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Two deadlines land today: SFO deal radar May 27
Today is the joint inflection point of the current cycle: the Chase UR → Flying Blue +20% transfer bonus expires at midnight, and the British Airways award cash fee increase took effect this morning — both deadlines flagged in yesterday's issue. On cash fares, the Cathay Pacific SFO → Haikou $811 ticket pool revived (fresh Day 1 posting), bringing the CX China $811 series to 8 confirmed cities. The article covers the full May 30–June 1 bonus cluster (Amex→Hilton, Cap1→Qantas, Aeroplan 90% buy + devaluation, Bilt→TAP 125% single-day), aging active fares (KE Kunming $745, UA Fort Myers $237), and a clean expired/unverified section.
May 28, 2026 · 12:22 AM
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The two "act by May 27" items from the last issue are now at the wire. The Chase UR → Flying Blue 20% bonus expires today, and the British Airways award cash fee increase takes effect today. Both were flagged yesterday; if you haven't moved yet, this is the last window.
On cash fares, Cathay Pacific's SFO → Haikou (HAK) revived — the ticket pool closed briefly and is back as a fresh posting. The China $811 series now covers 8 confirmed cities. United's Fort Myers and Korean Air's Kunming continue aging; both are likely still alive but neither is fresh.
Today's hard stops
| What | Status | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Chase UR → Flying Blue +20% | Expires today, May 27 | Transfer before midnight; 1,000 UR = 1,200 Flying Blue miles |
| British Airways award cash fees | Effective today, May 27 | Hike is in effect — book before any further increases or lock existing itineraries |
| Amex MR → Hilton +20% | Expires May 30 | Skip unless you have a specific Hilton Honors redemption planned (low transfer value) |
| Capital One → Qantas +20% | Expires May 31 | Situational — useful for AU/NZ routes, not a Bay Area primary |
| Aeroplan 90% buy bonus | Expires May 31, 11:59 pm PST | Best tier needs 70,000+ points purchased; only worth it with a confirmed pre-June 1 booking |
| Bilt → TAP Air Portugal up to 125% | June 1 only (single day) | New this cycle; tier-based, useful for Star Alliance Europe redemptions |
| Aeroplan award chart devaluation | Takes effect June 1 | Book existing Aeroplan awards before June 1 regardless of whether you buy points |
Transfer bonuses and program changes
Chase UR → Flying Blue — expires today
The 20% bonus on Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers to Air France/KLM Flying Blue (effective ratio: 1,000 UR → 1,200 Flying Blue miles) runs through the end of today, May 27. 1 No registration required, no cap.
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Flying Blue is the primary mileage program for SFO–Europe on Air France and KLM. SFO → Paris CDG or SFO → Amsterdam AMS in business class typically runs 50,000 Flying Blue miles one-way; with the 20% bonus, the equivalent Chase UR cost drops to roughly 42,000 points. Transfer only with a specific redemption confirmed — Flying Blue miles don't sit idle well, and Promo Rewards discounts (a separate Flying Blue tool offering 25–50% off select routes) don't currently include SFO-origin flights in May. 1
British Airways award cash fees — hike now in effect
The BA Executive Club cash surcharge increase confirmed in the previous issue took effect today, May 27. 2 3 The Avios required per booking is unchanged; only the cash taxes-and-carrier-surcharges component is higher. The LHR ↔ JFK Club World (business class) roundtrip, for example, was already showing roughly $760 in cash fees before the hike and rose approximately 25% from those levels.
If BA Avios awards become uneconomic on your route due to the elevated cash component, the same BA-metal flights are bookable through American Airlines AAdvantage (taxes roughly $6 per segment on US-operated flights) or through Japan Airlines Mileage Bank on routes where JAL codeshares on BA metal.
Aeroplan: buy bonus expiring May 31 + devaluation June 1
Two separate Aeroplan deadlines fall within four days of each other. 4
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The 90% buy bonus is tiered:
| Points purchased | Bonus | Effective cost (CAD) |
|---|---|---|
| 4,000–25,000 | +40% | — |
| 30,000–60,000 | +60% | — |
| 70,000–150,000 | +90% | ~CA$3,750 for 190,000 miles |
Buying at the 90% tier (70,000+ points purchased) delivers 190,000 Aeroplan miles for roughly CA$3,750. That covers four SYD–NRT one-way business class awards on ANA at 45,000 points each, with redemption value estimated around AU$1,079 per ticket at cash prices. PointHacks cautions against speculative buying: "We don't advise you to buy points speculatively in this climate — only if there's an immediate booking you want to make using those points." 4
Separately, Aeroplan raises its partner award chart on June 1. 4 SFO–Asia routes over 5,000 miles (SFO → Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong) will cost roughly 15,000 more points in business class after June 1. If you already hold Aeroplan miles and have a SFO–Asia business class target, book before midnight May 31 regardless of whether you buy additional points.
Bilt → TAP Air Portugal — up to 125%, June 1 only
New this cycle: Bilt Rewards is offering a tiered transfer bonus to TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go on June 1 (Rent Day) only. 1 The 125% top tier applies to Bilt Elite members; lower tiers scale down (Silver 25%, Gold 50%, Platinum 75%, Platinum Pro 100%). TAP is a Star Alliance member — miles cover SFO–Lisbon and SFO–transatlantic options with relatively low fuel surcharges compared to oneworld or SkyTeam partners. Roame has not yet listed this bonus; the Frequent Miler tracker is the confirmed source. 1 No dedicated Bilt article for the full terms is published yet — check Bilt's own Rent Day page on June 1 for exact transfer steps.
New cash fare — CX SFO → Haikou (HAK) $811 revived
The SFO → Haikou (HAK) fare in the Cathay Pacific China $811 series was briefly marked expired, then relisted by The Flight Deal on May 26 as a fresh posting, indicating a new ticket pool. 5
Route: SFO → Hong Kong (HKG) → Haikou (HAK) → Hong Kong → SFO, all Cathay Pacific metal.
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Fare: $811 roundtrip all-in, Q cabin. Travel window: late August through mid-October 2026, Monday–Thursday departures and returns only. Advance purchase: 7 days minimum. Stopovers allowed (up to 2, at $100 each).
Visa note: US citizens can enter Haikou and Sanya on Hainan Island under China's 30-day visa-free policy, provided the entry is via a non-mainland Chinese international port (e.g., transiting through Hong Kong meets this requirement).
Mileage credit: Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan partners with Cathay Pacific — 14,374 miles flown, earning roughly 3,593 redeemable miles (approximately 5.6¢ per mile). American Airlines AAdvantage does not credit miles on this ticket.
Cathay Pacific China $811 series — now 8 cities
With Haikou reinstated, the confirmed active roster stands at 8 cities as of today. 6
| City | Airport | TFD post date | Age today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haikou | HAK | May 26 | Day 1 (relisted) |
| Qingdao | TAO | May 25 | Day 2 |
| Ningbo | NGB | May 23 | Day 4 |
| Hangzhou | HGH | May 23 | Day 4 |
| Xiamen | XMN | May 21 | Day 6 |
| Xi'an | XIY | May 20 | Day 7 |
| Chongqing | CKG | May 20 | Day 7 |
| Chengdu (Tianfu) | TFU | May 19 | Day 8 |
All eight share the same structure: Q cabin, SFO → HKG → destination, Monday–Thursday travel, late August through September 2026 sample dates, 7-day advance purchase. The Flight Deal standard caveat is that fares older than 2 days are likely gone. Haikou and Qingdao are the freshest; Chengdu, Xi'an, and Chongqing are deep-aged and likely spotty at best.
Other active fares
Korean Air SFO → Kunming (KMG) — $745
Korean Air (SkyTeam) SFO → Kunming at $745 roundtrip was posted a second time by The Flight Deal on May 24, indicating the ticket pool refreshed. 7 Routing: SFO → Seoul Incheon (ICN) → Kunming (KMG). T cabin. Travel dates: Sunday–Thursday departures and returns, September–November 2026 or January–early April 2027. Advance purchase: 3 days minimum, no stopovers permitted.
Mileage credit: Delta SkyTeam partnership — 14,530 miles flown, earning roughly 3,632 redeemable miles (approximately 5.1¢/mile), plus $726 MQD toward Delta Medallion status.
Kunming is the capital of Yunnan Province and the main gateway to southwest China's mountain routes, the Yunnan–Guizhou plateau, and UNESCO heritage sites including Lijiang and the Stone Forest.
United Airlines SFO → Fort Myers (RSW) — $237/$347
United's SFO → Fort Myers at $237 Basic Economy / $347 Regular Economy roundtrip was posted May 24 (Day 4 today). 8 This is a direct flight. Travel window: late October through early December 2026, or January through early March 2027. No hard booking deadline.
Basic Economy on United (N cabin): no checked bag, no advance seat selection, limited mileage accrual unless you hold a United co-branded card or elite status. Regular Economy (K cabin): includes standard carry-on, advance seat selection, and full mileage credit.
At Day 4, the window is narrowing — TFD fare pools at this age tend to have limited dates remaining rather than wide-open inventory.
What's off the board
- SAS sale (Warsaw $660, Prague $598, Brussels $641): The SAS 80th Anniversary Sale ended May 26. All SFO SAS fares from this sale are expired. 6
- United SFO → Nashville (BNA) $237: Posted May 21, now Day 6 — past TFD's standard 2-day freshness window and presumed expired. 9
- Qatar Avios 50% buy bonus: Expired May 25.
- Copa SFO → Cartagena (CTG) $441 / Southwest SJC/OAK → Honolulu $176–$200 OW: Both were unverified going into today's cycle — neither appeared on TFD's SFO page, and search tools were offline this window. Check Google Flights directly before assuming either is live.
Cover image: Haikou, Hainan Island, via The Flight Deal 5
References
- 1Frequent Miler: Current point transfer bonuses for May 2026
- 2The Points Guy: British Airways is hiking award flight fees starting May 27
- 3LoyaltyLobby: British Airways Significantly Increases Award Flights' Cash Component
- 4PointHacks: Travel in style with up to 90% bonus Aeroplan Points
- 5The Flight Deal: Cathay Pacific SFO–Haikou $811 Roundtrip
- 6The Flight Deal: SFO Category Page
- 7The Flight Deal: Korean Air SFO–Kunming $745 Roundtrip
- 8The Flight Deal: United SFO–Fort Myers $237 BE / $347 RE
- 9The Flight Deal: United SFO–Nashville $237 BE
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