Fly to Australia for 17k Delta miles

🍁 Good morning from beautiful Manchester, New Hampshire — where the leaves are changing, the taxes are nonexistent, and my jet lag is… rough.

We’ve got some good stuff on deck for you today, folks:

• ⚡️ Delta flash sale to Asia and Australia

• 💳 Don’t let these new credits go to waste

• 🏨 Earn 165k bonus points for your next hotel stay

⚡️ Delta flash sale to Asia and Australia

Delta runs flash sales pretty often, but they’re usually nothing to write home about. This one, though? It’s different.

Through today, September 25, you can book round-trip flights to the Asia-Pacific region for fewer SkyMiles than some people spend on a one-way domestic ticket.

We’re talking deals in the 40k to 50k range round trip, plus about $120 in taxes and fees.

Here’s the kicker: if you hold a Delta co-branded card, you’ll also get the automatic 15% discount on award tickets.

That pushes some of these fares down into jaw-dropping territory.

For example, I found Los Angeles (LAX) to Brisbane, Australia (BNE), round trip for just 34,000 SkyMiles + $124 after the discount. 👇

That’s a 15-hour nonstop across the Pacific for 17,000 miles each way – possibly the best deal I’ve ever seen to Australia.

And it’s not just Australia — destinations like Tokyo, Seoul, and more are also included in the sale, with travel dates running well into spring 2026.

You can check out the sale page, enter your preferred origin city, and see which routes and prices are available.

As a reminder, there are lots of ways to earn Delta SkyMiles, including:

• Delta co-branded cards (which also unlock that 15% discount)

• Transfer from Membership Rewards points to top off your account

This sale only runs for the rest of today, and availability will go fast — so if Asia or Australia are on your list, now’s the time to move.

💳 Don’t let these new credits go to waste

One of the major premium travel cards, The Platinum Card® from American Express, just relaunched with a fresh lineup of perks.

Two of those perks are new quarterly credits you’ll want to pay attention to:

• $75 per quarter at lululemon

• $100 per quarter at Resy restaurants

Since these were only introduced last week, a lot of people don’t even have them on their radar yet.

But here’s the kicker: Q3 ends in less than a week. That means you can still grab $175 of value before September 30, and then turn around and use those credits again starting October 1.

I’m back in the U.S. for the first time in over six months, and let’s just say… my timing couldn’t be better.

Between now and next week, I’ll unlock $350 in statement credits toward this card’s (very high) annual fee — without even trying.

Personally, I was most excited about the lululemon credit. I wear their gear constantly, and my socks and underwear are exclusively lulu. So the first thing I did after landing?

Picked up a 3-pack of underwear for $78. 👇

Thanks to the credit (and New Hampshire’s no-sales-tax policy), my out-of-pocket cost was just three bucks. And next week, when the Q4 credit kicks in, I’ll be back for socks or a new workout shirt.

The Resy credit is equally straightforward. Despite the branding, it’s really just a “restaurants listed on Resy” credit. You don’t even need to book through the app — just pay at the restaurant with your Amex Platinum and the credit triggers automatically.

This week, I’ll burn mine in Boston with some friends at one of the many eligible restaurants.

Next week, I’ll use the new quarter’s credit in New York, where the options are endless.

One thing to note: Both of these credits require enrollment, so make sure you log into your account and activate them ASAP before making any purchases.

Even as someone who spends 95% of my time outside the U.S., I’ve already knocked hundreds off the annual fee in just a few days.

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PRESENTED BY CHASE

💳 Earn 165k bonus points for your next hotel stay

As someone who has opened many credit cards in my day, it takes a lot for any given card to remain in my top five year after year…

But every now and then, I come across a unicorn. Enter: the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card — a card with rich benefits that’ll take your travels further.

For starters, it’s currently boasting a limited-time welcome offer of 165,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first three months from account opening.

In addition to the bonus points, it’s also packed with other perks:

• 🙌 Earn a whopping 26x points per dollar at IHG properties

• 👑 Complimentary IHG One Rewards Platinum Elite status (includes early check-in, late check-out, complimentary room upgrades if available, a welcome amenity, and more)

• 🛏️ An Anniversary Free Night (worth up to 40,000 points with the ability to top it off with additional points for fancier stays)

• 🛃 Up to $120 credit, every four years, for Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, or NEXUS application

• ✈️ Up to $50 United Airlines TravelBank Cash each year, with registration

• 👀 Fourth-night free perk on award stays of four consecutive nights or more (book four nights, and only use points for three of those nights!)

That is insane value for a card with a low $99 annual fee!

Bottom line: IHG Premier is packed with value, and if you love travel, this is a must-have in your wallet.

✨ Learn More ✨

That’s all for today, my friends. I’m going to go chug a Dunkin’ coffee the size of my head, because… America. 🦅

See you tomorrow,

42.9956° N, 71.4548° W

With contributions by Tiffany Eastham and McKay Moffitt