✈️ New program, new sweet spots

Estimated read time: 5 minutes and 3 seconds

☀️ Good morning from the Sapphire lounge in New York’s LaGuardia airport!

I’m waiting for Air Canada to decide if its plane will be flying today or not… but in the meantime, here are some nitty-gritty points and miles tips that I think you’ll be excited about:

• 🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday

• ✈️ Japan Airlines: The new sleeper hit for luxury flights

• 🧳 The best time to load up on travel gear

• 🔄 Turn hotel points into airline miles (with a bonus)

🤓 Travel Trivia Tuesday

The answer will be revealed in tomorrow’s newsletter, so check back! 😉

✈️ Japan Airlines: The new sleeper hit for luxury flights

Japan Airlines’ Mileage Bank (JMB) just became a whole lot more interesting.

It was recently added as a transfer partner for both Bilt and Capital One, which means we now have two entirely new ways to unlock crazy-good redemptions — especially if you move fast.

Here’s why:

• Bilt Rewards transfers 1:1 to JAL (great already).

• Capital One normally transfers at 2:1.5 (a 4:3 ratio), but until October 22, there’s a limited-time 30% transfer bonus — this means a 2:1.95 ratio (basically just barely under 1:1)

If you’ve recently signed up for a Capital One miles-earning card, this is a unicorn moment to scoop up JAL miles at full value before the bonus ends.

Emirates business class for less than Emirates itself

One of the most mind-blowing uses of JAL miles is on Emirates flights.

For example, JAL charges just 60,000 miles + $155 in taxes and fees to fly Emirates business class between Athens (ATH) and Newark (EWR) on the airline’s fifth-freedom route.

For reference, Emirates itself charges 87,000 miles + $474 for the exact same flight on the exact same day. 👇

That’s insane. Even on other routes (like Dubai (DXB) to Bangkok (BKK) for 42,500 miles in business), JAL beats almost everyone else’s pricing.

Japan Airlines business class to Japan (duh)

JAL is obviously also an incredible way to fly its own metal.

You can snag business class from any U.S. city to Japan for as little as 55,000 miles (or economy for just 27,000 miles) — and the taxes are super reasonable.

I found seats far in advance, like San Diego (SAN) to Tokyo (NRT) for 55,000 miles + $142 in fees next August and September.

That’s 11 hours in a full business-class suite for close to what some programs charge for the same route in economy.

LATAM’s fancy new Dreamliner suites

This one’s especially exciting because Atmos Rewards just axed its partnership with LATAM a few days ago.

But now, thanks to JAL, you can still book LATAM’s business-class suites (complete with closing doors and lie-flats on the 787 Dreamliner) for just 60,000 miles one-way from cities like New York (JFK) or Miami (MIA) to Santiago, Chile (SCL).

LATAM has an extensive route network around South America, so this is an excellent way to book an entire trip around the continent with your transferable points.

…and a whole network beyond Oneworld

Unlike most airline programs, JAL partners with a wild mix of airlines outside its alliance — Air France, Korean Air, JetBlue, Emirates, LATAM, and more.

So if none of the above routes are your jam, there’s probably still a killer sweet spot hiding somewhere.

With the Capital One transfer bonus expiring on October 22, now’s the time to:

1. Scope out routes (Emirates, JAL, LATAM, etc.).

2. Create a JAL account if you don’t have one.

3. Transfer miles while the 1:1 (ish) window is open.

This could easily be one of the best ways to fly some of the world’s most luxurious business-class cabins for pennies on the dollar.

Since JAL can be annoyingly complicated, reach out and let me know if you want me to record a video tutorial for finding and booking these flights. 🫡

🧳 The best time to load up on travel gear

Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days kicks off today (October 7) and runs through October 8 (tomorrow), bringing some of the year’s biggest discounts across travel tech, luggage, accessories, and… literally everything.

If you’ve been meaning to upgrade your gear — whether that’s better headphones, a new charger, or an upgraded suitcase — this is the perfect window to do it while prices are down.

🎧 My favorite pick: Apple AirPods Pro

The Apple AirPods Pro have been my go-to travel companion since they launched. They’re tiny enough to fit in my pocket, but the sound quality and noise cancellation rival over-ear headphones that take up ten times the space.

• Top-tier noise cancellation — perfect for flights or hotel walls that are a little too thin

• Pocket-sized design — ideal if you travel light

• Balanced sound, easy pairing, solid battery life — everything you want without compromise

Plus, if you have a newer iPhone, Apple recently added a live translation feature with AirPods Pro (both 2nd and 3rd generation), which can be super handy when traveling abroad.

If you’ve been holding off on upgrading your travel setup, this week’s sale is a great excuse to finally grab those long-awaited essentials — and save a little money while you’re at it.

🔄 Turn hotel points into airline miles (with a bonus)

United is running a 25% bonus this month when you transfer hotel points into MileagePlus miles (through October 31, 2025).

Lots of hotel programs are included, but the one that really matters here is Marriott Bonvoy — because Marriott already has a special partnership with United that makes this transfer path a lot juicier than usual.

Here’s the math:

• Normally, Marriott transfers at a 3:1 ratio (so 60,000 Marriott points = 20,000 airline miles).

• But Marriott sweetens the deal: for every 60k you transfer, you get a 10,000-mile bonus if you’re sending them to United (instead of the 5,000 you’d get with most other airlines).

  • That brings you to 30,000 United miles for every 60k Marriott points.

• With United’s current 25% bonus, the promo stacks on top of the base transfer.

  • That means:

    • 20,000 base miles + 25% (5,000 bonus) = 25,000

    • Add the normal bonus of 10,000 → 35,000 United miles per 60k Marriott points

Phew… sorry about the math… but that’s slightly better than a 2:1 ratio if you do it in 60k point chunks — not bad at all.

I recently signed up for the [[ marriott-bonvoy-brilliant-american-express-card.name ]], which had a welcome offer of 185,000 points after meeting the spend requirement (which ended last week, womp womp).

Even if I used 180,000 of those to transfer to United, I’d walk away with 105,000 United miles (and still have a few thousand Bonvoy points leftover).

That’s enough for four economy flights between the U.S. and Europe (or even a round trip in Premium Economy).

Of course, it’s not always the best play.

I personally prefer to use my Marriott stash for hotel stays (and Aeroplan points for Star Alliance flights), but if you’re a United loyalist with a heap of Marriott points, this is a totally valid option.

The promo runs through October 31, but the Marriott-to-United relationship (the extra 10k per 60k transfer) is always available.

Also, you need to register for this offer first, so don’t forget that important step. And if you want to rack up United miles the old-fashioned way, we’ve got you covered. 👇

That’s all for today, my friends! I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into a new transfer partner and are able to snag some epic business-class flights.

Until next time,

40.7766° N, 73.8742° W

With contributions by Tiffany Eastham, McKay Moffitt, and Benji Stawski