Weekly Recap: Mar 30–Apr 5 — Transfer Bonuses, Amex Cuts Benefits & United Elevates Offers
Chase drops a 70% IHG transfer bonus, Amex quietly kills the Saks credit and Etihad partnership, and United cards get a welcome bump this week.
A packed week in points-land. Transfer bonus season kicked off early with some genuinely useful Chase and Capital One promos, while Amex made a few quiet moves that card holders should know about. United also joined the elevated bonus party. Here's everything that mattered March 30–April 5.
Transfer Bonuses & Partners
Chase Offers 20% to Air Canada Aeroplan and 70% to IHG
Two transfer bonuses dropped from Chase this week — and the IHG one is eye-catching. A 70% bonus on Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers to IHG One Rewards means you're getting 1.7 IHG points per UR point, which changes the math considerably for Kimpton stays and aspirational InterContinental redemptions. The 20% Aeroplan bonus is more modest but still worth considering if you're chasing a Star Alliance redemption. Both are time-limited, so check the Chase portal for expiration dates before you move miles.
Capital One Adds Japan Airlines Transfer Bonus
Capital One joined in with a bonus transfer promotion to Japan Airlines (JAL) Mileage Bank. JAL miles are underrated — they price partner award space cleanly and have strong sweet spots on American metal to Japan and beyond. If you're sitting on Capital One miles and have been eyeing a JAL-priced award, this is a good nudge to act.
Credit Card & Program News
Amex Platinum Loses the Saks $50 Semi-Annual Credit
American Express is removing the semi-annual $50 Saks Fifth Avenue credit from The Platinum Card from American Express. Counterintuitively, some view this as a net positive — the Saks credit was always clunky to use and easy to forget, and its removal might make the card's benefit stack feel cleaner. That said, it's still $100/year in gone value, so it's worth factoring into your annual fee math at renewal.
Amex Axes Etihad Guest as a Transfer Partner
Also from Amex: Etihad Guest is being removed from the Membership Rewards transfer partner lineup. Etihad miles had some niche appeal for Business Studio redemptions and partner itineraries, but were rarely the go-to choice for most cardholders. If you've been stockpiling MR points with Etihad in mind, now's the time to transfer them before the partnership closes.
Alaska Tightens Companion Certificate Sharing
Alaska Airlines is narrowing who can use your companion fare certificate — it now applies only to travel paid with specific Alaska co-branded cards. This is a notable nerf for anyone who'd been creatively routing companion certs through travel booked on other cards. If the companion benefit is a key reason you hold an Alaska card, review the updated terms.
Airlines Keep Raising Checked Bag Fees
JetBlue and United both increased checked bag fees this week, continuing a broader industry trend. If you've been on the fence about a co-branded airline card, the free checked bag benefit just got more financially significant — especially for frequent fliers on those carriers.
DoorDash Raises Pickup Minimum to $20
DoorDash bumped its pickup order minimum from $10 to $20. The practical impact: Chase cardholders with $10/month DoorDash credits will need to spend more to trigger them. Minor annoyance, but worth knowing if you've been relying on small pickups to redeem that benefit monthly.
Signup Bonuses
United Cards Offering Elevated Bonuses
Multiple Chase United credit cards are running elevated signup bonuses this week. The United Explorer, United Quest, and United Club cards all have bumped offers, with some cards topping 100,000 miles when you factor in authorized user bonuses. United miles are currently valued around 1.5¢ each, so a 100k+ offer is genuinely worth pausing for. If a Star Alliance card has been on your radar, this is a solid window.
Alaska Atmos Personal Card With Elevated Offer
The Bank of America Alaska Airlines Atmos card is also sporting an elevated signup bonus on the personal side, alongside a flight discount perk. Alaska miles continue to be one of the better currencies for premium cabin redemptions on partners like American and British Airways. The Atmos card is relatively new to the lineup, so this elevated offer is worth a look before the window closes.
More This Week
Loyalty Points and What Happens When You Pass
A thoughtful piece this week covered what happens to your points and miles when a member passes away. The short version: most programs forfeit everything, but several major U.S. carriers and hotel chains — including Alaska, American, United, Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, and IHG — do allow point transfers under specific conditions. The practical takeaway: don't notify a loyalty program of a member's death until you've transferred or redeemed the balance. It's a morbid but genuinely useful planning note.
National Car Rental Spring Promo
National Car Rental is offering a complimentary rental day for every two rentals made April 6 through June 7. If you have business travel or a road trip on the horizon, this is free value worth stacking.
Rakuten Now Shows Bank of America Card Offers
Rakuten added Bank of America credit card applications to its portal, offering combined cashback incentives up to $250. If you've been considering a BofA card and haven't been referred, the Rakuten path is now worth checking before applying directly.
Card Curator Take
The headline this week is the Chase IHG transfer bonus at 70% — that's not a number you see often, and IHG points can unlock outsized value at Kimpton and InterContinental properties. Pair that with Capital One's JAL bonus and it was a genuinely useful week for transfer-minded collectors.
On the Amex side, the Saks credit removal and Etihad partner drop are reminders that premium card benefits are always subject to change. The The Platinum Card from American Express remains a powerful card, but the benefit calculus shifts a bit. If you're up for renewal soon, run the numbers on your actual usage before auto-renewing.
The United elevated bonus window is the most time-sensitive item — if a mid-tier airline card fits your travel pattern, the United Quest or United Explorer is worth a closer look before this offer expires.
Use Card Curator to track how these changes affect your wallet.