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Reading Time: 6 minThis week, Air France and KLM kicked off their latest round of award discounts to Europe, while Capital One sweetened the pot with another transfer bonus to a particularly useful frequent flyer program. Meanwhile, some solid business card welcome offers from Chase and Capital One are ending soon, including a pair that expire less than 48 hours from now.
Plus, Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders are getting a nice new boost to their monthly DoorDash perk, and TSA has rolled out an innovative new program that gives PreCheck members extra access to the gates, even when they're not flying. Let's break down all the latest in travel news, deals, and offers for the week.
Air France and KLM just launched their latest round of Promo Rewards, with 25% off Flying Blue awards between many North American cities and Europe.
This month's deals in economy start at 18,750 miles each way from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Detroit, while premium economy starts at 30,000 miles in each direction from New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Vancouver.
Unfortunately, only two cities in North America — Minneapolis and Mexico City — have deals in business class, but you'll find awards starting at 45,000 miles each way from each of them.
You'll need to book by September 30th for travel through February 28, 2027 to get these deals, and not all flights will have the lowest prices. Points Path Pro and Founders Club members can use the points calendar in Points Path to find dates with availability, or you can also try the Flying Blue calendar trick.
Don't forget that Flying Blue's award pricing changes take effect this Tuesday, September 8th, introducing Light, Standard, and Flex fare tiers. Promo Rewards tickets booked before then still lock in today's simpler award rules, so acting early matters if you want to avoid the new restrictions.
Capital One's partnership with Japan Airlines Mileage Bank keeps delivering transfer bonuses, and cardholders sitting on a stash of miles have another opportunity to add value this month.
Now through September 30th, Capital One is offering a 30% bonus when transferring miles to Japan Airlines. The normal 1,000:750 ratio jumps to roughly 1,000:975 with the 30% bonus applied, making it close to a 1-to-1 transfer.
According to our friends at Frequent Miler, this marks the fourth 30% transfer bonus to JAL since Capital One added the airline as a partner last September, following similar promotions in February and April this year.
Japan Airlines has some notable sweet spots for using miles, and offers low surcharges on award tickets, plus generous around-the-world itineraries, with up to seven stopovers when flying on oneworld partners.
You can always see a list of all the current transfer bonus deals on our new dedicated page at Points Path. And if you want to be automatically alerted to new transfer bonuses (and credit card bonuses), check out the free Transfer Bonus Alert service from our partners at Your Best Credit Cards.
A handful of solid limited-time business credit card offers are on borrowed time, and the clock is ticking faster on some than others.
Chase's $1,000 bonus offers on the Ink Business Cash and Ink Business Unlimited cards, plus the 200,000-point Sapphire Reserve for Business offer, are all reportedly ending soon. No exact date has been announced, but that typically means there's just a matter of weeks left.
Capital One's increased offers are even more time-sensitive. The Spark Cash Plus card's $2,000 bonus and $500 travel credit after spending $30,000 in the first three months, along with the Spark Cash card's $1,000 bonus and $250 travel credit after spending $10,000 in three months, both expire tomorrow, September 7th.
Both the Ink and Spark cards are advertised as cash back cards. But if you have another card that earns transferable points or miles with the same bank, you can instead convert that cash back to travel rewards and potentially get more value from them.
Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders who've never bothered activating their DoorDash credit might want to pay closer attention starting next month.
Starting October 1st, Chase is increasing the Sapphire Reserve's monthly DoorDash restaurant credit from $5 to $15, and the credit will now apply to any eligible DoorDash order, not just restaurants.
The two existing $10 monthly non-restaurant DoorDash credits remain unchanged, which means Sapphire Reserve members with DashPass will now get up to $35 in total DoorDash value each month. Note that this benefit is only on the personal version of the Sapphire Reserve, not the business one.
This was originally being reported as a rumor earlier in the week, but was confirmed by Chase to our friends at MilesTalk. It's truly a straightforward improvement with no new hoops to jump through, so if you can utilize DoorDash on a monthly basis, you'll gain another $120 in value from your Sapphire Reserve card each year.
Finally, TSA PreCheck has long been about breezing through security faster. But a new program adds a perk that has nothing to do with your own flight.
This week, TSA launched Gateside by TSA PreCheck, a program that lets approved PreCheck members pass through security without a ticket to accompany travelers to the gate, greet arriving passengers, or just spend time in the terminal.
The 13 participating airports to start include Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Dallas/Ft. Worth, San Diego, Salt Lake City, and Phoenix, with more expected to join as TSA evaluates how the rollout goes.
In order to access the gate area without a ticket, you have to request approval through TSA's website 1-3 days before your visit. There's no fee for the program, but adults must already be TSA PreCheck members to apply. Children under 18 can join an approved adult without their own membership.
This may not be a huge deal, but for those who used to enjoy meeting a loved one as they got off the plane, it's a small but welcome throwback to the pre-9/11 days. I think it's an innovative addition, and I hope we'll see it roll out to more airports quickly.
That's the rundown of this week's offers, bonuses, and travel updates. But before you book your next "free" award flight, check out our new guide on how to keep award ticket fees as low as possible. Have a great Labor Day holiday, and safe travels! ✈️