Which Points Suit Your Style?

How the issuers stack up in 2026

May 10, 2026

In the past year, the points world has changed dramatically. Almost every issuer has launched an ultra-premium card, Bilt rolled out Bilt 2.0, Citi added American Airlines as a transfer partner, Hyatt gutted parts of its award chart, and Chase axed its portal booking bonus—just to name a few.

After all that chaos, however, I think the major points systems have settled into pretty distinct lanes:

  • Maximum simplicity → Capital One

  • Maximum value → Bilt + Atmos

  • Couponing for value flights and luxury perks → Amex + Delta

  • Rewards for high spending → Chase + United

  • Big value on budget hotels → Wells Fargo

  • Balance of all of the above → Citi + American

This is an oversimplification, of course, and there’s plenty of room to mix and match ecosystems (I certainly do). But, more than I can ever recall before, each points program offers something distinct and valuable. 

Want the full breakdown? This week’s post is our lazy guide to finding the right points ecosystem for your travel style.

Quick Points of the Week ⚡

More value 📈

Earn Delta miles with Airbnb. It has long been possible to earn Delta SkyMiles on AirBnb stays, but now you can earn miles for up to ten days after linking accounts (and re-link anytime), plus extra miles for services and experiences. (Delta)

Rove adds Aeroplan as a transfer partner. The independent shopping and travel portal continues to add useful transfer partners, this time adding Air Canada and launching with a 25% transfer bonus. Get 1,500 miles for signing up via the link in the MilesTalk post. → (MilesTalk)

Giveaways 🎟️ 

AAdvantage Cruises Million Mile Giveaway. Sign up for promotional emails for a chance at miles or a cruise. (AAdvantage Cruises)

Run with Strava, win Virgin points. Okay, you have to run 20 miles, so it’s not exactly lazy, but if you’re already running… 👟 (Strava)

Devaluations 📉

Chase ends 10% anniversary bonus on Sapphire Preferred. This was a decent way to earn back a bit of that annual fee if you used the card heavily, so the loss stings. (Doctor of Credit)

Bilt Cash Grubhub rewards no longer work as gift cards. They’re now working (as originally intended) as promo codes that expire at the end of the month—making them impossible to stack, and increasing the risk that you could lose the value of that Bilt Cash entirely. (Frequent Miler)

Sign up bonuses of the week 🎯

Links marked with an * are affiliate or referral links, meaning we may earn if you apply via our link. 

If you’re feeling fancy, this week there were three big new bonuses on high-end premium cards. 

First, there’s the recently-refreshed JetBlue Premier, offering 100,000-point bonus after spending only $5,000 in the first 90 days. This might be the rare airline card that could make some sense for non-loyalists. As Frequent Miler breaks down here, for its $499 annual fee, you get a $300 credit for travel through JetBlue, and it’s a calendar year credit, meaning you could potentially use it in both 2026 and 2027 for up to $600 in credits during your first cardmember year. The card also has access to JetBlue’s lounge (soon to be “lounges”) and Priority Pass access, including the rare and valuable restaurant perk. Overall, that’s a solid first-year offer and the card could even be worth keeping after that for some people. 🔥 Just be careful: some people, including the airline’s founder, are worried about the airline’s financial future.

Next up, the Citi AA Executive is offering 100,000 miles after spending $10,000 in the first three months. That’s an extremely valuable bonus given the value of AAdvantage miles, but apart from Admirals club access, the card offers relatively few credits to offset its $595 fee, and the spending requirement is among the highest I’ve seen on a mainstream card.  

Finally, Amex’s Morgan Stanley and Schwab Platinum Cards are both offering 150,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $12,000 in the first 6 months. You’ll need an eligible account with Morgan Stanley or Schwab to get their cards, and might not be able to double-dip bonuses on these with other versions of the Platinum Card. These bonuses are lower than the regular Platinum’s maximum current offer of “as high as” 175,000, but if Amex lowballs you on a standard Platinum, it might make sense to pursue one of these. Additionally, the Morgan Stanley card offers one free authorized user, so if that perk is valuable to you (e.g. for lounge access for a spouse), it may be worth looking into. (h/t Frequent Miler)

Other great sign-up bonuses this week

50,000 points+ $300 Bilt Cash + Bilt Gold status on the Bilt Palladium (our take: 🔥🔥🔥🔥)

100k points + 25k companion discount on the Atmos Summit (our take: 🔥🔥🔥🔥)

150k points on the Chase Sapphire Reserve* (our take: 🔥🔥🔥)

185k points on the IHG Premier (our take: 🔥🔥🔥)

200k points on the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant (our take: 🔥🔥) Ends 5/13

80k points on the Atmos Ascent (our take: 🔥)

70-100k miles on United Credit Cards (our take: 🔥)

125k points on the IHG Traveler (our take: 🔥)

Up to 100/175k on the Amex Gold/Platinum (our take)

75k points on the Chase Sapphire Preferred* (our take)

Lazy Pick ✅ (Affiliate)

Rakuten’s “Big Give Week” is live. Through May 11, earn 15% cash back (or Amex or Bilt points) at hundreds of merchants, including certain Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo bookings. Don’t have a Rakuten account? You can sign up with our referral link and get $50 back after spending $50+ in the first 90 days. 

Enjoy the weekend! 🦥

See you on the trail for those Virgin miles. 👟

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