Welcome — and the 6 moves worth making this week
Your points organized by what's in your wallet. No filler.
Welcome to the Sunday Wallet Brief. Every Sunday morning we send the single best move per major points currency — organized so you can scan straight to the section that matches your wallet. Today's first issue covers six currencies. Hit reply with feedback at any time; this newsletter is going to evolve fast.
Transfer to Hyatt for Caribbean all-inclusives — still the highest cpp in your wallet
World of Hyatt all-inclusive resorts at category 1–3 properties run 25,000 points/night and cash rates routinely hit $700–900/night for the same dates. That's a 3.2¢/point redemption — far above our 2.0¢ valuation on Chase UR. Hyatt is a 1:1 transfer partner from Chase, so 100k Chase UR turns into roughly $3,200 of resort. If you've been sitting on UR waiting for the right use, this is it.
Tip: Hyatt all-inclusives include Ziva, Zilara, Secrets, Dreams, and Breathless brands. Most cat 1–3 properties are in the Riviera Maya, Punta Cana, and Jamaica.
Watch Air Canada Aeroplan for the next transfer bonus — it's the #1 use of MR right now
Aeroplan is currently the strongest single Amex MR transfer partner: their dynamic pricing on partner Star Alliance awards is more honest than United's, and you can route through nearly any North American hub. We track active transfer bonuses on /transfer-bonuses; sign up there for an alert when a Flying Blue or Aeroplan promo lands and you can save 20–40% on a transfer.
If you have 100k+ MR already, don't transfer speculatively — wait for the bonus and a specific trip in mind.
Hyatt is the only hotel program where a buy-points sale actually math-checks
Hyatt typically runs a 25–30% off buy-points sale once a year (usually Q3). Outside of those windows, buying points doesn't pencil out vs. our 1.7¢ valuation. We watch this for you and post it on /sales the moment it goes live.
Not live this week — but if you're 5–15k points short of a redemption, set a calendar alert; you'll save real cash when the next promo drops.
Sitting on Hilton points? The Aspire $400 resort credit is the best use this year
Hilton Honors values out at ~0.5¢/point — among the lowest in your wallet. The single best use of Hilton points right now isn't a redemption at all; it's holding the Hilton Aspire card for the $400 Hilton resort credit + free night at any property. The free night alone covers cards like the Conrad Maldives ($2k+ cash rate).
If you don't have Aspire, this is the card we'd recommend over almost any other hotel card right now.
Buy-miles sale running now — but only worth it if you have a specific premium-cabin booking in sight
United Buy Miles is currently in promo mode (live tracker is at /sales). At the typical 50–60% bonus rate it brings the effective cost to about 1.7¢/mile — fine if you're booking a Polaris business award where redemption value is 4¢+, terrible if you're speculating.
Rule of thumb: never buy speculatively. Only buy to top up for a confirmed redemption you've already priced.
Three things on the radar — not actionable yet
1. Pelago (Singapore Airlines activities affiliate) running up to 50% off attractions worldwide through summer. Bookmark for any SE-Asia trip you're planning. pelago.com
2. Marriott Bonvoy Q3 earnings call hinted at peak/off-peak pricing returning to some category 7 properties. Watch for a devaluation announcement; we'll flag it.
3. Capital One Venture X continues to be the strongest annual-fee card for travel-credit ROI ($300 portal credit + 10k anniversary points = $390 of value vs. $395 fee). No card change required if you have it.
That's it for today. Forward to a friend who's sitting on a UR balance they've never used. Reply with what you'd like to see covered — early issues are where this newsletter is shaped most.
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