Hey listeners, Alex here, and welcome back to Credit Card Hacking 101: Maximizing Your Points.

Let’s jump right into what’s new this week in the points world, because there are some big moves you can actually use.

First, Chase drama. Chase quietly dialed back the guaranteed 2 cents-per-point redemptions at its luxury “The Edit” hotel collection for Sapphire Reserve cardholders. Some properties are now pricing closer to about 1.6 cents per point instead of that clean 2. The upside: Chase has said it will still honor the old 2-cent value if you book Edit stays through December 22 and then issue an adjustment after. So if you’ve been eyeing a splashy Edit hotel for 2026, this is your last-chance window to lock in old pricing with new points.

On the upside front, issuers are still throwing around huge welcome offers. Sites like DansDeals and Doctor of Credit have been flagging record-level bonuses, including things like 200,000-point offers on the new Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business, best-ever bonuses on United co-brands, and elevated Amex Gold and Business Platinum offers. If you’re under 5/24 and have a big spend coming up, this is prime “new card” season.

Now, let’s talk tech. One of the coolest releases this week is a new wave of AI-powered “card brain” tools baked into popular award search platforms. Several services have rolled out updates that let you plug in your cards and balances, then an AI engine suggests which card to use at each merchant and surfaces best-value award redemptions in real time—essentially a personal points strategist in your pocket. Think: you type “I want to fly to Tokyo in business next April,” and it tells you not just which programs have space, but whether you should transfer points or book through a portal based on your exact stash.

To bring this to life, here’s a listener story from this week. Jenna, a listener in Dallas, used a combo of that new AI tool plus the refreshed Sapphire Reserve benefits to book a five-night Edit stay in Europe. She saw the hotel had already dropped below 2 cents per point, but knew about the limited-time protection. She booked anyway, used her $500 Edit credit, and then got an adjustment to the full 2 cents-per-point value afterward. Net result: over $3,000 in luxury hotel for what she’d otherwise have spent on a long weekend in a basic chain property.

Quick Pro Tips This Week:

For beginners:
– If you don’t have a flexible points card yet, prioritize one of the big welcome bonuses while they’re historically high, but only if you can comfortably meet the minimum spend.
– Use one AI tool or app—not ten. Connect your cards and let it tell you which card to use at the grocery store, gas station, and online. Just doing that can boost your earnings 20–30 percent without changing your lifestyle.

For seasoned points pros:
– If you hold Sapphire Reserve, audit any Edit redemptions you’ve been considering and book before the 22nd if the numbers work. Certainty is disappearing; lock in the old game while you still can.
– With record business-card offers out, consider stacking a personal and a business card from different issuers to diversify your points and protect yourself from single-program devaluations.
– Watch for targeted Amex and Chase offers on cruises, premium hotels, and car rentals; stacking those with portal or shopping portal bonuses can double- or triple-dip your rewards.

Alright listeners, that’s it for this week’s rapid-fire points update. If you picked up a new tactic today, hit subscribe so you don’t miss the next episode. Please leave a quick review—it helps more listeners find the show—and send in your points questions or wildest travel hacking stories for a chance to be featured in an upcoming episode.

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