The Points Daily — July 20, 2026
Today's briefing: Limited-time bonus miles on Apple, fee-free Staples gift cards, Paris business class awards, and a China fare deal. Plus a strong Flying Blue transfer bonus and an improved Hyatt card offer.
*This is show-notes and curation. For timely alerts every weekday morning, subscribe to The Points Daily newsletter.*
Today Only: Up To 4x Bonus Airline Miles On Apple Purchases
What happened: Four airline shopping portals are offering elevated bonus miles on Apple purchases for a single day only—4x from Alaska Mileage Plan and United MileagePlus Shopping, 3.5x from American AAdvantage eShopping and Delta SkyMiles Shopping.
Why it matters: Shopping portal bonuses are stackable with card rewards, but most recent iPhones and M-series chips are excluded. The restrictions make this useful mainly for accessories, iPads, and older hardware. If you're buying an excluded product anyway, Air France-KLM Flying Blue's portal has no restrictions.
The TPD take: If you're already shopping Apple today and qualify, click through and capture the miles. Don't manufacture a purchase to chase this one.
Staples: Fee-Free $200 Mastercard Gift Cards (July 19–25)
What happened: Staples is selling $200 Mastercard gift cards with zero purchase fee through July 25, with a limit of 9 per customer per day in-store.
Why it matters: That's up to $1,800 in daily manufactured spend if you have a card earning bonus points at office supply retailers. This promo runs roughly monthly, so missing this window doesn't close the door permanently.
The TPD take: If you're already set up to liquidate gift cards and have a relevant earning card, this is straightforward value this week. Some stores enforce stricter limits than advertised, so check locally first.
Read full details at Frequent Miler →
Award Alert: Air France Business Class Paris–New York From 45K Miles
What happened: Air France has opened business class award availability from Paris to New York starting at 45,000 Flying Blue miles one-way. Some dates show up to 9 available seats.
Why it matters: Cash equivalent is over $5,300 one-way. Group travel becomes viable when multiple seats are open. The award pricing drops further if you can transfer Citi ThankYou points (see Steal of the Day below).
The TPD take: If you were planning to depart from Europe or can position yourself there, this is a genuine use of transferable points. Limited availability makes speed important.
Read full details at Upgraded Points →
Cathay Pacific: San Francisco–Xi'an Roundtrip, $802 All-In
What happened: Cathay Pacific is pricing San Francisco–Xi'an roundtrips at $802 including all taxes and fees. Travel windows: late August through November, January 2027, or mid-March through April 2027 on Monday–Thursday departures.
Why it matters: Xi'an rarely sees promotional fares. Seven-day advance purchase required; availability is limited.
The TPD take: If Xi'an is on your itinerary, book now. This won't last.
Read full details at The Flight Deal →
Steal of the Day: Citi–Flying Blue 20% Transfer Bonus
Citi ThankYou points are earning a 20% transfer bonus to Flying Blue through August 22. That brings business class to Europe down to 38,000 points and economy from 16,000—both legitimately strong numbers for transatlantic awards.
The catch: you need a Citi card to move points. If you have idle ThankYou points and Europe on the calendar, transfer before the window closes.
Card of the Day: World of Hyatt Business Card (70K Offer)
The World of Hyatt Business Card is offering 70,000 points after $7,000 spend in 3 months—a 10,000-point bump from recent offers, though short of the all-time high of 80,000. The $199 annual fee hits immediately.
The take: If you were already planning to apply and can spend $7,000 in the window, this is the best current offer. Justify the fee with your planned stays.
Read full details at Miles to Memories →
Get tomorrow morning's briefing in your inbox. Subscribe to The Points Daily →