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Issue #001
May 14, 2026
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Weekly intelligence for serious travel rewards optimizers · Every Wednesday 7am ET · 5 min read
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This Week's Top Opportunity
Chase → Flying Blue 20% Bonus + Monthly Promo Awards = Best Europe Deal Right Now
Two opportunities are stacking right now. Here's how to combine them for business class to Paris at a fraction of retail.
Chase Ultimate Rewards is running a 20% transfer bonus to Air France Flying Blue through May 27, 2026 — 13 days left.
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THE MATH
Transfer 50,000 Chase UR points → receive 60,000 Flying Blue miles
The 20% bonus adds 10,000 free miles.
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Here's why this matters: Flying Blue runs monthly Promo Awards where select routes are 25–50% off standard pricing. This month, US East Coast to Paris business class is available at 50,000 miles round trip — normally 100,000+.
Stack the two together: Transfer during the 20% bonus window, then book a Promo Award. That's 60,000 miles booking a flight that normally costs 100,000+ and retails at $2,800 in cash.
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How to Do It (3 Steps)
| 01Chase account → Rewards → Transfer → Air France Flying Blue |
| 02Enter your Flying Club number → confirm (~3 days to post) |
| 03Book at airfrance.us → Award tickets → look for Promo Award pricing |
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13 days left on the transfer bonus. Flying Blue Promo Awards reset June 1 with new routes. If Europe is on your list — this is the window.
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This Week's Capital Snapshot
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Best Value Redemption
Hyatt via Chase UR
2.0¢ / pt
Best overall this week. 1:1 transfer, instant posting.
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Active Bonuses
5
programs with active bonuses
↑ from 3 last week
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Expiring Soonest
May 27
Chase → Flying Blue
13 days to act on 20% transfer bonus
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Card of the Week
Chase Sapphire Reserve
Annual Fee: $550 · This Week's ROI: 1.94×
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Annual Benefit Breakdown
| $300 Travel Credit |
$300 |
| Priority Pass (unlimited) |
$429 |
| Global Entry ($100 / 4.5 yrs) |
$22 |
| DashPass Membership |
$120 |
| Lyft Pink Membership |
$199 |
| Total Value |
$1,070 |
| Annual Fee |
−$550 |
"The $300 travel credit alone makes the math work. Everything else is gravy."
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Action Item
If you have this card, check your $300 travel credit balance. It resets on your anniversary date — not January 1st.
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This Week's
Award Sweet Spots
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✈️
US → Tokyo
Business Class
Program
ANA via Virgin Atlantic transfer
~$3,400 saved vs. cash
ANA opens 355 days out. Set an alert.
Transfer Chase UR → Virgin Atlantic (1:1). Book at ana.co.jp/en/us
Transfer Chase UR →
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🗼
US East → Paris
Business Class
Program
Air France Flying Blue (May Promo Award)
~$2,800 saved vs. cash
Promo Awards active now — 25-50% off standard pricing. Resets June 1.
Transfer Chase/Amex/C1 → Flying Blue. Book at airfrance.us → Award tickets → Promo Awards
Transfer to Flying Blue →
Or Chase UR →
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🇺🇸
Domestic Any City
Economy
Program
Southwest Rapid Rewards
~$80–150 saved vs. cash
Best for last-minute. Points scale with price.
Book direct at southwest.com. Points never expire.
Book on Southwest →
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⏰ Expiring This Month
Transfer bonuses and monthly credits expiring soon:
| Chase → Marriott 65% transfer bonus | May 15 — skip, bad value |
| Chase → Flying Blue 20% transfer bonus | May 27 — ACT NOW |
| Amex → Hilton 20% transfer bonus | May 30 — only if you need Hilton |
| Capital One → Qantas 20% transfer bonus | May 31 — good for Pacific routes |
| Monthly card credits reset | June 1 — Amex Gold dining, Platinum Uber Cash, CSR DoorDash |
The Chase → Flying Blue bonus is the only one worth acting on this week. The 65% Marriott bonus expires tomorrow but the math doesn't work — Chase points are worth more elsewhere.
5 active bonuses this week. One clear winner.
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🌍 Know Before You Go
Travel intelligence and safety updates for this week:
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Travel Notice
Europe (General)
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Full advisory →
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| Summer 2026 travel to Europe is near pre-pandemic levels. Book award seats early — availability drops sharply after Memorial Day. Paris, Rome, and London are filling fast. |
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Exercise Caution
Middle East Routes
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Full advisory →
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| Several carriers have modified flight paths over certain Middle East airspace. Check your airline's current routing before redeeming miles for affected routes. Some flights may have longer flight times. |
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Health Notice
Asia Pacific (General)
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Full advisory →
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| CDC maintains standard travel health notices for several Asia Pacific destinations. No elevated disease alerts as of this week. Standard vaccination recommendations apply for Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. |
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Sources: U.S. State Department Travel Advisories · CDC Travel Health Notices. AeroStack updates this section weekly. Always verify with official sources before travel.
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From the Founder
This week I caught myself leaving $192 a year on the table.
I was putting $800/month of groceries on my CSR (3×) instead of my Amex Gold (4×). That's 800 extra points per month I was missing — $192/year in wasted earning. Small habit, big difference over time.
The point of AeroStack isn't to find new cards. It's to squeeze maximum value out of the cards you already have.
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Track all of this automatically.
AeroStack monitors your credits, bonuses, and opportunities 24/7.
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