A new way to earn airline miles on rent

☀️ Good morning and happy Friday – the day where I spend half my time writing this newsletter and the other half cooking Indonesian food in my pajamas while singing 60s brass-pop into a spatula.

And while that extremely specific mental image is 100% real, so are today’s travel tips:

• 🏡 You can now earn United miles on rent (but should you?)

• 💳 Ultimate guide to double-dipping credit card perks

• 😓 Oof… Emirates transfers devalue (again)

• ✨ Your Holiday Season Just Got an Upgrade

• 🔄 Current Transfer Bonuses

🏡 You can now earn United miles on rent

Okay, this one’s spicy.

Bilt Rewards just rolled out a new partnership that lets you earn 2 United miles per dollar when you pay rent through Bilt using a United co-branded credit card.

That’s your rent going straight into your MileagePlus account – hopefully toward a flight that doesn’t get “delayed” for five hours “due to weather” even though the weather is literally perfect.

This is only the second time Bilt has done this kind of co-branded syncing – and yes, Bilt already has a partnership like this with Atmos Rewards.

Here’s what you get with Bilt x United:

• Use any participating United credit card

• Pay rent through Bilt

• Earn 2 total United miles per dollar, up to $50k in rent per year

  • 1 mile per dollar from Bilt

  • 1 mile per dollar from using your United card

Plus, using your card earns PQPs toward United elite status… so, in other words, paying your rent can inch you toward status, which is pretty cool.

How does this compare to the Atmos partnership?

Bilt’s partnership with Atmos (a.k.a. Alaska Airlines) could be the more valuable play for some people – you’ll earn 3 Atmos points per dollar on rent if you have the right co-branded card, and Atmos points are generally much more valuable than United miles.

But…

If you live in a United hub (Chicago, Denver, Newark, Houston, LA, SFO, D.C.) or you’re already all-in on the MileagePlus ecosystem, this new Bilt setup is genuinely solid.

Plus, the Atmos partnership charges a 3% fee, which can eat into the extra value you get when you go that route.

The bottom line

If you’re a United loyalist, this is basically free runway toward miles and elite status. If you rent? Congrats – your landlord now helps fuel your travel addiction.

💳 Ultimate guide to double-dipping credit card perks

December is already the month where time stops making sense, your inbox fills with 900 “FINAL FINAL SALE” emails, and you can’t remember what day it is.

But it’s also the single best month of the entire year to open a new premium travel card — because you can double-dip the perks.

Here’s the deal:

A bunch of popular cards reset their perks on a calendar-year schedule or semi-annual schedule (January + July).

So if you open one right now, you can often grab:

• Whatever credits are left for this year

• A full fresh batch when the clock hits January

• And if the card has mid-year resets, you might snag those too

All before you owe another annual fee.

We’re talking hundreds of dollars in travel perks, lifestyle credits, hotel boosts, the whole buffet – sometimes even $1,000+ of value if you stack it right.

And yes… there is even a way to triple-dip... 😉

If you want the full breakdown – which cards work best, which credits matter most, what timing tricks are actually legal, and how to avoid burning money in the process – we’ve got the full guide for you:

😓 Oof… Emirates transfers devalue (again)

Welp… another one bites the dust.

Starting January 13, 2026, transfers from Capital One miles to Emirates will drop from a clean 1:1 ratio to a crusty little 4:3 ratio.

And honestly? We all saw the writing on the bulkhead. This is part of a trend we’ve been watching for a while:

• First, Emirates restricted First Class awards to elite members only (annoying, but survivable)

• Then ThankYou points quietly worsened their transfer ratio

• Then MR points followed

• Then UR points removed Emirates entirely

Only Capital One miles (and Bilt) still had a true 1:1 transfer… and now that final domino is wobbling.

And that sucks because Emirates miles are so useful – especially for upgrades.

Just last month, I booked Emirates business class from Bangkok to Hong Kong and upgraded myself to first class (instantly online) for just 11,500 Capital One miles that I transferred to Emirates.

So what does this devaluation mean for you?

If Emirates is on your bucket list, you need to book (and transfer points) before January 13 if you want to get anywhere near a good deal.

And I’m going to give you a delicious trick to stretch your miles way further. 😏

The Emirates “Flex Upgrade” trick

Let’s take their 5th-freedom routes between the U.S. and Europe (Newark to Athens and New York to Milan).

A straight business-class redemption costs 87,000 miles and $433 in taxes/fees.

Which… no. Absolutely not. Those surcharges need to go to jail.

But here’s where it gets fun:

Step 1: Book Economy (Flex)

On the same route, you can book flexible economy for 30,000 miles and $122 in taxes and fees. 👇

Step 2: Upgrade instantly

If you see green text (like in the screenshot above) when searching, it means instant upgrade space is available:

• Upgrade to Business: 39,000 miles

• Total: 69,000 miles + $122

Suddenly, your 87k + $433 business-class flight becomes 69k + $122. Same seat. Same champagne. No waiting to see if an upgrade clears.

And yes – this exact principle works for first class too, though you’ll need to book directly into business first (and the mileage math gets bigger).

This is also incredible on their “shorter” 5th-freedom routes, where cash fares in business are often low.

I’ve upgraded this way twice this year (Bangkok to Hong Kong, and Christchurch to Sydney).

Emirates even has a flight between Miami and Bogotá that’s perfect for this move.

The takeaway

If you want to fly Emirates – whether business, first, or upgrading your way into the good life – you need to make a plan before January 13, when the transfer ratio drops.

And for everyone who recently picked up a Capital One card with a chunky 100,000-mile welcome offer…

This might be the perfect time to turn those points into caviar and shower suites. 🤷🏼‍♂️

I’ve droned on long enough today… good luck with your Friday, and I hope you have the best weekend ever. ❤️

Love,

6.9175° S, 107.6191° E

With contributions by this guy