Our roundup of this week's top 5 travel deals

This week I've got two active Chase transfer bonuses to break down — including one that looks better than it is — along with another expansion of the United-JetBlue partnership, and a refreshed JetBlue credit card that's finally worth a second look.

Also, if you have any online shopping to do in the next few days, there's an American Airlines portal bonus expiring soon, and a new offer from American that could make your Australia or New Zealand bucket list trip even more rewarding. Read on for everything you need to know before your next booking.

Not all transfer bonuses are created equal, and Chase's two active deals this week are a perfect illustration of why it's important to take the time to analyze the numbers.

First, now through June 5th, Chase is offering a 30% bonus when transferring points to Southwest. That means transferring 10,000 Chase points nets you 13,000 Southwest points. Note that bonus points don't count toward the Southwest Companion Pass or tier qualification.

Southwest points are dynamically priced, meaning their value fluctuates based on the cost and demand of each flight. The median value tends to land around 1.3 cents per point, but with this 30% transfer bonus, you're effectively getting about 1.7 cents per Chase point. That's a solid, though not spectacular, return.

Chase card holders can also get a 55% transfer bonus to Marriott through June 30th, which sounds impressive but deserves skepticism. Marriott points are only worth around 0.8 cents each on average. So even with the bonus, you're likely squeezing just 1.2–1.3 cents of value per point, well below what Chase points can be worth.

If you have a specific, high-value Marriott redemption already in mind, perhaps a transfer could make sense. Otherwise, this is a case where a big bonus number is doing a lot of work to make a mediocre transfer partner look more appealing than it is.

Transfer bonuses like these pop up all the time, so an easy way to stay on top of them all is to sign up for both ​transfer bonus alerts​ and ​credit card bonus alerts​ with our friends over at Your Best Credit Cards. The services are completely free and take just a few minutes to set up. Once you do, you'll automatically get an email whenever a new bonus appears.

The slow-burning ​alliance between United and JetBlue​ just reached the next step, and frequent flyers on either airline will find value in the new connections.

This week, the United-JetBlue Blue Sky partnership began offering reciprocal elite benefits for members of both programs. Eligible MileagePlus and TrueBlue elites can access perks like priority boarding, free checked bags, preferred seating, and same-day standby when flying the other airline.

United Premier 1K and Platinum members can now board JetBlue flights in Group 1, while JetBlue's Mosaic 2–4 members board United in Group 1. Both carriers also unlocked complimentary extra-legroom seating for elites at check-in, opening up JetBlue's EvenMore Space and United's Economy Plus to qualifying flyers.

Unfortunately, lounge access and first-class upgrades aren't part of this deal, at least yet. But last year, as one of the first steps in this partnership, the two airlines began offering award redemptions on each other's flights.

All Points Path users — including those ​using the free extension​ — can quickly find and compare these awards in Google Flights to make sure you're always booking the best points and miles deals with United and JetBlue.

Up until now, JetBlue's premium credit card has been a bit of a dud. But a recent round of upgrades might have changed the math and made the card worth a second look.

Right now, the​JetBlue Premier Mastercard​ has a 100,000-point sign-up offer after spending $5,000 in the first 90 days. That's the highest bonus I've seen on this card. The card has a high $499 annual fee, but a handful of new benefits as well.

The most useful new perk is a $300 annual travel credit for TrueBlue Travel bookings, with no minimum spending requirement. Since the credit resets by calendar year, new cardholders can also effectively double-dip and get up to $600 back in the first 12 months.

The card also comes with complimentary access to JetBlue's new BlueHouse lounges, a 15% rebate on TrueBlue award bookings, a free checked bag on every flight, and a Priority Pass Select membership that includes restaurant access, which has become a rare perk across credit cards offering Priority Pass.

You'll also get 25 bonus tiles each year for Mosaic status, but they don't kick in until the end of your first cardmember year. That means if you need a status boost and get the card now, this benefit won't help until 2027.

Even if you're not flying in the near future, one of the easiest ways to earn points and miles has nothing to do with booking a flight.

Now through May 21st, the ​American Airlines shopping portal​ is offering a bonus on purchases. You'll earn 500 bonus miles when you make qualifying purchases of at least $200 through the portal, or 2,000 bonus miles on total purchases of $800 or more.

This is a nice little add-on bonus that's easy to score if you have some online shopping to do in the next few days. The American portal features more than 1,200 retailers, including well-known chains like CVS, Home Depot, Sephora, and many more.

Remember that when it comes to using shopping portals, the prices are the same, the retailers are familiar, and the miles add up faster than most people expect. You just need to build a habit of checking the portals before you shop. Use a tool like ​Savewise​ to see the best earning rates available.

Also, if you aren't already a member of our favorite shopping portal ​Rakuten​, right now you can score a $50 bonus (or 5,000 points) when you spend $50 through Rakuten in the first 90 days. But this offer is only available via ​referral links​, so ask your friends for one, or ​feel free to use ours​ (and our thanks if you do).

Finally, if Australia or New Zealand has been sitting on your travel bucket list, a timely promotion from American Airlines might be the nudge you've been waiting for.

American is currently offering one bonus mile per base mile on flights between the U.S. and Australia or New Zealand, up to 25,000 bonus miles. The offer is technically targeted but appears widely available — just log into your AAdvantage account and ​check the "Offers" tab​ to see if it's there for you.

If you want to take advantage of this offer, you must register for it before booking, and book by May 31st, with travel completed by March 31, 2027. Flights must be marketed and operated by American or Qantas with an AA flight number, and bonus miles apply only to the international segments, not any domestic legs.

Unfortunately, only cash bookings in eligible fare classes qualify for this bonus, so you can't get it on award bookings. But a base-level AAdvantage member booking a round-trip main cabin fare could earn over 11,000 miles on a single trip. That's enough to potentially cover a domestic award flight on your way home.

Those are the travel stories that are worth your attention this week. But if a Disney trip is on your summer agenda, our ​packing list of park essentials​ will help you show up prepared for the heat, the rain, and everything in between. Have a great weekend! ✈️

This story may contain links through which we are compensated when you click on or are approved for offers, and we may receive compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. Points Path may receive a commission from card issuers. This compensation may impact how and where links appear in this story. This story does not necessarily include all financial companies or all available financial offers. The editorial content in this story is not provided by any of the companies mentioned, and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. All prices are accurate as of May 17, 2026, at 10am ET.