Hello from Chicago! I’m going to keep this intro short because this weekend the entire FrequentMiler team is at the Chicago Points Travel Festival, where we talked about our recent challenge, connecting casino to cruise, and much more. It’s been fantastic to have the chance to meet a number of readers in person and connect with others who are as passionate about this hobby as we are. I always find face-to-face events like this stimulating, both for us and for everyone involved, as it’s quite exciting to be in a room full of people who are enthusiastic about this great hobby.
On this week’s blog, read all about the seismic shift to Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards, the incredible reward Greg discovered for falling asleep, my recent credit card downgrade spree, and much more.
This week on the Frequent Miler blog…
Major Changes in the Southwest: Companion Pass will be a status perk, rewards for upcoming partners, new elite tiers, and more.
Southwest Airlines has announced sweeping changes to its loyalty program coming in 2027, with the introduction of an all-new elite status tier and the launch of the ability to earn and redeem on foreign partner airlines. The biggest news is that the Unlimited Companion Pass as we know it will become an elite status perk in 2027, and it will take a lot of Tier Qualification Points to unlock it. Read the main details of the changes in this article.
Where is the Luv? Nick’s take on the changes in the South West
After attending Southwest’s media event announcing the loyalty program changes, and having time to digest my own thoughts on the announcements, in this article I share my reaction to the seismic shift Southwest Airlines announced for 2027. I have flown Southwest Airlines more than any other individual airline, and we have had a Companion Pass in our household for over a decade. There’s no doubt that I’m disappointed with the end of an easy Southwest Companion Pass. At the same time, I think I see where the Southwest goes next. While I (and some readers) are certainly rightly disappointed, I think some might end up taking advantage of the upgrade opportunity to activate multiple single-use companion passes. Time will tell.
Largest Delta Sweetspot Prize: Europe/Africa to Australia/New Zealand
We’ve long known that the best uses for Delta SkyMiles often involve flights that neither depart nor arrive in the United States. In other words, connecting the dots between two other countries or continents can often provide much better opportunities for Delta SkyMiles.
In this article, Greg identifies some of the most attractive Delta Partner award fares available anywhere in the world on routes between Europe and Africa, to/from Australia and New Zealand. It seems the best of these deals involve flights on Vietnam Airlines and potentially a long enough layover to get out of the airport and see something while you’re in Vietnam.
We have family members who really want to go to Australia one of these days, so this is a great place that I will definitely keep in mind.
Weekend in Europe, where should Greg go? | Coffee break Ep125 | 10/14/26
You may remember a previous podcast episode where Greg asked for his opinion on where he should go for a long weekend in Europe. During this week’s coffee break, Greg and I discuss reader comments and their suggestions on where it should go, and he shares his final decision.
The Path I Wish I Had Taken (Greg’s Wild Card Journal)
I don’t know if we’ve ever discussed this before, but I imagine all of us on the Frequent Miler team often end up questioning the decisions we’ve made after our annual team challenges are over.
In this article, Greg plays Monday morning quarterback according to his own plans. I think his idea of having visited his destinations as well as one of mine and Tim’s would have been a masterful piece that would have added just enough flair to make things really interesting.
I loved hearing about Greg’s journey as he ran it during the challenge, but he definitely had some really interesting ideas here too.
Lightening the portfolio: results of a recent wave of downgrades
Most of us on the Frequent Miler team pay pretty hefty annual credit card fees. This may partly be part of the cost of participating in this hobby, but we also each carry cards primarily so we can write about their features and benefits.
However, my card collection has grown a little too much. I’m long overdue to slim down my wallet, and we recently downgraded several popular cards to save a few thousand dollars in annual fees. This is just the beginning as we still have a lot of reframing to do, but in this article I share a few things I learned while downgrading cards.
Do I need to keep my ultra-premium card to maintain 1:1 points transfers? | Question of the week Ep18 | 10-12-26
With recent changes to the transfer rate to World of Hyatt from certain credit cards, some are asking us if they should keep their ultra-premium cards in order to preserve one-to-one points transfers (not just with Hyatt but potentially with other programs in the future). In this week’s Question of the Week, Greg and I discuss whether we think we’ll see something similar with other issuers and how we would approach our strategies if and when that happens.
Hyatt and Air Canada partnership reaches next level | Frequent Miler on air Ep379 | 16/10/26
On this week’s Frequent Miler on the Air, Greg and I discuss earning American Airlines miles through Bask Bank, each of our individual efforts to simplify finances, the expansion of World of Hyatt’s partnership with Air Canada Aeroplan, and much more.
Citi’s hotel prices may be better than they seem
I recently booked a hotel to use a Citi Strata Elite hotel credit before downgrading that card. In the process, I discovered that many hotels bookable through Citi’s platform are actually less expensive after clicking to book than they appear during the initial search. It’s a strange phenomenon, but I’ve found it repeated several times. In this article, I share what it was like while comparing it to other programs.
Great news: Hyatt points transfers can be done online starting 10/15/26
Hyatt has finally joined the 21st century, adding the ability to transfer points between members online. On the one hand, this is fantastic news and marks a huge improvement over having to email a PDF form and sometimes wait up to a week. On the other hand, this change marks the launch of an annual cap on the number of points you can transfer to another member.
While this number seems pretty high at first glance, it means you’ll only be able to transfer enough points for one week at a top-tier property with the highest prices. This will probably be enough for most people, but I can see it seeming tight if you’re planning a really big trip and need multiple rooms.
Complete Guide to Alaska Airlines Atmos Awards (2026)
In October 2026, Alaska Atmos launched major changes, including the ability to choose how you want to achieve elite status and the launch of new communities. As a result, our comprehensive Alaska Atmos guide has been completely updated to reflect Alaska’s latest changes.
That’s all for this week in Frequent Miler. Keep an eye out for this week’s Last Chance Deals to make sure you grab them before they expire.
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