What actually changed in the points programs

2026-09-20: Citi ThankYou Rewards — JetBlue TrueBlue access for the closed ThankYou Preferred Mastercard

Holders of the closed ThankYou Preferred Mastercard lose JetBlue transfers on 2026-09-20; every other ThankYou card keeps JetBlue (premium 1:1, non-premium 1:0.7)

Reported by multiple independent outlets, not issuer-verified — confirm with the issuer before relying on the date.

2026-10-01: Chase Ultimate Rewards — World of Hyatt transfer ratio

Pre-2026-06-15 Sapphire Preferred accounts and all Ink Business Preferred accounts move from 1:1 to 4:3.

2026-08-23 — American Airlines AAdvantage: Citi / AAdvantage Executive card refresh

Card changed · $595 → $695 annual fee; World Elite → World Legend Mastercard; AAdvantage Hotels/Cars portal earn 10X → 12X; up to $660/yr in credits added, up-to-$120 Grubhub credit removed

Annual fee rises $100 (17%); reported new credits total up to $660/yr at face value ($500 AA Vacations + $100 inflight/Admirals Club + $60 additional Lyft) against the removed up-to-$120 Grubhub credit — face-value arithmetic on reported figures, realizable only with matching spend.

ISSUER-VERIFIED as of the effective date: on 2026-08-23 creditcards.aa.com publishes the refreshed card ('Annual fee $695', 'World Legend Mastercard®', 12X AAdvantage Hotels/Cars bookings, Admirals Club 'up to $1,400 value', 'up to $500' AA Vacations credits, 'up to $180 in Lyft credits', 'up to $100' inflight/Admirals Club credits, Loyalty Point bonuses at 50,000/90,000/165,000/240,000 LPs, Omni Champion status + annual free-night award, Avis President's Club enrollment through 2028-08-31, welcome offer 125,000 miles after $15,000 in 5 months), and Grubhub is gone from the page — the catalog entry (cards.json citi-aadvantage-executive) is updated to the refreshed terms same day. Issuer page confirms the Lyft credit as an 'up to $180' annual figure (matching the reported $15/mo after 3 rides) and states no inflight-savings percentage (the pre-refresh 25% inflight-savings line is replaced by the $100 inflight/Admirals Club credit). Originally reported 2026-08-22 by Frequent Miler, AwardWallet, One Mile at a Time, NerdWallet and others: new applicants from 2026-08-23 pay $695; applications before that date lock $595 for the first year. Existing cardholders of 12+ months are notified in August–September 2026 and pay the new fee at the next renewal after notification; cardholders of under 12 months are notified in August 2027. Also reported (not on the issuer page): AA Vacations credit paid as two up-to-$250 halves (Jan–Jun and Jul–Dec, packages with 2+ travel components). Existing-cardholder transition timing remains outlet-reported only — the issuer page speaks to new applicants

Source: creditcards.aa.com and frequentmiler.com, verified 2026-08-23.

2026-06-30 — Amex Membership Rewards: Etihad Guest

Partner removed · Transfer partner → removed

MR points can no longer reach Etihad Guest; Citi ThankYou, Capital One Miles and Bilt still transfer to Etihad.

Announced ahead of time and effective after 2026-06-30. At least one aggregator table still carried an Etihad row weeks later — stale. Etihad remains a partner of Citi ThankYou (1:1), Capital One Miles (1:1) and Bilt (1:1).

Reported by multiple independent outlets, not issuer-verified (the program's own page is login-gated or silent) — recorded against our catalog 2026-07-17. Confirm with the issuer before acting.

2026-06-26 — Citi ThankYou Rewards: Transfer access for non-premium ThankYou cards

Access expanded · Choice, JetBlue and Wyndham only → nearly the full 19-partner roster, at 0.7x the premium ratios · 1,000 TYP from a non-premium card now become 700 miles at most airline partners (premium cards: 1,000)

No-annual-fee ThankYou cards — base Strata, Double Cash, Custom Cash — can now reach nearly every transfer partner, at ratios roughly 30% worse than the premium tier.

Reported by Upgraded Points (news updated 2026-06-26): Citi 'unlocked nearly all of its airline and hotel transfer partners' for no-annual-fee ThankYou cards at reduced ratios — airlines at 1:0.7, hotels proportionally reduced (per-partner table in the transfer catalog). Before the change, non-premium cards could reach only Choice Privileges, JetBlue TrueBlue and Wyndham Rewards — plus American AAdvantage, which Citi had already opened to no-annual-fee cards at 1:0.7 on 2025-08-25 (Frequent Miler 2025-08-24, TPG 2025-08-25). Citi published no formal announcement or effective date for the 2026 expansion; the date shown is the report date. AA RESOLVED 2026-08-10 (previously flagged contradicted here): the 'AA remains premium-exclusive' lines in UP's news and AwardWallet were stale pre-2025-08-25 text; three outlets plus Citi's own base-Strata product page agree on non-premium AA at 1:0.7, now published in the transfer catalog.

Reported by multiple independent outlets, not issuer-verified (the program's own page is login-gated or silent) — recorded against our catalog 2026-08-10. Confirm with the issuer before acting.

2026-06-22 — Bilt Rewards: Preferred Hotels I Prefer

Partner added · Not a partner → 1:2 transfer partner · 1,000 Bilt become 2,000 I Prefer points

Bilt's newest partner row, and one of only two Bilt hotel ratios better than 1:1.

Present on Bilt's own published roster (updated within days of the addition); the addition date itself is from outlet coverage.

Reported by multiple independent outlets, not issuer-verified (the program's own page is login-gated or silent) — recorded against our catalog 2026-07-20. Confirm with the issuer before acting.

2026-06-15 — Chase Ultimate Rewards: World of Hyatt transfer ratio

Devaluation · 1:1 → 4:3 · 1,000 UR now become 750 Hyatt points (was 1,000)

25% fewer Hyatt points per UR point transferred.

Phased by account: Sapphire Preferred accounts opened on or after 2026-06-15 transfer at 4:3 immediately; accounts opened before that date keep 1:1 through 2026-09-30. Ink Business Preferred moves to 4:3 on 2026-10-01 for everyone. Sapphire Reserve is not named in Chase's primary sources — third-party coverage reports it unaffected at 1:1, which we treat as unverified.

Source: chase.com and media.chase.com, verified 2026-07-16.

2026-05-28 — Citi: Citi Custom Cash (new applications)

Card discontinued · Open to applications → discontinued for new applicants

Existing cardmembers keep the card and its 5% top-category earn; new applicants can no longer get it.

Citi's own page states it is 'no longer accepting applications for the Citi Custom Cash Card product as of May 28, 2026' and that existing cardmembers 'are not impacted and can continue to use their card and enjoy its benefits.'

Source: citi.com, verified 2026-07-05.

2026-05-02 — Bilt Rewards: Spirit Airlines Free Spirit

Partner removed · 1:1 transfer partner → removed (airline ceased operations)

No transferable currency reaches Spirit any longer — Bilt was the only one; the 2,500-point Spirit awards that made the partnership notable no longer exist.

Spirit Airlines shut down on 2026-05-02 after federal bailout talks failed (NPR, CNN and CNBC, all 2026-05-02/03; the airline had filed Chapter 11 twice since 2024). effectiveAt records the shutdown — the verifiable event; Bilt never announced a roster removal date. Bilt's support-page roster still listed Spirit as late as 2026-07-20 and no longer lists it as of the 2026-09-04 re-fetch (25 partners, was 26). Some aggregator tables still carry a Bilt→Spirit row — stale. The status of residual Free Spirit balances after the shutdown was never verified here, so no value claim of any kind is made for them.

Source: support.biltrewards.com and npr.org, verified 2026-09-04.

2026-04-28 — Wells Fargo Rewards: Cathay Pacific Asia Miles joins as a transfer partner

Partner added · Wells Fargo Rewards adds Cathay Pacific (Asia Miles) at 1:1 — its 9th airline partner and 11th overall

10,000 Wells Fargo points now move to 10,000 Asia Miles with no transfer minimum. Cathay is Wells Fargo's first partner predominantly serving Asia; WFR enters Asia Miles at 1:1 — the same par ratio as Citi premium, Capital One, and Bilt, and better than Amex MR's 5:4 (8,000 Asia Miles per 10,000 points). Recent roster growth in one line: JetBlue TrueBlue added November 2025, Wyndham Rewards (at 1:2, above par) and Cathay added April 2026.

Announced by Wells Fargo's own newsroom 2026-04-28 ('first transfer partner predominantly serving Asia'; 'no minimum balance required'), naming the Autograph and Autograph Journey cards. Recorded 2026-08-11 when Wells Fargo Rewards entered the transfer catalog as its sixth program (transfer-partners.json v0.8) — 9 airlines at 1:1 plus Choice Privileges and Wyndham Rewards at 1:2, no transfer minimum, no premium/non-premium ratio tiering.

Source: newsroom.wf.com, verified 2026-08-11.

2026-04-19 — Citi ThankYou Rewards: Choice Privileges transfer ratio

Devaluation · 1:2 → 1:1.5 · 1,000 TYP now become 1,500 Choice points (was 2,000)

25% fewer Choice points per ThankYou point transferred.

Some prominent guides still print the old 1:2 ratio; the current ratio is 1:1.5 per every outlet that has updated since April.

Reported by multiple independent outlets, not issuer-verified (the program's own page is login-gated or silent) — recorded against our catalog 2026-07-19. Confirm with the issuer before acting.

2026-01-25 — Citi ThankYou Rewards: Aeromexico Rewards

Partner removed · Transfer partner → removed

ThankYou points can no longer reach Aeromexico; last day to transfer was 2026-01-24.

Multiple well-known guides still carry a stale Aeromexico row in their ThankYou partner tables months after removal; their own news coverage and every list updated since January agree it is gone.

Reported by multiple independent outlets, not issuer-verified (the program's own page is login-gated or silent) — recorded against our catalog 2026-07-19. Confirm with the issuer before acting.

2025-12-17 — Bilt Rewards: Spirit Airlines Free Spirit

Partner added · Not a partner → 1:1 transfer partner

Bilt became the first (and only-ever) transferable bank currency that reaches Spirit; awards started at 2,500 points.

Announced in Spirit's own investor-relations release and Bilt's newsroom the same day, and present on Bilt's published roster at the time. CORRECTION 2026-09-04: this entry originally read 'first (and still only)' — the partnership ended when Spirit ceased operations on 2026-05-02; see the bilt-spirit-removed entry. The historical record of the addition stands.

Source: support.biltrewards.com, verified 2026-07-20.

2025-08-24 — Citi ThankYou Rewards: Cash-back redemption value, by card tier

Devaluation · Strata Premier / Prestige cash-out 1c/pt -> 0.75c/pt; base Strata standalone cash-out is 0.5c/pt; Double Cash / Custom Cash keep 1c/pt

10,000 ThankYou Points redeemed for cash are now worth $75 on a standalone Strata Premier or Prestige (was $100) and $50 on a standalone base Strata — but still $100 on a Double Cash or Custom Cash, or on any card POOLED with one of them. Pooling with a $0-fee Double Cash restores the full 1c cash-out; travel-portal redemptions stay at 1c/pt.

Citi announced the Premier/Prestige cut in cardmember notices effective 2025-08-24 (multi-outlet coverage: Frequent Miler, AwardWallet, Upgraded Points, TPG). The base Citi Strata launched with a 0.5c standalone cash-out per third-party consensus (YourBestCreditCards, Upgraded Points, Firstcard; TPG's review conflicts at 1c — disclosed in valuations.json TYP_NP). This tiering is why the catalog prices base-Strata points at the new TYP_NP 0.5c floor instead of the premium TYP 1.25c floor. Recorded 2026-08-06 when the base Strata entered the facts catalog (v0.8).

Reported by multiple independent outlets, not issuer-verified (the program's own page is login-gated or silent) — recorded against our catalog 2026-08-06. Confirm with the issuer before acting.

2024-09-25 — American Express: Amex EveryDay Credit Card (new applications)

Card discontinued · Open to applications → closed to new applicants

Existing cardmembers keep the card, its 2x supermarket earn (first $6,000/yr, then 1x) and — per the June 2026 MR Terms — full Membership Rewards redemption including partner transfers (the card is listed as a full-access Consumer Card, not a 'Legacy Card'); new applicants can no longer get it.

Amex closed the EveryDay, EveryDay Preferred and Cash Magnet to new applications on 2024-09-25 with no issuer statement; the product page remains live and the card remains a full-access MR product in the June 2026 Program Terms. Recorded 2026-08-02 when the card entered the facts catalog (v0.7).

Reported by multiple independent outlets, not issuer-verified (the program's own page is login-gated or silent) — recorded against our catalog 2026-08-02. Confirm with the issuer before acting.

2024-09-25 — American Express: Amex EveryDay Preferred Credit Card (new applications)

Card discontinued · Open to applications -> closed to new applicants

Existing cardmembers keep the card, its 3x supermarket earn (first $6,000/yr, then 1x), 2x U.S. gas earn and — per the June 2026 MR Terms — full Membership Rewards redemption including partner transfers (full-access Consumer Card, not a 'Legacy Card'); new applicants can no longer get it.

Amex closed the EveryDay, EveryDay Preferred and Cash Magnet to new applications on 2024-09-25 with no issuer statement; the product page remains live, the $95 annual fee is still stated in the 12/31/2025 Card Member Agreement, and the card remains a full-access MR product in the June 2026 Program Terms. Recorded 2026-08-06 when the card entered the facts catalog (v0.8).

Reported by multiple independent outlets, not issuer-verified (the program's own page is login-gated or silent) — recorded against our catalog 2026-08-06. Confirm with the issuer before acting.

2024-06-24 — Bilt Rewards: American Airlines AAdvantage

Partner removed · Transfer partner → removed

Bilt points can no longer reach AAdvantage — and no transferable bank currency except Citi ThankYou can.

The partnership wound down on 2024-06-24, confirmed by a Bilt spokesperson and every major outlet's news coverage, and American is absent from Bilt's own current roster. At least one aggregator's Bilt table still listed American in July 2026 — two years stale.

Reported by multiple independent outlets, not issuer-verified (the program's own page is login-gated or silent) — recorded against our catalog 2026-07-20. Confirm with the issuer before acting.