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| Points and miles news |
| by Brian Kelly |
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Hi everyone,
I’m currently in South Africa for the annual PeaceJam Conference, but I wanted to share a few things that have been on my mind this week while I’m traveling — from flying Qsuite for the first time in a long time to ways to earn rewards without a hefty annual fee.
Have a great weekend,
BK
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Flying Qsuite to Doha
I just flew Qsuite for the first time in years — and it was my first flight with Starlink internet. Qatar Airways’ Qsuite was revolutionary eight years ago when it launched, and it’s been a TPG Award winner several times. I’m happy to report that it’s as fabulous as it’s ever been!
Here are the top things I enjoyed about my flight:
- Blazing-fast Starlink Wi-Fi — faster than a lot of hotel Wi-Fi.
- You can combine seats into a double bed. The cabins are impeccably maintained — my Qsuite was gorgeous and comfortable. I slept seven of the 10 hours in flight.
- The cabin has personal air vents, which I love (I hate being hot on a plane!). These were the strongest ever — not your typical weak air vents.
- The inflight service was amazing and attentive.
- The lounge at Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH) was a great experience, and the six-hour layover flew by. There’s even a gym in the business-class lounge. DOH is a dream to connect through.
If you haven’t flown Qsuite yet, I highly recommend it — Qatar Airways is a member of Oneworld and uses Avios as its currency for Privilege Club. American Express Membership Rewards points transfer and Capital One and Bilt both recently added Qatar as a transfer partner, so there are many options for award redemptions.
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Earn rewards on a budget with no-annual-fee cards
Fun fact: I earn more points and miles on my business credit cards than I do on my personal credit cards.
My newest card is the Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ — Chase’s new premium business card — and it comes with a juicy limited-time offer of 200,000 bonus points after you spend $30,000 in the first six months of card membership.
My favorite bonus category to earn points is unlimited on this card — I earn 3 points per dollar spent on advertising purchases made with social media sites and search engines, with no cap.
But, for those who might not want to pay a higher annual fee for a premium card, there are some great options right now that also have limited-time welcome bonuses.
This is where the no-annual-fee card strategy comes into play, and it’s a great way to kick-start your points and miles earning. Did you know that you can still earn transferable rewards on cards that have no annual fee?
Two of my favorite cards earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which are versatile and offer many airline and hotel transfer partners to choose from.
Right now, both the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card and the Ink Business Cash® Credit Card are offering a $900 bonus (which you can turn into 90,000 points) after you spend $6,000 in the first three months from account opening.
The Ink Business Unlimited earns a flat rate of 1.5% cash back on all purchases and has benefits such as primary rental car insurance. The Ink Business Cash earns 5% cash back at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services; 2% cash back on gas and at restaurants on the first $25,000 spent on combined purchases each account anniversary year; and 1% on all other purchases.
And if you are unsure if you qualify for a business credit card, check out our guide — you might be surprised that even your side hustle could qualify you.
If you’re looking for a great transferable rewards-earning card with no annual fee, compare these two no-annual-fee cards side by side before these limited-time offers end.
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Exciting new limited-time offer of 100K points
There’s a great new bonus offer that can more than cover a first-class award seat to Australia, and it’s one of the easiest ways to earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles now. As many of you know, unicorn award space to Australia is tough to find, but there’s amazing availability right now!
Here’s a way to earn the American Airlines AAdvantage miles to book the trip:
Citi launched a new premium card in July (its first in years!) — the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card. And the welcome bonus was just increased from 80,000 bonus points to 100,000 bonus points for a limited time!
You can earn 100,000 bonus ThankYou Rewards points after spending $6,000 in the first three months after account opening. This bonus is worth $1,900 based on TPG’s October 2025 valuations.
I love my Citi Prestige (no longer available) from years ago, but I’m thinking about getting this card now, too, because of the ability to transfer points at a 1:1 ratio to American Airlines AAdvantage. American miles are among my most coveted right now and certainly the most valuable of all U.S. airlines, according to our valuations.
The card also offers up to $820 in first-year value from statement credits you’ll actually use:
- $300 annually on prepaid hotel stays booked with Citi Travel
- $200 annually ($100 biannually) with Blacklane
- Up to $120 every four years for Global Entry/TSA PreCheck
- $200 annual Splurge credit to use at American Airlines, Best Buy or Live Nation
Even if a first-class ticket to Australia isn’t on your radar, you can easily book domestic flights in the U.S. starting at 5,000 AAdvantage miles.
Check out this limited-time bonus offer before it ends.
The information for the Citi Prestige Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
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| Photo Credit: JONNO RATTMAN. |
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