American Express, Chase, Capital One, and Citi have all overhauled the premium card market, and the right answer is no longer obvious. The best card now depends less on marketing claims and more on which lounges, credits, transfer partners, and spending bonuses actually match how you travel.
An American Airlines passenger says he spent three hours contorted in a middle seat because the traveler beside him could not fit within one seat space. American responded that “customers come in all shapes and sizes,” but the airline’s own policy says passengers who need more room must buy a second seat — and if two seats are not available, move to another flight.
American Airlines premium cabin wine used to be one of the weakest parts of the onboard experience. Now the airline is rolling out real $30–$40 retail bottles in first and business class, a small but telling sign that American is finally paying attention to the details again.
People pledging money to “buy Spirit Airlines” were already making a dubious bet: the campaign has no cash, no binding commitments, and no plan to fix the airline. Now scammers have spotted the obvious target — fake copycat sites are reportedly taking real money from would-be supporters.
Spirit Airlines offered taxpayers 80% of the company in exchange for a $500 million bailout. Trump wanted 90% and that extra demand may have helped kill the deal, leaving creditors to conclude they were better off liquidating the airline than giving the government nearly everything.
Rove Miles is not attached to an airline, hotel chain or credit card bank — but it keeps acting more like a serious transferable points program. Its newest addition is Air Canada Aeroplan, with 1:1 transfers, a 25% launch bonus, and live Aeroplan award search.
A Secret Service officer was arrested for… earning elite status the hard way (cough) in the front of guests at the Miami Airport DoubleTree. And a new 100,000 point offer for a lounge-access card, a Starlink ad Easter egg on United, and more.
Bilt gets plenty of attention for its credit cards, but most members do not even have one. More than 4 million people have Bilt accounts without a Bilt card — and they can still earn transferable points through dining, Lyft, Walgreens, fitness, travel bookings, shopping, parking, GoPuff and housing-related rewards.
Passengers sued Boeing and Southwest over the 737 MAX because they feared flying it. Southwest pilots sued Boeing for the opposite reason: they say Boeing’s misrepresentations put the MAX into their contract, then the 20-month grounding cost them millions in flying time and pay.
A pre-dented suitcase is now something you can buy on purpose — because apparently looking like your bag has already survived years of airline baggage handling is a travel aesthetic. Also: Amex’s JetBlue transfer bonus disappoints, Singapore Airlines adds Starlink slowly, and Etihad turns amenity kits into collectibles.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
