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SFO deal radar May 29: Key West $290 + Sarasota $276 — and a correction on Aeroplan Asia business class
AA Key West $290 BE, DL Sarasota $276 BE, Aeroplan Asia biz correction 75K→85K, 3-day deadline sprint
May 30, 2026 · 12:22 AM
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Two new Florida fares dropped yesterday — American to Key West at $290 Basic Economy and Delta to Sarasota at $276 Basic Economy — and there's a correction worth flagging before tonight's deadlines. Yesterday's issue stated Aeroplan's SFO → Asia business class devaluation goes 45K → 60K; the correct figure from Air Canada's official chart is 75,000 → 85,000 points (for Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Shanghai routes). If you've been planning an Aeroplan business class booking around the 45K number, recalculate before midnight May 31. The Amex → Hilton transfer bonus expires tomorrow, May 30, not May 31 as Roame currently shows.
Deadline table — act by date
| What | Deadline | Key detail |
|---|---|---|
| Amex MR → Hilton +20% | May 30 — tomorrow | 1,000 MR → 2,400 Hilton Honors; FM confirms May 30; Roame incorrectly shows May 31 |
| Aeroplan 90% buy bonus | May 31 | Top tier requires 30K+ pts purchased; ~1.44¢/pt effective cost at 90% |
| Capital One → Qantas +20% | May 31 | Useful for Oneworld partners (JAL, CX); limited SFO-specific sweet spots |
| HeyMax Cash For Miles | May 31 (submit by) | Redemption requests accepted through May 31; 17 partners removed June 1 |
| Aeroplan award chart devaluation | June 1 effective | SFO → Tokyo/Seoul/HKG/Shanghai biz: 75K → 85K; SFO → Singapore/Bangkok biz: 87.5K → 102.5K. Book before midnight May 31 |
| Bilt → TAP Air Portugal up to 125% | June 1 only | 0:00 am ET – 11:59 pm PT; 100K Bilt point cap; Rent Day single-day window |
All dates and details above sourced from Frequent Miler's transfer bonus tracker. 1
New cash fares today
AA SFO → Key West (EYW) — $290 BE / $400 RE roundtrip
American Airlines (Oneworld) posted this Florida Keys fare on May 28 at $290 Basic Economy / $400 Regular Economy roundtrip, all taxes included. 2
Route: SFO → Charlotte (CLT) → Key West (EYW), same routing return, all American metal. Cabin: B class (Basic Economy) / O class (Regular Economy). Travel window: mid-August through early November or early December 2026. Departure days: Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday outbound; same days on return. Advance purchase: 14 days minimum. Booking: aa.com; use ITA Matrix to find available dates before booking directly. Sample dates: October 3–7.
BE vs. RE:
| Basic Economy ($290) | Regular Economy ($400) | |
|---|---|---|
| Carry-on bag | Personal item only | Standard overhead bag included |
| Seat selection | Not available in advance | Available at booking |
| Changes/refund | Non-changeable, non-refundable | Standard RE terms |
| Mileage accrual | 0 Loyalty Points | 1,627 Loyalty Points / Redeemable Miles |
| Boarding | Last group | Standard |
The $110 gap between tiers is meaningful only if you check bags or need flexibility. At $290 for an October leisure trip to Key West, the Basic Economy price stands well below the usual SFO → Florida market. The Flight Deal notes pricing varies slightly by routing. 2
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DL SFO → Sarasota (SRQ) — $276 BE / $386 RE roundtrip
Delta Air Lines (SkyTeam) posted a Sarasota fare on May 28 at $276 Basic Economy / $386 Regular Economy roundtrip — the cheaper of the two new Florida deals. 3 Sarasota sits on Florida's Gulf Coast, about an hour south of Tampa, and is home to the Ringling Museum of Art and a run of white-sand barrier island beaches.
Route: SFO → Atlanta (ATL) → Sarasota (SRQ), same routing return, all Delta metal. Cabin: E class (Basic Economy) / V class (Regular Economy). Travel window: August through early December 2026, or January through mid-April 2027. Advance purchase: 21 days minimum. Booking: delta.com; use ITA Matrix to find available dates. Sample dates: November 7–10.
BE vs. RE:
| Basic Economy ($276) | Regular Economy ($386) | |
|---|---|---|
| Carry-on bag | Personal item only | Standard overhead bag included |
| Seat selection | Not available in advance | Available at booking |
| Changes/refund | Non-changeable | Standard RE terms |
| Mileage accrual | 0 redeemable miles | 1,562 Redeemable Miles; $312.56 EQD |
| Boarding | Last group | Standard |
Both fares are solid for a fall or winter Gulf Coast trip. The 21-day advance-purchase requirement on the Sarasota deal is more restrictive than the 14 days on Key West — plan accordingly.
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Aeroplan devaluation correction — the correct numbers
Yesterday's issue cited the SFO → Asia business class change as 45K → 60K. That was wrong. Here are the correct figures from Air Canada's official chart, effective June 1: 4
| Route band | Cabin | Current (through May 31) | New (June 1+) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO → Tokyo / Seoul / Hong Kong / Shanghai (5,001–7,000 mi) | 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 |
| SFO → Singapore / Bangkok (7,501–11,000 mi) | Business (partner) | 87,500 pts | 102,500 pts | +15,000 (+17.1%) |
| SFO → Singapore / Bangkok | Premium economy (AC/Select) | 70,000 pts | 85,000 pts | +15,000 |
For context: the 45K figure in yesterday's article corresponds to the Atlantic zone (2,001–4,000 mi business class), which is actually decreasing from 45K to 40K. That number should not have appeared in a section about SFO → Asia routes.
Air Canada's stated rationale for the increases: "These changes include a combination of increases and decreases, designed to better align reward pricing with our redemption costs on certain partner airlines." 4 The r/awardtravel community's reaction has been negative — the post disclosing the changes has 101 upvotes with a 95.5% upvote ratio and 78 comments. 5
What this means if you hold Aeroplan miles: A SFO → Tokyo business class round trip that costs 150,000 points today will require 170,000 points from June 1. SFO → Singapore round trip in business jumps from 175,000 to 205,000. If you have the miles and a target itinerary, tonight is the window to book.
Aeroplan 90% buy bonus — expires May 31
The buy-points promotion runs through May 31 at up to 90% bonus (targeted — check your account). At the 90% level, effective cost is approximately 1.44¢ per Aeroplan point. 6 The publicly available tiers are 35% (3K–10K pts), 50% (15K–25K), and 75% (30K+); the 90% tier requires a logged-in targeted offer.
The purchase limit doubles during this promotion to 500,000 base points (vs. the standard 250,000 cap). 7
The buy-then-book math only works if you execute both steps before June 1. Buying points on May 31 and booking on June 1 means paying the old price for miles but the new chart rate on awards. The sequence: buy points → book the award → receive ticketing confirmation, all before June 1 00:00 ET.
Note: Air Canada's direct buy-points page was inaccessible during research for this issue. Terms above are sourced from OMAAT and Prince of Travel. Verify exact tier cutoffs and your targeted offer in your Aeroplan account before purchasing.
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Points and miles — May 31 deadlines
Capital One → Qantas Frequent Flyer +20% — expires May 31
Capital One miles transfer to Qantas Frequent Flyer (Oneworld) at a 20% bonus through May 31. 1 Qantas doesn't operate SFO nonstop service directly, but its miles are usable for Oneworld partner awards — Japan Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and American Airlines metal departing SFO. This bonus is worth acting on if you have a specific Qantas Oneworld redemption queued up; the Bay Area departure sweet-spot inventory for Qantas points isn't especially deep at standard rates.
HeyMax Cash For Miles shutting down June 1
HeyMax (a Singapore-based miles aggregation platform) is terminating its Cash For Miles feature on June 1, removing 17 partners from that program. 8 Redemption requests submitted through May 31 will still be honored.
Affected airline programs include: Air Canada Aeroplan, Alaska Atmos Rewards, American AAdvantage, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways Executive Club, Emirates Skywards, Etihad Guest, Frontier Miles, Hainan Fortune Wings Club, Qantas Frequent Flyer, THAI Royal Orchid Plus, Turkish Miles&Smiles, United MileagePlus, and Virgin Australia Velocity.
Affected hotel programs: Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, and World of Hyatt.
HeyMax's Aaron Wong (The MileLion) notes that removed partners could return as direct transfer partners in the future, though no timeline is confirmed. If you use HeyMax specifically for Cash For Miles, submit any pending redemptions by tonight.
Bilt → TAP Air Portugal up to 125% — June 1 only
Bilt Rewards' June Rent Day transfer bonus runs to TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go (Star Alliance), active June 1 only: 0:00 am ET through 11:59 pm PT, capped at 100,000 Bilt points transferred. 1
| Bilt tier | Base bonus | + $150 Bilt Cash | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 25% | +25% | 50% |
| Silver | 50% | +25% | 75% |
| Gold | 75% | +25% | 100% |
| Platinum | 100% | +25% | 125% |
TAP miles cover Star Alliance partners including United and Air Canada. Roame currently shows June 1–2 for this bonus — that is incorrect; the Frequent Miler dedicated article confirms the single-day window.
Other active fares — age-adjusted status
These fares are beyond The Flight Deal's nominal 2-day freshness window. Verify on the booking platform before assuming availability.
| Route | Airline | Price | Post date | Age (May 29) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO → Nanjing (NKG) | Cathay Pacific | $812 RT | May 27 | Day 2 | Active — verify |
| SFO → Haikou (HAK) | Cathay Pacific | $811 RT | May 26 | Day 3 | Active — verify |
| SFO → Mumbai (BOM) | SAS | $868 BE / $968 RE | May 27 | Day 2 | Active — verify |
| SFO → Qingdao (TAO) | Cathay Pacific | $811 RT | May 25 | Day 4 | Likely reduced dates |
| SFO → Kunming (KMG) | Korean Air | $745 RT | May 24 | Day 5 | High staleness risk |
| SFO → Fort Myers (RSW) | United | $237 BE / $347 RE | May 24 | Day 5 | High staleness risk |
| SFO → Ningbo (NGB) | Cathay Pacific | $811 RT | May 23 | Day 6 | Likely expired |
| SFO → Hangzhou (HGH) | Cathay Pacific | $811 RT | May 23 | Day 6 | Likely expired |
| SFO → Xiamen (XMN) | Cathay Pacific | $811 RT | May 21 | Day 8 | Treat as expired |
| SFO → Xi'an (XIY) | Cathay Pacific | $811 RT | May 20 | Day 9 | Treat as expired |
The CX China series has now shed Chongqing (CKG, Day 9) from TFD's front page — that fare is off the board as of today. 9 XMN (Day 8) and XIY (Day 9) are still visible on TFD's SFO listing but have not been independently verified against live booking systems; treat both as expired until confirmed otherwise on cathaypacific.com or ITA Matrix. 9
Haikou note: Of all the CX China-series cities, Haikou (Hainan Island) remains the only one where US passport holders can enter without a Chinese visa — a 30-day exemption applies when transiting through Hong Kong rather than a mainland Chinese port.
Other active transfer bonuses — no immediate urgency
These don't expire until June or later, but Rove → Aeroplan is worth flagging specifically:
- Chase UR → Southwest Rapid Rewards +30% — expires June 5. Useful for domestic routes and Hawaii; Companion Pass holders get double value. 1
- Rove → Aeroplan +25% — expires June 6. Any transfers after June 1 land in the new (higher-cost) award chart environment. If you plan to use this bonus for a pre-devaluation booking, the award must be ticketed before midnight May 31. 1
- Citi ThankYou → Wyndham +25% — expires June 13. Wyndham points can cover Vacasa vacation rentals at 15,000 points per night, which is a reasonable alternative redemption path. 1
- Chase UR → Marriott Bonvoy +55% — expires June 30. Marriott points estimate at 0.7–0.8¢ each; the bonus improves transfer economics but doesn't change the underlying redemption value of Marriott points. 1
Off the board
- CX SFO → Chongqing (CKG) $811: Dropped from TFD's SFO page today (Day 9). Sale is over. 9
- SAS Anniversary Sale (Warsaw $660, Prague $598, Brussels $641, Milan $591): All expired May 26. Listings remain visible on TFD's SFO page but the fares are gone. 9
- SAS BOM $868/$968: Still active at Day 2 — listed in the active fares table above. It was posted independently of the anniversary sale.
Cover image: Key West, Florida, via The Flight Deal 2
References
- 1Frequent Miler: Current point transfer bonuses for May 2026
- 2The Flight Deal: American SFO–Key West $290 BE / $400 RE
- 3The Flight Deal: Delta SFO–Sarasota $276 BE / $386 RE
- 4Air Canada: An update on the Aeroplan Flight Reward Chart
- 5r/awardtravel: Air Canada updated award redemption
- 6One Mile at a Time: Buy Air Canada Aeroplan Points With 90% Bonus
- 7Prince of Travel: Buy Aeroplan Points with up to 90% Bonus
- 8The MileLion: HeyMax ending Cash For Miles programme, removing 17 partners
- 9The Flight Deal: San Francisco category page
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