Weekly Recap: Mar 23–29 — Citi Transfer Bonuses, Amex Graphite & Delta Asia Sale
Citi ThankYou scores big transfer bonuses to Virgin Atlantic and Avianca, Amex quietly launches the Graphite card, and Delta runs an Asia award sale.
A busy week in points land. Citi is running two solid transfer bonuses simultaneously — one of the better combinations we've seen in a while — while American Express slipped in a brand-new charge card that flew under the radar for most of the week. Delta is also dangling some attractive Asia award pricing if you've been sitting on SkyMiles. Here's everything that mattered.
Transfer Bonuses & Partners
Citi ThankYou: 30% Bonus to Virgin Atlantic, 25% to Avianca (Through April 18)
This is the most actionable news of the week. Citi is running concurrent transfer bonuses: 30% to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and 25% to Avianca LifeMiles, both active through April 18. That means 10,000 Citi ThankYou points becomes 13,000 Virgin points or 12,500 LifeMiles. Virgin Atlantic is a legitimate sweet spot for Delta premium cabin awards, and Avianca LifeMiles remains one of the better programs for Star Alliance redemptions. If you've been holding ThankYou points waiting for the right moment, this is a strong window to act. Citi Strata Premier is your best everyday earner if you want to build more before the deadline.
Bilt Now Transfers to Wyndham
Bilt added Wyndham as a transfer partner this week. Wyndham points (valued around 1.1¢) aren't the most exciting, but Wyndham has solid presence in the budget and mid-tier hotel space, and transferring Bilt Mastercard points 1:1 isn't terrible for those looking to book Wyndham properties without burning cash. More interesting as a sign that Bilt continues expanding its partner list — the program is still one of the best no-annual-fee ways to earn transferable points if you pay rent.
Credit Card & Program News
American Express Launches the Graphite Charge Card
Amex quietly dropped a new charge card this week: the American Express Graphite Business Cash Unlimited. It offers 2% cash back across the board and a variable signup bonus that can reach up to $2,000 in value after $50,000 in spend within six months. That's a massive spend threshold that rules it out for most people, but for high-volume business spenders the flat 2% with no cap and charge card flexibility (no preset spending limit) is worth a look. It slots in as a cash-back alternative in the Amex business lineup rather than a points play.
Citi Devalues Choice Hotels and iPrefer
The same week Citi gave with one hand, it took with the other. Choice Hotels points dropped 25% in transfer value from ThankYou, and iPrefer (Preferred Hotels' program) got cut 50%. Neither program was a must-have redemption destination, but if you were planning to use ThankYou points for Choice properties, do the math again — it's likely not the move anymore. Consider this a reminder to diversify your ThankYou redemptions toward airline partners like Avianca, Flying Blue, or Turkish Miles&Smiles where the value story is stronger.
Airline & Hotel Deals
Delta Running Asia Award Sale — Economy from 30,000–50,000 Miles Round Trip
Delta SkyMiles has an Asia award sale active this week with round-trip economy fares to Asian destinations available from 30,000–50,000 miles. SkyMiles gets a lot of grief for dynamic pricing and unpredictable award costs, but these sale prices are genuinely competitive for economy. If you're sitting on a pile of SkyMiles from a Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express Card welcome bonus, Asia is a good place to burn them before any future award changes. Search availability now — sale windows like this close fast.
Cathay Pacific Devalues Award Chart
Cathay Pacific's Marco Polo Club / Asia Miles program announced devaluations this week. Cathay has been one of the more reliable premium cabin redemption options for Asia travel, so any erosion there is worth watching. If you've been eyeing a Cathay business class redemption, booking sooner rather than later is the safe play. Award prices post-devaluation could be significantly higher.
Southwest 40% Off Base Fares Sale
Southwest is running 40% off base fares with promo code BUZZER for travel April 13–June 11. Blackout dates apply around major holidays and Sundays, so the deal is most useful for flexible midweek or Saturday travel. Wanna Get Away fares already represent Southwest's best pricing, so pairing this with points redemptions is unlikely — but it's a solid discount if you're booking cash fares. Southwest Priority cardholders get their Companion Pass benefits applied on top of any fare.
More This Week
Chase Offers: 15% Back at Hyatt Properties
If you're a Chase cardholder, check your Chase Offers for a 15% cash back deal at Hyatt properties. These targeted offers vary by account, but Hyatt x Chase is always a good combination — and stacking a cash back offer on top of World of Hyatt points earning is legitimate value. Worth checking before your next hotel booking.
JetBlue Fare Sale Rumors
Reports surfaced of a potential JetBlue sale in the works, though nothing official launched this week. Keep an eye out — JetBlue has been running competitive transatlantic and Caribbean promotions this year, and a spring sale would fit the pattern.
Card Curator Take
The Citi double transfer bonus is the clear headline this week. Thirty percent to Virgin Atlantic is rare and the combination of two simultaneous bonuses is unusual — this is the kind of window worth planning around if you have ThankYou points on hand and a premium cabin trip on the horizon. Pair that with the Delta Asia sale and there are some genuine first-class redemption angles to explore if you have points in the right programs.
The Citi devaluations are a useful reminder that hotel program transfers from bank points rarely age well. The action stays in airline transfers. And Amex's Graphite launch rounds out a week that was more substantive than average — it's a niche product, but it signals Amex is still actively building out its business card lineup.
Use Card Curator to see which of your cards earns the most on your everyday spend and whether a transfer bonus like this week's Citi-Virgin deal lines up with your redemption goals.
Use Card Curator to track how these changes affect your wallet.