previously, all international passengers had to collect their bags and go through security again, which could add hours to your journey. This new streamlined process should make DFW a more attractive connection point for travelers coming from London. Let's also touch on an interesting development in the points world - how to convert Capital One cash back into miles. If you have both miles-earning and cash-back Capital One cards, you can actually combine these rewards to potentially increase their value. The process involves transferring your cash back rewards to your miles balance, which can then be transferred to Capital One's airline partners for potentially higher value redemptions. This is particularly useful if you have cards like the Capital One Venture X, which earns miles, and something like the Savor card, which earns cash back. The key is understanding when miles will give you better value than straight cash back. Finally, for hotel enthusiasts, we should discuss the best Category One Hyatt properties. These hotels cost as little as three thousand five hundred World of Hyatt points per night, making them incredible value redemptions. Some standout options include properties in smaller cities and some international locations where your points can stretch much further. The strategy here is to use your Category One redemptions for longer stays or in destinations where hotel costs are typically high relative to the points required. This can dramatically increase the value you get from your Hyatt points. Before we wrap up, let me tell you about today's final sponsor. Looking for the best award flights? Use AwardTravelFinder.com to search availability across Qatar Airways, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific and more. It takes the hassle out of searching multiple airline websites and gives you a comprehensive view of your options. Try it for free with our link in the show notes. That's a wrap for today's Miles and Points Daily Podcast! Thank you so much for listening and being part of our community. If you enjoyed today's episode, please subscribe to the podcast on your favorite platform - whether that's Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also visit our website at milesandpointsdaily.com for even more miles and points content, deals, and tips. Until next time, keep earning those points and miles, and happy travels!