๐ฐ My Top Finds, Latest Deals, and Best Recommendations (9/27/25)

This week, we'll cover a deep dive on Bank of America credit cards & rewards, Capital One's 3 new transfer partners (including JAL!), how to earn a Southwest Companion pass with a 120k offer, $2,300+ worth of bank bonuses, business class award deals to 6 destinations, latest transfer bonuses, up to 50% off, hotel promos: Marriott, IHG, Hilton & more, Amazon deals: 50% redemption bonus + $35 off gas, 25 ways to win the last 100 days of 2025 and more!
๐ณ Deep Dive on Bank of America Credit Cards
This week, I dive deep into Bank of Americaโs credit card lineup and why I have 5 different BoA cards right now. I'll go over how the Preferred Rewards program can help you earn an unlimited 3.3% cash back on everything. I also cover approval rules, credit limits, unique perks like free museum access, and more.
๐ My Past Week
Here's a little sneak peek into how my last week turned out.
- Q3 is coming to an end, so I made sure to use up all the monthly/quarterly credits I have on various cards, most notably the new $100/quarter Resy credit on the Platinum. With all this Resy credit, we'll have to start upgrading our date nights :)
- The stars really aligned for our trip to Japan this week. On the same day that the Park Hyatt Tokyo โopened the calendar for award bookingsโ, CapitalOne added Japan Airlines as a transfer partner. We managed to book JAL Business on the exact flights we want (and I may waitlist for JAL First) and used a Hyatt Suite Upgrade award to confirm an upgrade to a Deluxe Suite at the Park Hyatt in Tokyo. Can't wait for this trip next year!
- Last weekend I went to a meetup in Denver for โThe Daily Churn Podcastโ and it was really incredible getting to meet so many people are similarly as excited about earning points and miles as I am. It was also great to put some faces and real names to people I've gotten to know this year by their discord/slack usernames. I have two more similar meetups on the calendar this year and look forward to pausing on travel after those.
- I woke up Monday feeling like crap and noticed that I had the worst Oura Ring readiness score I've had in years. It was really helpful to dig into what was going on, because I didn't have any obvious cold/flu/stomach symptoms. Also, don't forget that the refreshed Platinum Card has a $200 Oura credit.
- We made a few delicious recipes this week: โCrispy Halloumi With Tomatoes and White Beansโ and โTurkey Chiliโ. Our kids don't have the spice tolerance I do, so I added some chili flakes and hot sauce to each, which made them even better! If you have any favorite recipes, please reply and send them my way.
- I'm excited to be heading to the pumpkin patch today with the family for some early fall adventures (and hopefully some pumpkin-flavored treats)!
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๐ซ Travel, Points & Miles
๐ค Capital One Adds Japan Air Transfers (+ 2 Others)
Capital One just expanded with โthree new transfer partnersโ: Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Preferred Hotels. The standard transfer ratio for Japan Airlines is 2:1.5, Qatar Airways is 1:1, and Preferred Hotels is 1:2. However there's a โ30% transfer bonus to JALโ until 10/22 that I already used to book flights to Japan. I'm most excited about JAL because they have a lot of inventory they only make available to their members. Just know you need to have a JAL account opened for 7 days before booking AND miles expire 3 years after transferring.
๐บ Business Class Award Deals to 6 Destinations
Check out these business class award flight deals if you're looking to travel to/via these destinations.
- ๐ซ๐ฏ Fiji: From โ60K Atmos points or AAdvantage milesโ
- ๐ฉ๐ช Germany: From โ54K JetBlue or Atmos pointsโ
- ๐ฏ๐ต Japan: From โ41K Virgin pointsโ
- ๐น๐ผ Taiwan: From โ75K Aeroplan pointsโ
- ๐น๐ท Turkey: From 33K โTurkish miles or United pointsโ
- ๐ฌ๐ง U.K.: From โ23K Virgin pointsโ
๐ Latest Transfer Bonuses: Up to 50% Off
I donโt recommend speculative transfers, but if youโre planning a trip, you might be able to score a great deal using one (or more!) of these bonuses.
- Capital One โ JAL Mileage Bank: โ30% bonusโ (10/22)
- Citi โ Avianca LifeMiles: โ25% bonusโ (10/18)
- Citi โ Turkish Miles&Smiles: โ50% bonusโ (10/18)
- Citi โ Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: โ30% bonusโ (10/18)
- Rove Miles โ Air France/KLM Flying Blue: โ20% bonusโ (10/22)
- Rove Miles โ Finnair Plus Avios: โ20% bonusโ (12/31)
๐จ Hotel Promos: Marriott, IHG, Hilton & More
If you have upcoming travel, here are some hotel promos you can take advantage of.
- Wyndham: โEarn up to 30K bonus pointsโ. Get 7,500 points after two-night stays, up to 4x, between 9/25 and 1/20/26. โRegister hereโ before 1/16/26 to qualify.
- Hilton: โSave up to 20%โ when you book by 9/29 for stays between 9/26 and 4/6/26.
- IHG: โSave up to 25%โ when you book by 10/5 for stays until 12/31.
- Marriott: โSave up to 20%โ when you book weekend stays between 9/29 and 10/19. Book by tomorrow, 9/28, with promo code โQRIโ.
- Accor: โSave 20%โ when you book via the ALL Accor app before 10/9 for 2+ night stays between 10/24 and 12/10.
- Radisson: โUp to 7K bonus pointsโ, earned in tiers on 3 separate stays between 9/19 and 11/18.
โ๏ธ Earn 10,000 Bonus Flying Blue Miles
Earn โ10,000 bonus Flying Blue milesโ when you book select Air France/KLM flights by 10/7 for travel between 9/23 and 3/31/26. To qualify, the first flight in the reservation must be with Air France/KLM.
๐ข Alaska Launches Atmos for Business
Alaska Airlines just launched โAtmos for Businessโ, allowing companies to earn extra points on corporate travel (1 point for every $1 spent on Alaska/Hawaiian Airlines tickets). If you own a company that spends at least $5,000 annually on travel, โenroll hereโ for free.
๐ค Latest Deals
๐ฆ $2,300+ Worth of Bank Bonuses
Bank bonuses are a great way to maximize your savings, so here are a few ways to do it.
- โUp to $775 from TBK Bankโ: Open an AIM Checking Account and complete activities including direct deposits, auto transfers, Bill Pay and POS transactions, and more.
- โUp to $500 from TD Bankโ: Open a new TD Beyond Checking account to earn $300, and open a TD Complete Checking account to earn $200 with qualifying direct deposits before 10/31.
- โUp to $450 from U.S. Bankโ: When you open a โnew U.S. Bank Smartlyยฎ Checking accountโ before 11/20 and sign up for online banking or the U.S Bank Mobile app and complete 2 qualifying deposits.
- โUp to $300 from CIT Bankโ: Open a new Platinum Savings account with the promo code PS2025 and complete a qualifying deposit before 10/22.
- โUp to $300 from OnePayโ: Open a Cash Account before 10/31 and complete qualifying direct deposits.
๐ Latest Gift Card Deals
If you want to learn how to save and profit from gift cards, listen to โEp #212โ. For now, here are some gift card deals I found this week with expiration dates in parentheses.
- Office Depot/Max: โ$15 off $300+โ Mastercard gift cards (9/27)
- Safeway / Albertsons / Vons: โ10ร pointsโ on Zift cards (9/27)
- Meijer Mperks: โ$10 off $150โ Visa gift cards (9/30)
- Giftcards.com: โ10% offโ popular brands with promo code GIFTOBER (10/5)
- Safeway: โ$10 off $50โ on select gift cards (10/7)
- DashPass: โ10% offโ gift cards brands (12/31)
- Kroger: โ$5 off $50โ select gift cards (N/A)
๐ Amazon Deals: 50% Redemption Bonus + $35 off Gas
On 10/1, Bilt members can redeem โBilt Points for up to 50%โ more value when making purchases at Amazon.com.
On 10/3, Amazon Prime members can โsave $1 per gallonโ (up to $35) at bp, Amoco and am/pm gas stations in the U.S. All you need to do is activate the offer โโhereโโ and create a free Earnifyโข account with BP.
๐๏ธ Exclusive Sports Experiences from Marriott & Choice
One of the unique perks from loyalty programs are the exclusive giveaways/redemptions. Here are two you should check out right now.
- Marriott โKeysakesโ Contest: A chance to wake up inside Leviโs Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday in the Marriott Bonvoy Super Bowl Sleepover Suite. โEnter the sweepstakesโ before 12/8.
- Experiences by Choice: Redeem points for โVIP sports experiences โincluding grandstand seats and VIP packages.
๐ต High Yield Verizon + Openbank Savings Account
โVerizon + Openbank Savingsโ is a partnership that offers monthly bill credits for up to 12 months as a reward for using Openbank's High Yield Savings Account. I was surprised to see they offered a competitive interest rate (4.2%), which makes this promo worth doing for almost any Verizon customer. You just need to maintain the following balances to earn the respective monthly bill credits:
- $1,000+ = $5/mo bill credit ($60 total)
- $10,000+ = $10/mo bill credit ($120 total)
- $30,000+ = $15/mo bill credit ($180 total)
The $1k/$10k levels seem like a great deal, making the effective APY >5%. The $30k tier is still interesting, but depending where else you'd park your cash, it might not be worth it. That said, as a former Verizon customer, I think you'll save more by switching to another carrier.
๐ต๏ธ Top Finds
๐ 25 Ways to Win the Last 100 Days of 2025
I can't believe we're already in Q4 and I love โthis list of 25 actionable habitsโ that Sahil Bloom put together to help you finish 2025 strong. It covers practical ideas to improve every aspect of your life, from productivity, mindset, relationships, and more.
๐บ Show Recommendation: Black Rabbit
I binged โthis Netflix showโ on my flights last weekend and enjoyed it. The show is about a restaurant owner in NYC, whose life and business spiral into danger when his troubled brother returns to the family business.
Editorโs Note: The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.






