Weekly Recap: Feb 17–23 — Chase UR Restricted, Hilton NLLs & Alaska Award Sale
Chase is ending external account transfers for Ultimate Rewards on March 27, Amex Hilton NLL bonuses are live up to 175K, and Alaska's award sale ends Friday.
A busy week with a mix of must-act-now news and longer-term program changes to watch. The headline is Chase's upcoming Ultimate Rewards overhaul, but Amex dropped some strong Hilton NLL offers and there's an Alaska award sale closing this Friday that deserves your attention.
Credit Card & Program News
Bank of America Preferred Rewards Gets Quietly Nerfed
Bank of America is raising the asset threshold for its top-tier 75% rewards bonus from $100,000 to $1 million, effective May 2026. This is a significant blow — the combination of a $100K balance with the Unlimited Cash Rewards card produced roughly 2.625% back on all purchases, one of the best flat-rate earners around. If you're currently in Platinum Honors and built your strategy around this, now is the time to revisit where those assets are parked.
United Airlines Splits Its Flyers in Two
Starting April 2, United is introducing a tiered earning structure based on whether you hold a Chase United co-brand card. Chase cardholders (like those with the United Explorer or United Quest) get better paid ticket earning, 10–15% lower award prices, and improved premium cabin availability. Everyone else sees decreased earning with nothing in return. If you fly United regularly without a co-brand card, this is a meaningful nudge to reconsider your setup — or your airline.
TSA PreCheck and Global Entry Briefly Paused, Then Reversed
DHS announced a temporary suspension of TSA PreCheck and Global Entry enrollment Saturday morning, citing staffing constraints — despite these programs being user-fee funded, not taxpayer-funded. The decision was reversed after swift public pushback. Your existing membership is unaffected, but the episode is worth monitoring. New enrollments may face uncertainty if this comes up again.
Signup Bonuses
Amex Hilton NLLs Are Back — All Three Cards
Amex released no-lifetime language (NLL) targeted offers for all three personal Hilton cards this week:
- Hilton Honors American Express Card: 70,000 points + free night after $2,000 spend in 6 months
- Hilton Honors Surpass: 130,000 points + free night after $3,000 spend in 6 months
- Hilton Honors Aspire: 175,000 points after $6,000 spend in 6 months
NLL means you can earn the bonus even if you've held the card before — a meaningful loophole for anyone who has already cycled through these products. Note that referral links don't carry NLL yet; check targeted offers in your Amex account or via CardMatch. The Aspire in particular is worth jumping on if you've been watching for eligibility — 175K points plus Diamond status and a $400 resort credit is a compelling package.
Bank of America Alaska Airlines Atmos Business Card: 85,000 Miles
The Alaska Atmos business card is offering 85,000 bonus miles after $5,000 in spend, plus a companion fare certificate. The card earns 3x miles on Alaska purchases, includes first checked bag for you and up to six companions, and carries a $95 annual fee. A solid offer for building an Alaska Mileage Plan balance — especially if you're planning to use that balance on the award sale below.
Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Premier: 100,000 Points
Wells Fargo is offering elevated 100,000-point signup bonuses on Autograph Journey card variants through their mobile app for Premier banking clients — compared to the standard 60,000-point offer. A separate $2,500 Wells Fargo Premier banking bonus is also available through April 14 if you're considering opening a banking relationship there.
Transfer Bonuses & Partners
Amex MR → Avianca LifeMiles: 15% Transfer Bonus
American Express is offering a 15% bonus on Membership Rewards transfers to Avianca LifeMiles through March 28. LifeMiles is underused by many points collectors but opens up some genuinely strong Star Alliance redemptions: United transcons in business class, Lufthansa, and select ANA routing. If you have an MR stash and a specific redemption in mind, the math on this bonus is worth running before the window closes.
Program Changes
Chase Ultimate Rewards: External Account Transfers Ending March 27
This is the week's most consequential story. Starting March 27, Chase will no longer allow Ultimate Rewards points to be deposited to external bank accounts. Cash-equivalent redemptions will be limited to statement credits or deposits into Chase-held accounts. Hotel and airline transfer partners are completely unaffected — this is strictly about cash-out behavior. If you've been treating UR as a flexible cash product for external accounts, you have about five weeks to adjust your approach.
Airline & Hotel Deals
Alaska Airlines Coach Award Sale to Europe & Asia — Book by Friday
Alaska is offering discounted coach awards for travel through May 12, but you must book by February 27. Standout pricing:
- Helsinki, Copenhagen, Vienna: 17,500–20,000 miles
- Hokkaido (Japan): 20,000 miles
- Munich, Prague: 30,000 miles
These are legitimately excellent rates for transatlantic travel. Helsinki and Copenhagen at 17,500 miles is hard to beat. If you have Alaska miles sitting idle, this is worth opening a browser for today.
Chase Sapphire Reserve: 50% Off Function Health
CSR cardholders can get 50% back — up to $182.50 — on Function Health annual memberships through March 31. Function Health offers comprehensive bloodwork and biomarker tracking. If you've been eyeing the service, this cuts the $365/year cost nearly in half. Not for everyone, but a nice benefit for cardholders already interested in proactive health monitoring.
More This Week
The Information Hierarchy Problem
A thought-provoking piece on how information flows through the points community — the argument being that publicly promoted deals are usually downstream of higher-tier private knowledge, meaning you're often acting on the leftovers. Worth keeping in mind when evaluating any deal you see promoted widely, including in roundups like this one.
United TravelBank Credit Delays
There's an ongoing situation with Amex airline incidental credits being slow to reimburse United TravelBank purchases. The tone should be measured: don't panic, but be aware of delays if you're relying on this credit for time-sensitive travel. Similar situations have resolved previously; it's a watch item, not an alarm.
Card Curator Take
The Chase Ultimate Rewards change is the week's must-know item, even though it's not a rewards devaluation in the traditional sense. Your transfer partner relationships are intact — this is specifically about cash-out mechanics. The practical impact is real, though: if you've optimized your UR strategy around depositing to external savings accounts, that window closes March 27. The silver lining is that transfer partners have always been the better play for value, so this might just push more people toward using points the way they're best used.
The Amex Hilton NLLs and the Alaska award sale are the two most actionable items this week. NLL offers on all three Hilton cards don't come around constantly, and the Aspire's combination of Diamond status and resort credits makes it one of the most value-dense welcome bonuses available right now. As for Alaska — Helsinki or Copenhagen for 17,500 miles is the kind of rate that makes you book a trip you weren't planning. The booking deadline is Friday, so don't let this one sit in a tab.
Use Card Curator to track how these changes affect your wallet.