The Extra Mile: Amex Tightens Up on Rewards Chasers, Plus a New Best Card for Airbnb Bookings?

Amex has stripped away the single-night hotel credit on the Platinum Card, but it has also added a few compensating perks: 5x points on nearly any Airbnb and a new $250 Experiences credit. Meanwhile, if Wall Street gets its way, the next battleground may be the “rewards maxers” Amex now says it will actively monitor. Citi, for its part, has rolled out a new transfer partner and added a $200 inKind dining credit to its top American Airlines card.

🛏️ Amex’s Silver Linings for Airbnb Bookings

I won’t sugarcoat it: the recent Platinum Card changes were a tough pill to swallow. The era of using the card’s twice-yearly $300 hotel credits for single-night stays — one of the best ways to squeeze value out of the card — is coming to an end.

That hurts.

Still, there are a few real bright spots in the mix.

1. The Platinum Card’s newly renamed Lodging Credit, worth up to $600 a year, can now be used on Airbnb Luxe stays, though those bookings still require at least two nights.
2. Booking one of those Luxe properties through Amex Travel also unlocks a new $250 Airbnb Experiences credit, valid through the rest of the calendar year and available again each year.
3. Most notably, Platinum cardholders can now earn 5x points per dollar on Airbnb bookings made through Amex Travel on almost any Airbnb, not just Luxe listings.

Put together, those changes make the Platinum Card much more attractive for Airbnb stays.

Whether that fully makes up for the loss of the old hotel-credit trick depends on how much you use Airbnb in the first place.

Read our full story on these changes!

– Kyle Potter, executive editor

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Heat scale (out of 3): 🔥🔥

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– Gunnar Olson, Thrifty Traveler Premium deal analyst

🎮 Wall Street Is Worried About Rewards Gamers, and Amex Is Paying Attention

American Express held its third-quarter earnings call recently, and as usual, it mixed financial detail with a fair amount of self-congratulation. But one theme surfaced twice during the Q&A, and it’s something points-and-miles fans should notice.

Wall Street is concerned about rewards maximizers.

The first analyst question asked how Amex would react if customers began using AI to game rewards. Later, a UBS analyst used the phrase “rewards maxing” directly while asking whether AI agents will make it easier for cardholders to extract every possible dollar from their perks, and what that could mean for Amex’s costs.

CEO Steve Squeri’s response was revealing. He said there is already plenty of gaming in the system, and acknowledged that AI could make it easier. He also said AI could help Amex better understand cardholder behavior and adjust its cards accordingly. As an example, he pointed to the spending threshold on the *amex platinum* that allows cardholders to bring guests into Centurion Lounges, then said there will be more controls built into the system.

To be clear, the $75,000 spending requirement is not new. Platinum cardholders have needed to spend that amount in a calendar year for several years to bring guests into Centurion Lounges for free. The same threshold also unlocks unlimited Delta Sky Club access for Platinum and Delta Reserve cardholders, who would otherwise face annual visit limits. Squeri brought it up more as a model than as a fresh announcement.

Still, it is not hard to see where this is going. After rumors spread about changes to the Platinum Card’s semiannual up to $300 hotel credit, Amex confirmed recently that Fine Hotels + Resorts bookings will soon require a two-night minimum stay, following a rule that was previously limited to lower-tier The Hotel Collection properties.

When Amex sees a benefit getting heavy use, its usual response is to add a hurdle instead of eliminating the perk outright. Now the company is telling investors it will have better tools to identify those workarounds.

In addition to using AI to spot “gamers,” Squeri said Amex is also using AI and its own data to identify the right customers and pair them with relevant products and offers. If you’ve been frustrated by Amex’s “as high as” welcome offers, that probably does not sound encouraging.

The bank is already tailoring offers to individual applicants, and getting better at that likely means fewer big bonuses landing in the hands of points enthusiasts — the same group Wall Street is now asking about.

None of this changes your cards right now: no new restrictions were announced. But if you’ve been treating a perk as guaranteed, it is a good reminder that Amex watches how benefits are used and can tighten the rules when it wants to.

– Jackson Newman, senior editor

↔️ Citi Adds Copa ConnectMiles as a New 1:1 Transfer Partner

After adding Japan Airlines Mileage Bank as a 1:1 transfer partner earlier, Citi is back with another one.

This time, the issuer behind cards such as the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card and the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card has added Copa Airlines and its ConnectMiles program. That means 1,000 Citi points now convert into 1,000 ConnectMiles.

For those unfamiliar, Copa is more than just a useful regional airline with a hub in Panama City (PTY). It is a Star Alliance member, which opens up award space across United, Lufthansa, SWISS, ANA, Turkish, and others. ConnectMiles also has several quirks that make it appealing:

• No fuel surcharges on partner awards, including Emirates. A business-class award from the U.S. to Dubai costs 80,000 ConnectMiles.
• Better access to United award space than many other partners, including Air Canada or Avianca. For example, San Francisco (SFO) to Newark (EWR) in United Polaris business class can cost 55,000 ConnectMiles, while United itself asks for 108,000 miles.
• Strong pricing within Latin America. Lie-flat business class within South America starts at 40,000 ConnectMiles, compared with 90,000 United miles for the same Panama City to Santiago (SCL) route on Copa.
• Business class to Europe from 90,000 ConnectMiles on Lufthansa or Austrian, without added surcharges.

One caution: ConnectMiles searches can be clunky, and Copa’s site takes some getting used to. Even so, with Rove miles (at a 1:1 ratio) and Marriott Bonvoy (at a weaker 3:1 ratio) among the only other transfer options, Citi’s new partnership may still be worth the trouble.

If you have a stash of Citi ThankYou points, this new option deserves a close look.

The strongest value is likely to show up on Star Alliance long-haul business-class flights and transcontinental United Polaris routes, where Copa’s surcharge-free pricing and broader United availability can beat booking directly.

– Jackson Newman, senior editor

🎙️ On the Pod: 12 Business-Class Seats You Can Actually Book

🧠 Having points is one thing; finding seats to use them is another. That’s why we’re breaking down the business-class flights you can actually book if you follow a few simple rules.

Watch it now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

🍽️ Citi’s Top AA Card Adds a $200 Dining Perk

Another premium card, another dining credit.

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Legend Mastercard® now includes up to $200 per year in dining credits through inKind.

If you are not familiar with it, inKind is an app that lets you pay restaurant tabs at more than 10,000 participating restaurants, bars, and cafes across the country.

To use the credit, download the app and add your card as a payment method. The credit then appears in your account and is applied at checkout. That works whether you are new to inKind or already use it.

The $200 is not broken into monthly chunks. Instead, you get $100 for January through June and another $100 for July through December, and each half can be split across multiple meals. In other words, it is one decent dinner every six months, not another monthly spending puzzle.

Because the credit is live now, current cardholders already have $100 to use before the end of the year.

There are still a few catches:

• You must pay through the inKind app at a participating location, and the credit does not cover tips, fees, or service charges.
• The $200 is per account, so authorized users do not increase the total.
• You also cannot combine it with inKind’s own cash-back rewards on the same bill.

Does this alone justify a $695 annual fee? Not really. Admirals Club access remains the main reason to keep this card, but Citi says the credit is permanent and hopes to expand inKind to more cards.

– Nick Serati, Thrifty Traveler co-founder

✈️ Other Travel Tidbits

• 🇦🇪 Emirates is considering new routes to Denver (DEN), Detroit (DTW), and Philadelphia (PHL), according to president Tim Clark, who said the list “goes on and on.” (The Points Guy)
• 🇯🇵 If you are shopping in Japan, stores can no longer remove sales tax at the register. You will now pay the full amount and receive the refund after a customs check at the airport when you leave. (Global Blue)
• 🇭🇰 Citi is offering a 10% transfer bonus to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles through Nov. 14. It is Citi’s first Cathay bonus since 2024. (Doctor of Credit)
• 🛜 Aer Lingus now offers free Starlink Wi-Fi across its entire long-haul fleet, months ahead of its early-2027 target, and you do not need to join the loyalty program to use it. (One Mile at a Time)