Eagle-eyed followers might notice that it’s Wednesday, and yet this is my first newsletter of the week.

That’s not because I’m changing the newsletter cadence. Rather, I’m emerging from the worst bout of food poisoning I’ve had in recent memory.

On Sunday, I ordered pizza and eggplant parm from my local Upper West Side parlor, and that’s basically all I remember from the last 48 hours.

I did take myself to urgent care, which honestly felt like a waste of time. (“Not sure what you have, but take Tylenol and Zofran and you’ll feel better,” the doctor told me after waiting for 90 minutes.)

The good news is that the doctor was right, and now I need to catch you up on lots of happenings.

Here’s everything going on in the travel world.

Advertiser and Editorial Disclosure

February is here, which means that it’s officially the end of my annual upgrade giveaway.

This year, I helped process 80 United upgrades using 4,350 PlusPoints donated by generous Premier members.

As always, I prioritized long-haul travel, and am pleased to say that I even got someone upgraded from Newark to Johannesburg, one of United’s longest flights.

Here’s a map showing all the routes I upgraded.

In the future, I’m thinking about limiting giveaways to paying subscribers of From the Tray Table. (More on that soon, but I’m curious: do you have strong feelings about a freemium model for newsletters? Reply with your thoughts.)

Cobranded credit card contracts are a big reason why many airlines are still afloat.

In that vein, Citi will become the exclusive issuer of American Airlines cards beginning on April 24.

That’s when existing Barclays-issued Aviator cards will transition to Citi. Each of the five Barclays Aviator cards will map to a different Citi x AA product, and you can find all the details here.

You don’t need to do anything now, but if you are looking to boost your American AAdvantage balance, I might suggest signing up for a new card before the transition.

There are mixed reports on whether you’ll qualify for the welcome bonus after the transition happens.

Plus, some of my top recommended credit cards offer points that transfer to American, which could be another easy way to boost your balance with a single card.

It’s a new month, which means that credit cards are out with their new limited-time transfer bonuses.

This month’s highlight is definitely the 30% bonus on Capital One Miles transfers to Japan Airlines.

Everyone’s always looking to go to Japan, and what I love about Japan Airlines’ Mileage Bank program is that award availability is better than you’d find through other partner airlines, like American or Alaska.

If you’re looking to boost your Capital One Miles balance, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has a 75,000-mile sign-up bonus (after spending $4,000 in the first three months) plus a $250 Capital One travel credit to be used in the first cardholder year.

That’s equivalent to one (or more) business-class tickets to Japan if you can find saver award availability.

Want to clear security but forgot your ID? Or don’t yet have a Real ID? That’ll now cost you $45.

The TSA just rolled out ConfirmID, a paid program that helps verify your identity without an ID at the security checkpoint.

You’re supposed to pay for ConfirmID online before you arrive at the airport. That said, the ConfirmID program is “voluntary,” which means that if you choose not to use it, you may still be allowed to go through security.

I’d love to try this out one day by “purposely forgetting” my ID at home.

The good news is that I still have my Digital ID loaded on my Apple Wallet, so even if I misplace my wallet, I’m good to clear security with just my iPhone.

Airport lounge overcrowding is real, and two credit card issuers are addressing it by updating access policies.

As of Feb. 1, Capital One has officially eliminated free guests for those traveling with the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card. Going forward, you’ll need to pay $45 per adult guest or $125 annually per authorized user to enter the Capital One Lounge. (Alternatively, spending $75,000 a year on the card unlocks free guest access.)

Amex is making two smaller tweaks to Centurion Lounge access. Guests now need to be flying on the same flight as the primary cardholder, and you can only enter the lounge within five hours of departure during a layover.

My take: neither update will significantly change lounge crowding levels.

In recent years, if you didn’t post pictures from a summer vacation to Europe, it’s like you didn’t actually have a summer.

That narrative may be changing. Peak summer demand between the U.S. and Europe is down by about 10%, according to Cirium, an airline analytics company.

The airlines themselves have noted this trend in recent months, saying on multiple earnings calls that summer European demand isn’t as strong as it’s been.

This could finally mean that it’ll be possible to find award flights and hotels during the peak European summer. Hooray.

Question: Should I redeem cash or miles for this flight or hotel?

Answer: Well, it’s math. You’ll want to calculate the CPP (cents per point) for each of your redemption options. The higher the CPP, the better the deal you’re getting.

To calculate the CPP, divide the cash cost by the required number of points, then multiply by 100. Then, compare it to the benchmarks I shared in this post.

Several other considerations with award tickets include added flexibility and the taxes/fees required.

Y’all really liked this “question of the day” idea. So I’ll start answering a reader question in every edition. (Reply to this email with your questions, and I’ll add them to the list.)

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