New 30% Transfer Bonus, Southwest Cash + Points and More

Quite a few news-worthy things have sprung up this week, so it’s time for a recap.

Amex 30% bonus to Virgin: From now through May 31, 2024, American Express has a 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic. In addition to flights on Virgin Atlantic, you can use Virgin points to book flights on Delta and try to book those elusive business class flights to Japan on ANA. I’ve updated the April 2024 Transfer Bonuses post to reflect this addition.

Southwest Cash + Points now live: You can now use your points combined with cash to book a flight on Southwest Airlines (previously, you could only use one or the other). See this info on Southwest’s website and this commentary from One Mile at a Time.

IHG 15% discount for co-branded cardholders: If you have the IHG credit card or if you have IHG elite status, you probably received an email advertising 15% off award stays if you book by April 27. See this post on Award Wallet for all the details.

American Airlines extends mileage earning for tickets booked through travel agents: Earlier this year, AA announced that tickets booked through some 3rd party websites and agencies would no longer earn miles starting May 1. This has been moved to July 11, 2024. See this post on View From the Wing.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith properties are now officially Hyatt: You can now book most Mr. and Mrs. Smith properties with World of Hyatt points. See our previous post on this subject for commentary.