SFO deal radar June 3 — UA Hawaii $296, Chase→SW 30% expires Thursday, Amex Qantas restored
United posted matching $296 nonstop roundtrip fares to both Kauai (LIH) and Kona (KOA) on June 1 — the day's lead cash-fare news. Chase→Southwest 30% expires Thursday June 5 (urgent deadline in 2 days), Amex launched a new 25% Flying Blue bonus on June 2, and the Amex-Qantas partner removal reported yesterday was confirmed as a technical glitch — now fully restored. Full carry-over fare board and updated transfer bonus table included.
June 3, 2026 · 12:26 AM
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United posted matching $296 Hawaii fares to both Kauai and Kona overnight. Three deadlines now have dates: Chase→Southwest 30% expires Thursday June 5, Rove→Aeroplan 25% expires Friday June 6, and a new Amex→Flying Blue 25% bonus launched yesterday — a direct upgrade over the Chase→Flying Blue deal that expired last week. Yesterday's Amex–Qantas scare turned out to be a technical glitch; transfers are fully operational.
New cash fares — posted June 1
United SFO → Kauai (LIH) — $296 BE / $406 RE roundtrip
United posted this on June 1 at $296 Basic Economy and $406 Regular Economy, all taxes included, nonstop both ways. 1
Route: SFO → Lihue (LIH) → SFO, direct. Fare class: N (Basic) / G (Regular). Travel window: late August through early November, Monday–Thursday departures and returns. Advance purchase: 14 days. Sample dates: November 4–11. EQDs: $351.86. Miles flown: ~4,886 / earnable miles: 1,055 (Regular Economy).
Basic Economy terms: no advance seat selection (gate-assigned at check-in), standard carry-on charged $50/segment at the gate unless you hold a UA co-branded card or elite status, no miles accrual without those same exemptions, no changes after the 24-hour window. Regular Economy at $406 includes advance seat selection and normal carry-on. 1
No booking deadline was announced. The Flight Deal's standard note applies: posts older than two days carry elevated staleness risk. Book directly at united.com.
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United SFO → Kona, Big Island (KOA) — $296 BE / $406 RE roundtrip
Same price and same window as the Kauai deal — $296 Basic, $406 Regular Economy, nonstop, late August–early November, Mon–Thu. 2
Route: SFO → Kona (KOA) → SFO, direct. Fare class: N (Basic) / G (Regular). Travel window: late August through early November, Monday–Thursday. Advance purchase: 7 days (looser than Kauai's 14-day requirement). Sample dates: November 2–9. EQDs: $351.86. Miles flown: ~4,730.
Baggage policy is identical to the LIH deal. The shorter 7-day advance purchase gives a bit more flexibility for late bookings.
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The two fares launched the same day and target the same travel window, so if you're flexible on island, search both. Kauai (LIH) and the Big Island (KOA) each has a distinct character — Kauai leans hiking and Na Pali coastline; the Big Island offers lava fields and coffee country. The $296 floor is the same on either.
Correction: Amex–Qantas glitch resolved
Yesterday's issue flagged that American Express Membership Rewards appeared to have permanently dropped Qantas Frequent Flyer as a transfer partner with no advance notice. That turned out to be a technical glitch. Qantas reappeared in Amex's US transfer partner list the same day, and previously linked Qantas accounts remained connected throughout. 3
Frequent Miler's Nick Reyes confirmed the correction: "That's good news. The original post follows, but again, Qantas has been restored as a transfer partner." 3 The SFO→Sydney and SFO→Melbourne Qantas redemption paths are fully available. Reyes noted the episode raised a reasonable concern about Amex's communication standards, regardless of outcome: "Hopefully, they don't make a habit of removing partners without prior notice because it would be a real shame for a member to collect Membership Rewards points with a specific use case in mind, only to have the transfer partner they were targeting removed without prior notice." 3
Deadline: Chase → Southwest 30% expires Thursday June 5
Chase Ultimate Rewards (Chase's transferable points currency, earned on Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, and Ink cards) transfers to Southwest Rapid Rewards at 1,000 UR → 1,300 points through June 5 — three days from now. 4 Southwest transfer bonuses appear periodically, and the 30% rate is the current active offer on the Frequent Miler tracker.
The exact expiry time is June 5, with FM's Instagram flagging "11:59 PM ET" as the likely cutoff — not confirmed on the authoritative tracker page, so treat Thursday end-of-day Eastern as the deadline. 4
One thing to keep in mind: Southwest bonus points from a transfer do not count toward the Companion Pass or tier qualification. If Companion Pass progress is your goal, the transfer math changes.
New transfer bonuses — launched June 2
Amex MR → Air France/KLM Flying Blue: 25% through June 30
American Express Membership Rewards launched a 25% transfer bonus to Air France/KLM Flying Blue (the joint frequent flyer program for Air France and KLM) on June 2, running through June 30. The standard Amex→Flying Blue ratio is 1:1; with the bonus, 1,000 MR converts to 1,250 Flying Blue miles. 5
Frequent Miler's Stephen Pepper called it "a lot more enticing" than the Marriott 20% bonus that launched June 1, and pointed to the stacking opportunity with Flying Blue's June Promo Rewards. 5
The stacked math from SFO: Flying Blue's June Promo Rewards (Flying Blue's monthly limited-time discounts on award redemptions) price certain US–Europe economy routes at 18,750 miles one-way. At the 25% bonus, you need only 15,000 MR per person to cover that seat. For Europe business class, the standard rate is 60,000 Flying Blue miles one-way; the 25% bonus brings that down to 48,000 MR per person. KLM and Air France both operate nonstop SFO–Amsterdam (AMS) and SFO–Paris (CDG). 5
Note that Flying Blue award taxes and fees can be high — especially in business class. Factor in surcharges before comparing against cash prices.
This bonus directly replaces the Chase→Flying Blue 20% deal that expired May 27. Amex holders now have the better rate (25% vs. the expired 20%), though Chase UR holders no longer have a Flying Blue bonus available.
Hotel points → United MileagePlus: 25% through June 30 (registration required)
United MileagePlus launched a 25% conversion bonus on hotel loyalty points transferred to United miles, valid June 1–30. This is a separate promotion from the standard transfer bonus tracker — it covers hotel-to-airline conversions, not credit card points. Registration is required before the June 30 deadline at promo.united.com/offers/p2m. 6
The Marriott math: 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points convert to 20,000 United miles at the base rate, plus Marriott's 10,000-mile partnership bonus, plus the 25% promotional bonus on the base 20,000 = 35,000 United miles total. Participating programs also include Hyatt, IHG, Wyndham, Choice Privileges, and Accor. 6
Frequent Miler's Stephen Pepper flagged two caveats worth noting. First, the bonus won't justify transfers from most hotel programs — the point exchange rates are structurally poor. The potential exceptions: hotel points about to expire with no better use, or a large Marriott balance earmarked for a high-value United booking. Second, bonus miles aren't credited until January 31, 2027, which Pepper described as "a ridiculously long delay." 6 Register now, but plan accordingly.
Rove → Turkish Miles & Smiles: 50% through June 30 — full analysis now published
Yesterday's issue noted the 50% Rove→Turkish bonus but flagged that Frequent Miler's dedicated analysis was pending. That analysis is now published by Nick Reyes. 7
Rove Miles (a US-based travel rewards platform, no credit card required) transfers to Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles at 1:1; the 50% bonus makes it 1,000 Rove → 1,500 Turkish miles. Turkish Miles & Smiles is a Star Alliance member whose award chart prices partner redemptions by region — the rates that apply to West Coast departures:
| Redemption | Turkish miles | Rove Miles needed at 50% bonus |
|---|---|---|
| US → Turkey (business, Turkish metal) | 65,000 | ~44,000 |
| SFO → Europe (business, Star Alliance partners) | 85,000–90,000 | ~57,000–60,000 |
| SFO → Middle East (business) | 93,000 | ~62,000 |
Source: 7
One change from yesterday's coverage: the previously cited Hawaii sweet spot (5,000 Rove → 7,500 Turkish miles for a one-way Hawaii economy award on United) has been devalued. Turkish now prices those awards at parity with United's own rates — roughly 22,500+ miles. That particular angle no longer holds.
Reyes gave a direct warning about execution risk: "There's definitely some element of gamble where I would only consider this transfer bonus if I had an award that I wanted to lock in right away and I was reasonably confident that my travel plans wouldn't change." 7 Turkish's customer service has a poor reputation and online payment for award tickets has historically gone offline for months at a time. Book only if you have a confirmed seat to lock and a fixed itinerary.
Transfer bonus board — all active bonuses as of June 3
New this period: Amex→Flying Blue 25% (launched June 2). No other changes since yesterday's board.
| Source | Bonus | Partner | Expires | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase UR | 30% | Southwest Rapid Rewards | June 5 ⚠️ | 3 days — act now |
| Rove | 25% | Air Canada Aeroplan | June 6 | Post-devaluation chart in effect |
| Citi ThankYou Points (TYP) | 30% | Preferred Hotels I Prefer | June 13 | Niche |
| Citi TYP | 25% | Wyndham Rewards | June 13 | Niche |
| Amex MR | 25% | Air France/KLM Flying Blue | June 30 | 🆕 Launched June 2 |
| Rove | 50% | Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles | June 30 | Highest rate active; execution risk |
| Citi TYP | 30% | Qatar Privilege Club Avios | June 30 | Bonus credits by July 31 |
| Amex MR | 20% | Marriott Bonvoy | June 30 | Low value; Chase UR→Marriott 55% is better |
| Chase UR | 55% | Marriott Bonvoy | June 30 | Best Marriott transfer rate available |
Source: 4
On the Rove→Aeroplan 25% expiring June 6: transfers after June 1 land into Aeroplan's revised chart — SFO→Tokyo business is now 85,000 Aeroplan (up from 75,000), SFO→Southeast Asia business is 102,500 (up from 87,500). The 25% bonus does not fully offset those increases on transpacific routes. SFO→Europe business at 75,000 Aeroplan (up from 70,000) still works reasonably at 60,000 Rove. 4
Active fare board — age-adjusted
All ages as of June 3. Verify on the booking platform before assuming availability.
| Route | Airline | Price | Post date | Age | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO → Kauai, HI (LIH) | United | $296 BE / $406 RE | June 1 | Day 2 | ✅ Fresh |
| SFO → Kona, HI (KOA) | United | $296 BE / $406 RE | June 1 | Day 2 | ✅ Fresh |
| SFO → Sarasota, FL (SRQ) | Delta | $256 BE / $366 RE | May 31 | Day 3 | Verify |
| SFO → Myrtle Beach, SC (MYR) | American Airlines | $260 BE / $370 RE | May 30 | Day 4 | Borderline |
| SFO → Phú Quốc, Vietnam (PQC) | Cathay Pacific | $901 RT | May 30 | Day 4 | Borderline (extremely limited) |
| SFO → Changsha, China (CSX) | Cathay Pacific | $812 RT | May 29 | Day 5 | ⚠️ High staleness risk |
| SFO → Cebu, Philippines (CEB) | Korean Air | $869 RT | May 29 | Day 5 | ⚠️ High staleness risk |
Source: 8
The AA SFO→Lima $503 deal from May 31 has been removed from the board. Its sample departure date was June 2 (today) with inventory described as "extremely limited" — no meaningful booking window remains. 9
Off the board
Confirmed no longer tracked since June 2: 8
- AA SFO → Lima $503/$653 (May 31) — departure dates included June 2; treated as expired
- Bilt → TAP Air Portugal up to 125% — expired June 1
- Capital One → Qantas 20% — expired May 31
- Amex MR → Hilton Honors 20% — expired May 30
- Chase UR → Flying Blue 20% — expired May 27 (superseded by today's Amex→Flying Blue 25%)
Cover image: AI-generated illustration — SFO Deal Radar June 3, 2026
References
- 1The Flight Deal: United SFO–Kauai $296 BE / $406 RE RT
- 2The Flight Deal: United SFO–Kona $296 BE / $406 RE RT
- 3Frequent Miler: Update — Amex briefly stops displaying Qantas as a transfer partner (now fixed)
- 4Frequent Miler: Current point transfer bonuses for June 2026
- 5Frequent Miler: Get a 25% bonus when transferring Amex MR to Flying Blue
- 6Frequent Miler: Get a 25% bonus when converting hotel points to United
- 7Frequent Miler: 50% transfer bonus to Turkish Miles & Smiles from Rove Miles
- 8The Flight Deal: San Francisco SFO category page
- 9The Flight Deal: American SFO–Lima $503 BE / $653 RE RT
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