In this episode of Quick Hits, DeAndre Coke breaks down a wave of updates shaking up the travel rewards space. From JetBlue’s game-changing “25 for 25” promotion, which could land travelers 25 years of elite Mosaic status and up to 350,000 points, to Turkish Airlines’ 6-Continents Challenge with a million-mile prize, there’s no shortage of bold airline promos this week. He also shares a major win for Points Path users, as the award-pricing browser extension is now available on Safari, making it easier than ever to spot significant point redemptions. However, not all the news is good—Virgin Atlantic has increased its surcharges on business class redemptions, and Zil’s payroll-on-credit-card feature has been reintroduced with new nuances in how transactions are coded, which could affect the number of points users earn.

With that in mind, DeAndre emphasizes the importance of community testing and feedback, especially as reward categories and codes continue to shift.

Learn more about how processing a credit card for payroll works here

Key takeaways: 

• JetBlue’s 25 for 25 Promo: Fly to 25 JetBlue destinations by year-end to earn Mosaic status for 25 years and up to 350,000 bonus points.
• Award Flights Qualify: JetBlue’s promo includes award flights, JetBlue Vacations, and cash bookings—but excludes Blue Basic fares and partner-operated flights.
• Turkish Airlines Challenge: Fly to six continents with Turkish Airlines by October 27 to earn 1 million Miles&Smiles miles—cash bookings only.
• Points Path on Safari: The Points Path extension now supports Safari, letting users see award pricing directly in Google Flights.
• Virgin Atlantic Surcharge Hike: Surcharges for business class flights to the U.K. have more than doubled, now $586 one-way.
• Dynamic Pricing Remains: Virgin Atlantic still employs dynamic award pricing, making it more challenging to find consistent sweet spots.
• Zil Money Payroll Feature Returns: You can once again run payroll on credit cards with Zil Money, but coding changes affect point bonuses.
• Coding Affects Rewards: Zill transactions now code as “computer software stores,” which may reduce category bonuses on some cards.

Resources:

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• BoldlyGo Travel With Points & Miles Facebook Group

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Some of Our Favorite Tools For Elevating Your Points & Miles Game:

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• Card Pointers (Saves the average user $750 per year)
• Zil Money (For Payroll on Credit Card)
• Travel Freely
• Point.me
• FlightConnections.com
• Thrifty Traveler Premium
• LTH Online Points & Miles In Depth Course: 
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Connect with DeAndre Coke: 

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• Website: BoldlyGo.world
• YouTube: BoldlyGoWorld
• YouTube: BoldlyGoTravels