SFO deal radar June 1 — AA Myrtle Beach $260 + CX Phú Quốc $901, Aeroplan devaluation now live
Two fresh cash fares lead today's board: American Airlines SFO → Myrtle Beach at $260 Basic / $370 Regular Economy (Day 2, mid-August through September via CLT), and Cathay Pacific SFO → Phú Quốc at $901 roundtrip (Day 2, limited inventory, August–September via HKG). The Aeroplan award chart devaluation went live at midnight ET: SFO → Tokyo/Seoul/HKG/Shanghai business is up 13.3% (75K → 85K), SFO → Singapore/Bangkok business up 17.1% (87.5K → 102.5K), with SFO → Hawaii economy the lone bright spot (35K → 32.5K, down 7.1%). Four transfer bonuses remain active, led by Bilt → TAP Air Portugal today only (25%–125%), and the Chase UR → Southwest 30% bonus expiring June 5. Active fares from previous cycles graded by staleness with booking guidance.
June 1, 2026 · 12:24 AM
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The deadline wave broke overnight. Four bonuses expired at midnight — Aeroplan buy 90%, Flying Blue buy 80%, Capital One → Qantas 20%, and HeyMax Cash For Miles — and the Aeroplan award chart devaluation went live at 00:00 ET. What's left: two fresh cash fares posted yesterday, four active transfer bonuses, and a post-devaluation Aeroplan picture that's messier than the "it's mostly fine" take suggests.
New fares — posted May 30
AA SFO → Myrtle Beach (MYR) — $260 BE / $370 RE roundtrip
American Airlines posted this yesterday at $260 Basic Economy and $370 Regular Economy, all taxes included. 1
Route: SFO → Charlotte (CLT) → Myrtle Beach (MYR) → CLT → SFO, one connection each way, all American metal. Fare class: B (Basic) / O (Regular). Travel window: mid-August through September, departures and returns on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Advance purchase: 14 days minimum. Miles flown: ~4,890 / 1,488 Loyalty Points (Regular Economy accrues). Booking: aa.com directly.
Normal SFO–Myrtle Beach roundtrips typically run $450–$600+. At $370 Regular Economy, you get carry-on, advance seat selection, and standard change terms — the version worth buying if you're actually going. The Flight Deal called it "a good sale to/from Myrtle Beach." 1
Basic Economy on AA means no advance seat assignment, last boarding group, no changes or cancellations, and zero miles earned. It's also $110 cheaper — fine if you're traveling with just a personal item and no schedule flexibility concerns.
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CX SFO → Phú Quốc, Vietnam (PQC) — $901 roundtrip
Cathay Pacific posted this yesterday at $901 roundtrip, all taxes included — and The Flight Deal flagged inventory as "extremely limited." 2
Route: SFO → Hong Kong (HKG) → Phú Quốc (PQC) → HKG → SFO, one connection each way, all Cathay Pacific metal. Fare class: Q. Travel window: late August through September, Monday–Thursday departures and returns. Advance purchase: 3 days minimum. Stopovers: not permitted. Miles accrual: Alaska MileagePlan — ~15,950 miles flown / 3,740 EQMs / 3,740 redeemable miles (~5.6¢/mile); American AAdvantage does not accrue on Q class. Booking: Priceline (via TFD link).
Normal SFO–Vietnam roundtrips run $1,200–$1,600+; Phú Quốc specifically is less served than Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, so $1,500+ is a realistic baseline for this routing. The ~40% discount is real.
Phú Quốc (also spelled Phu Quoc) is a Vietnamese island in the Gulf of Thailand, officially a special administrative zone. US passport holders can enter without a visa and stay up to 30 days, as long as they remain on the island. 2
The "extremely limited" caveat is worth taking seriously — this is a Day 2 fare, but Q-class inventory on niche island routes disappears faster than the bigger China city fares. Verify on cathaypacific.com before clicking through Priceline.
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Aeroplan devaluation — now live
The new Aeroplan award chart took effect at 00:00 ET today. Air Canada published the changes in late April, giving about five weeks of notice — unusually transparent for an airline devaluation. 3 The booking window is closed.
What the new rates mean from SFO
| Route | Cabin | Old rate (OW partner) | New rate (OW partner) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO → Tokyo / Seoul / Hong Kong / Shanghai | Business | 75,000 pts | 85,000 pts | +10,000 (+13.3%) |
| SFO → Tokyo / Seoul / Hong Kong / Shanghai | First (partner) | 110,000 pts | 120,000 pts | +10,000 (+9.1%) |
| SFO → Singapore / Bangkok | Business (partner) | 87,500 pts | 102,500 pts | +15,000 (+17.1%) |
| SFO → London / Paris / Amsterdam / Frankfurt | Business (partner) | 70,000 pts | 75,000 pts | +5,000 (+7.1%) |
| SFO → Hawaii (HNL/OGG/KOA/LIH) | Economy | 35,000 pts | 32,500 pts | −2,500 (−7.1%) |
| Intra-Europe (0–1,000 mi) | Business | 15,000 pts | 12,500 pts | −2,500 (−16.7%) |
One correction that circulated in earlier coverage: the 45,000 → 40,000 (-11.1%) decrease does not apply to transatlantic flights from North America. It applies to intra-Europe routes only (e.g., London → Rome, Paris → Barcelona). SFO → Europe business class went up, not down.
For the round-trip math: SFO → Tokyo business class now costs 170,000 points (up from 150,000). SFO → Singapore costs 205,000 (up from 175,000). SFO → Europe costs 150,000 (up from 140,000). A couple flying SFO → Singapore in business needs 60,000 more points than before.
Ben Schlappig at One Mile at a Time framed it accurately: "Ultra long haul business class awards between the United States and Asia covering 7,501–11,000 miles increase from 87,500 points to 102,500 points, so obviously I'm not very happy to see that, since it's my favorite redemption for maximizing Aeroplan points." 5
The Hawaii bright spot
SFO → Hawaii economy dropped from 35,000 to 32,500 Aeroplan points — one of the few reductions in the entire chart. ThriftyTraveler notes that Aeroplan treats West Coast departures to Hawaii as part of the standard Pacific zone, which means a one-way SFO → Hawaii economy redemption on United comes in at 15,000 points — less than most competing programs charge. 6 This rate just got cheaper.
Where Aeroplan still works
The devaluation is real, but it doesn't make the program useless. Three structural edges survive the June 1 changes:
- Stopover feature: Aeroplan charges 5,000 additional points to add a stopover in a third city — a feature United MileagePlus and Turkish Miles&Smiles don't offer as generously. Cloud9Club points out that "even after the June 1 changes, Aeroplan still beats United MileagePlus on most partner premium cabin redemptions out of the US." 7
- No close-in booking fee and no carrier-imposed surcharges on most Star Alliance partners — unlike British Airways Avios, which layers significant fees onto partner awards.
- Intra-Europe business class got cheaper: the 0–1,000 mile band dropped from 15,000 to 12,500 points. Schlappig called it "the single most frequent type of Aeroplan redemption I make." 5 For SFO travelers positioning within Europe after a transatlantic award, these short-haul add-ons just got less expensive.
The Points Party's post-devaluation read is the right framing: "Aeroplan is no longer the automatic first call for many transatlantic and transpacific business class bookings on partner carriers." 8 It's also not the last call. For multi-city itineraries and short-haul positioning within Europe, the math still works.
LoyaltyLobby's John Ollila has the clearest operational take: "Air Canada Aeroplan is, to me, a purely transfer-and-burn program that works for some awards." 4 Don't earn flights to it, don't hoard it. Transfer from a credit card currency when you have a specific booking in mind.
Transfer bonuses — active as of June 1
Four bonuses are expiring in the next five weeks. Today's Bilt event is the only same-day item.
| Program | Bonus | Expires | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bilt → TAP Air Portugal | 25%–125% | Today — June 1 | Single-day Rent Day event; 100K Bilt pt cap |
| Chase UR → Southwest Rapid Rewards | 30% | June 5 | Rare bonus on Southwest; doesn't count toward Companion Pass |
| Rove → Air Canada Aeroplan | 25% | June 6 | ⚠️ New (higher) Aeroplan chart now in effect |
| Citi TYP → Wyndham Rewards | 25% | June 13 | — |
| Citi TYP → Preferred Hotels & Resorts I Prefer | 30% | June 13 | — |
| Chase UR → Marriott Bonvoy | 55% | June 30 | Down from 65% (expired May 15) |
Source: 9
Bilt → TAP Air Portugal: up to 125%, today only
Bilt Rewards (the credit card program for renters) runs a transfer bonus on the first of each month — today's destination is TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go, with a tiered bonus based on Bilt status level. 10
| Bilt status | Bonus | + $150 Bilt Cash buy-up | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 25% | +25% | 50% |
| Silver | 50% | +25% | 75% |
| Gold | 75% | +25% | 100% |
| Platinum | 100% | +25% | 125% |
Transfer cap: 100,000 Bilt points. Single transfer per account, window closes 11:59 PM PT tonight. Link Bilt account to TAP Miles&Go at bilt.com/p/tap before transferring.
The appeal is limited by TAP's award pricing: TAP charges 100,000 miles one-way for US–Portugal business class, which is steep even at a 100% bonus (requiring only 50,000 Bilt points). Frequent Miler's conclusion: "it might be better to wait for a future transfer bonus to a different program that has more reasonable award pricing." 10 TAP is a Star Alliance member, so the miles can also be used on United and Air Canada partner routes — but those programs have more direct transfer paths that don't require routing through TAP's chart.
The $150 Bilt Cash buy-up is only worth it at Platinum tier; the buy-up at lower tiers earns at most 25,000 bonus TAP miles, and whether that's worth $150 depends on your specific redemption.
Chase UR → Southwest: 30%, expires June 5
Chase Ultimate Rewards (a points currency earned by Chase Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, and Ink cards) transfers to Southwest Rapid Rewards at a 30% bonus through June 5 — 1,000 UR → 1,300 Southwest points. 11 Southwest transfer bonuses are infrequent, making this rate notable. Bonus points do not count toward the Southwest Companion Pass or tier qualification. Southwest points median value runs around 1.3 cents each; at the 30% bonus, effective UR value is roughly 1.7 cents per point — above Frequent Miler's Reasonable Redemption Value of 1.5 cents for UR. 11
Rove → Aeroplan: 25%, expires June 6 (⚠️ new chart now in effect)
Rove Miles (a travel loyalty platform with 18 transfer partners at 1:1 ratios) added Aeroplan in late May with a 25% launch bonus through June 6. 6 The math has shifted since June 1: transferring Rove → Aeroplan today lands you in the post-devaluation chart. For SFO → Europe business class, the 25% bonus more than covers the 7.1% rate increase — 75,000 Aeroplan points / 1.25 = 60,000 Rove miles, versus 70,000 Aeroplan / 1.25 = 56,000 Rove pre-devaluation. For SFO → Tokyo, the 13.3% rate increase is larger than the 25% bonus covers in absolute point terms: 85,000 / 1.25 = 68,000 Rove (was 60,000 Rove at the old rate). For SFO → Singapore, 102,500 / 1.25 = 82,000 Rove (was 70,000). The bonus is still useful — but it doesn't fully offset the steeper transpacific increases.
Southwest consumer cards: elevated welcome offer
Southwest issued elevated welcome bonuses on its consumer cards with no stated expiration as of this writing. 12 The Chase 5/24 rule applies (you must have opened fewer than 5 new credit cards in the past 24 months); you also cannot have received a bonus on a Southwest personal card in the last 24 months.
| Card | Annual fee | Welcome bonus | Spend requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus | $99 | 80,000 points | $1,000 in 3 months |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier | $149 | 85,000 points | $2,000 in 3 months |
| Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority | $229 | 90,000 points | $3,000 in 3 months |
All three cards include free checked bags and a 10,000 Companion Pass qualifying point boost annually. AwardWallet pegs estimated value at $1,200–$1,300 based on a historical 1.52 cents per point redemption average. 12 The Chase UR → Southwest 30% bonus (expiring June 5) pairs well with existing Southwest card cardholders who have UR balances; the card offers are for people who don't yet have a Southwest card and want to build a balance.
Active fares — age-adjusted status
All ages calculated from today, June 1. Verify on the booking platform before assuming availability.
| Route | Airline | Price | Post date | Age | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO → Myrtle Beach (MYR) | American Airlines | $260 BE / $370 RE | May 30 | Day 2 | ✅ Fresh |
| SFO → Phú Quốc, Vietnam (PQC) | Cathay Pacific | $901 RT | May 30 | Day 2 | ✅ Fresh (limited inventory) |
| SFO → Changsha, China (CSX) | Cathay Pacific | $812 RT | May 29 | Day 3 | Verify |
| SFO → Cebu, Philippines (CEB) | Korean Air | $869 RT | May 29 | Day 3 | Verify |
| SFO → Sarasota, FL (SRQ) | Delta | $276 BE / $386 RE | May 28 | Day 4 | Borderline |
| SFO → Key West, FL (EYW) | American Airlines | $290 BE / $400 RE | May 28 | Day 4 | Borderline |
| SFO → Nanjing, China (NKG) | Cathay Pacific | $812 RT | May 27 | Day 5 | ⚠️ High staleness risk |
| SFO → Mumbai, India (BOM) | SAS | $868 BE / $968 RE | May 27 | Day 5 | ⚠️ High staleness risk |
| SFO → Haikou, Hainan (HAK) | Cathay Pacific | $811 RT | May 26 | Day 6 | ⚠️ Very likely expired |
| SFO → Brussels, Belgium (BRU) | SAS | $641 BE / $741 RE | May 26 | Day 6 | ⚠️ Very likely expired |
| SFO → Qingdao, China (TAO) | Cathay Pacific | $811 RT | May 25 | Day 7 | 🔴 Treat as expired |
| SFO → Warsaw, Poland (WAW) | SAS | $660 BE / $760 RE | May 25 | Day 7 | 🔴 Treat as expired |
Source: 13
The SAS fares (Brussels, Warsaw) were part of the SAS 80th anniversary sale that closed May 26. Any D6–D7 SAS fare is almost certainly gone. The Cathay Pacific D5–D7 China fares (Nanjing, Haikou, Qingdao) carry high staleness risk independent of each other — inventory on these routes moves fast.
Off the board
These deals are confirmed expired and should not be booked: 13
- CX SFO → Ningbo (NGB), Hangzhou (HGH), Xiamen (XMN), Xi'an (XIY), Chongqing (CKG) $811 — all Day 9 or older, all dropped to TFD page 2 or off-page
- KE SFO → Kunming (KMG) $745 and UA SFO → Fort Myers (RSW) $237 — Day 8+, moved to TFD page 1 end position
- SAS SFO → Prague, Milan $591–$698 — SAS anniversary sale closed May 26
- Southwest buy 45%, Flying Blue buy 80%, Aeroplan buy 90% — all expired May 30–31
- Capital One → Qantas 20%, HeyMax Cash For Miles — expired May 31
Cover image: Phú Quốc, Vietnam — Hotel Kaesong via Flickr, CC BY 2.0 2
References
- 1The Flight Deal: American SFO–Myrtle Beach $260 BE / $370 RE RT
- 2The Flight Deal: Cathay Pacific SFO–Phú Quốc $901 RT
- 3Air Canada: An update on the Aeroplan Flight Reward Chart
- 4LoyaltyLobby: LAST CALL — Aeroplan Flight Rewards Changes Effective June 1
- 5One Mile at a Time: Aeroplan Updating Award Chart As Of June 2026 — It's A Devaluation, Mostly
- 6ThriftyTraveler: Rove adds Aeroplan as transfer partner with 25% bonus
- 7Cloud9Club: Aeroplan Devaluation 2026 — What's Changing and How to Beat It
- 8The Points Party: Aeroplan 2026 Award Chart Changes — What to Do Now
- 9Frequent Miler: Current point transfer bonuses
- 10Frequent Miler: Bilt Rent Day for June — 25%–125% transfer bonus to TAP Air Portugal
- 11Frequent Miler: 30% transfer bonus from Chase Ultimate Rewards to Southwest Rapid Rewards
- 12AwardWallet: Southwest elevated card offers — earn up to 90K points
- 13The Flight Deal: San Francisco — SFO category page
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