Southwest rewrote Rapid Rewards for 2027, and card welcome bonuses stop counting toward the Companion Pass unless you’re approved by December 2, 2026. United also dropped flight counts from Premier status, and Amex stopped pooling points from new cards.
Below is every deal, deadline and rule change TravelPointsPro tracked from October 11 to October 17, each one linked to its source. Fifteen deadlines fall between October 18 and November 14, so start with the table.
The short version
- A Southwest card approved by December 2, 2026 still counts its welcome bonus toward the Companion Pass. From 2027 the pass requires 140,000 tier qualifying points or 100 flights.
- United drops Premier qualifying flights on January 1, 2027, and 1K rises from 28,000 to 32,000 PQP.
- Amex now opens a separate Membership Rewards account for each new card. If you cancel a card before you link its account, you lose its points.
- Aeroplan is selling points at about 1.38 cents each with a 90% bonus through October 29.
- Rove added JetBlue at 1:1 with a 20% bonus through November 14, so 10,000 Rove Miles become 12,000 TrueBlue points.
Deadlines this week
The first five rows close by Wednesday, October 21. The Southwest card cutoff on December 2 sits outside the table, but it’s the date most readers should put on a calendar.
| Deal | Details | Ends |
|---|---|---|
| SAS EuroBonus award sale | 20% off awards for travel November 1 to March 31, so business class between the U.S. and Scandinavia drops from 60,000 to 48,000 points (Frequent Miler). | October 18, 2026 |
| Qatar Airways buy Avios | Up to a 60% bonus, about 1.44 cents per Avios, targeted (Upgraded Points). | October 19, 2026 |
| Alaska Atmos Rewards buy points | Up to a 120% bonus, about 1.71 cents per point, targeted (Upgraded Points). | October 19, 2026 |
| Avianca LifeMiles buy miles | Up to a 145% bonus, the same price as September’s sale (LoyaltyLobby). | October 20, 2026 |
| Capital One to British Airways | 20% transfer bonus to Avios. Some trackers list October 31, so check your account before you wait (Frequent Miler). | October 21, 2026 |
| American Elevated Instant Status Pass | Delta, United, Southwest and JetBlue elites get one tier above the usual match, if their company has an AAdvantage Business Select relationship with American (American’s terms). | October 23, 2026, 11:59 p.m. CT |
| Citi to Avianca LifeMiles | 25% transfer bonus on ThankYou points. | October 24, 2026 |
| Aeroplan points sale | Up to a 90% bonus from 80,000 points, about 1.38 cents per point, targeted. | October 29, 2026 |
| Southwest buy points | 50% off Rapid Rewards points, about 1.5 cents each, targeted (Upgraded Points). | October 29, 2026 |
| Amex to Aeromexico | 20% transfer bonus on Membership Rewards points. | October 30, 2026 |
| Singapore KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes | 30% off Saver awards for November travel, with Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle to Singapore at 30,800 miles in economy (Singapore Airlines). | Book by October 31, 2026 |
| Amex to Flying Blue | 25% transfer bonus on Membership Rewards points. | October 31, 2026 |
| Southwest card hotel promo | 2X Companion Pass qualifying points on hotels and lodging for Southwest cardholders (Frequent Miler). | October 31, 2026 |
| Hyatt and Aeroplan dual earning | Register to earn 1.5 Aeroplan points per $1 on Hyatt stays through February 14, 2027 (The Points Guy). | Register by November 11, 2026 |
| Rove to JetBlue TrueBlue | 1:1 with a 20% launch bonus. Rove’s announcement says the offer is a “20% transfer bonus through November 14, 11:59 p.m. ET” (Rove). | November 14, 2026 |
Rove’s bonuses to Japan Airlines (50%), Flying Blue (40%) and Qatar (up to 35%) and Citi’s bonus to Qatar also run to October 31, per Frequent Miler’s last-chance list.
New & elevated card offers
- HSBC raised the Elite card to 75,000 points ($495 fee) and the Premier to 60,000 points ($95 fee), each after $4,000 of spend in 3 months. You need HSBC Premier checking, and applications close January 15, 2027 (HSBC Elite).
- Amex’s Blue Business Plus pays 50,000 points and the Blue Business Cash pays $500, each after $5,000 of spend in 3 months (Frequent Miler). Link the new account to your other cards first, for the reason in our Amex accounts post.
- The Barclays Mastercard Black Card pays 75,000 points after $6,000 of spend and paying the $699 fee in full, both within 90 days. Points are worth 2 cents toward airfare (Luxury Card). We’d pass unless you’d use both the $200 airline and $100 dining credits.
- The Verizon Visa pays $150 with no minimum spend, and FNBO’s new no-fee Complete Rewards Visa pays $150 with 5x on travel (Doctor of Credit).
- Chase is targeting United Explorer and Quest holders with upgrade offers of 15,000 miles, or $150 on the Explorer, through December 31 (Upgraded Points). Our United Saver awards post explains what a United card gets you on award seats.
Devaluations & program changes
- Southwest’s 2027 overhaul moves the Companion Pass to tier qualifying points (TQPs). Southwest’s Companion Pass page lists “new Cardmember welcome bonuses, referral bonuses, anniversary points, and bonus points from spend” among the activities that stop counting. A-List becomes Silver at 35,000 TQPs, and a new Platinum tier at 140,000 TQPs includes the pass.
- United drops flight counts from Premier status on January 1, 2027. Silver, Gold and Platinum stay at 6,000, 12,000 and 18,000 PQP, while 1K rises to 32,000 PQP (United).
- Amex no longer pools points from new cards. Each new card gets its own Membership Rewards account, and you link them under Manage Connections (Amex terms).
- The Amex Business Gold’s 4X advertising category covers only Amazon, GoDaddy, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Yelp from February 17, 2027. Wireless narrows to 11 named carriers, including AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon (Doctor of Credit).
- Hyatt points transfers moved online on October 15. Each account can send up to 525,000 points a year in up to six gifts, with no fee (World of Hyatt).
- Hyatt Explorists and Globalists can take a 90-day Aeroplan status challenge. Explorists need 8,000 status qualifying credits on Air Canada flights for Aeroplan 25K (Air Canada).
- Citi extended the AAdvantage Business Loyalty Points match to December 31, 2028, and now warns Strata applicants before they submit if they can’t get the bonus.
- Langham’s Brilliant program stops earning points on January 12, 2027, and members have until January 11, 2028 to redeem what’s left (Brilliant by Langham).
- Lufthansa no longer gives Senators and HON Circle members free seat selection on Economy Light fares (LoyaltyLobby).
- A leak says Amex plans to add a two-night minimum to the Platinum hotel credit. Amex hasn’t confirmed it, so we’re not changing any advice yet (Frequent Miler).
Worth a read / deeper dives
- Southwest Card Bonuses Stop Counting Toward the Companion Pass. Get approved by December 2.
- Amex Now Puts Each New Card’s Points in Its Own Account. Link them before you cancel anything.
- Rove Miles Now Transfer to JetBlue at 1:1.2 Until November 14. We price a Mint seat with and without the bonus.
- Hyatt Points Transfers Are Now Online, With a 525,000-Point Yearly Cap.
- Aeroplan Points Drop to 1.38 Cents Through October 29. Buy only for a seat you’ve found.
- Hyatt Explorists Can Now Earn Aeroplan 25K in 90 Days. It takes about US$1,400 of Air Canada Flex fares.
- United Status Gets Harder to Earn in 2027. A United card raises your odds of a Saver seat.
- United Is Dropping Flight Counts From Premier Status in 2027.
- How to Use seats.aero to Find Award Flights. Our beginner’s guide to free alerts and the $9.99 PRO plan.
- The Venture X One-Card Strategy. 2 miles per dollar on everything for $395.
- Targeted Amex Offer Pays Up to 20,000 Hilton Points.
- Citi AAdvantage Business Employee Spending Now Counts Through 2028.
- Choice Privileges Now Lets You Share Points for Free.
- Citi Now Tells You Before You Apply If You Can’t Get the Strata Bonus.
What to watch next week
Five deadlines land by Wednesday, October 21: the SAS award sale, the Qatar, Atmos and LifeMiles sales, and Capital One’s Avios bonus. American’s elevated status pass closes Friday, October 23.
We’re also watching for Amex to confirm or deny the Platinum hotel credit change. Southwest still hasn’t said how a bonus earned in early 2027 counts once the old qualifying points retire.
The bottom line
If a Companion Pass is in your plans, apply for a Southwest card before December 2, 2026 and finish the spend early. After that date, a welcome bonus helps only with free flights, not with the pass.
The Aeroplan sale is the week’s best buy for a booked trip. Our Aeroplan sale post prices 80,000 purchased points at about US$2,100 for 152,000 points. That covers two 60,000-point one-way business seats to Europe at 1.38 cents a point, well under the 2.0 cents we value Amex points at in how much points are worth. Without a seat already found, skip it, since Aeroplan runs a sale every month or two.
FAQ
What is the most urgent deal this week?
The SAS EuroBonus award sale ends October 18, 2026, with business class between the U.S. and Scandinavia at 48,000 points. Qatar’s and Atmos Rewards’ points sales follow on October 19.
Do Southwest credit card bonuses still count toward the Companion Pass?
Only for cards approved on or before December 2, 2026. From January 1, 2027, the pass requires 140,000 tier qualifying points or 100 flights, and new welcome bonuses don’t count.
What changed with United Premier status?
From January 1, 2027, United counts only PQP toward Premier status. Silver, Gold and Platinum stay at 6,000, 12,000 and 18,000 PQP, and 1K rises to 32,000 PQP.
How long does the Rove to JetBlue transfer bonus last?
Rove’s 20% bonus runs through November 14, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET, so 10,000 Rove Miles become 12,000 TrueBlue points.
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