Keep Cool This Summer
This is the August 17, 2025 edition of the LazyPoints Weekly newsletter. It goes out by email every Sunday at 8:00 a.m. Pacific–unless I oversleep–and is archived here on the blog. Want it straight to your inbox each week? Sign up here.
Topic of the Week: Keep Cool This Summer
No major points news this week, so I’m going to keep it short here and offer a lazy summer hack (and a chance to support LazyPoints if you pick one up): the JISULIFE Portable Handheld Fan. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
I live in the San Francisco area, where it’s not hot enough to warrant air conditioning, but can occasionally get just warm enough to be uncomfortable without it. And this little fan honestly does the trick to cool down on all but the hottest of days around here. It’s a jack of all trades: handheld fan, desk fan, portable charger, and flashlight. Of course, that means it’s a master of none. It’s not as ergonomic as a pure handheld fan or as steady as a pure desk fan, but it’s way more compact than either. As a handy thing to place by the bedside on hot nights, on my desk at work when it gets stuffy, or to cool down when walking around Kyoto, it has been a great little tool.
This Week in the Blog 📝
On Wednesday, we launched a 4-part series on how to add credit cards to your portfolio to maximize your rewards. Spoiler alert: signing up for this newsletter can help you figure out when cards have offers that might be worth jumping on for maximum value.
Quick Points of the Week ⚡
Major news 🚨
Spiritless? Spirit Airlines is warning that it might not be able to stay in business due to losses and a cash crunch. (CNBC)
Special offers ✨
Want to escape (spontaneously)? Singapore Airline’s monthly “Spontaneous Escapes” offers for short-notice award trips are particularly good this month, and especially if you book no later than today. (OMAAT)
Targeted: save on Amazon with a single Amex point. Check the link to see your deal now. (Amazon)
Miles for charity. Earn up to 50 AA miles per dollar donated to Stand Up for Cancer (not for the first time). Link here. (OMAAT)
New features 🆕
Basic economy filter coming to Google Flights. But it’s not working for me yet. Patience. 🧘♂️ (TPG)
Hyatt improves award calendar. Among other things, it’ll show you points rates that are actually available, resolving a pain point where you’d see a killer rate, only to find you couldn’t book with points. (Upgraded Points)
Last chance ⏳
CSR bonus ends on the 21st. That massive Chase Sapphire Reserve bonus is going away at 9 AM Eastern on Thursday. (View From the Wing)
Devaluation 📉 (kind of)
Chase is losing Emirates as a transfer partner. Gone but not missed. (View From the Wing)
Fun 👻
AA miles to be a DoorDash driver? Ben from OMAAT tries it and reports back.
Rumors 👀
Alaska’s Premium Card and new frequent flyer program are coming. Frequent Miler reports some details on the card’s earning, status boosts, possible sign up bonuses and more. I’m on tenterhooks for the launch on Wednesday.
Sign-up bonus of the Week 🎯
Capital One recently launched enhanced bonuses on three of its no-fee cards: the VentureOne, the Savor, and the Quicksilver. In addition to the normal $200 or 20k mile bonuses these cards usually have, you can now get an extra $100 Capital One Travel credit when meeting spending minimums.
CapitalOne.com
Of these, the Savor deal is particularly interesting. Our #1 credit card is the Capital One Venture X, thanks to that card’s premium features, no-net-fee structure, and double points (minimum) on all spending. If you have that card, the Savor is an excellent complement, earning 3% cash back (redeemable as 3x points if you have the Venture X) on dining, groceries, and select entertainment and streaming.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend taking a ~$300 bonus on the Savor for a Capital One-focused wallet. The bonuses below are just much more rewarding in the short term, and other points currencies, like those from Bilt, Amex, and Citi, are more valuable than Capital One’s in the long term. But if you like to keep it simple, it doesn’t get much better than this: two cards, $395 in annual fees, $400+ in annual credits (and only one credit to keep track of), airport lounge access, 2x base earning with four major 3x categories, portal bonuses on travel, and ultra-simple statement credit redemptions.
Other great current bonuses
100k + $500 on the Chase Sapphire Reserve (our take)
80k on the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select (our take)
100k on the Citi Strata Elite in-branch (our take)
75k miles on the Chase Sapphire Preferred (our hot take 🔥)
100k miles + 3k PQP’s on the United Quest (our take)
100k points on Southwest Credit Cards (our take)
Enjoy the weekend! 🦥
I hear Singapore is hot right now–perfect weather for a portable fan!