Capital One has quietly added another airline to its list of transfer partners, and there’s a limited-time bonus to go along with it.
Capital One miles can now be transferred to Copa Airlines’ ConnectMiles program at a 4:3 ratio. And through December 1, 2026, Capital One is offering a 30% transfer bonus.
That makes the effective transfer ratio 1,000 Capital One miles to 975 ConnectMiles during the promotion.
Under the standard 4:3 transfer ratio, every 1,000 Capital One miles becomes 750 Copa ConnectMiles.
But with the 30% transfer bonus available through December 1, the math improves by a good margin:
10,000 Capital One miles → 9,750 ConnectMiles
20,000 Capital One miles → 19,500 ConnectMiles
40,000 Capital One miles → 39,000 ConnectMiles
80,000 Capital One miles → 78,000 ConnectMiles
That’s nearly a 1:1 transfer ratio, but not quite.
For comparison, eligible premium Citi ThankYou cards transfer points to Copa at a standard 1:1 ratio, with no bonus required.
What Can You Book With Copa ConnectMiles?
Copa Airlines is a Star Alliance member based in Panama City (PTY), and its ConnectMiles program can be used to book flights on Copa and other Star Alliance carriers, including United, Avianca, ANA, and Turkish Airlines.
15,000 miles in economy or 30,000 in business for Copa flights between parts of the southeastern U.S. and Panama, Central America, or the Caribbean.
20,000 miles in economy or 40,000 in business for Copa flights from the rest of the continental U.S. and Canada to those destinations.
30,000 miles in economy or 70,000 in business for Star Alliance partner flights between the U.S. or Canada and Europe.
ConnectMiles also has several non-Star Alliance partners, including Emirates, KLM, Azul, and GOL.
There are some potentially useful redemptions here, but finding partner award availability isn’t always easy. And just because a flight is available through another Star Alliance program doesn’t mean it’ll appear through Copa.
Before transferring, it’s worth comparing award prices with other Capital One partners, including Air Canada Aeroplan and Avianca LifeMiles. As always, find an available award first, since transfers can’t be reversed.
Before you even get to the fun part of redeeming points and miles, there’s the other half of the equation: earning them.
You can’t apply for a new credit card every day. And while the cards you already have might offer some pretty rewarding earning rates, everyday spending doesn’t always build your balance quickly enough to book the trip you have in mind.
That’s why it’s worth keeping a few other ways to earn miles in your back pocket.
My go-to, when I’m not flying, using a shopping portal, or working on a credit card welcome bonus, is AAdvantage Hotels.
AAdvantage Hotels (or AA Hotels, for short) is American Airlines’ hotel booking platform. It’s a third-party online travel agency (OTA) powered by Rocket Travel that lets AAdvantage members book hotel stays and earn redeemable miles and status-qualifying Loyalty Points.
Here’s how it works, plus a few tips for getting more out of the stays you book through AA Hotels.
How AAdvantage Hotels Works
When you book a stay through AAdvantage Hotels, you’ll earn American Airlines miles and Loyalty Points instead of the rewards you’d typically earn by booking directly with a hotel.
Each eligible hotel listing displays how many AAdvantage miles you can earn on the stay. Those miles count toward your Loyalty Points balance, too, so hotel bookings can help you qualify for AAdvantage elite status.
The number of miles and Loyalty Points you earn varies by property, dates, your AAdvantage status, and whether you have an eligible cobranded credit card.
According to American, the earning opportunities break dow like this:
AAdvantage status members: Earn up to 5 times more miles and Loyalty Points on hotels.
AAdvantage credit cardmembers: Earn up to 5 times more miles and Loyalty Points on hotels.
AAdvantage credit cardmembers with status: Earn up to 10 times more miles and Loyalty Points on hotels.
After completing your stay, rewards generally post within a few days, although it can take several weeks.
The tradeoff of booking through AA Hotels
The elephant in the room is the tradeoff. Since AAdvantage Hotels is a third-party booking platform, stays won’t qualify for hotel loyalty points, elite-night credits, or elite benefits through the hotel’s own rewards program. Depending on the rate, you might also have less flexibility, which means stricter change and cancellation policies.
But depending on your goals, that tradeoff might be worth it.
You also don’t necessarily need to be chasing elite status to find value here. Even if you’re primarily interested in redeemable miles, AA Hotels can be a useful way to build your balance through stays you were already planning to book.
FG TRADE LATIN / ISTOCK
Tips to Get More Out of Your AAdvantage Hotels Stays
There are a few ways to get more out of your AAdvantage Hotels bookings. Some involve which credit card you use, while others come down to how you structure your reservations and where you are on the AAdvantage elite status hamster wheel.
Pay with an eligible AAdvantage credit card
If you’re looking to earn the most redeemable miles on AAdvantage Hotels stays, paying with a cobranded American Airlines credit card is worth considering.
Several Citi / AAdvantage cards offer bonus miles on eligible bookings:
Credit Card
Miles Earned on Eligible AAdvantage Hotels Purchases
Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard
12X miles
Citi / AAdvantage Globe Mastercard
6X miles
Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard
These are credit card earning rates, so they’re separate from the miles and Loyalty Points offered by the hotel booking itself.
You’ll also generally earn one Loyalty Point per dollar spent on eligible purchases with these cards.
One important caveat: Hotels booked through American Airlines Vacations or using the “Reserve Now, Pay Later” option aren’t eligible for the additional credit card bonus miles.
The Globe card is particularly interesting because it offers an annual Splurge Credit of up to $100. AAdvantage Hotels is one of the eligible brands you can select for this benefit, meaning you could potentially save $100 on a hotel booking each year.
That’s a useful perk if you’re already planning to book through the platform.
Be aware of the earning cap
A detail worth knowing is that AAdvantage Hotels has an earning cap.
Eligible reservations earn a minimum of 100 base AAdvantage miles per night, but there’s also a maximum of 15,000 base miles per reservation.
That means it’s worth paying attention to how you structure longer stays.
Say you’re booking a six-night hotel stay, and AAdvantage Hotels shows that you’ll earn 15,000 miles for the reservation. Before booking, try searching the same dates as two separate three-night stays.
Depending on the property and available rates, splitting the reservation could allow you to earn more miles and Loyalty Points than booking all six nights together.
Of course, you’ll want to compare the total price, cancellation terms, and any other costs before doing so. Splitting a reservation isn’t automatically the better deal.
And if you’re finding hotels that offer relatively few miles for the price, consider checking other properties or booking directly instead.
Sometimes the juice just isn’t worth the squeeze.
Compare the different room rates
Another tip is to expand the available room rates before booking. The cheapest option isn’t necessarily the worst for earning miles, and the rate offering the most miles isn’t always the best value.
For example, I found several rates for the same three-night stay in Peru, with some pretty significant differences:
Total Price
Redeemable Miles
Loyalty Points*
Rate Details
$569
3,100
3,100
Free cancellation, pay at hotel
$569
14,600
14,600
Nonrefundable
$653
17,600
14,600
Nonrefundable, 3,000 bonus miles
$674
15,000
15,000
Free cancellation, breakfast included
Loyalty Points exclude any additional Loyalty Point Rewards bonuses or eligible credit card spending.
There’s a lot to unpack here, but two things stand out.
First, for the same $569, you could earn either 3,100 or 14,600 miles and Loyalty Points. The catch is that the higher-earning rate is nonrefundable, so you’d be giving up some flexibility.
Second, look at the two nonrefundable rates. For $84 more, you could earn an additional 3,000 redeemable miles, but no additional Loyalty Points.
That’s because AAdvantage Hotels sometimes offers rates labeled “Bonus miles applied.” These bonus miles are redeemable, but they don’t count toward elite status.
All to say, don’t just look at the mileage total. Compare the price, cancellation policy, included benefits, and how many of those miles actually count as Loyalty Points.
OLEH SLOBODENIUK / ISTOCK
Take advantage of Loyalty Point Rewards
Your AAdvantage status can already influence how many miles and Loyalty Points you’re eligible to earn through AAdvantage Hotels.
But there’s another benefit worth knowing about, and it comes through American’s Loyalty Point Rewards program.
Once you earn 60,000 Loyalty Points in a qualification year, you’ll unlock a 25% Loyalty Point bonus on eligible spending with select partners, including AAdvantage Hotels.
The benefit lasts for six months after you unlock and activate it, so timing matters.
Here’s an example of how that works.
Say you have the 25% bonus active and book an AAdvantage Hotels stay offering 10,000 redeemable miles and Loyalty Points.
Once the stay posts to your account, you’d earn:
10,000 redeemable AAdvantage miles
12,500 Loyalty Points, including the 25% bonus
That’s an additional 2,500 Loyalty Points toward your next AAdvantage status threshold or Loyalty Point Reward, without needing to spend more on the hotel itself.
The important distinction is that the bonus applies to Loyalty Points, not redeemable miles. Your redeemable mileage earnings stay the same.
If you’re working toward AAdvantage elite status or trying to build up your mileage balance for an upcoming redemption, AA Hotels can be an excellent way to earn a substantial number of miles and Loyalty Points without getting on a plane.
But I wouldn’t automatically book every hotel stay through the platform.
If you have elite status with a hotel chain, booking directly might offer more value through points, elite-night credits, upgrades, and other benefits. And even if you don’t have hotel status, it’s worth comparing prices and cancellation policies before committing.
The way I look at it, AAdvantage Hotels is another tool in the toolbox. It won’t make sense for every stay, but when the price is competitive and the mileage earnings are generous, it can be one of the more useful ways to work toward your next award flight or AAdvantage status goal.
Rakuten is kicking off November with 10 days of boosted cash-back offers, including up to 30% back or 30X Amex or Bilt Points at select retailers.
The promotion runs through November 10, 2026, with a different featured retailer each day. And if you have an eligible American Express card or Bilt Rewards account, you may be able to earn points instead of cash back.
There are also some boosted travel offers worth checking out, including up to 14% cash back on tours and activities through Viator and up to 10% back on Priceline bookings.
Here’s what’s available.
Rakuten’s November Boosted Cash-Back Offers
Date
Retailer
Cash Back
November 1
Dick’s Sporting Goods
15%
November 2
Foot Locker
25%
November 3
Expedia (Hotels)
12%
November 4
Gap
20%
November 5
Dermstore
23%
November 6
Lands’ End
20%
November 7
AliExpress
30%
November 8
Dyson
15%
November 9
Skechers
30%
November 10
QVC
20%
These offers are scheduled for their respective dates, so you’ll want to check Rakuten for the applicable terms and eligible purchases before shopping.
To take advantage, head to Rakuten, find the featured retailer, and activate cash back before completing your purchase. You can also use Rakuten’s browser extension or mobile app.
Beyond the daily offers, Rakuten is also featuring increased cash-back rates at several travel booking platforms, hotel brands, and tour operators.
Some of the more notable offers include:
Travel Provider
Cash Back
Priceline
Up to 10%
Expedia
Up to 6%
Hotels.com
Up to 6%
Vrbo
6%
Viator
14%
Booking.com
Up to 8%
IHG Hotels & Resorts
6%
GetYourGuide
4%
Go City
12%
ResortPass
4%
SIXT
9%
Intrepid Travel
5%
MSC Cruises
4%
Celebrity Cruises
4%
There are also boosted offers at Vivid Seats (6% cash back) and CheapOair (up to $30 cash back).
These are worth checking if you’re already planning to book a hotel, rental car, cruise, or activity. Just remember that the advertised cash-back rate may only apply to certain types of bookings.
And before booking a hotel through a third-party platform, consider whether you’ll be giving up hotel loyalty points, elite-night credits, or status benefits. Sometimes booking directly is still the better deal, even with a generous cash-back offer.
Earn Amex or Bilt Points Instead of Cash Back
Rakuten lets eligible members earn American Express Membership Rewards or Bilt Points instead of cash back.
With Amex, 1% cash back translates to 1 Membership Rewards point per dollar spent. So, a 30% cash-back offer could earn you 30X Membership Rewards points per dollar spent.
Bilt’s conversion rate depends on your elite status:
Blue: 50 Bilt Points per $1 in cash back
Silver, Gold, and Platinum: 100 Bilt Points per $1 in cash back
That means a 30% offer could earn 15X Bilt Points for Blue members or 30X for Silver members and above.
These rewards are earned on top of whatever points or cash back you earn with the credit card used for your purchase.
New to Rakuten? Earn a $50 Bonus
If you haven’t joined Rakuten yet, new members can also earn $50 in cash back or up to 5,000 points after making $50 in qualifying purchases within 90 days of signing up.
We’re excited to introduce Multi-Region Alerts, a new PointsYeah feature designed to continuously find award travel opportunities in real time across multiple airports, states, regions, countries, and continents, with flexible travel dates.
Whether you’re planning a trip to Europe, exploring destinations across Asia, or simply flexible about where you depart from, Multi-Region Alerts help you find more ways to put your points and miles to work.
Award Alerts Built for Flexible Travel Plans
With Multi-Region Alerts, you can select entire geographic areas and receive notifications when PointsYeah finds award flights between major airports within your selected locations. You can mix and match from:
Major airports and airport groups: JFK, LAX, SFO, NYC, WAS, and more
States: California, Florida, New York, or any of the 50 U.S. states
Countries: Japan, Italy, Costa Rica, or any other country
U.S. regions: Northeast, Midwest, South, Southeast, West, or any of the 24 available regions
Continents: Europe, Asia, South America, North America, Africa, and Oceania
For example, selecting California to Europe allows you to monitor award opportunities between major airports in California and destinations across Europe, all within a single alert.
You don’t have to decide on a specific departure airport or European city before getting started.
POINTSYEAH
Customize Alerts Around Your Travel Preferences
Start by selecting your departure and destination areas, travel date range, cabin preferences, and maximum miles per passenger.
Then narrow down your alerts with additional preferences:
Travel Theme: Select a travel theme that fits your plans.
Bank Programs: Choose your preferred bank rewards programs.
Airline Programs: Focus on specific airline loyalty programs.
Stops: Set your preferred number of connections.
Number of Seats: Specify how many award seats you need.
Max Flight Duration: Set a limit on total flight time.
Max Taxes: Set the maximum taxes and fees you’re willing to pay.
For example, if you’re looking for business-class flights to Europe using no more than 70,000 miles per passenger, you can set those preferences and let PointsYeah notify you when matching award opportunities are found.
POINTSYEAH
More Ways to Make the Most of Multi-Region Alerts
One of the biggest benefits of Multi-Region Alerts is the freedom to plan trips around award availability.
Here are two ways to put that flexibility to work.
Find Opportunities Through Positioning Flights
For example, monitoring departures from California could help you find an award opportunity from a major airport elsewhere in the state. A separate positioning flight could make that redemption worth considering.
Just remember to allow sufficient connection time when arranging separate flights.
Let Award Availability Inspire Your Next Destination
Know you want to visit Asia but haven’t decided exactly where?
Select Asia as your destination and let Multi-Region Alerts help you identify available award opportunities across the continent.
You might find a flight to Tokyo, Seoul, Bangkok, or another city that inspires your next adventure.
Multi-Region Alerts for Free and Premium Users
Multi-Region Alerts are available to both Free and PointsYeah Premium members, with additional flexibility for Premium members.
Feature
Free
Premium
Origin selections per alert
1
Up to 3
Destination selections per alert
1
Up to 3
Maximum date range
30 days
90 days
Maximum Multi-Region Alerts
5
150
Geographic selections
Major airports, states, countries, U.S. regions, continents
Same
Custom flight preferences
Yes
Yes
Even with a Free account, one selection can cover an entire country or continent. Premium members can select up to three origin areas and three destination areas within a single alert, monitor longer date ranges, and maintain up to 150 Multi-Region Alerts.
Both features help you find award availability, but they’re designed for different travel plans.
Multi-Region Alerts are ideal for travelers with flexible travel plans who want to discover award flights across multiple major airports and/or regions, with a larger date range of up to 30 days for Free users and 90 days for Premium members.
Points Price Alerts are better suited for travelers with a specific route and travel dates who want to track award price changes or newly available seats. These alerts support a 4-day date window for Free users and an 8-day date window for Premium members.
Whether you have a specific flight in mind or are flexible about where and when you travel, PointsYeah has an alert option to match your plans.
Start Exploring With Multi-Region Alerts
Ready to find award flights beyond your usual routes?
Create a Multi-Region Alert, select your departure and destination areas, and customize your travel preferences.
Whether you’re planning a multi-city adventure, considering alternative departure airports, or letting award availability guide your next trip, Multi-Region Alerts give you more flexibility to find opportunities that fit your plans.
Something we’ve been doing in the Points Insider newsletter (if you haven’t subscribed, you should!) is opening the floor to you. If you have a question about points, miles, travel, or something related, we want to hear from you.
This past week, we’ve received several questions (and comments, which we’ll also address).
In this edition of our weekly mailbag, we’re covering whether you can book Japan Airlines awards with American Airlines AAdvantage miles, how to buy Lufthansa miles, how to find flights you can book with the points you already have, and whether Atmos credit card checked bag benefits apply to partner flights.
Using AAdvantage Miles for Japan Airlines Flights
A reader questioned whether Japan Airlines award flights can be booked using American Airlines AAdvantage miles.
The good news is that you absolutely can book Japan Airlines award tickets using AAdvantage miles.
In fact, this is one of my personal favorite ways to redeem them. To give you an idea of why, you can book JAL business class from the U.S. to Japan starting at 60,000 miles each way, or first class from 80,000 miles. Economy starts at 35,000 miles, and premium economy starts at 50,000 miles.
POINTSYEAH
You can also use AA miles to connect from JAL to other partner carriers. A couple of years ago, I flew from Tokyo to Hanoi on JAL, then connected onward to Doha on Qatar Airways for just 40,000 AA miles in business class. These rates are still available today if you happen to be traveling in that part of the world.
The catch is that business and first class awards (particularly between North America and Japan), can sometimes be hard to find. Economy and premium economy are more widely available, but if you recall, Japan is one of the most searched destinations on PointsYeah.
There are only so many award seats flying between the two countries, so it’s not entirely surprising that the most coveted ones are hard to come by.
But if you’ve been eyeing a seat up front on Japan Airlines using AAdvantage miles, it’s worth taking a few minutes to set up a Points Price Alert so you’ll know when something becomes available.
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Purchasing Lufthansa Miles & More Miles
A reader points out that Lufthansa Miles & More doesn’t let members buy miles directly. So how do its buy-miles promotions work?
However, you can still acquire Lufthansa Miles & More miles through a workaround package called Bundle&Go.
There are four bundles you can buy, and they include Miles & More miles alongside other perks, such as bonus miles on eligible hotel and car rental bookings, Avis benefits, and Priority Pass membership discounts. Depending on the bundle, you can also get Lufthansa lounge vouchers and status-qualifying points.
At the time of writing, you can get a 50% mileage bonus when purchasing a Bundle&Go package through October 31. That brings the cost per mile down to as little as 1.4 U.S. cents each, and you get those other benefits to boot.
NATE HOVEE / ISTOCK
Finding Flights You Can Book With Points You Have
A reader asks: “Are there points concierges who can look at all my credit card, hotel, and airline points and help me figure out which of the destinations on my travel wish list offers the best redemption value?”
Yes, there are. But some of them cost a good chunk of change.
If you’re in the same boat with trying to use your rewards, don’t forget that you can be your own concierge, in a sense, by using the PointsYeah Daydream Explorer.
You can use this feature to explore flights and hotels across a wide range of destinations, filter by the airline, hotel, and credit card programs you have points with, and even browse by travel themes.
It’s a neat way to see where your points could take you without having to search every destination individually, or spend money on a concierge, since it’s free to use.
A reader asks: “If I book an Alaska Airlines flight through American Airlines using AAdvantage miles, then pay the taxes and fees with my Atmos credit card, will I still get a free checked bag?”
Unfortunately, I wouldn’t count on it.
The free checked bag benefit on Atmos credit cards requires the flight to be marketed by Alaska or Hawaiian, operated by an eligible airline, paid for with your Atmos card, and credited to Atmos Rewards.
In this case, since you’re booking through American using AAdvantage miles, the benefit won’t apply, even if you pay the taxes and fees with your Atmos card.
Missed Last Week’s Mailbag?
Catch up on last week’s questions and answers in our previous edition.
Ask Your Own Question
Got a points question of your own? Email us at newsletter@pointsyeah.com, and we’ll answer a few each week.
Here’s an easy way to pick up 1,500 miles without spending a dime.
Right now, new Rove members can earn 1,500 bonus miles just for signing up. There’s no purchase or spending requirement, and the miles are credited to your account immediately.
How to Earn 1,500 Free Rove Miles
Rove is a free-to-use travel rewards platform that lets you earn miles on eligible purchases and travel bookings. You can then transfer those miles to participating airline and hotel loyalty programs or use them to book flights and hotels directly through Rove.
Getting the Rove sign-up bonus involves three easy steps:
Complete your registration by entering your phone number
Receive 1,500 Rove miles in your account immediately
That’s it. You don’t need to book a flight, reserve a hotel, or make a purchase to earn the bonus.
What Can You Do With Rove Miles?
Once you’ve earned your bonus, you can redeem your miles toward flights and hotels through Rove or transfer them to any of its transfer partners.
Transfers require a minimum of 2,000 miles, so you’ll need to earn at least another 500 miles before transferring your sign-up bonus to a partner.
But there are plenty of reasons to keep earning, as some of Rove’s airline transfer partners include:
JetBlue TrueBlue
Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
Lufthansa Miles & More
Copa ConnectMiles
And while 1,500 miles won’t necessarily cover an entire trip, it’s a useful starting balance, especially for an offer that doesn’t require any spending.
If you haven’t joined yet, this is an easy opportunity to pick up some extra miles with little effort.
That’s a 30% reduction from the previous pricing floor, and we’re finding plenty of dates with tickets available at the lower rate.
Book Fiji Airways Flights From 28K Miles
The reduced pricing applies to eligible nonstop Fiji Airways flights to Nadi (NAN). In our searches, we’ve found economy tickets starting at 28,000 AAdvantage miles one-way between Fiji and three North American gateways:
Los Angeles (LAX)
San Francisco (SFO)
Vancouver (YVR)
For example, we’re seeing nonstop flights from San Francisco to Nadi for 28,000 miles plus $5.60 in taxes and fees. Coming back the other way, taxes and fees are closer to $117.
POINTSYEAH
The lowest prices are available on select dates, including some close-in departures (flights leaving within the next few days or weeks) and dates during Fiji’s traditionally rainier season, which generally runs from November through April.
It’s also worth knowing that Fiji Airways award pricing through American Airlines is “enhanced,” meaning prices can fluctuate above that floor depending on factors such as demand.
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One catch is that the 28,000-mile rate is limited to nonstop flights. Adding a connection (say, Phoenix to Los Angeles to Nadi) brings the starting price back to 40,000 miles.
So, you might be able to save miles by booking a separate positioning flight to LAX, SFO, or YVR. Just allow plenty of time between flights.
Prefer to fly up front? Business class awards still start at 80,000 AAdvantage miles each way. Those rates didn’t drop when the economy ones did.
If you don’t have enough AAdvantage miles to book one of these flights, you can earn more with a co-branded American Airlines credit card or by transferring Citi ThankYou Points to American Airlines.
The transfer ratio depends on which Citi card you have. Eligible Citi ThankYou Points-earning cards with annual fees offer 1:1 transfers.
Wyndham Rewards is getting back into vacation rentals in a big way.
On October 29, the program launched Homes & Havens, which is a new platform where members can earn and redeem points at nearly 800 homes, villas, and other properties around the world.
The launch comes nearly a year after Wyndham ended its popular partnership with Vacasa in December 2025. Members could (and still can) redeem points for vacation rentals through Cottages.com, but those properties are limited to the United Kingdom.
Here’s what to know about Homes & Havens and how to earn and redeem points for stays.
A Look at Wyndham’s New Homes & Havens
The new Homes & Havens platform launches with nearly 800 professionally managed rentals across the U.S., Caribbean, Mexico, and Europe.
The collection includes everything from villas in St. Barts to ski-in/ski-out properties in Colorado. Wyndham also plans to add hundreds more accommodations in the coming months, including cabins, yurts, and tiny homes.
Members earn 5 Wyndham Rewards points per dollar on qualifying paid stays, and eligible nights count toward Wyndham Rewards status.
Paid stays can be booked online, although some properties require a reservation request and follow-up from a specialist.
Redeeming Wyndham Points for Vacation Rentals
Like Wyndham’s former Vacasa partnership, Homes & Havens uses a per-bedroom redemption structure rather than a flat rate for the entire property.
There are currently three redemption tiers:
15,000 points per bedroom, per night
30,000 points per bedroom, per night
45,000 points per bedroom, per night
A fourth tier, starting at 5,000 points per bedroom, per night, is expected as the collection grows.
Which tier a property falls into depends on its nightly cash rate per bedroom. Wyndham confirmed to Points Insider that it doesn’t disclose the specific dollar thresholds separating the tiers, although members can find out exactly how many points they’ll need before booking.
For now, that means calling Wyndham Rewards Member Services at 866-996-7937 to confirm availability, the applicable redemption tier, and the total points required for a stay.
Wyndham says it expects to introduce online redemptions in the coming weeks, allowing members to check availability and see redemption prices directly through the platform.
There are a few other things to remember:
Book ahead. Members must contact Wyndham Rewards Member Services at least 60 days before arrival to redeem points.
Points don’t cover everything. Taxes, cleaning fees, and other mandatory charges are still payable in cash.
Not every property will participate. Wyndham expects most rentals to be available for redemption, but some won’t qualify.
For Wyndham Rewards members who lost a useful redemption option when Vacasa exited the program, Homes & Havens is great to see. But how valuable these new redemptions will be remains to be seen, especially without published pricing thresholds and with additional cash charges to consider.
American Express is now offering eligible cash-back cardholders another way to use their rewards.
Starting October 29, 2026, eligible U.S. consumer cardholders can redeem their Reward Dollars directly into an American Express High Yield Savings Account. Certain business cardholders can also redeem rewards into an Amex Business Checking account.
Here’s what’s changing and how the new redemption options work.
Redeem Amex Cash Back Into a High Yield Savings Account
Eligible American Express consumer cash-back cardholders can now redeem Reward Dollars directly into an Amex High Yield Savings Account (HYSA).
The redemption rate is 1:1, meaning $50 in Reward Dollars translates to a $50 deposit. There’s no minimum redemption amount.
Once deposited, the funds earn interest at the account’s prevailing annual percentage yield (APY). Currently, that stands at 3.2%. Interest compounds daily and is credited monthly.
This applies to eligible consumer cash-back cards, including the Blue Cash Preferred Card from American Express.
Cardholders can continue redeeming their Reward Dollars for statement credits or eligible purchases at Amazon.com. The savings account option just gives eligible cardmembers another way to use their rewards.
And while the redemption value itself isn’t changing, depositing rewards into a savings account means that money can begin earning interest. Over time, that could help cardholders get a little more value from the cash back they’ve already earned.
According to the press release, American Express also plans to introduce automatic Reward Dollars deposits into eligible savings accounts sometime in 2027.
Business Cardholders Get a New Redemption Option, Too
American Express is also introducing a similar feature for its Graphite Business Cash Unlimited Card.
Eligible cardholders can redeem Reward Dollars directly into an American Express Business Checking account at a 1:1 rate. Here, too, there’s no minimum redemption amount.
That means $100 in cash-back rewards can be deposited as $100 into an eligible business checking account.
For now, Amex has only identified the Graphite Business Cash Unlimited Card as eligible for this feature. The company hasn’t announced whether other business cash-back cards will be included.
How to Redeem Amex Reward Dollars Into a Bank Account
To use either option, you’ll need an eligible American Express cash-back card and the corresponding Amex bank account.
Here’s how to redeem your rewards:
Log in to your American Express account online.
Select your eligible cash-back card and navigate to your Reward Dollars balance.
Choose the option to deposit rewards into your Amex High Yield Savings Account or Business Checking account.
Enter the amount you’d like to redeem.
Review and confirm the deposit.
There’s no minimum redemption amount, and American Express says the feature will also be available through its mobile app soon.
Rakuten is a free shopping portal that lets you earn cash back or points on purchases you’re already making, on top of the rewards you earn with your credit cards.
And through the end of the year, new members can earn $50 or up to 5,000 points after spending just $50 through a referral link.
Here’s how the offer works.
How to Earn the $50 Rakuten Bonus
Rakuten partners with more than 3,500 brands, allowing you to earn rewards when shopping online or at participating stores.
At a glance, the current referral offer looks like this:
Sign-up bonus: $50 in cash back or points
Spending requirement: $50 in qualifying purchases (within 90 days of joining)
Eligibility: New Rakuten members located in the 50 U.S. states or Washington, D.C.
Once you’ve created an account, shop through Rakuten at participating retailers. You can meet the $50 spending requirement with one purchase or multiple qualifying purchases within 90 days.
For everyday use, Rakuten also offers a browser extension that reminds you to activate cash back when shopping online. Alternatively, you can use the Rakuten app to shop, track your rewards, and find in-store cash-back offers.
After your qualifying purchases are confirmed, you’ll receive the referral bonus through Rakuten’s quarterly payment schedule. Depending on your selected payout method, you can receive cash back through PayPal or check, or earn Amex Membership Rewards or Bilt Points instead.
Those latter two options are particularly interesting.
Earn Amex Membership Rewards Points With Rakuten
One of Rakuten’s most useful features for points and miles enthusiasts is its partnership with American Express.
Eligible Amex cardmembers can link their Membership Rewards account to Rakuten and choose to earn points instead of cash back.
The conversion rate is 100 Membership Rewards points per $1 in Rakuten cash back. So, if a retailer offers 10% cash back, you can instead earn 10 Membership Rewards points per dollar spent.
That means the $50 referral bonus could be worth 5,000 Membership Rewards points if you choose to receive your rewards that way.
To get started, visit your Rakuten account settings, select Membership Rewards as your payment method, and link your eligible Amex account.
Rakuten transfers confirmed Membership Rewards points quarterly, on February 15, May 15, August 15, and November 15. You’ll need at least 501 confirmed points for a transfer; smaller balances roll over to the next payment date.
And remember, these points are earned on top of the rewards you already earn with your credit card (which doesn’t even have to be an Amex card).
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Earn Bilt Points With Rakuten
Rakuten also lets members earn Bilt Points instead of cash back.
To enable this option, you’ll need to link your Rakuten and Bilt accounts through Bilt’s website or app. Your email addresses must match on both accounts.
Once linked, Rakuten will convert your confirmed cash back into Bilt Points. The conversion rate depends on your Bilt elite status at the time of payout:
Blue members: 50 Bilt Points per $1 in cash back
Silver, Gold, and Platinum members: 100 Bilt Points per $1 in cash back
That means the $50 referral bonus could be worth 2,500 Bilt Points for Blue members or 5,000 Bilt Points for Silver members and above.
Bilt Points are transferred quarterly, following Rakuten’s regular payment schedule. You’ll need at least $5.01 in confirmed cash back for a payout.
Ready to Get Started?
If you’re not already a Rakuten member, this is an easy way to pick up some extra cash back or points on purchases you’d make anyway.
Just sign up through our referral link by December 31, 2026, and spend at least $50 on qualifying purchases within 90 days of joining to earn your bonus.
And since Rakuten is free to use, you can continue earning additional rewards on everyday purchases long after you’ve earned the new member bonus.
