Which Hotel and Airline Promotions Are Worth My Time Right Now?

Let's start with the simplest win: the United shopping portal. Through October 5, spend $150 or more—online or in-store with a linked card—and you'll get 500 bonus miles. That's a low bar, and it stacks with whatever you were going to buy anyway. Register, then do your regular shopping. No reason not to.

On the hotel side, World of Hyatt's fall promo (3,000 bonus points per three eligible nights, up to 36,000 points, through December 15) is better than nothing, especially since it stacks with other campaigns. But it's not a game-changer. Meanwhile, Hilton cardholders have a targeted offer: 10,000 bonus points on a single paid stay of three or more nights booked by November 9 and completed by January 3. That's a real chunk—especially if you can layer it with Hilton's global promo (1,000 or 3,000 points per stay) and your card's earnings. If you have a Hilton card and a three-night stay coming up, register for both and pay with that card.

Wyndham's quadruple-points promo (through January 19, 2027) is capped at 15,000 bonus points for basic members, or up to 25,000 if you're a Premier cardholder. That's decent for a cheap chain, but the cap limits how much you can really milk it. If you're a Wyndham Insider or have the cobranded card, the extra 5,000-10,000 bonus points for two nights make it more appealing.

The most interesting new option is Alaska's Atmos Rewards 'choice accrual,' launching October 1—you'll pick how you earn points (per mile, per dollar, or per segment) starting January 1, 2027. You can change once per year. No single answer fits everyone: if you fly long hauls, miles-based likely wins; if you buy expensive last-minute tickets, dollars-based could crush it; if you take many short connecting flights, segments might be best. The key: you have until year-end to decide, so track your 2026 travel patterns and choose what would have paid you most.