If you're sitting on Amex Membership Rewards and have a realistic Hilton stay in mind (Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Signia), check your account for the 40% MR to Hilton Honors transfer bonus before Nov 24, 2026 - confirm it shows in your account first since it may not be universal, and never transfer speculatively.

Friday, November 6, 2026 — End-of-Week Update *What's changed since Tuesday, and what to watch over the weekend and into next week.*

Hey friend — short one this week on volume, but real quality in it: a juicy Hilton transfer bonus that's actually worth using for a Waldorf Astoria or Conrad stay, a new 80% Chase-to-IHG bonus (read the fine print before you touch it), and a five-city dining spotlight that's as strong as it's been all rotation — Atlanta alone is carrying two Michelin-starred restaurants that qualify for your Amex Resy credit.

A programming note up front: a couple of deals that showed up in the usual tracker roundups this week (an Alaska "Global Getaways" sale said to end tomorrow, a new Marriott citizenM bonus, a few Accor promos) couldn't be confirmed from a second independent source or conflicted with what I could verify directly — so they're left out entirely rather than risk sending you chasing something that's already gone. Same goes for Amex Gold's advertised "up to 100,000 points" — that figure is targeted, not a guaranteed public offer, so it's flagged below rather than headlined.

🔥 WHAT'S HOT — ACT FAST

• NEW this week: Amex Membership Rewards → Hilton Honors, 40% transfer bonus. Transfers made September 29 – November 24, 2026 get the boost (standard 1:2 rate becomes 1:2.8). That's the best Hilton bonus we've tracked in months, and Hilton's aspirational tier — Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Signia — is exactly where that math pays off. Heads up: this may be targeted to some accounts rather than public — log into Membership Rewards and check before you transfer a single point, since transfers are final. *(Sources: InsideFlyer, Nov 5 2026; cross-checked against AwardWallet's Hilton bonus tracker.)*
• NEW: Chase Ultimate Rewards → IHG One Rewards, 80% transfer bonus, through December 3, 2026 (11:59pm ET). 1,000 UR points becomes 1,800 IHG points. The catch: IHG One Rewards is a historically weak-value transfer partner, so this only makes sense if you've already priced out a specific IHG redemption (InterContinental, Vignette, Six Senses) that beats your other uses for those UR points. *(Sources: Upgraded Points, Nov 2026; The Points Party, Nov 2026.)*

💱 TRANSFER BONUSES LIVE RIGHT NOW

Nothing else cleared our two-source bar this week — several blog-reported bonuses (Citi ThankYou → Turkish Miles&Smiles 40%, assorted Accor and Hilton-for-Business promos) appeared in only one tracker each, so they're left off until a second source confirms them.

🏨 HOTEL PROMOTIONS

Thin section this week, honestly: the promos circulating in the usual roundups (Marriott's "Exclusive For You" double-points registration, Accor+ Explorer's 3,000-point sign-up bonus, Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy's bonus-points push) each traced to only one source, so none of them clear the bar for this edition. Nothing to act on here right now — check back Tuesday.

✈️ AIRLINE SWEET SPOTS

No new airline sale or flash fare cleared verification this week — the last confirmed Delta One flash sale expired October 29, and the widely-blogged Alaska Atmos "Global Getaways" round with a tomorrow deadline couldn't be confirmed (the most recent round we could verify actually closed booking October 10, with no November round yet posted). Rather than risk sending you after an expired sale, here's what's reliably still true:

DFW sweet spots (reference, from Thom's own tracked charts, verified early September 2026 — these are standing chart facts, not time-limited deals):

Southwest Companion Pass: no new promo this week — the standard path (135,000 qualifying points or 100 one-way qualifying flights in a calendar year) still applies. With under two months left in 2026, points earned now mostly set you up for a 2027 Companion Pass rather than this year's.

💳 CREDIT CARD DINING & TRAVEL CREDITS

DINING CREDITS BY CARD

How to actually trigger the fiddly ones:

• *Amex Platinum Uber Cash:* adding the card to your Uber account on file isn't enough — you must select it as the active payment method inside the Uber app before the ride/order, or the credit won't apply.
• *Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant dining credit:* enrollment status is genuinely disputed across sources this week — check your Amex account directly for an "enroll" prompt before assuming it's automatic.
• *Hilton Aspire resort credit:* charge it to your room at a qualifying Hilton resort (not any Hilton) to be safe — restaurant eligibility away from the resort itself is inconsistent.

We skipped Chase Sapphire Preferred's dining perks, Amex Business Gold/Platinum, and U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve this week — none had a confirmable, current dining-specific credit we could back with a real source, so rather than guess, we left them out.

CARD OFFERS WORTH THE SPEND

Business cards (never the lead, but real offers if you run a side business or freelance):

Live Amex Offers worth grabbing (confirmed today):

• Southwest: spend $300 directly with Southwest, get $60 back — by Dec 31, 2026.
• IHG: spend $250 on an IHG stay, get $50 back — by Dec 31, 2026.
• Omni Hotels & Resorts (targeted): spend $500+ on a US/Canada Omni stay, get $100 back — enroll by Feb 1, 2027, spend by Mar 1, 2027.

Eligibility traps, in plain English:

• Chase 5/24: if you've opened 5 or more personal credit cards from *any* bank in the last 24 months, Chase will auto-deny you — count your last two years of new cards before applying for Ink or Boundless.
• Amex once-per-lifetime: you generally can't earn a welcome bonus on a card (or its exact family — Gold after Gold, Platinum after Platinum) if you've already held and been bonused on that same card, ever.
• Citi 48-month rule: no new-card bonus on a Citi card if you earned a bonus on *that same card* within the last 48 months — four full years, not two.
• Chase Sapphire rule: one Sapphire bonus (Preferred or Reserve) per rolling 48 months — holding one doesn't block the other, but the bonus only comes once in that window.

🍽️ DINING CITY SPOTLIGHT: San Antonio, Boston, Atlanta, New Orleans & San Diego

*Resy credit-badge status below comes straight from Thom's own venue-tracking database, last checked September 9–15, 2026 — more than two weeks old, so treat it as a strong signal rather than today's live status. Michelin and Chase Sapphire Reserve list status are from the same database, also as of September 9, 2026. Remember: a restaurant being bookable on Resy is not the same as qualifying for the Amex Platinum/Resy credit — only venues actually carrying the "Qualifies for Resy Credit" badge count, flagged with ✅ below.*

San Antonio

• ✅ Cullum's Attaboy — Michelin Bib Gourmand, qualifies for the Resy credit.
• Mixtli — one Michelin star, 2026 James Beard Outstanding Restaurant nominee, and one of the city's best tables — but it books on Tock, not Resy, so there's no Amex credit angle here regardless of how good it is.
• Clementine — on Resy and Chase Sapphire Reserve-listed, but flagged not eligible for the Resy credit as of our last check. Worth knowing before you assume the credit applies just because it's bookable.

Boston

• ✅ Wa Shin — Michelin Selected, qualifies for the Resy credit.
• ✅ Asta — Michelin Selected tasting-menu restaurant, qualifies for the Resy credit.
• Fox & The Knife — Michelin-mentioned and on Resy, but flagged not eligible for the credit.
• Neptune Oyster — Michelin Selected, legendary, but doesn't take reservations at all — show up and wait.

Atlanta

• ✅ Bacchanalia — one Michelin star, qualifies for the Resy credit. One of the strongest luxury picks in this whole rotation.
• ✅ Hayakawa — one Michelin star (sushi), qualifies for the Resy credit.
• Mujō — the city's top omakase room and on Resy, but flagged not eligible for the credit.

New Orleans

• ✅ Galatoire's — Michelin Selected, the century-old French-Creole institution (jackets required), qualifies for the Resy credit.
• ✅ Cochon — Michelin Bib Gourmand, qualifies for the Resy credit.
• ✅ Herbsaint — Michelin Selected, qualifies for the Resy credit.
• ✅ Pêche Seafood Grill — Michelin Selected, qualifies for the Resy credit.
• New Orleans is the strongest city in this rotation for stacking the Resy credit with genuinely great, awarded tables.

San Diego

• Callie — Michelin Bib Gourmand, Mediterranean, one of the city's best. Resy credit status could not be confirmed for any San Diego venue in our database as of this check — we're saying so plainly rather than guessing. If you book here on points-fueled travel, don't assume the credit applies until you see the badge yourself.
• Juniper and Ivy — Chase Sapphire Reserve-listed, Michelin-mentioned.
• Kettner Exchange — Michelin-mentioned, but books on Tock, not Resy.

📊 VALUATION CHANGES

No new shifts of 0.1¢ or more confirmed this week. The August 2026 revisions to World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards, and American AAdvantage are already reflected in the cheat sheet below — nothing further to flag since Tuesday.

💰 POINTS VALUE CHEAT SHEET

🎯 THIS WEEK'S MOVE

If you're sitting on Amex Membership Rewards and have any realistic Hilton stay in mind this year or next — a Waldorf Astoria, a Conrad, even a well-timed Signia — this is the week to check your account for the 40% MR → Hilton Honors transfer bonus (through Nov 24). It's the richest Hilton transfer we've tracked in months, and it's the one place this week where a bonus and a genuinely aspirational redemption line up. Just confirm it shows in *your* account first — it may not be universal — and never transfer points speculatively without a redemption already in mind, since Hilton transfers are instant and final.

*Deals, bonuses, and offer terms change fast and can vary by account. Always confirm current terms, your personal eligibility, and exact dates directly with the issuer or program before transferring points, applying for a card, or booking — nothing here is financial advice.*