Welcome to Miles and Points Daily, the podcast where we make sense of the loyalty game so you don't have to spend your evenings down a rabbit hole of airline blogs — although, honestly, we know you do that anyway. I'm Lucas, your host, and today we've got a packed episode covering everything from American Airlines quietly pulling a customer-friendly policy, to Alaska rebranding its points program, Marriott playing both sides of the AI revolution, and some big news for Chase Ink card fans. Let's dive in.

Before we get into it, a quick word about our suite of travel tools. If you're trying to find award space on Qatar Airways, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, or Virgin Atlantic, head over to AwardTravelFinder.com — it's one of the best ways to search flight and hotel award availability across multiple programs at once. And if you don't want to miss a points deal, alerts.AwardTravelFinder.com will notify you the moment something drops. Worried about long security lines before your trip? FlightQueue.com shows you estimated wait times at security and passport control so you can plan accordingly. Check the show notes for links to all eight of our travel tools — there's something useful for every type of traveler.

Alright, let's get into today's news.

First up — and this one stings a little — American Airlines has quietly changed its twenty-four-hour refund policy, and not in your favor. Previously, American allowed a full cash refund within twenty-four hours of booking, as long as you ticketed at least two days before departure. That was more generous than required. Now, American has tightened it to match Department of Transportation regulations exactly: you only get that full refund window if you book at least seven days before departure. So if you book a last-minute rescue flight — say, you missed your original connection or plans changed suddenly — and you change your mind within hours, you're no longer getting a cash refund. You'd get a travel credit instead. The tip here: if you're booking last-minute and aren't certain you'll travel, consider booking through an online travel agency like Expedia, which may still offer a twenty-four-hour cancellation window regardless of how close to departure you are. Delta, for what it's worth, remains the most generous among the big carriers — they allow that refund window even on day-of bookings.

Next, let's talk about Marriott, which had quite a few headlines this week — and honestly, none of them are great news for loyal Bonvoy members. Story number one: Marriott is building its own artificial intelligence search tool in partnership with Google and OpenAI, and their CEO teased that they plan to reward AI travel agents who recommend Marriott properties. It sounds futuristic, but here's the catch — if an AI agent is choosing where you stay, who's making sure you're getting your elite benefits, your suite upgrades, your points? The handoff of loyalty to an algorithm raises a lot of questions that haven't been answered yet. Watch this space closely if you're a Bonvoy member.

Story number two from Marriott: the hotel giant is essentially airlinifying its booking model. Their new reservation system will allow them to merchandise individual room attributes — think views, higher floors, specific bed types, dining, spa access — the same way airlines sell seat upgrades and extras. More choice sounds great in theory, but every attribute that gets a price tag is one less thing included in your stay. And critically, every suite that gets sold as a paid upgrade is one fewer suite available to honor elite status upgrades. If you're a Titanium or Ambassador member counting on those perks, this trend is not your friend. Our tip: book direct, use your status proactively, and consider reaching out to properties in advance to lock in benefits before the upsell machine goes fully live.

Now for some genuinely exciting news for points enthusiasts: Alaska's loyalty program — now rebranded as Atmos Rewards, formerly Mileage Plan — is running a buy points promotion through the twentieth of August twenty twenty-six. The top offer gets you a one hundred percent bonus, meaning you can acquire points for as little as one point eight eight cents each. Alaska Atmos Rewards is one of the better programs to buy into strategically — they allow stopovers on one-way awards, have a broad partner network including Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, and Qantas, and have some of the best short-haul premium cabin redemption rates out there. That said, only buy if you have a specific redemption in mind. Don't speculate. And note: American Airlines has reportedly been pulling saver award space from partner programs within six days of departure, so factor that in if American redemptions are your goal.

Speaking of Atmos Rewards, the Atmos Rewards Ascent Visa Signature credit card currently has a strong welcome offer: earn seventy thousand bonus points plus a ninety-nine dollar Companion Fare after spending two thousand five hundred dollars in the first ninety days. Based on current valuations, that's worth over eleven hundred dollars combined. The companion fare works for one-way or round-trip Alaska or Hawaiian flights, and the ninety-nine dollar cost is a serious deal if you're traveling with someone. This card has a ninety-five dollar annual fee, so the first-year value proposition is hard to beat. If you want to grab this card, click the link in the show notes.

Now let's talk Chase Ink cards, because there are two very compelling no-annual-fee business cards getting a lot of attention right now: the Ink Business Cash and the Ink Business Unlimited. Both currently offer a one thousand dollar welcome bonus — yes, you heard that right, one thousand dollars — after spending eight thousand dollars in the first four months. On a no-annual-fee card, that is genuinely extraordinary. The real difference is how each card earns. The Ink Business Cash gives you five times points on internet, phone services, cable, and office supplies — up to twenty-five thousand dollars per year — which is an incredible return. The Ink Business Unlimited earns a flat one and a half times points on everything, making it great if your spending doesn't fit neatly into categories. Both cards can be converted to full Chase Ultimate Rewards points if you hold a premium Chase card like the Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve. One important caveat: Chase's terms suggest you may only be eligible for the welcome bonus on one of the two cards, not both. So choose wisely based on your spending patterns. Both cards are in the show notes — click the link to learn more and apply.

On the hotel front, Hilton has cut the loyalty fees that hotel owners pay — and that sounds like a cost-saving measure, but here's why it matters to you: those fees are essentially how Hilton Honors points redemptions get funded. Lower fees mean less money in the pool, which historically means one thing — devaluations. Hilton Honors redemptions have already become significantly more expensive over the years, and this move suggests that trend will continue. On a more positive note, Hilton is launching a program called Hilton Rise that gives hotels fee discounts for achieving good customer satisfaction scores, which is a smart incentive. But overall, if you're sitting on a big stash of Hilton Honors points, consider using them sooner rather than later.

Also worth a quick mention: Wyndham Rewards is running a buy points promotion through the fourteenth of August, offering up to a ninety percent bonus, bringing the cost down to about zero point six eight cents per point. Wyndham points are worth roughly zero point seven cents each in our estimation, so you're essentially buying at fair value. This only makes sense if you have a specific property in mind — maybe topping off your balance for a stay over peak dates when cash prices are high. Note also that Wyndham is updating its award chart on the thirtieth of September, adding a new top tier at forty-five thousand points per night, so check what tier your target hotel falls into before you buy.

Finally, some fun news: Allegiant Air — yes, the ultra-low-cost carrier — is launching a first class cabin called Allegiant First, debuting in spring twenty twenty-seven. Eight seats, two rows, thirty-seven inches of pitch, priority boarding, and bags included. And starting right now — August first — Allegiant is offering free non-alcoholic drinks in economy. It's a small thing, but it signals a big shift in how budget carriers are thinking about the passenger experience. We're watching this space closely.

And on the points-buying front, keep in mind that our tool at AwardTravelFinder.com can help you find the best redemptions for any points you purchase — whether that's Alaska Atmos, Wyndham, or anything else.

That's a wrap on today's episode of Miles and Points Daily. Thank you so much for listening — it genuinely means the world to us. If you found today's episode useful, please subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, leave us a review if you're feeling generous, and visit us at milesandpointsdaily.com for more tips, deals, and analysis every single day. Until next time, keep collecting, keep redeeming, and travel smarter.