Hi Reader, it's Julian from Points Path. This week, Southwest is offering double points on fall flights to anyone who registers before booking, but you'll need to move fast as the deadline is short. At the same time, Singapore Airlines has a lean but useful list of Spontaneous Escapes awards for discounted October travel.
Meanwhile, Chase is marking ten years of the Sapphire Reserve with a contest worth 10 million points, while Qatar Airways reversed an absurd restriction on family award bookings just three months after adding it. And if you've been thinking about upgrading to Points Path Pro, you can still lock in the current price before it goes up on October 1st. Read on for all the details before you plan your next trip.
1. Book a Southwest flight and earn double points
If you're planning a Southwest trip this fall, you can earn extra points on your booking, but only if you're ready to lock in your flights right away.
Southwest is offering double points on flights booked through tomorrow, Monday, September 21st, and flown by December 16th. You must register for this deal before you book, and then enter your Rapid Rewards number on your ticket.
Bonus points are based on the base fare. You'll earn 2 points for every dollar you spend on Basic fares, 6x on Choice, 10x on Choice Preferred, and 14x on Choice Extra. The extra points are on top of the points you'd earn normally, but don't count toward A-List or Companion Pass status.
This deal probably isn't enough to pick Southwest over another airline. But if you're already flying on Southwest, just make sure to register before you book. Trips booked before registering don't qualify, though you can cancel them for free and rebook if pricing holds. Changes after purchase may also disqualify the bonus.
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Now through September 30th for travel any time in October, you can book premium economy from Singapore to New York's JFK for 59,150 miles, as well as between Frankfurt and New York for 39,900 miles in each direction. One route in economy is also available from Singapore to Seattle for 30,800 miles.
Unfortunately that's a very lean list, but premium economy at roughly 59,000 miles can be good value given Singapore's terrific onboard experience.
Remember that these awards are completely nonrefundable and can't be changed or canceled, so only book if your plans are locked in. However, if the limited routes match up with your needs, these discounted awards are worth a quick look.
3. Chase Sapphire Reserve turns 10 with a contest for 10 million points
Chase is marking ten years of the Sapphire Reserve, and cardholders with a favorite trip in mind have a chance to pick up a haul of points.
Right now, you can enter to win a portion of 10 million Chase Ultimate Rewards points. One grand prize winner will get 5.5 million points and help from a Chase Travel Designer to book their dream trip, while nine other winners each get 500,000 points.
In order to enter, you'll need to post a video of up to 90 seconds about your favorite trip from the past decade on a public Instagram or TikTok account. Tag and follow @ChaseSapphire, use the hashtags #10RewardingYearsWithSapphireReserve and #Contest, then submit the entry form on Chase's site.
Entries are open through November 6th at 5 p.m. ET. There's a limit of one entry per person, and you must be a Sapphire Reserve primary cardholder in good standing as of September 15, 2026, and a legal resident of the 50 states or D.C. who is at least 18.
If a video contest sounds like work, American's AAdvantage eShopping Sweepstakes, which I covered last week, is still open through September 25th. Log in with your AAdvantage account and go to this link to enter. The grand prize is 100,000 miles plus a $2,500 check, and three winners get 50,000 miles each.
4. Qatar Airways drops its three-month-old rule on award bookings
A few months ago, Qatar Airways instituted a rule that was so ridiculous and awful that I predicted the airline would end up reversing course in 6-12 months. I was wrong. It only took them three months.
As of this week, Qatar is again letting members use transferred credit card points to book awards for family and friends. Under the airline's original policy, you first had to credit a Qatar flight or have a Qatar credit card in order to book for anyone but yourself, which was a completely absurd restriction.
While this rollback vastly improves the situation, awards can still only be issued for the account holder, up to four adult Privilege Club members, and up to six people in a "Family & Friends" group. Those travelers are generally locked in for six months.
Qatar made this reversal very quietly, but confirmed the change to our friends at MilesTalk, and people have since reported being able to add family members without qualifying activity. While you'll want to confirm everything on your end before transferring points, it appears saner minds have prevailed at Qatar.
5. Lock in two years of Points Path Pro before the price goes up
Finally, while I hate having to raise our prices, they're unfortunately going up starting October 1st. But the good news is you can still get the current price for a little while longer.
Users who sign up for Points Path Pro by September 30th can lock in our current $79.99 annual price for the first year before it rises to $99.99. You can also add a second year at the same price after subscribing, which delays the higher cost until 2028.
Our Pro plan includes live points pricing for 17 airline programs, along with Flight Alerts and Flex Alerts, our points calendar, discounted Delta and United credit card award pricing in Points Path, and custom point valuations.
Points Path Pro also includes our new Points Wallet, which tracks your balances and flags Google Flights results you already have enough points to book. When you turn on the Wallet, our extension can read your balances as you visit airline sites, so you never have to share your logins.
That does it for this week's points and miles news. But before you go, check out Points Path Senior Deals Editor Jennifer Yellin's guide to the nine travel products she bought this year and which ones she'd buy again. Have a great weekend! ✈️
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