Welcome to the Miles and Points Daily Podcast — the show that helps you squeeze every last mile, point, and perk out of your travels. I'm Lucas, and whether you're chasing first class upgrades or just trying to figure out why your favourite airline is making confusing decisions again, you are in exactly the right place. Let's dive into today's news.

Before we get into it, a quick word from our travel tools. If you're planning your next award trip, head over to AwardTravelFinder dot com — it's an incredible resource for searching award flight and hotel availability across programs like Qatar Airways, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Virgin Atlantic, and more. You can also find high-value hotel redemptions and status match opportunities all in one place. And if you hate missing out on flash deals, check out alerts dot AwardTravelFinder dot com to get notified the moment points deals drop on flights and hotels. We've got links to all eight of our travel tools in the show notes — from FlightSeatMap dot com for live seat maps to SeatWifi dot com to check in-flight WiFi quality before you book. Seriously, go check those out.

Alright, let's get into the news.

First up, a big credit card alert — and this one is time-sensitive. The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is currently offering a welcome bonus of one hundred thousand Ultimate Rewards points after spending five thousand dollars within the first three months of account opening. The annual fee is ninety-five dollars. According to valuations, those points are worth around one thousand seven hundred dollars when used smartly through transfer partners. The important thing here: this offer is expected to end at nine AM Eastern Standard Time on the thirtieth of July, two thousand and twenty-six. That is very soon. If you've been on the fence, now is the time. The card earns five times points on Chase Travel purchases, three times on dining, online groceries, and select streaming, plus two times on other travel. And there's even a one hundred dollar annual hotel credit through Chase Travel. Note that transfers to World of Hyatt are now at a four to three ratio rather than one to one unless you pair it with a Sapphire Reserve. If you want to apply, click the link in the show notes.

Speaking of limited-time offers, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card has an offer that Chase says is ending soon. You're looking at up to one hundred and twenty-five thousand Marriott points, a free night worth up to fifty thousand points, and up to one hundred dollars back on airline purchases — all for a ninety-five dollar annual fee. That is a remarkably strong deal for a mid-tier hotel card. The annual free night and elite night credits alone make this one worth keeping long term. Again, click the link in the show notes before this one disappears.

Now for business card fans — the United Business Card has an extended offer of up to one hundred and ten thousand MileagePlus miles, and the timing couldn't be better. United has restructured MileagePlus so that credit cardholders get faster earning, cheaper awards, and better access to premium inventory. If you're flying United regularly, the gap between being a cardholder and not one has grown significantly. The United Business Card is being called the sweet spot in the programme right now. Link is in the show notes.

Now let's talk Southwest — because Southwest is having quite a moment. CEO Bob Jordan has confirmed that airport lounge work is actively underway, and a new premium credit card is part of the plan. The strategy mirrors what Alaska Airlines and JetBlue have done — use lounge access as the anchor perk for a higher-tier co-branded card. Jordan said the goal is to, quote, expand cobranded opportunities and provide customers something they really, really want. Possible locations include Honolulu, Denver, Las Vegas, Chicago Midway, Baltimore, and Nashville. Nothing confirmed yet, but it does feel like a matter of when, not if. The interesting side story here though — when you look at Southwest's financials, the revenue boost they're attributing to new bag fees and assigned seats appears to mostly be coming from credit card spending, not from bags and seats directly. So the credit card is already doing heavy lifting before the lounge even opens. Something to keep in mind as a rewards earner.

On the subject of airline finances, American Airlines is in a tough spot. The airline reported a net income of just seventy-one million dollars for the second quarter of two thousand and twenty-six — that's an eighty-eight percent year-over-year drop in profit. To put that in context, Delta saw profits fall by around twenty-five percent and United by seventeen percent. American lost three hundred and eighty-two million dollars in the first quarter, earned seventy-one million in the second — so they're already in the hole for the first half of the year, and that was historically their best quarter. The CEO Robert Isom says he's excited about the rest of the year, but Wall Street isn't buying it. Annual guidance has been slashed significantly. For points collectors, the concern is what this financial pressure might mean for AAdvantage programme changes down the road. Worth keeping an eye on.

In more positive airline news for travellers, Cathay Pacific is actually removing seats from its Airbus A321neo narrow body aircraft to improve comfort. The planes will go from two hundred and two seats to one hundred and ninety-five seats, with increased economy seat pitch from thirty inches to something more generous, more spacious rear lavatories, and additional galley space for crew. If you search for Cathay Pacific award space on AwardTravelFinder dot com, you might want to look for these updated aircraft going forward — the first new-layout plane should arrive in the coming weeks. It's a genuinely passenger-friendly move from an already well-regarded airline.

Over in Europe, Lufthansa is rolling out what it's calling an enhancement — the First Row Seat and the Back Seat. The Back Seat is exactly what it sounds like: you pay to select a seat at the very back of the economy cabin, but you pay less than a regular seat assignment. The First Row Seat lets business class passengers pay for the front row, rather than reserving it exclusively for elite members. The concept of variable seat pricing isn't new, but calling a back-of-the-plane seat a premium product and marketing it as an enhancement is a special kind of airline logic. Status members — HON Circle and Senators — still get both for free. Everyone else, welcome to the back, for a fee.

Here's a practical tip for travellers with Visa Signature or Visa Infinite credit cards: did you know you may have a free international eSIM benefit through GigSky? Visa Signature cards get one gigabyte of international data valid for fifteen days once per year. Visa Infinite cards — like the Chase Sapphire Reserve — get three gigabytes. Cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Freedom Unlimited, and the Ink Business cards all qualify at the Signature level. You claim it through the GigSky app. It won't replace your full mobile plan, but it's a genuinely useful free perk that most people don't know about.

And finally, a good tip for baggage insurance — a reader story this week serves as a reminder that when you check in at the airport, the name on the baggage tag can determine which passenger's credit card travel insurance applies to that bag. In one case, a family checked a bag under their twelve-year-old son's name — whose ticket was booked on award miles — and when the bag was damaged, the American Express claim was denied because the bag was tagged to a non-covered traveller. The lesson: before you drop bags at the counter, think about who paid for whose ticket and make sure bags are tagged to a covered cardholder. A small detail with potentially big consequences.

That's your miles and points briefing for today. As always, check the show notes for links to all our travel tools and to apply for any of the credit cards we mentioned — including the Chase Sapphire Preferred before that one hundred thousand point offer disappears on the thirtieth of July. Subscribe to the podcast on your favourite platform or visit milesandpointsdaily dot com to make sure you never miss an episode. Safe travels everyone, and we'll see you tomorrow.