Milenomics² Podcast [NOAF] Episode 80: Bilt Rent Day, Whoop, Chase and BofA changes

0:21 Bilt JAL Transfer Bonus

• Normally 1:1, heightened for March 1 “rent day”
• Staying on-brand-complicated the amount of bonus varies depending on your Bilt status and use of Bilt Cash to further heighten the bonus
• So it’s 25-125% on March 1
• JAL 1:1 BILT transfer partner is great, long term
• Need to have space aligned in both directions
• Miles expire 3 years (HARD expiry, no way to extend)
• Speculative…. Probably not for me. 
• $135 Bilt cash to unlock 25% additional uplift

05:38 Chase Sapphire WHOOP Offer

• This is an Offer, not a recurring benefit of the card (as of now, one-time)
• Offer must be activated first on Chase
• Direct Link from Whoop for more info
• $359 back on $359 on Sapphire Reserve, $100 back on $149 on Sapphire Preferred
• Ends 5/12/2026

10:07 Hyatt Award Chart Changes

• Direct Link to new award chart
• New award chart still tops out at Category 8, but now has 5 levels of demand within each category (previously 3)
• Means a standard room can be as cheap as 3,000/nt OR as much as 75,000/nt (Cat 8, Top demand) OR 110,000 (Cat 8 Premium Suite Top demand)
• Digital point sharing!
• What’s the upshot here? For me, as long as the program continues to offer solid value (2+ cpp most of the time, occasionally 3+ cpp) I’m still happy.

17:17 Chase Adds Wyndham as 1:1 Transfer Partner

• Citi also transfers to Wyndham, has a 25% bonus through March 21, 2026
• Reason to even mention this is curiosity about whether Wyndham
•   is at all compelling anymore with the demise of Vacasa?
• Wyndham has hotels! (did you know?)
• And plenty of vacation rentals
• 15k - 30k per night, can make sense. 
• Again, speculatively doesn’t likely make sense. 

21:04 BofA Preferred Rewards

• Press Release / Direct Link
• $1M is the new $100k: Now need $1M for 75% uplift on credit card earning
• Preferred: $30k - $100k 25% uplift on qualifying credit card rewards
• Preferred Plus: $100k - $1M 50% uplift (was 75%)
• Premier: $1M+ 75% uplift (was also 75%)
• Subscription credit for debit charges: $8/mo for Preferred Plus, $15/mo for Premier
• Expanded Access to Lifestyle Benefits
• Preferred Honors tier: Automotive savings on brands like BMW, Lexus, Audi, Volvo; access to arts and entertainments moments, including major league sports, concerts, Broadway shows, and opera; and premium travel experiences with partners including Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Virgin Hotels, and Sixt.
• Premier tier: Tier-exclusive luxury offers with Backroads, The Eden Residence Club, Mercedes, Sollis Health, and Blacklane, as well as curated private events, such as the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival, Lamborghini, and CULTURED magazine.
• Starts May 2026, but uplift may stick around for existing customers: “Some benefits, like the credit card rewards bonus and no-fee safe deposit boxes, may be subject to change. If this applies to you, you'll keep your Preferred Rewards benefits for at least 6 months (after May 2026)

26:25 BOS-HNL Non-Stop Returns

• Direct Link
• On Delta, in “Winter”
• Also MSP-OGG
• Better to have an option than not! I’m hopeful they’ll have good uptake and expand this to more of the year. I think there’s demand for one non-stop BOS-Hawaii year-round (not two). If that’s Delta rather than Hawaiian, so be it?

Robert: “Thanks for joining us for this week. For a more in-depth discussion about points miles visit us at patreon.com/milenomics. There you’ll get a special link to listen to additional content, right in your mobile podcast app or on your computer, where we speak more freely about topics like these.

Sam: “As always you can catch us on social media. I’m @milenomics and Robert is @robertdwyer. Until then we’ll see you on the site.”