Weekend Edition / Dear Ohad...

Dear Fed-Up,
Delta just tightened the screws - again. Business awards to Europe that hovered around 300k one-way are now pushing 350k and climbing. The “dynamic pricing” promise is code for “we’ll charge whatever we think you’ll pay,” and they’re testing that ceiling every quarter. If you hoard SkyMiles for aspirational trips, you’re on the losing side of compound interest.

ProTip: Burn, don’t earn. SkyMiles are best spent on flash sales - think domestic routes or partner flights you can snag through Virgin Atlantic or Air France before Delta’s algorithm wakes up. Book first, brag later.

Dear Worried,
It’s not just rumor. Internal memos point to a late-September tweak that nudges Japan Airlines and Cathay Pacific business awards well north of today’s chart. American will still call it “dynamic,” but the jump is baked in. Once those partner rates move, the old sweet spots (like 60k to Tokyo in lie-flat) will read like vintage menus.

ProTip: Lock in anything across the Pacific now. Book even if your dates are wobbly; AA lets you change later without redeposit fees. Points are stable until the ticket is re-issued.

Dear Stacking,
Absolutely - if your 5/24 scorecard is clear. The Ink Preferred bonus flows straight into Ultimate Rewards, which you can pool with your Sapphire Reserve for 1:1 transfers. That’s effectively a six-figure bump you can aim at Hyatt, Air Canada, or Virgin Atlantic. The catch is the $15k minimum spend in three months, so you’ll need real business expenses or a rock-solid plan.

ProTip: Pair it with end-of-quarter tax payments or vendor bills you’d pay anyway. Manufactured spend is a hobby, not a strategy.

Dear Hopeful,
The public teaser is mostly for elites, but here’s the back door: United occasionally sells discounted Premium Plus cash fares that code high enough to score instant PQP boosts. Those purchases can nudge you toward Premier status faster than mileage runs ever did. From there, PlusPoints unlock lie-flat upgrades across the network. It’s not free, but it’s cheaper than buying up to Polaris outright.

ProTip: Track mixed-cabin fares ex-Mexico or ex-Canada. United often prices them hundreds lower than U.S. gateways, and the PQP haul counts the same.

Dear Opportunist,
Two worth a sprint:
• Turkish Miles&Smiles quietly loaded fresh U.S.–Europe business space on partners for 45k each way. That’s half of Delta’s “sale.”
• Hyatt opened a brief 25% rebate on off-peak award nights booked by Sunday. Stack that with a Chase transfer and you’re beating the devaluation clock.

ProTip: Always transfer the exact points you need - nothing ages faster than a stranded balance after the promo ends.

Until next week: may your balances stay liquid, your transfer partners stay generous, and your next award ticket price out lower than the algorithm expected.

Your “am I crazy or is this smart?” question fuels this column. Send it to newsletter@upnonstop.com and we’ll tackle it next Saturday.