Our roundup of this week's top 5 travel deals

Reading Time: 8 min

This week I've got an unadvertised Delta flash sale with incredibly cheap award flights to Australia, New Zealand, and even parts of Asia. There are also new award discounts on flights to Singapore, plus three boosted welcome offers on a trio of popular airline, hotel, and travel points credit cards.

In addition, two airlines are teaming up with two hotel chains for new partnerships, but the fine print in both deals may limit most of the real value. And if you're not flying anywhere soon, there's a whole batch of online shopping bonuses worth stacking right now, from Southwest and United's airline portals to an extended Rakuten deal. Let's get into all the travel news and deals worth your attention this week.

If you've been eyeing a trip to the Southern Hemisphere but balked at Delta's usually ridiculous international flight award pricing, there's a quiet development worth checking.

The folks at ​Thrifty Traveler​ have reported that Delta is currently running an unadvertised flash sale on award flights to Australia and New Zealand, and our friends at ​Frequent Miler​ have found discounted awards to Hong Kong and Taipei as well.

Roundtrip economy from the West Coast starts at 30,000 miles to Brisbane, and 40,000 to Auckland. Sydney and Hong Kong start at 50,000 from LAX, while Taipei is at 58,000. East Coast and Midwest departures run 10,000 to 20,000 miles higher.

As always, Delta Amex cardholders get an extra 15% off Delta award flights, which pulls LAX to Brisbane down to just 25,500 miles roundtrip. That's a pretty amazing deal.

There's no landing page on Delta's website for this sale, but ​Points Path​ users — including those using our free extension — can find these award prices in Google Flights with one-way and roundtrip searches. I took a look and found Australia and New Zealand travel dates are ​mostly in November and December​, while Asia flights are ​primarily around August and September​.

The one thing to note is that all of these awards book into either basic economy or main economy, which means 13-15 hours in coach for the Pacific longhauls. That's a lot of time sitting in an economy seat, but cash prices are easily around $1,000 or more. So if you're up for it, you almost certainly won't beat this deal.

Double your travel points without signing up for another credit card

Most folks are happy earning points and miles on everything they buy with their credit card. But did you know there's a way to "double dip" and earn extra points for free? People know Bilt for its credit cards that earn points on rent with no transaction fees. But you don't need a Bilt card to join the Bilt Neighborhood Benefits program. In fact, not only is it free to join, but you can stack the points you earn from it with the rewards from your existing credit card, and take home twice as much!

Learn how to double your rewards for free

Singapore Airlines just refreshed its monthly ​Spontaneous Escapes​ list with new award deals, and this round has something we haven't seen from the West Coast in a while.

The August ​Singapore Spontaneous Escapes sale​ includes Los Angeles to Tokyo's Narita airport in business class for 79,800 miles one-way — the first U.S.-to-Asia business class option on this list in ages.

But premium economy is where the list runs deep. Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle to Singapore are all available for 55,300 miles each way, or you can fly LAX to Tokyo for 56,350 miles. East coasters will also find a New York option from JFK to Singapore for just 59,150 miles in premium economy.

To score these prices, you'll need to book by July 31st for travel during August. Some blackout dates do apply, so use the calendar option on Singapore's website to find award availability.

Remember that these Spontaneous Escapes awards can't be changed and are also nonrefundable. With a booking window this tight, that's less risky than usual. But it's still only worth pulling the trigger if you're certain about the trip.

Between two airline shopping portals, an extended Rakuten offer, and a last chance Amex deal, there are more ways than usual to earn extra points this week without leaving your couch.

First, Southwest and United both launched "back to school" shopping portal bonuses this week. Now through August 10th, ​Southwest is offering 500 bonus points​ for spending $100 through their portal, 1,000 points for $250, or 2,500 points for $500. Meanwhile, ​United's offers are 500 bonus miles​ for spending $150, 1,000 miles for $350, or 2,500 miles for $600.

The second bit of online shopping news this week is that Rakuten extended its best-ever welcome bonus. Now through September 30th, new members who ​sign up through a referral link​ and spend $50 in the first 90 days earn a $50 cash bonus — or 5,000 American Express or Bilt points if you switch your earning preference. You must use a referral link for this deal, so ask friends for one or ​you can use ours​ (and our thanks if you do!)

Finally, remember that there's a targeted Amex Offer for Amazon that expires today, July 19th. Cardholders who have it can spend $150 for 1,200 extra Amex points per transaction, up to three times for 3,600 points total. Check the Amex app or website, and if you've got this offer, activate it and make sure to use it today.

In case you missed it...

​How to use AI to find the best credit card for you​

Two major hotel programs cut new deals with international airlines this week, but the practical value of these arrangements depends on which side of each pairing you're on.

First, Hyatt and Air Canada have launched a new partnership that's primarily focused on Canadian residents, though those living in the U.S. can also qualify. You'll now be able to move points in either direction, but the numbers are rough. The transfer ratio is 2-to-1, meaning 50,000 points in one program only returns 25,000 in the other. That's probably a bad deal in most cases.

Elites in either program will have a few options with a little more heft. Hyatt elites can get a $20 CAD Air Canada flight credit each year after linking accounts, and Aeroplan elite members — including U.S. Chase Aeroplan cardholders who get 25K status through the card — can enroll in a 90-day Hyatt status challenge: 4 nights for Discoverist, 10 for Explorist, or 20 for Globalist. You can ​link your Hyatt and Air Canada accounts together here​.

Meanwhile, Marriott and Japan Airlines also went deeper on their existing partnership this week. Marriott elites now automatically earn JAL elite status points based on tier — up to 40,000 for Ambassadors, which is enough for JAL Crystal status. At the same time, Japan Airlines elites get reciprocal Marriott status matches and challenges scaled to their tier. You can ​link your Marriott and Japan Airlines accounts here​.

The Marriott-JAL setup is the more immediately useful of the two, but will only be helpful to those with elite status in either program. Marriott and JAL have long offered the ability to transfer points back and forth, but at low ratios. So effectively, the cross-program point conversions and redemptions are a poor value in both of these deals. The real payoff is earning airline status from holding hotel status, or the other way around.

Finally, if you've been waiting to open a new travel credit card, there are currently three limited-time welcome offers from different corners of the airline, hotel, and travel points world.

This week, the ​Hawaiian Airlines Bank of Hawaii Mastercard​ raised its welcome offer to 70,000 points. You'll earn 60,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days, plus 10,000 more after hitting $2,000 in 180 days.

These are now Alaska Atmos points following the Hawaiian-Alaska merger, so there's real value to them. However, keep in mind that the card has a $99 annual fee, and even though the name says "Bank of Hawaii," it's actually issued by Barclays Bank.

On the other hand, if you're a small business owner, this week the bonus on the ​Chase World of Hyatt Business card​ jumped to 70,000 points after spending $7,000 in three months. That's up from the previous 60,000 points, but the extra 10,000 points will cost you $2,000 in extra spend versus the older offer. The card carries a $199 annual fee and is subject to Chase's 5/24 rule.

And you've got just a short time left to pick up a ​Chase Sapphire Preferred with its best-ever bonus​. Right now you'll earn 100,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first three months. The card was recently refreshed to add 3x points on gas and EV charging, 3x on vacation home brands, and a $100 annual hotel credit through Chase Travel. However, the one downside is that transfers to Hyatt are now at a 4-to-3 ratio instead of 1-to-1.

Your bedside table just got a major upgrade

Stop juggling three different cables. The LISEN 25W 3-in-1 Charging Station can charge your iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods at 25W speeds with one sleek, foldable stand.

Get it at Amazon

​That's it for this week's travel headlines and best deals. But if a dream hotel has ever shown zero award availability for your desired dates, don't miss ​this simple stay-length trick that reveals hidden award nights​. Have a great weekend! ✈️

This story may contain links through which we are compensated when you click on or are approved for offers, and we may receive compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. Points Path may receive a commission from card issuers. This compensation may impact how and where links appear in this story. This story does not necessarily include all financial companies or all available financial offers. The editorial content in this story is not provided by any of the companies mentioned, and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. All prices are accurate as of July 19, 2026, at 12pm ET.