👋 Hi Reader,

Happy Saturday! Here are some highlights from today's newsletter:

• 🏛 How to focus on what matters and let go of the rest
• 🛫 Last call: Southwest Companion pass with 120K bonus
• 💼 $4,000 worth of business bank bonuses
• 💺 Flight deals to Europe, Latin America & more
• 🔗 $1,000+ in savings with card-linked offers
• 💳 90K welcome bonus on the new Citi AAdvantage card
• 🤝🏻 New JetBlue x United partnership: Blue Sky
• 🤩 Freebies: Double ShackBurger, Dunkin, Apple TV+
• 🚗 Earn up to 5% back with Lyft Cash Rewards and more!

One small favor: if you enjoyed reading, please forward this email to someone else who might too! And if that's you, make sure to subscribe here. Thanks so much in advance!

Chris

🏛 How to Focus on What Matters and Let Go of the Rest

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Discover why Stoicism matters more than ever and how to make it part of your daily life with tips from the one of the most influential modern Stoics, Ryan Holiday. We share practical ways to focus on what you can control, build resilience, and cultivate the four Stoic virtues.

🔒 Protect Your Points & Miles Today

Today’s newsletter is brought to you by… Protect Your Points

I’ve used credit card points to take some incredible vacations that would’ve cost thousands — savings that made trips possible for my family. But a bill in Congress, the Durbin Marshall Bill, could put rewards like these at risk.

The law would require banks to enable multiple networks to process payments. Supporters say it lowers costs, but when debit fees were capped in 2010, debit rewards vanished, checking account fees rose and a Richmond Fed study found that 98% of merchants either kept prices the same or raised them. The real winners are more likely to be large retailers than consumers.

To keep your rewards, visit Protect Your Points and tell Congress to vote no.

📋 My Past Week

With my wife's recovery, there hasn't been much time to do things I'd typically share here, but here's a short recap of what I've been up to:

• That said, I took my daughters to Disney on Ice (Frozen + Encanto) last weekend and it was so fun. We all had such a great time and 5th row tickets were < $50 each. Highly recommend if it's coming to somewhere nearby and your kids might enjoy it.
• I'm currently at a points & miles conference (Chicago Seminars) for the weekend and will be giving a presentation about my top 5 mistakes playing the points game and I'm hoping to turn the talk into a future podcast episode, so stay tuned for that.

🛫 Travel, Points & Miles

💺 Flight Deals to Europe, Latin America & More

If you have upcoming travel, make sure to check out these flight deals to maximize your savings.

• 30% off award flights to Latin America and Europe using Avianca LifeMiles. Book before 10/28 for travel between 10/22 and 1/31/26.
• Up to 25% off Turkish Airlines flights with promo code START2FLY. Book before 10/30 for travel between 10/21 and 3/17/26.
• Award flight to Chile in business class from 50K Atmos points​. Travel dates are between October and December 2025.
• Award flight to Germany in business class from 54K Atmos points. Travel dates are between May and September 2026.
• Award flight to Switzerland in business class from 60K Aeroplan points. Travel dates are between November 2025 and August 2026.
• Award flight to Poland in business class from 70K Aeroplan points​. Travel dates are between October 2025 and March 2026.

💳 Last Call for 120k Points + SW Companion Pass

The welcome offer of 120,000 points after a $10k spend in 3 months on this ​co-branded Southwest business card​​ will be ending on 10/28.

The best part is that you can leverage this bonus to earn a Southwest Companion Pass (valid for 2 years). Once you ​apply for this card​​, you can complete the $10k minimum spend in January and secure the Companion Pass for 2026 and 2027.

You can read more about how to earn a 2-year Southwest Companion Pass with this bonus on this blog post I wrote ​here​.

🔄 Transfer Bonuses to United, Southwest & Qantas

Three transfer bonuses to share, but I wouldn’t transfer points unless you have a redemption in mind, though the Southwest deal is notable if you fly Southwest a lot. Expiration dates in parentheses.

• Hotel points → United: 25% bonus (10/31). The only transfer that's worth considering is Marriott, where you get 35K United miles when you transfer 60K Marriott points.
• Popular Bank → Southwest: 25% bonus (11/6). This is a rare transfer bonus that could result in ≥1.5¢/point value.
• Citi → Qantas: 20% bonus (11/8). This is a niche program but could be valuable if you're strategic.

💳 Amex Biz Gold adds $150 Squarespace Credit

The Amex Business Gold now has a $150 calendar year credit for Squarespace, which is a platform for building and hosting websites. It's also the domain hosting provider that Google Domains transitioned to, so I'm hoping I can use my $150 credit to cover all my domain fees each year. Note that enrollment on the Amex site/app is required.

🏨 Hotel Promos: Hyatt, IHG, Accor & Wyndham

Here are a few other ways to save or maximize earnings through travel.

• Accor: Earn 2x points on 2+ night stays at properties in the US, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, Panama, & Brazil. Register here and book before 1/15/26 for stays between 10/15, 2025 and 3/31/26.
• Wyndham: 15% off + 1,000 points for military members when they use code 1000022313. Book before 12/8 and complete the stay by 12/31.
• Wyndham: Earn 2x points (up to 15K annually) and free Gold elite status as a truck driver. Register here.

The two promos below are targeted, so check your email to see if you're eligible.

• Hyatt: Earn up to 30,000 bonus points from 3x points on qualifying 2+ night stays. Register here before 12/1 and complete your stays within 90 days.
• IHG: Earn up to 20,000 bonus points when you spend on an eligible co-branded IHG credit card. Activate your offer before 1/15/26 and make eligible purchases between 10/15 and 1/15/26.

🚗 Earn up to 5% Back with Lyft Cash Rewards

The new Lyft Cash Rewards program will allow riders to earn up to 5% cash back on rides by setting up auto-reload for their Lyft Cash balance. The $25 reload offers 2% back, the $50 reload provides 4% back plus relaxed cancellation fees, and the $100 reload gives 5% back with free XL upgrades. However, these perks are currently available for select riders nationwide and for all riders from San Francisco.

🤝🏻 New JetBlue x United Partnership: Blue Sky

JetBlue and United have launched their new 'Blue Sky' partnership, allowing TrueBlue and MileagePlus members to earn and redeem points across both airlines. I'm most excited to be able to finally start using my JetBlue points on United flights (since there aren't a lot of JetBlue flights from the Bay Area). I'm also curious to see what the reciprocal elite perks will be when those get announced next year.

🤑 Latest Deals

🔗 Card-Linked Offers: $1,000+ in Savings

Card-linked offers are a great way to maximize your savings, so here are some I found this week with expiration dates in parentheses.

• Grocery/Gas: Up to $7 with 10% back (10/31)
• Uber: Up to $10 with 10% back​ (11/12)
• Lyft: Up to $10 with 10% back (11/15)
• Homes & Villas by Marriott: $250 off $1,000+ (11/19)
• Delta Gift Cards: Up to 10K miles with a Delta Amex (11/30)
• Sonesta: $60 off $300 (12/13)
• Adobe: Up to 10K points on eligible purchases (12/31)
• ANA: 30K points after spending $2,500 (12/31)
• Best Western: $50 off $250 (12/31)
• Delta Airlines: $80 off $400 (12/31)
• Shell: Up to $4.50 with 10% back​ (12/31)
• Omni Hotels: $100 off $500+ (1/15/26)
• Amazon: $15 off with code AMEXQ4ABC15 and an Amex

Some of these offers are targeted, so I recommend using CardPointers Pro (get 30% off here) to automate these offers.

💼 $4,000 Worth of Business Bank Bonuses

• Up to $1,500 from US Bank: When you open a new U.S. Bank Business Essentials® account or Platinum Business Checking with promo code Q4PRO25 before 1/14/26 and complete the required activities.
• Up to $1,000 from Capital One: Open a Business Checking account with promo code BIZBONUS1000 before 10/31 and complete the qualifying requirements.
• Up to $1,000 from Huntington: When you open an Unlimited Plus Business Checking (before 2/16/26) with a qualifying deposit and maintain it for 90 days.
• $500 from Bluevine: When you open a new Bluevine Business Checking account with referral code NW500 before 1/31/26 and complete the eligibility requirements.

📈 1-2% Crypto/Cash Bonus with Kraken (12mo Hold)

The Kraken crypto exchange currently has a 1-2% match on cash and/or crypto deposits >$1k made this month. All deposits need to be held through 11/1/26 and prior enrollment is required. If it looks like the 2% level was going to be hit (and my my crypto wasn't locked up for a year at Robinhood from a bonus earlier this year), I'd probably be doing this one. Also note that according to this DoC post, you might be able to get an extra 0.5% by signing up for Kraken+.

☕ Free Dunkin' Coffee (Any Size!)

Get a free Dunkin' hot or iced coffee of any size when you use promo code THANKYOUSPIDEY before 10/30. Cold brew, nitro cold brew espresso beverage and frozen coffee are excluded from this promo.

🍔 BOGO Free Double ShackBurger

Until 10/31, you can get a Double ShackBurger from Shake Shack when you order online using the promo code SPOOKY.

🌯 $10 Off Chipotle When You Build Your Own Item

Chipotle is offering $10 off when you use promo code TRYBYOC to build your own menu item online or in the app. This offer is valid until 12/31 or until 500K redemptions, whichever comes first.

💳 Link Discover Card to Digital Wallet & Get $10 Back

Select Discover cardholders can earn $10 cash back by using their card with a digital wallet including Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Garmin Pay, and in-store with Google Pay. You have to complete 5 separate purchases of $20 before 12/30 to qualify.

📺 Free Apple TV+ with Amex Platinum Card

Apple and NBC just launched a new Apple TV+ & Peacock bundle, and if you subscribe through Peacock, it should trigger your Amex Platinum$25 monthly entertainment credit, making Apple TV+ free. And if you already have Walmart+, you can get Peacock free there and use your Amex credit on something else like YouTube Premium or Disney+.

🎯 Free 1 Year Target Circle 360 Membership (Targeted)

Some Target Circle 360 members are getting an offer for a free 1 year membership if they turn on the auto-renew feature. Check your account to see if you’re eligible and activate the offer before 11/8.

💰 Marriott/Hyatt/IHG Hotel Points on Sale

I don't recommend buying points without a plan to use them, but if you have a redemption in mind or are very familiar with the program, here are some deals to consider. Expiration dates are in parentheses.

• IHG: 0.5¢ pp with a 100% bonus (10/29)
• Marriott: ​0.89¢ pp​ with a 40% bonus (12/7)
• World of Hyatt: 2.08¢ pp with a 20% bonus (12/20)

🕵️ Top Finds

📺 Show Recommendation: The Rainmaker

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There aren't too many shows out right now, but we recently enjoyed Season 1 of The Rainmaker, a legal drama about a young lawyer taking on a high-stakes wrongful-death case. It's available to stream on Peacock (which might be free, see above).

🤿 A Guide to Award Diving: Top 10 Destinations

If you're a fan of scuba diving and award travel, this guide written by a part-time marine scientist and instructor is really great. It's written so comprehensively with insights on what to expect underwater, difficulty levels, health of the sites, costs, and accommodation options, especially using points!

💬 Parting Thoughts

As always, thanks so much for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s newsletter, and if you enjoyed it, please let me know why! Or if you have suggestions for a future newsletter, please share those as well. Thanks!

Chris