Hello and welcome to the Miles and Points Daily Podcast! I'm Lucas, your host, and I'm absolutely delighted to have you join me today. You know, there's nothing quite like starting the morning with a fresh cup of coffee and the latest developments in the world of miles and points. It's like Christmas morning for us points enthusiasts, especially when we have some absolutely massive credit card bonuses to discuss today that'll make your head spin faster than a turboprop engine!

Before we dive into today's exciting news, let me tell you about an amazing tool that's been saving travelers 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 watching your reservations twenty-four seven, ready to save you precious points whenever prices drop. Check out the link in our show notes to get started.

Now, let's jump into the big news of the day, and wow, do we have some blockbuster credit card offers to discuss!

First up, Chase has absolutely outdone themselves with their latest suite of Sapphire card offers. The Chase Sapphire Reserve has relaunched with a stunning one hundred thousand bonus points plus a five hundred dollar credit offer. This is genuinely one of the best offers we've seen from this premium card. The card comes with enhanced benefits as part of its refresh, though it does carry a higher annual fee than before. If you've been waiting for the right time to jump into the Sapphire Reserve, this is it. You can grab this card by clicking the link in our show notes.

But wait, there's more! Chase has also introduced the brand new Sapphire Reserve for Business card with an absolutely jaw-dropping two hundred thousand bonus points offer. This is Chase's new premium business card, and while it comes with a steep annual fee, those two hundred thousand points could be worth over two thousand five hundred dollars in travel when used properly through the Chase travel portal. For business owners looking for a premium travel card, this could be a game-changer.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred isn't being left out of the party either. It's now offering seventy-five thousand bonus points, which is an improved offer from what we've seen recently. What's particularly interesting here is that the Preferred has preserved a crucial benefit that the Reserve actually dropped, making it potentially more attractive for certain users despite being the 'junior' card in the lineup.

One fascinating development is that Chase's new rules now make it possible to hold both a Sapphire Preferred and Reserve at the same time, though you likely won't be offered the initial bonus if you already have an open Sapphire account or have received a bonus in the past.

Speaking of Chase, their new Points Boost feature is now live for Sapphire Reserve cardholders. This feature is looking much better than initially expected and is available immediately, even though other card changes don't take effect until October for existing cardholders. This could be a significant win for current Reserve holders.

Moving on to United Airlines credit cards, we're seeing a best-ever offer on The New United Quest Card with one hundred thousand bonus miles plus three thousand Premier Qualifying Points. The Quest card is arguably United's easiest to justify co-branded Chase credit card, and this welcome offer makes it particularly attractive right now. The combination of bonus miles and PQPs can give you a significant head start toward United elite status. You can apply for this card using our link in the show notes.

Now let's talk about Southwest Airlines, because they've launched an incredibly generous promotion that's caught everyone's attention. Southwest is offering a promotional Companion Pass after booking just a single roundtrip ticket. This is absolutely remarkable because the Companion Pass, which allows you to bring a friend for nearly free on unlimited flights, is typically one of the most difficult benefits to earn in the travel world. You usually need to fly one hundred qualifying one-way flights or earn one hundred and twenty-five thousand qualifying points in a calendar year. This promotion essentially gives you this incredibly valuable benefit for the price of one roundtrip ticket. If you've been considering Southwest travel, this could be the perfect opportunity.

In other airline news, Delta continues its aggressive expansion in Seattle with two major announcements. First, they're launching new routes from Seattle to Barcelona and Rome starting in May two thousand and twenty-six. These daily flights represent Delta's continued battle against Alaska Airlines for dominance at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. It's fascinating to watch this competitive dynamic play out.

Delta is also opening a stunning new Delta One Lounge at Seattle airport. This lounge features great dining options and a huge terrace, continuing Delta's expansion of their exceptional Delta One Lounge network. We've already seen these premium lounges open in New York JFK, Los Angeles, and Boston, and they're genuinely among the best airport lounges you'll find in the United States.

Avianca is making significant moves as well, expanding business class to eighty routes within the Americas. This reverses a decision made back in two thousand and twenty-two and represents a major restoration of premium service options for travelers in the region.

For our lounge access enthusiasts, there's some disappointing news from JFK airport. Priority Pass members are experiencing issues with lounge access, with Air India turning guests away and HelloSky apparently not even worth attempting to visit. This highlights the ongoing challenges with Priority Pass access at busy airports.

In the world of airport facilities, PS is opening a new private luxury airport facility at Miami International Airport, set to open in Spring two thousand and twenty-six. PS allows travelers to bypass the typical airport experience when flying commercially, offering an ultra-premium alternative for those willing to pay for exclusivity.

Spirit Airlines continues its transformation efforts, rebranding their travel options to First, Premium Economy, and Value. This is part of their broader strategy to move away from their ultra-low-cost model toward a more bundled, premium approach. Interestingly, Spirit has also objected to the new partnership between United and JetBlue, calling it anticompetitive.

For those interested in mileage runs, there's an absolutely wild story about someone who completed a four-year United mileage run to achieve Lifetime Global Services status. This represents taking mileage running to an entirely different level and shows the lengths some people will go to for elite status.

Before we wrap up today's show, I want to mention our sponsor for the closing segment. Looking for the best award flights? Use AwardTravelFinder.com to search availability across Qatar Airways, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific and more. It's an incredibly powerful tool for finding award space that you might otherwise miss. Try it for free with our link in the show notes.

That wraps up today's Miles and Points Daily Podcast. Thank you so much for listening and for being part of our amazing community of points and miles enthusiasts. If you found today's show helpful, please consider subscribing on your favorite podcast platform or visit us at milesandpointsdaily.com. Until tomorrow, keep earning and burning those points wisely!