Hello fellow points and miles enthusiasts, and welcome back to Miles and Points Daily Podcast! I'm Lucas, your host, and I'm here to bring you the latest and greatest in the world of miles, points, and credit card rewards. Think of me as your daily dose of caffeine for your loyalty program addiction - minus the jitters, but with all the excitement of discovering a new sweet spot redemption! Before we dive into today's juicy news, let me tell you about a tool that could save you thousands of points. 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 who never sleeps, constantly watching for better deals on your behalf. Now, let's get into today's miles and points news, and oh boy, do we have some interesting stories for you today! Our first major story comes from the airline pricing world, where Delta is doing some serious damage control. After their president previously bragged to investors about using artificial intelligence to generate incremental revenue by personalizing ticket prices based on individual customer data, Delta has now told Congress they aren't actually doing this at all. When senators asked them directly about their plans to use customer information to determine how much people will pay, Delta essentially said there's nothing to see here. This flip-flop raises some serious questions about transparency in airline pricing. For miles and points enthusiasts, this is important because it affects how we should approach booking strategies. My recommendation? Keep using incognito browsing and clear your cookies when searching for flights, regardless of what Delta claims publicly. Speaking of airlines making questionable decisions, American Airlines is facing a massive exodus of elite flyers after serving eight-dollar wines in international first class. We're talking about billions in revenue walking out the door because premium passengers are fleeing to competitors who actually treat them like premium customers. This is a perfect example of how product differentiation matters, especially in premium cabins where people are paying top dollar or using valuable miles and points. If you're an American Airlines elite member feeling undervalued, this might be the time to explore status matching opportunities with other airlines that better appreciate your business. Now, let's talk about some incredible credit card offers that just dropped. The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card is offering its best-ever welcome bonus of one hundred and eighty-five thousand bonus points. This is Marriott's most premium co-brand card, and at this bonus level, you're looking at enough points for multiple free nights at top-tier properties. You can get this card by clicking the link in our show notes. Similarly, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card has its best-ever offer of one hundred and fifty-five thousand bonus points. While it's not Marriott's most compelling card in terms of ongoing benefits, this elevated welcome bonus makes it worth considering if you're looking to boost your Marriott point balance quickly. Again, you can apply through our show notes link. For those interested in Priority Pass lounge access, now is a great time to evaluate your options. There are currently five standout credit cards offering Priority Pass membership, each with different annual fees and additional benefits. The key is matching the card to your travel patterns and spending habits. If you're a frequent international traveler, the investment in a premium card with Priority Pass access can pay for itself in just a few lounge visits. Let's shift gears to some exciting Bilt news. The Bilt Rent Day promotion for August offers a twenty to one hundred percent transfer bonus to Avianca LifeMiles. This is particularly valuable because LifeMiles often has excellent redemption opportunities, especially for Star Alliance partners. If you've been accumulating Bilt points by paying rent, this could be the perfect time to transfer them for maximum value. The transfer bonus means your points go further, potentially turning that monthly rent payment into a first-class flight to South America. Here's something interesting for New York area travelers: JSX has just unlocked access to Teterboro, which is essentially New York City's forbidden private jet airport. This airport, just twelve miles northwest of Midtown Manhattan, handles about two hundred takeoffs per day and is the busiest purely private operations airport in the US. JSX's semi-private service now gives regular travelers access to this exclusive facility, though you'll need to book quickly as these flights fill up fast. For European travelers, there's important news about border control changes. A new European border control system for non-EU travelers is launching this October. The Entry Exit System will use biometric data to register visits from non-European Union travelers. This could mean longer processing times initially, so plan for extra time at European airports, especially during the first few months of implementation. On a more positive note for European travel, many European airports are finally dumping the one hundred milliliter liquids rule thanks to new security scanners. This is long overdue and will make traveling through European airports much more convenient, especially for those of us who always seem to forget about that tiny bottle of shampoo buried in our carry-on. For those with American Airlines miles burning a hole in their account, there are eight excellent ways to redeem eighty thousand AAdvantage miles. The sweet spots include first-class flights to certain destinations and strategic economy bookings that offer exceptional value. The key is understanding American's award chart and being flexible with your dates and destinations. Finally, Southwest has been expanding benefits across their credit card lineup. The Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority, Premier, and Plus cards each offer different value propositions depending on your Southwest flying frequency. With Southwest's unique approach to no change fees and two free checked bags, these cards can provide excellent ongoing value for regular Southwest flyers. Before we wrap up, I want to remind you about an essential tool for award travel enthusiasts. Looking for the best award flights? Use AwardTravelFinder.com to search availability across Qatar Airways, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific and more. Try it for free with our link in the show notes. That's all for today's Miles and Points Daily Podcast! Thank you so much for listening and being part of our community. If you found today's episode helpful, please subscribe on your favorite podcast platform or visit us at milesandpointsdaily.com. Until tomorrow, keep earning those points and miles, and remember - the best redemption is the one that gets you where you want to go!