Welcome to Miles and Points Daily Podcast! I'm Lucas, your host, and if you're here listening to me ramble about credit card bonuses and airline miles, you've officially found your people. Today we're diving into some seriously exciting news in the miles and points world, including a massive new Amex offer that'll make your wallet cry tears of joy. Let's jump right in!

First up, we have some fantastic news from American Express. The Business Platinum Card from American Express is unleashing a limited-time offer that's absolutely incredible. We're talking one hundred and fifty thousand Membership Rewards points plus a five hundred dollar flight credit. This offer runs through June thirtieth, two thousand and twenty-five, so you've got some time but don't sleep on it. The Business Platinum is already one of the most benefit-packed cards out there, and this elevated welcome bonus makes it even more attractive. If you're a business owner or have a side hustle, this could be a game-changer for your points earning strategy. You can get this card by clicking the link in our show notes.

Staying with Amex, there's also solid news about the American Express Business Gold Card. They're offering one hundred thousand bonus points as a welcome offer, which continues to be one of the best publicly available deals we've seen from this card. The Business Gold is fantastic for earning Membership Rewards points, especially if you have business spending in their bonus categories. Again, if you're eligible, you can apply using our link in the show notes.

Now let's talk about buying points, which can be a smart strategy when done right. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is running a promotion where you can buy points with a seventy percent bonus. This brings the cost down to between one point two one and one point four eight cents per point, which is actually quite reasonable for Virgin Atlantic miles. These miles can be incredibly valuable for booking premium cabin awards on Virgin Atlantic and their partners, especially for those aspirational trips to London or other destinations. Virgin Atlantic doesn't sell points often, so when they do, it's worth considering if you have specific redemptions in mind.

Speaking of Virgin Atlantic's competitors, there's some concerning news for those who like to book JetBlue Mint awards using partner miles. It appears that booking JetBlue's excellent Mint business class product with partner miles, particularly through Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Etihad Guest, has become much more difficult recently. This is unfortunate because these partner redemptions often offered better value than booking directly through JetBlue's TrueBlue program. If you've been eyeing a Mint redemption, you might want to act quickly or prepare to use TrueBlue points instead.

In other airline news, Southwest Airlines is likely gearing up to announce their first flights to Europe, with Iceland being the expected gateway. This would be a significant expansion for Southwest and could shake up the transatlantic market. While we don't have details on timing or how this might affect their Rapid Rewards program, it's definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Moving to hotel news, Marriott is deploying an artificial intelligence tool to help with room assignments and elite upgrades. Now, before you panic about robots taking over, this could actually be good news for elite members. An AI system might be more consistent in applying upgrade policies and could potentially reduce the variability we often see in how different front desk agents handle elite benefits. Of course, we'll have to wait and see how this plays out in practice.

Finally, I want to address a concerning story about tipping at New York JFK Airport restaurants. It appears that some concession operators are using suggested tips not just as gratuity for staff, but potentially to offset wages. This is a reminder to be mindful when tipping at airports and to understand that those high suggested tip percentages might not all be going to the workers you're trying to help.

Before we wrap up, let me tell you about today's sponsor. Looking for the best award flights? Use AwardTravelFinder dot 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. Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, visit us at milesandpointsdaily dot com, or sign up for our daily newsletter at mail dot milesandpointsdaily dot com. Until tomorrow, keep earning those points and miles!