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This week I've got a time-sensitive Southwest Companion Pass offer you'll want to act on soon, plus new record-high welcome bonuses on Marriott credit cards, and a "good news" update for anyone sitting on Marriott free night certificates.
There's also a new sale on Singapore Airlines awards (though it comes with a catch), and a reminder to activate your rotating bonus categories for the second quarter, which is now just around the corner. Here's this week's breakdown of all the latest in travel news and deals.
You can currently get one of the most coveted perks in all of travel rewards as part of the sign-up bonus on a new credit card... but only for a short while longer.
Right now, the three basic Southwest personal credit cards are each offering a free Companion Pass as part of their sign-up bonus, along with a chunk of points. But all three offers are slated to expire on March 19th at 7:00am Eastern time.
The Southwest Companion Pass lets you designate one person to fly with you for free on every Southwest flight you take for the duration of the pass. You just pay the taxes and fees. It works with both paid and award tickets, which is what makes it so valuable.
In addition to the Companion Pass, the Southwest Plus card adds 20,000 bonus points after $3,000 in spending in the first three months, while the Southwest Premier comes with 30,000 points after $4,000 in purchases, and the Southwest Priority features 40,000 points after $5,000 in spending. Annual fees range from $99 to $229.
Keep in mind that the Companion Pass from these offers is only valid through February 28, 2027. That's a shorter window than a standard Companion Pass, so it's worth thinking about how much use you'd actually get out of it before applying. But if it's a good fit for your 2026 travel plans, make sure to grab one of these cards before they're gone.
If a long-haul trip to Southeast Asia is on your travel bucket list, you might find this sale to be useful — so long as you can lock in your itinerary.
Now through March 23rd for travel between May 1st and November 15th, Singapore Airlines is offering 20% off many of its economy class awards to Singapore, plus 20% off select premium economy awards between the U.S. and Singapore.
The discount is real, but there's a meaningful tradeoff. These awards cannot be changed or cancelled. That means you need to be 100% certain that your travel plans won't change.
Don't have any Singapore miles? Fortunately, it's easy to transfer points from several major U.S. bank programs, including Chase, American Express, Citi, and Capital One. Just be aware that there's often a delay of 24-48 hours for transfers to Singapore.
Singapore also tends to release more award space to its own KrisFlyer members than to partner programs, so this sale may surface availability you won't find elsewhere.
If there's any chance your plans could shift, it's worth asking whether the 20% savings is worth the risk of losing your miles entirely. But if you're confident about your travel dates, this could be a solid way to make your rewards go further.
Marriott fans looking for free nights or elite status can currently choose from three new record-high welcome offers on the hotel chain's credit cards.
Now through May 13th, the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy American Express Card is offering 175,000 points after $5,000 in spending within the first six months, while the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card is offering 200,000 points after $6,000 in spending. Both are the highest offers I've seen on these cards.
For those with small businesses, the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card is also worth a look. It's currently offering up to five 50,000-point free night certificates — 3 free nights after spending $6,000 in purchases, and an extra 2 free nights after an additional $3,000 in spending, all in the first six months.
The Marriott Brilliant card carries a whopping $650 annual fee, but comes with $300 in annual dining credits, Platinum elite status, and 25 elite night credits. For those looking for a lower-cost option, the Marriott Bevy costs $250 annually, and the Marriott Business card is just $125 a year.
One thing to keep in mind: Marriott has an absurdly complex method of determining what cards you're eligible for based on previous Marriott cards you may have had. So before applying, check out the "eligibility matrix" that our friends at Frequent Miler put together to explain it all.
Speaking of Marriott free night certificates, this week they got a quiet but meaningful upgrade.
The hotel chain has raised the top-off limit on Marriott free night certificates from 15,000 points to 25,000 points. For example, a 50,000-point certificate can now be used at properties costing up to 75,000 points per night by adding 25,000 points of your own when booking.
This change is valid on all Marriott certificate types. That means the 85,000-point certificates issued annually to Ritz-Carlton and Marriott Brilliant Amex cardholders can now reach properties priced up to 110,000 points per night. Meanwhile, 35,000-point certificates can stretch to cover nights costing up to 60k points.
Obviously, the concern with this change is that Marriott's dynamic award pricing could easily creep upward now that the ceiling on these certificates has risen. But even accounting for that possibility, a higher top-off limit is a genuine win for cardholders who already have certificates sitting in their accounts.
If you've got one of a handful of credit cards with rotating quarterly bonus categories that earn 5% back in rewards, the next set of categories have been announced.
Here are the new categories that can be activated now, for purchases between April 1st and June 30th:
The Chase Freedom and Freedom Flex categories stand out the most. Amazon is always a practical earner for everyday spending, and Chase Travel at 5% — or up to 9x on the Flex since it already earns 4% for purchases at Chase Travel — is a strong incentive to book through the portal this quarter.
Meanwhile, the Discover categories are solid but less distinctive. Restaurants are useful for most people, and home improvement is a nice bonus if you have any spring projects lined up. And the Citi Dividend's grocery and Citi Travel combo is straightforward, though the card is no longer available to new applicants.
Remember that you must activate these categories before you can earn bonus rewards on your purchases, so the time to act is now. Check your bank's app or website to confirm enrollment, and make sure you don't leave any rewards on the table.
That's your travel rewards rundown for the week. But if you've been thinking about booking on Emirates, check out our recent breakdown of why Bilt Rewards is now the cheapest way to book Emirates awards. Have a great weekend! ✈️