🎁 TRENDING TRAVEL NEWS 🎁
• Miles on Miles: AA’s Holiday Bonus is live — earn bonus miles via AAdvantage eShopping through Nov 17.
• Helpful Tool: Find your best personalized credit card deals with CardMatch.
• Travel Tips: Airlines are warning us to book early — 2025 holiday travel will be packed.
• ICYMI: U.S. visa fees are jumping by $250 next year for most foreign travelers.
Good morning from Macao 🇲🇴 – the country(ish) you may not have heard of, but you will know a lot more about in a few minutes.
Let’s get into it:
🏨 Earn 7x Hilton points on gas and groceries
Every once in a while, Hilton throws a little gift at its co-branded cardholders through merchant offers. And if you’ve checked your account lately, you might’ve noticed a juicy one.
Right now, many Hilton cardholders are seeing targeted offers for extra points on everyday spend — specifically at U.S. gas stations and grocery stores.
Not everyone’s offer is the same, but most people seem to have a versions of at least one of these offers.
Personally, I got an offer on this card to earn an extra 4x Hilton points on gas, though I sadly won’t be able to use it. 😭
If I could use it, I’d suddenly be earning 7x Hilton points per dollar — which is absurdly good for stuff you’re already buying.
For Hilton fanpeople, this could be a great way to get a free stay out of the cash you’re already spending at the pump. ⛽️
But let’s talk about the grocery side of things — because that one’s a little more nuanced.
If you’ve got the extra 4x grocery offer (which would also be 7x total), it sounds amazing… until you remember there are other cards that already crush grocery rewards.
For instance, there’s a certain gold-colored card that gives you 4x transferable points per dollar on U.S. grocery spend.
Since those points can be transferred to Hilton at a 1:2 ratio, that’s effectively 8x Hilton points per dollar — which, thanks to math, beats 7x.
So, depending on your setup, using your Hilton card might not actually be the best move for that particular category.
Still, for gas purchases? It’s hard to beat.
Hilton points are worth roughly half a cent each, so 7x points per dollar is like a 3.5% return on something you probably can’t avoid spending money on anyway.
Bottom line:
🔍 Check your targeted Hilton-branded card offers.
🧠 Activate it before you forget (seriously, it takes two seconds).
⛽️ Use it for gas if you got that version — it’s an easy win.
🧃 For the grocery offer, run the math with your other cards before going all in.
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🛍️ How to earn bonus points on holiday shopping
Every quarter, the Chase Freedom Flex® turns into a turbocharged earner with rotating 5% categories (up to $1,500 in combined purchases) with no annual fee — and this quarter might be the best of the year.
From now through December 31, you’ll get:
5% cash back when booking through Chase TravelSM
5% cash back at department stores and Old Navy
5% cash back with PayPal (in December only)
Why this matters: Chase Travel is the sleeper hit here. For a $0 annual fee card, 5% back on travel is about as good as it gets.
But these categories are also perfect for tackling your holiday shopping with an excellent return on your spend.
How to take it to the next level
If you also hold a card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve®, or the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, that cash back can be turned into Ultimate Rewards points and transferred to partners like World of Hyatt, United, or Air France/KLM.
⚠️ Important: If you have the Chase Freedom Flex®, you need to activate these categories by December 14.
The catch: you’ll only get the bonus on the first $1,500 in combined purchases across the Q4 categories, so plan your holiday travel and gift runs strategically.
Whether you’re booking a winter escape or just panic-buying December gifts, this quarter’s Chase Freedom Flex® lineup makes it easy to squeeze serious value from everyday spending.
⚔️ Points showdown: UR vs. Capital One
It’s time for another points showdown… this time? UR points versus Capital One miles.
Here’s the quick “vibe check” (pardon my youth slang):
UR Points shine when you’re chasing maximum value through strong hotel and airline partners (👋 Hyatt fans).
Capital One miles keep things simple — easy transfers, easy redemptions, fewer hoops.
Both are great, but the “better” program really depends on how you travel and redeem.
If you’ve ever wondered which one fits your strategy (or why people swear by one over the other), this piece lays it all out — cleanly, clearly, and without the jargon. 👇
🌎 Where in the World Wednesday: Macao
If you’ve never heard of Macao, don’t worry — most travelers haven’t.
It’s technically part of China (but also not really), but with major Portuguese DNA, neon casino lights, and pastel egg tarts that could make Paris cry.
Most people only know Macao for its Vegas-on-steroids skyline (fun fact: it actually makes more gambling revenue than Las Vegas 😳).
But once you step away from the baccarat tables, you’ll find narrow cobblestone streets lined with azulejo tiles, colonial churches, and old teahouses that feel like time portals.
It’s one of the few places on Earth where you can have dim sum for breakfast, Portuguese codfish for lunch, and Michelin-starred Chinese food for dinner — all before losing a few patacas at a baccarat table because you swore you had a system.
The easiest way to get there is actually through Hong Kong.
Macao’s airport handles only short-haul regional flights, so your best move is to fly into Hong Kong and take the (free) bus straight to Macao from HKG airport.
Better yet, pair a few days in Macao with a few in Hong Kong for a two-for-one cultural mash-up. 🤝
Once you arrive, you’ve got two options: first, the Historic Centre of Macao, a UNESCO site where incense-filled temples, 17th-century church ruins, and Portuguese plazas all somehow coexist.
You can sleep in this part of town at any of the three IHG properties for around 20,000 IHG points per night – or just 15k if you leverage the 4th-night free perk from IHG’s co-branded cards.
You can wander through Senado Square, climb to the Ruins of St. Paul’s, and eat your body weight in pork-chop buns, African chicken, and egg tarts (specifically at Lord Stow’s).
For a calmer vibe, hop down to Coloane Village – a pastel seaside neighborhood where time moves slower and the milk tea hits harder. 🧋
If you prefer glitz, head for the Cotai Strip, where mirrored megacasinos and Michelin-starred restaurants make Vegas look… quaint.
My favorite stay there is the Andaz Macao – a Category 5 Hyatt that runs 17,000–23,000 points per night (or under $100 on weeknights, which is a much better deal).
And if you’re flying from the U.S., Cathay Pacific offers one of the best long-haul deals in the game: just 27,000 miles from the West Coast or 38,000 miles from anywhere else in the U.S.
Since you can transfer points to Cathay from basically every bank program except UR points, it’s extremely easy to book these flights, and availability is great.
San Francisco to Hong Kong for 27,000 Cathay Pacific miles
Even in economy, Cathay feels special – good food, quiet cabins, and service that makes you question whether you’re in economy at all.
Whether you’re into temples, tables, or tarts, Macao is one of Asia’s most underrated hidden gems — and the perfect add-on to your next Hong Kong run.
Alrighty, kiddos – that does it for today’s newsletter.
I hope you enjoyed the mix of points showdowns, extra earning methods, and a little inspiration for a new spot to add to your bucket list.
See you next time 🫡
With contributions by McKay Moffitt
