Our roundup of this week's top 5 travel deals

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This week a major airline is handing out free points for something most of us already have too much of, but today is your last chance to cash in. Meanwhile, a European loyalty program has published an unusually long list of discounted award routes that pairs nicely with a 25% transfer bonus, and another airline is offering a rare deal to fly halfway around the world for just 25,000 miles each way.

Plus, the latest quarterly bonus categories on several no-annual-fee cards are ready to activate and heavy on food, and a dining app that I often use when I'm traveling has doubled its referral bonus again — but only for a short time. Yes, the theme this weekend is short timeframes, so here’s what you need to know before this week's deals slip away.

Southwest Airlines has spent the past several days running an unusual campaign built around the cluttered state of your phone’s home screen, and the final chance to participate opens today.

The ​Southwest Notification Vacation promotion​ offers the airline's frequent flyer members one point for every unread notification badge visible on their phone’s home screens, up to 10,000 points. However, today, Sunday, October 11th, is the last day to enter, and the final daily batch of points is released at noon Eastern — right around the same time this email hits your inbox.

To participate, ​open the site on your phone​, enter your Rapid Rewards number and upload up to 10 uncropped screenshots of your home screens in one go, since you only get one submission. You can hide message previews, but the badge counts can’t be altered.

This promotion has been going on for about a week and daily points have run out fast, so if you want to jump in, you'll need to act quickly. Also, a number of users have hit error messages, so keep retrying if the page stalls.

If you see a message that all the points have already been claimed for the day, the good news is that ​Southwest’s separate Burnout Quiz​ awards another 500 points just for completing it, and runs through December 10th (or until its points run out). So you should still be able to grab a handful of free points even if you miss out on the main promotion.

There’s nothing better than double-dipping on your rewards

By booking through ​Gondola​, your reservations count as direct bookings, meaning ​you earn your standard brand points and elite credits alongside a bonus return of up to 7% cash back​. It’s the perfect way to supercharge your travel return without denting your budget. ​We’ve previously highlighted​ why this tool is a favorite for those who refuse to sacrifice their hard-earned status perks for a better deal. Best of all, ​Gondola is completely free to use with no hidden fees or extra costs​.

Start stacking your rewards today

Air France and KLM’s Flying Blue loyalty program has published its monthly list of routes with discounts on award prices, and this time it stretches well beyond the usual European destinations.

October's ​Flying Blue Promo Rewards​ knock 25% off award flights between select North American cities and Europe, plus a handful of routes to China, Kenya, and Mauritius. You’ll need to book by October 31st for travel through March 31, 2027.

Here’s the full list of departure cities to Europe from North America...

• Economy starting at 18,750 miles each way from Boston, Houston, Raleigh/Durham, Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary, Toronto, and Vancouver.
• Premium economy starting at 30,000 miles each way from Miami, Chicago, Las Vegas, Austin, and New York.
• Business class starting at 45,000 miles each way from Seattle, Orlando, Mexico City, and Cancun.

And here are the options for destinations beyond Europe...

• New York to Mauritius or Atlanta to Beijing in economy for 30,000 miles each way.
• Houston to Beijing or New York to Nairobi in premium economy for 48,750 miles each way.
• Chicago to Shanghai in business class for 86,250 miles each way.

Availability at these prices is limited, so you won't find these deals on every flight. However, ​Points Path Pro​ and ​Founders Club​ members can use the Points Calendar in Points Path to search a full week at a time, or you can use ​the calendar trick on Air France's website​ to see pricing month by month.

There’s also a ​25% bonus on point transfers to Flying Blue from American Express cards​ through October 30th. That means an 18,750-mile economy award needs just 15,000 Amex points, while a 45,000-mile business seat takes only 36,000 points. As always, confirm that the flight you're considering has the discounted price available before you transfer any points.

Finally, remember that Flying Blue recently ​restructured its award pricing into multiple tiers​, so be sure to double-check what each fare level includes before you book.

American Airlines has temporarily ​lowered the number of miles it charges​ on one of its longest routes, but the timing will work for only a narrow group of travelers.

Now through October 31st, AAdvantage members can book Main Cabin economy flights between the contiguous U.S. and Sydney, Australia for just 25,000 miles each way and 50,000 miles roundtrip. Or if you prefer New Zealand, prices start at 35,000 miles each way or 70,000 miles roundtrip.

The catch is that you must also fly by October 31st, which is a short window of less than three weeks. And the offer only covers flights operated by American and American Eagle — so no Qantas codeshares — and taxes and fees still apply.

Keep in mind a flight to Sydney can run as long as 14 hours or more depending on your departure point, which is a long time in an economy seat. But if you can pull off a spontaneous trip Down Under, this is a very cheap way to get there on miles.

In case you missed it...

​I knew this nonstop existed. Google Flights disagreed​

A restaurant payment app I've written about before has brought back its higher referral offer, but only for the next 10 days.

Now through October 20th, inKind has again doubled its referral bonus from $25 to $50. Anyone you ​refer gets $25 off their first bill ​of $50 or more before tax and tip, while you earn $50 toward a future meal once they complete that first visit.

If you haven’t used ​inKind​ before, when you pay your dining check through the app at participating restaurants, you'll earn 5% to 25% back toward a future meal. The company's footprint is still concentrated in bigger cities, but the app is a handy tool for saving money, especially when you're on the road.

The best way to play this deal is by household. Have one person sign up with a referral link (​ours is here if you need one​), then use that new account’s referral link to sign up your spouse, partner, or other family members. That way, your household keeps the $50 bonus for each additional person beyond the first.

Note that ​each person you refer​ needs to complete their first qualifying meal by October 20th for you to earn the full $50 — after that, you'll just get the standard $25 referral. Also, inKind no longer lets you combine offers with prepaid credit, so pay your first restaurant check with a credit card and save any gift card balance for later.

Finally, several no-annual-fee cards have reset their bonus categories for the final quarter of 2026, and the lineup for the last three months of the year is heavy on food.

Chase, Discover, Citi and U.S. Bank have all posted their new 5% rotating bonus categories for October 1st through December 31st, and each requires activation or selecting a category to earn the extra points or cash back.

Here’s what each card is offering this quarter:

• ​Chase Freedom and Freedom Flex​: Dining, grocery stores (excluding Walmart and Target), and the American Red Cross. Bonus rewards are earned on up to $1,500 in combined purchases during the quarter.
• ​Discover it​: Restaurants, entertainment and utilities. Bonus cash back on up to $1,500 in purchases during the quarter.
• ​Citi Dividend​: Restaurants and Citi Travel, with an annual cap of $6,000 in purchases.
• ​U.S. Bank Cash+​: Your choice of two categories, including fast food, home utilities, electronics stores, and gyms, on up to $2,000 in combined purchases for the quarter.

The standout for many readers will be the ​Freedom Flex​, which already earns 3 points per dollar on dining. With this quarter’s bonus stacked on top, cardholders report earning 7x at restaurants. Plus, the card recently ​dropped its foreign transaction fees​, making it a strong option for meals abroad too.

Note that if your Discover card recently moved over to Capital One, you'll need to activate the quarterly categories through Capital One's website instead of Discover's. Log in at Capital One and select your Discover card, then go to "Rewards & Benefits" and "View Rewards."

These liquid-free laundry sheets make packing light easy

Wash your clothes on the go so you can pack less. Enyur Laundry Sheets are liquid-free with 32 individual sheets in a small plastic container. Just pull out a sheet when you want to wash a few items, and it will dissolve in either hot or cold water.

Get it at Amazon

That’s everything on my radar in travel this week. But check out Points Path Senior Deals Editor Jennifer Yellin’s ​breakdown of Amazon Prime’s gas discount at bp stations​ and how much of her membership fee it can cover. 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 October 11, 2026, at 11am ET.