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The MileIntel Blog

Points of Departure

Airline miles intelligence, loyalty program strategy, and the sharpest thinking in travel rewards.

All Opinion Deals Guides News From the Cockpit Analysis

Deals8 min read

5 Car Rental & IHG Redemption Mistakes Most People Make This Summer

Airline miles for car rentals yield as little as 0.5 cpp. The Pay Yourself Back loophole and IHG's 4th Night Free flip that math entirely. Here's what to do instead.

MileIntel

June 3, 2026

Recent

43 articles

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01News

Alaska Mileage Plan: 85,000 Miles for a Recliner to Reykjavik

Alaska's new Seattle-Reykjavik route spans 3,622 miles on a domestic-configured 737 MAX 8. First class starts at 85,000 miles — for a recliner seat on an 8-hour flight.

MileIntel

9 minJun 2

02Analysis

Why the Airline Name Suffix Tells You Almost Nothing in 2026

Air, Airlines, Airways — the suffix on an airline's name reveals almost nothing about loyalty value. We compare Flying Blue, AAdvantage, and Avios on the dimensions that actually matter.

MileIntel

6 minJun 1

03Deals

How to Book ITA Business Class for Under 72,000 Flying Blue Miles

Flying Blue members can book ITA Airways business class for 72,000 miles transatlantic or 20,000 miles intra-Europe — but awards must be issued by November 15, 2025.

MileIntel

6 minMay 31

04From the Cockpit

I Built a Devaluation Alert System. It Wasn't Ready for Aeroplan.

I thought our alert pipeline was solid. Then Aeroplan restructured its entire award chart in under 2 weeks and exposed every gap I'd ignored.

MileIntel

5 minMay 30

05Analysis

5 Transfer Bonuses Ranked by Real CPP Value in 2026

Five active transfer bonuses, scored on a consistent 4-dimension framework. The 55% Marriott bonus ranks last. The ranking will surprise most r/awardtravel readers.

MileIntel

6 minMay 29

British Airways aircraft wing over clouds

06News

The BA Amex Companion Voucher Now Works on Avios Holidays

On May 20, 2026, BA and Amex made the Companion Voucher usable on British Airways Holidays packages paid with Avios, returning 25% of the Avios spent. It sidesteps the voucher's biggest problem: scarce reward seats.

MileIntel

4 minMay 28

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07Opinion

Stop Earning Airline Miles. Earn Transferable Points.

In 2026, hoarding airline-specific miles is a slow bleed. Earn transferable points instead — they let you route around any single program's worst day. Earn flexible, burn specific.

MileIntel

6 minMay 28

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08Guide

The Hyatt 5-Tier Award Chart Trade-Off, Explained

Hyatt's new 5-tier award chart is live as of May 20, 2026. The real-world impact for most travelers is a 10% average increase, not the alarming 67% headline figure.

MileIntel

6 minMay 28

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09News

United's 737 MAX Transatlantic Move Looks Like Its Azores Play. Here's What Happened Then.

United launches EWR-Santiago de Compostela on a 737 MAX 8 starting May 27, 2026. Economy saver awards start at 40,000 MileagePlus miles. Here's the full breakdown.

MileIntel

6 minMay 26

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10Deals

5 EVA Air Award Deals Worth Booking This Summer 2026

EVA Air business class to Asia runs $4,000–$6,000 cash. These 5 award paths show you exactly how to close that gap, including the group-booking angle most guides skip.

MileIntel

6 minMay 23

A southwest airlines jet flying over a city

11News

Why Southwest's 20 New June Routes Miss the Real Story

Southwest launches 20 new routes on June 4 and June 6, 2026 — but overall capacity falls 1% YoY, 11 international routes are cut simultaneously, and dynamic pricing means award costs will exceed the 1.3¢ baseline on high-demand new routes.

MileIntel

9 minMay 22

12Guide

Is the KLM Flying Blue Transfer Bonus Still Worth It in 2026?

Flying Blue's 20% transfer bonus from Chase expires May 27, 2026. Before you transfer, read why the 2025 devaluation may have already spent it for you.

MileIntel

10 minMay 21

13Analysis

MileIntel vs Seats.aero: An Honest Comparison

Seats.aero is the best award search tool on the market. Here is where it wins, where MileIntel wins, and why most serious travelers want both.

MileIntel Team

6 minMay 20

14Deals

VIP-VIP, IPS-NEW, OXO-OXO: Why These Fare Codes Don't Exist

VIP-VIP, IPS-NEW, and OXO-OXO are not real airline fare codes. Here's how actual fare basis codes work and what frequent flyers should track instead.

MileIntel

14 minMay 20

15Analysis

MileIntel vs Point.me: The Honest Comparison

Point.me is the concierge service for points redemptions. We cover where it works well, the documented accuracy complaints, and how MileIntel takes a different approach.

MileIntel Team

6 minMay 19

16Analysis

MileIntel vs Roame: Search vs Full-Portfolio

Roame is the best-designed points search tool on the market. It is also strictly search. Here is where MileIntel fills the larger gap.

MileIntel Team

6 minMay 18

17Analysis

MileIntel vs AwardWallet: The Incumbent vs the Modern Tracker

AwardWallet is the original miles tracker. We cover the documented sync problems, the password-sharing model, and how MileIntel takes a different approach.

MileIntel Team

6 minMay 17