Lounge of the year, 100x on Rakuten, Rove expands
Talking Points - Issue 37
This post contains affiliate links. Affiliate disclosure
Spirit Airlines shut down, and the internet immediately lost its mind.
AI-generated images everywhere. Spirit planes parked in suburban driveways. People in full yellow uniforms claiming they’d worked there for 15 years. One guy looked genuinely devastated about a job he never had.
Spirit's gone, but the turbulence isn't. JetBlue is having issues, too. It's a good reminder that miles aren't a savings account. Use them.
Key Points
✈️ Portland, Oregon just won global lounge of the year: The Escape Lounge at PDX took the top spot in Priority Pass’s annual Excellence Awards, beating 1,800+ lounges across 146 countries. The rankings come from 700,000+ real member reviews, so this is actual travelers voting, not a marketing committee. If you have a Chase Sapphire Reserve, Amex Platinum, or Capital One Venture X, you’re getting in for free.
🏦 Rove Miles added Air Canada Aeroplan as a transfer partner: And there’s a 25% transfer bonus through June 6. So 10,000 Rove miles becomes 12,500 Aeroplan right now. Aeroplan is one of the best Star Alliance currencies out there — think United, Lufthansa, EVA Air award flights. Rove requires no credit card to join and has 17 transfer partners. That bonus effectively prices Star Alliance awards 25% cheaper for the next few weeks.
🚨 Delta is canceling hundreds of flights — and executives say it won’t be fixed until fall: The culprit is a pilot scheduling mess tied to their new pilot contract, which broke the airline’s recovery playbook when weather rolls in. Delta’s COO said to expect issues through summer and into the “back half of the year.” If you’re flying Delta this summer, build in buffer. And if you get canceled, know your rights. You’re owed a full refund for canceled flights, not just a voucher.
Enjoying Talking Points? Buy me a coffee to fuel more ☕️
🔥 Deals
Rakuten's biggest event has up to 100x back at select stores — but it ends Sunday, May 11.
100x - Incogni
Family unlimited annual plan (removes and actively manages data privacy online) is $275 and gets you 27,500 points.
100x - NordVP
2-year Prime plan (VPN, password manager, and 1TB of cloud storage) is $188 and gets you 18,800 points.
97x - Surfshark
2-year Surfshark One plan (VPN, identity theft, manage online privacy) is $112 and gets you 11,200 points.
45x - Blue Apron
Stacks with card offers and rakuten coupon. Two family bundles (feeds 4) is $128 and gets you 12,800 points.
15x on Travel
Antler, Avis, Budget, Hertz, Halfday, Expedia, GetYourGuide, Samsonite, SIXT, TripAdvisor, Viator, VRBO
15x on Retail
Adidas, Bombas, Crocs, DSW, iHerb, Kate Spade, LEGO, LG Electronics, Petco, Sonos, Ulta, Under Armour
And remember: you can set your account to receive Amex or Bilt points instead of cash back, which makes this even more valuable.
Did You Know?
You can earn Delta miles when you stay at an Airbnb. Most people have no idea this exists.
Link your SkyMiles and Airbnb accounts, and you’ll earn 1x mile per dollar on eligible stays — and they just added 3x miles on experiences and services. Low effort, free miles.
Here’s the setup:
Go to deltaairbnb.com and connect both accounts
That opens a 10-day booking window. Any eligible stays, experiences, or services booked earn miles automatically.
No limit on how many times you do this (as the screenshot of miles I’ve earned shows 😉)
Threads Roundup
Weekly highlights. Follow @liverewarded:
Got burned holding the Spirit airlines card?
Yes, there are lay flat seats on domestic
I have hotel status 4 brands, but not from stays
Who says you can’t get automatic upgrades
Stacking your savings the fast way
Got questions? I’ve got answers. Stuck on a points strategy? Confused about which card to get next? Want me to cover a specific topic that’s been bugging you? Send me your questions – I read every message, and you might get your 15 minutes of fame if featured in a future Talking Points.
Live rewarded,
Jason
Editor’s note: Opinions shared in this article are solely the author’s and do not represent the views of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other organization. The content has not been evaluated, approved, or endorsed by any of the mentioned entities. These are recommendations, not financial advice. I may receive a commission if you click through any of the links in this article.