• Juice up your earnings with QCGC. https://qcgc.io/?ref=mtmv1 (sponsored)
• MTM Detroit Meetup Tickets - https://mtm.zohobackstage.com/MTMTravelDetroit2026#/

Capital One is facing a lawsuit over canceled rewards, and Shawn and Mark get into the bigger problem with banks treating points like real currency when it helps them and funny money when it helps them. They also talk retention offers, when a card is not worth keeping even for free, and rank the major transferable points programs from worst to best.

What we cover:

• Capital One being sued over allegedly canceled rewards after account closures.
• Why earned points should come with stronger consumer protections.
• How to compare retention offers against referral offers, credits and annual fees.
• Why no-fee cards can still be worth checking for retention offers.
• The Business Platinum changes, Dell frustration and when a credit stops mattering.
• Shawn and Mark's rankings for Amex, Chase, Bilt, Citi, Capital One and Wells Fargo.
• Why Chase has slipped, Citi has become more useful and Bilt may have the most interesting upside.

Episode Guide:

• 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel
• 0:21 Detroit event details and why in-person networking still matters
• 2:52 Capital One sued over canceled rewards
• 7:51 How to think about retention offers
• 11:16 No-fee cards can still have retention offers
• 13:25 Dell, Business Platinum credits and the breaking point
• 14:52 Ranking transferable points programs
• 16:15 Capital One vs Wells Fargo at the bottom
• 19:03 Bilt vs Citi and the middle of the rankings
• 19:45 Why Chase keeps slipping
• 23:07 Amex makes the case for number one
• 26:14 Mark's case for Bilt as the best program
• 29:15 Which programs are essential for most people?

Links:

• Free newsletter
• Join our free Facebook group
• Diamond Patreon
• Gold Membership
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Miles to Memories website
• Capital One lawsuit - https://mtmdiamond.slack.com/archives/C0ACC849Z3J/p1778758564025649
• Retention offers - https://milestomemories.com/american-express-business-platinum-retention-offer/

• Juice up your earnings with QCGC. https://qcgc.io/?ref=mtmv1 (sponsored)
• MTM Detroit Meetup Tickets - https://mtm.zohobackstage.com/MTMTravelDetroit2026#/

Capital One is facing a lawsuit over canceled rewards, and Shawn and Mark get into the bigger problem with banks treating points like real currency when it helps them and funny money when it helps them. They also talk retention offers, when a card is not worth keeping even for free, and rank the major transferable points programs from worst to best.

What we cover:

• Capital One being sued over allegedly canceled rewards after account closures.
• Why earned points should come with stronger consumer protections.
• How to compare retention offers against referral offers, credits and annual fees.
• Why no-fee cards can still be worth checking for retention offers.
• The Business Platinum changes, Dell frustration and when a credit stops mattering.
• Shawn and Mark's rankings for Amex, Chase, Bilt, Citi, Capital One and Wells Fargo.
• Why Chase has slipped, Citi has become more useful and Bilt may have the most interesting upside.

Episode Guide:

• 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel
• 0:21 Detroit event details and why in-person networking still matters
• 2:52 Capital One sued over canceled rewards
• 7:51 How to think about retention offers
• 11:16 No-fee cards can still have retention offers
• 13:25 Dell, Business Platinum credits and the breaking point
• 14:52 Ranking transferable points programs
• 16:15 Capital One vs Wells Fargo at the bottom
• 19:03 Bilt vs Citi and the middle of the rankings
• 19:45 Why Chase keeps slipping
• 23:07 Amex makes the case for number one
• 26:14 Mark's case for Bilt as the best program
• 29:15 Which programs are essential for most people?

Links:

• Free newsletter
• Join our free Facebook group
• Diamond Patreon
• Gold Membership
• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
• Miles to Memories website
• Capital One lawsuit - https://mtmdiamond.slack.com/archives/C0ACC849Z3J/p1778758564025649
• Retention offers - https://milestomemories.com/american-express-business-platinum-retention-offer/

MTM Travel - May 7, 2026

Chase has a massive new Sapphire Reserve offer, but the rest of the episode shows why the points world feels less predictable than it used to. Shawn and Mark break down Rakuten's strange but useful Bank of America and Bilt stack, Citi ending ThankYou point sharing, the refreshed AT&T Points Plus card and Chase's quietly weaker Points Boost values.

Episode Guide

• 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel
• 2:56 Rakuten, Bank of America and bonus Bilt points
• 7:51 Chase Sapphire Reserve hits 150K
• 12:34 Chase spending offers get easier to track
• 13:48 Citi ends ThankYou point sharing
• 16:43 AT&T Points Plus gets a real refresh
• 20:43 Chase Points Boost gets less predictable
• 25:37 Final thoughts on transferable points rankings

Topics Covered

• Rakuten is offering up to $300 back, or 30,000 Bilt points, when applying for select Bank of America cards.
• The Bank of America Travel Rewards card can stack its own offer with the Rakuten payout, making it a strong no-annual-fee play.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve now has a 150,000 point offer after $6,000 in spend in the first three months.
• Chase appears to be matching some recent Sapphire Reserve applicants to the new offer, with reported cutoff dates.
• Chase targeted spending offers are becoming easier to track after activation.
• Citi is ending ThankYou point sharing, removing a useful option for two-player households.
• The AT&T Points Plus card adds stronger AT&T discounts and keeps its no-annual-fee setup.
• Chase Points Boost remains useful in theory, but the changing rates make it harder to plan around.

Links

• Rakuten Bank of America bonuses - https://milestomemories.com/rakuten-offering-extra-bonus-for-bank-of-america-cards/
• Chase Sapphire Reserve 150K offer - https://milestomemories.com/is-chase-matching-the-sapphire-reserve-offer/
• Chase quarterly spending offer lookup - https://milestomemories.com/how-to-find-chase-spending-offer-details/
• Citi ending ThankYou point sharing - https://www.doctorofcredit.com/citi-ending-points-sharing-on-5-16/
• AT&T and Citi enhance Points Plus card - https://milestomemories.com/att-points-plus-world-mastercard-refresh/
• Chase The Edit 2.5 cent Points Boost - https://milestomemories.com/new-2-5x-points-boost-at-select-the-edit-hotels/