Happy Friday from NYC!
I’m back on the East Coast, having taken the late afternoon transcon from Seattle to New York.
I left at 2:40 p.m. and landed close to 11 p.m. By the time I got in bed, it was past 1 a.m. (I firmly believe you always have to shower after every flight, even if you flew on a factory-fresh three-week-old plane.)
Based on the responses to Wednesday’s newsletter, it seems like many of you agree that the late-afternoon eastbound transcon is the best way to beat jet lag and maximize your time on both ends.
Aside from the missing Wi-Fi (which was a serious disappointment), I was pleasantly impressed with Alaska’s new signature domestic first-class experience. I’m planning to collect my thoughts and share more about flying with the “Proudly Boeing” airline.
Until then, there’s lots more to catch up on below.
Table of Contents
The gravy train is…
… coming to an end. Well, at least as we knew it.
We’ve known for months that Bilt is cutting ties with Wells Fargo and debuting three new credit cards. We’ll know the official details on Wednesday, but a major leak just revealed what could be the final details.
3 new Bilt cards
The three new cards are supposedly going to be:
Bilt Blue
No annual fee
1x on everyday spending
Bilt Obsidian
$95 annual fee
3x points on dining or grocery
2x points on travel
1x on everyday spending
Bilt Palladium
$495 annual fee
2x points on everyday spending
All the cards will include the ability to earn free rent and mortgage payments, but it will be more complicated than before. (Historically, I’ve reloaded my Amazon account with five $5 gift cards each month to hit the minimum number of transactions needed to earn free points on rent.)
Use Bilt for rent & mortgages
According to the leak, you’ll earn 4% Bilt Cash on everyday spending, which can be used to offset the 3% transaction fee with rent or mortgage payments.
This scheme is complicated, but here’s an example that should hopefully illustrate how it would work.
Spend $3,000 on the Bilt Palladium card
Earn 6,000 Bilt points and $120 Bilt Cash
Make a $5,000 rent payment, incur a $150 transaction fee
Use the $120 Bilt Cash to prorate the fee to $30
Rumors have it that you’ll be able to split your rent payment into an ACH transfer for any balance not covered by Bilt Cash
Earn 5,000 Bilt points for the rent payment
The major silver lining is the rumored Palladium card. Earning 2x Bilt points on all spending is a pretty compelling offer.
If the rumors are true, I’ll be getting that card for my non-bonused spend. It’ll become the single-most rewarding card for everyday transactions.
If you don’t have a free Bilt Rewards account yet, now’s the time to make one to prep for Wednesday’s announcement.
$161 flights to Europe?
Yep, you read that right. Even crazier, these one-way fares are valid during the summer.
Thrifty Traveler sent a fare deal alert yesterday about these bargains on economy flights to Europe. I personally prefer to wait for their business-class deals, but their deal alerts are super helpful. (Get $20 off your first year using my sign-up link.)
While we’re talking about fare alerts, another service I use to track award availability is Straight to the Points. You’ll get emails and/or texts anytime there’s an award drop (it’s among the best tools to help you snag Qatar Qsuites on points).
Prettiest plane ever
I went to Seattle to watch Alaska Airlines debut the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner featuring its new global livery.
Based on the renderings, I had a feeling I’d like the paint job inspired by the Northern Lights.
Well, I was even more impressed in person than I thought I’d be. (Yes, it was worth braving the Seattle winter for the event.)
As pretty as this new paint job is, it’ll only be found on 787 Dreamliners. Alaska will keep Chester on its Boeing 737s, and the Hawaiian Airlines branding (complete with Pualani on the tail) will remain on all planes flying to, from, or within the Hawaiian islands.
Want to see the iPhone 17 Pro Max camera show off its chops? Here are my selects from the livery unveil.
Getting to JFK: the right way
4 apps, 4 trains, and no traffic. All for $16.75.
Google Maps estimated it would take me an hour and four minutes to get from the Upper West Side to JFK. Despite waiting five minutes for the subway and 12 minutes for the Long Island Rail Road, I still beat Google’s ETA by two minutes.
And, most importantly, it was $100 cheaper and just 10 minutes slower than taking an Uber.
The steps:
Subway to Penn Station
LIRR to Jamaica
AirTrain (red) to Terminal 1
Switch to AirTrain (yellow) if you’re flying from Terminal 7 or 8
Prefer to watch me crush the journey? Tap below.
Chase + Apple = 💙
Rumors were swirling, and now it’s confirmed: Chase will officially become the new issuer of the Apple Card.
Nothing will change about the value prop when the card transitions to Chase over the next 24 months, and it’ll still live on the MasterCard payment network. (Bummer for those who thought they might be able to use the card at Costco.)
But perhaps the bigger story is how this is the latest move in Apple and Chase growing closer.
Apple TV and Apple Music subscriptions are now key benefits of Chase’s top-of-the-line credit card. And Chase has even teamed up with Apple on a limited-time “Behind the Screen with Apple TV” event in Los Angeles and New York, which turned out to be really fun.
I wonder what’s next for the two brands. iPads in Chase lounges?
News you can use
Capital One in CLT: Charlotte is getting a brand-new 14,000-square-foot Capital One Lounge. Expect sweeping tarmac views, a coffee bar, and what looks to be a sleek design.
BBQ in the air: Starting in February, American will serve Pecan Lodge’s famed BBQ staples in first class on flights from Dallas/Fort Worth to New York. Now you know why your 737 will smell like smoked brisket.
AAngels working magic: Here’s a heart-warming story that’ll remind you that airlines are still run by humans. Friends of the Chabad Rabbi who was murdered in the Bondi Beach Hanukkah terrorist attack bought flights from the U.S. to Sydney to attend the funeral. When their flights went awry, American stepped in — and saved the day in a big way.
Damaged bag update: This is the third in a series of updates that began last week, when JetBlue delivered our Rimowa bag with a massive dent. After Rimowa told me it was unrepairable, I filed a damage report with JetBlue. Tami, who works in the airline’s central baggage department, called me on Wednesday to apologize and told me I have more forms to fill out. I’m working to track down the receipt for the bag (it was a gift from our Bloomingdale’s wedding registry), but I’m committed to seeing this one through. Stay tuned!
