✈️ Chase Offers 100K Points, Emirates Influencer Drama & United's $500 Seat Swap

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of Miles & Points Daily Podcast. I'm your host, Lucas, and I've got a packed show for you today with the latest from the miles and points world. Let's dive right in!

We've got some exciting credit card news today! Chase has relaunched one of the best credit card deals we've seen in years. The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is now offering an incredible one hundred thousand point welcome bonus after spending five thousand dollars in the first three months. According to View from the Wing, we haven't seen an offer like this in nearly four years. This is a significant increase from the previous sixty thousand point offer.

You can redeem these points at one point two five cents apiece towards travel through Chase's portal, or transfer them to airline and hotel partners. And for some lucky cardholders, there's even better news - Chase is offering a targeted promotion allowing Sapphire Reserve cardholders to redeem points at two point two five cents each for premium cabin flights through Chase Travel. This promotion runs from March thirty-first through June fifteenth for travel completed by December thirty-first of this year. Sapphire Preferred cardholders can get similar value at one point seven five cents per point.

Speaking of Chase, if you're wondering whether the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is worth its ninety-five dollar annual fee, The Points Guy says absolutely yes. The card offers excellent travel protections, no foreign transaction fees, and flexible redemption options. The current one hundred thousand point bonus is valued at over two thousand dollars according to TPG's monthly valuations, making this an incredible time to apply.

In airline news, a TikTok influencer has found herself in hot water after faking an Emirates first class experience. According to View from the Wing, the influencer posted content pretending to be flying in Emirates first class, but was called out by an Emirates flight attendant who recognized that the footage wasn't authentic. Interestingly, now the flight attendant who exposed the fake content is reportedly in trouble with Emirates. One Mile at a Time notes that this all started when a Thai influencer flew Emirates' Airbus A380 first class on the carrier's most economical route, which apparently prompted criticism from the flight attendant.

On the topic of airline executives, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has raised eyebrows by praising Trump's tariff efforts, despite these same tariffs negatively impacting markets and hurting United's long-haul business. View from the Wing draws a parallel to Captain Renault's famous line from Casablanca: "I have no conviction, if that's what you mean. I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to be from Vichy."

In hotel news, IHG has admitted to making a mistake with its acquisition of Kimpton Hotels a decade ago. View from the Wing reports that IHG outbid Hyatt for Kimpton, but then struggled to properly integrate the brand. Many Kimpton loyalists have complained that IHG didn't understand what made Kimpton special and subsequently damaged the brand's unique character.

For Delta flyers, there's good news on the Wi-Fi front. One Mile at a Time reports that Delta has been investing in improving its inflight Wi-Fi with the goal of eventually offering free Wi-Fi throughout its entire fleet. While most of Delta's domestic fleet now offers free Wi-Fi in partnership with T-Mobile, the airline is continuing to work on expanding this service to its international fleet.

Air France is rolling out a brand new first class suite called "La Premiere," which One Mile at a Time describes as taking the current experience to the next level. If you're interested in experiencing this world-class product, you'll want to check which routes it's available on.

LOT Polish Airlines has reopened its renovated lounge at Warsaw Chopin Airport. One Mile at a Time reports that the expanded space is a huge improvement over the old lounge.

And here's an interesting story about seat swapping. View from the Wing reports that a United Airlines passenger received five hundred dollars to switch seats with another passenger. The flight from Newark to Phoenix was oversold, and a gate agent offered the compensation for moving back just three rows! This is a good reminder that sometimes it pays to be flexible with your seating arrangements.

If you're planning to visit Dubai soon, One Mile at a Time notes that your Emirates boarding pass can save you money throughout your trip thanks to "My Emirates Pass." This promotion offers discounts at various attractions, restaurants, and retail outlets in Dubai.

And for those interested in maximizing award travel, Frequent Miler highlights two useful tools: Seats.aero and Roame. Seats.aero helps you find close-in awards on long-haul flights and has recently added support for Qatar Airways and SAS. Meanwhile, Roame has expanded its functionality to search Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, making it even more valuable for award travelers.

Finally, if you're a Hilton Honors member, there's a targeted Amex Offer that can get you two hundred dollars back when you spend one thousand dollars or more at select Hilton resorts and destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean by June thirtieth. Don't forget that enrollment is required if you see this offer on your eligible American Express card.

Before we wrap up today's show, I'd like to tell you about our sponsor. Looking for the best award flights? Use AwardTravelFinder.com to search availability across Qatar Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and more. Try it for free with our link in the shownotes.

That's all for today's episode of Miles & Points Daily Podcast. Thank you so much for listening! If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe on all major podcast platforms or visit us at milesandpointsdaily.com. Until tomorrow, happy travels and smart spending!