Updates
Recent changes to CardOptimizer — new features, card data updates, and bug fixes.
May 2026
May 22 refresh: Hilton limited-time offers and United Explorer/Quest reset
We refreshed current issuer/partner offer surfaces for Hilton Honors cards and Chase United personal cards. Hilton consumer/business cards now reflect the 7/29/26 limited-time structures surfaced through Hilton's partner flow, while United Explorer and Quest moved down to Chase's current public offers.
Impact
- Hilton Honors: 80K → 100K points + $100 statement credit after $2K/6mo; offer ends 2026-07-29.
- Hilton Surpass: 130K/$3K/6mo retained, with $0 intro annual fee first year then $150; offer ends 2026-07-29.
- Hilton Aspire: 150K → 175K points after $6K/6mo; offer ends 2026-07-29.
- Hilton Business: 130K retained, spend requirement changed from $6K to $8K/6mo, with $0 intro annual fee first year then $195; offer ends 2026-07-29.
- United Explorer: up to 80K → up to 60K miles, modeled as 50K after $3K/3mo plus 10K authorized-user tier.
- United Quest: up to 100K + 3K PQP → up to 70K + 500 PQP, modeled as 60K + 500 PQP after $4K/3mo plus 10K authorized-user tier.
May 19 refresh: Marriott Boundless 4-night offer and BofA Atmos Ascent 85K monitoring update
We updated Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless to Chase's current official up-to-4 Free Night Awards + $100 airline credit structure, and refreshed the existing BofA Atmos Rewards Ascent record to track the widely reported 85K + Companion Fare offer with issuer-verification caution.
Impact
- Chase Marriott Boundless: changed stale 5 Free Night Awards copy to the current official 3+1 structure — 3 FNAs after $3K/3mo plus 1 more after $4K total/4mo.
- Boundless estimated welcome value adjusted from $875 to $700 for the four 50K certificates; the 2026 $100 airline credit remains included.
- BofA Atmos Ascent: updated the existing record from 70K/$3K/90d to the reported 85K + $99 Companion Fare after $4,500/120d.
- Atmos Ascent is marked with source caution because BofA's product page returned temporarily unavailable during review, while multiple reputable deal sources align on the elevated terms.
May 18 refresh: Marriott offer resets, new business cards, Chase Paze promo, and Sapphire Reserve YMMV notes
We refreshed high-impact card data from May 15–18 checks, including Amex Marriott post-05/13 offer resets, new Intuit and U.S. Bank/Amazon business cards, a Capital One Venture Business record, and cautious targeted-benefit notes for Chase Paze and Sapphire Reserve price match.
Impact
- Amex Marriott Bonvoy Business: replaced the expired/free-night-award style offer with the current reported 150K points + $125 statement credit after $8K/6mo.
- Amex Marriott Brilliant / Bevy: removed stale 05/13/2026 elevated-offer copy and modeled the current official tiered 150K / 135K structures; Brilliant eligibility wording now notes the reported restrictive-language rollback while Bevy remains cautionary.
- Capital One Venture Business, Intuit Business Credit Card, and U.S. Bank Amazon Prime Business Mastercard: added conservative new card records, with dynamic/targeted offer notes where the public amount varies.
- Chase Sapphire/Freedom: added targeted/YMMV Paze 10x promo notes through 2026-12-31; Sapphire Reserve personal/business also received a targeted Chase Travel price-match monitoring note.
May 14 offer/rule refresh: Amex Business as-high-as offers, Citi ThankYou sharing sunset, and Citi AA Globe link check
We refreshed the user-facing update page and card data for the latest observed Amex Business Platinum/Gold variable public flows, Citi ThankYou Points Sharing shutdown timing, and a broken Citi AAdvantage Globe direct product URL.
Impact
- Amex Business Platinum: modeled the observed public/as-high-as 300K Membership Rewards flow as variable/dynamic and kept the 200K NLL offer as the conservative typical baseline.
- Amex Business Gold: modeled the observed public/as-high-as 200K Membership Rewards flow as variable/dynamic and kept the 100K NLL offer as the conservative typical baseline.
- Citi ThankYou ecosystem cards: added a fine-print note that Points Sharing to other members ends May 17, 2026, while combining your own Citi ThankYou accounts should remain available.
- Citi AAdvantage Globe: reconfirmed the 90K/$5K/4mo value and replaced the broken Citi direct product slug with Citi’s current all-cards surface plus a verify-before-applying note.
May 12 data refresh: Discover Capital One migration, Business Gold FedEx timing, and Priority Pass monitoring notes
We added confirmed Discover/Capital One migration benefit notes, clarified the Amex Business Gold FedEx credit timing, and added cautious monitoring notes for reported Bilt Palladium and Citi Strata Elite Priority Pass non-lounge access.
Impact
- Discover it Cash Back / Miles / Chrome: added Capital One platform migration notes, Capital One Travel/Entertainment 5%/5x earn, Capital One Offers access, and redemption/servicing caveats.
- Amex Business Gold: clarified that FedEx is expected to remain in the flexible monthly credit only through October 1, 2026.
- Bilt Palladium and Citi Strata Elite: added cautious notes that Priority Pass restaurants/spas/experiences are reported by some accounts but should be verified before relying on them.
May 10 offer refresh: Sapphire Reserve 150K, JetBlue Premier 100K, Citi AA Executive 100K, and Sapphire Preferred fee cleanup
We refreshed several high-impact public card records from current issuer and reputable deal-source checks: Chase Sapphire Reserve now reflects the issuer 150K offer, JetBlue Premier now reflects the 100K offer and refreshed benefit notes, Citi AAdvantage Executive now reflects the reported 100K public/non-affiliate offer with source caution, and Sapphire Preferred annual fee and stale Sapphire-rule copy were cleaned up.
Impact
- Chase Sapphire Reserve: 125K → 150K points after $6K/3mo; bonus value hints refreshed.
- JetBlue Premier: 80K + 5 tiles → 100K points after $5K + annual fee paid/90d; refreshed award rebate, companion credit, and tile benefit notes.
- Citi AAdvantage Executive: 70K/$7K → 100K/$10K/3mo; source note added because Citi bonus text can render dynamically.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred: annual fee corrected from $150 to $95; stale Sapphire one-card/48-month copy cleaned up.
May offer refresh: Chase/Amex stale offers, Citi AAdvantage, and Discover URL fixes
We refreshed stale welcome offers from current public issuer/partner pages. Chase United, IHG, Southwest, World of Hyatt Business, Amex Hilton, and Delta offers now reflect current public or issuer-partner wording; Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select moved from the expired 80K offer to the current 50K public offer; and Discover Chrome/NHL links were repaired.
Impact
- May refresh: current public offers and application links updated across Chase, Amex, Citi, and Discover.
- Offer visibility improved: homepage cards now deep-link to this update, with affected-card links on the Updates page.
- United Gateway: 30K → up to 40K miles
- United Explorer: 70K → up to 80K miles
- United Quest: 80K + 3K PQP → up to 100K + 3K PQP
- United Business / Club Business: headline updated to up to 110K + 2K PQP
- IHG Traveler: expired 120K structure → up to 125K points
- IHG Premier: expired 175K structure → up to 185K points
- Southwest personal cards: expired Companion Pass structures → current 50K/55K/60K public offers
- World of Hyatt Business: expired 80K offer → current 60K offer
- Amex Hilton cards: expired Free Night Reward structures → current 80K/130K/150K/130K point offers
- Amex Delta Gold/Platinum/Reserve: expired tiered offers → current as-high-as 80K/90K/100K miles
- Citi AA Platinum Select: expired 80K offer → current 50K offer
- Discover Chrome/NHL apply URLs fixed
Hybrid scoring and rule cleanup: tiered offers, Citi families, and Capital One Venture
We refined rule and scoring behavior so product logic is easier to explain. Tiered offers now use a hybrid 50/50 midpoint between base and max-achievable value; Citi Strata-family labels are separated more precisely; and Capital One Venture cooldown logic distinguishes Venture, Venture X, and VentureOne wording.
Impact
- Tiered offers now use hybrid scoring: 50/50 midpoint between base tier and max-achievable tier.
- Base and max tiers are preserved separately so weighting can be revisited when usage data is available.
- Citi Strata, Strata Premier, and Strata Elite bonus-family labels are modeled separately.
- Capital One Venture target checks prior Venture/Venture X bonuses; Venture X and VentureOne use product-specific 48-month cooldowns.
April 2026
Amex Business Platinum 200K NLL Offer Available
A targeted No Lifetime Language (NLL) offer has appeared for the Amex Business Platinum card — 200,000 MR points after $20,000 spend in 3 months. This means even those who previously received the signup bonus may be eligible again.
Impact
- Amex Business Platinum: 200K NLL offer spotted (targeted)
- Same bonus as public offer (200K/$20K/3mo) but without lifetime restriction
- Check via referral or Amex pre-approval page for eligibility
March 2026
Offer Increase: BofA Atmos Business Card — Now 85,000 Miles (Was 70K)
Bank of America increased the Atmos Rewards Business card welcome bonus from 70,000 to 85,000 miles after spending $5,000 in the first 90 days (previously $4,000). The card still includes the $99 Companion Fare. Annual fee remains $95. Business cards from BofA do not report to personal credit bureaus, so they won't affect your Chase 5/24 count.
Impact
- Welcome bonus increased: 70,000 → 85,000 Atmos Rewards miles
- Spend requirement increased: $4,000 → $5,000 in 90 days
- Estimated bonus value: ~$1,360 (was ~$1,120)
- $99 Companion Fare still included
- Does NOT report to personal credit — no Chase 5/24 impact
Major Rule Change: Chase Sapphire 48-Month Rule Eliminated — Now Once-Per-Lifetime
Effective January 22, 2026, Chase eliminated both the Sapphire 48-month bonus cooldown and the 'One Sapphire' restriction. Each Sapphire card's bonus is now once-per-lifetime per product. You can hold both CSP and CSR simultaneously and earn both bonuses independently. Our eligibility engine has been updated to reflect these changes.
Impact
- 48-month bonus cooldown between Sapphire cards ELIMINATED
- One Sapphire restriction ELIMINATED — hold CSP + CSR simultaneously
- Each card's bonus is now independent once-per-lifetime
- Eligibility engine updated to reflect new rules
- If you've never earned a specific Sapphire bonus, you're eligible now
New Card: Amex Graphite Business Cash Unlimited — 2% Unlimited Cash Back
American Express launched the Graphite Business Cash Unlimited card on March 25, 2026. It offers unlimited 2% cash back on all purchases and 5% on flights/hotels through Amex Travel. Annual fee is $295. Welcome offer: $1,500 cashback after $50,000 spend in 6 months. No preset spending limit.
Impact
- Unlimited 2% cash back on ALL purchases — no caps or categories
- 5% cash back on Amex Travel flights and prepaid hotels
- $295 annual fee ($14,750 breakeven at 2%)
- $1,500 welcome bonus after $50,000 spend in 6 months
- First Amex business card focused purely on cash back
Amex Adds $300 ChatGPT Business Credit to Business Platinum & Gold
American Express announced a $300 annual ChatGPT Business statement credit for the Business Platinum ($895/yr) and Business Gold ($375/yr) cards. This is the first credit card benefit tied directly to a ChatGPT subscription. Enrollment required. Expected to launch spring 2026.
Impact
- Business Platinum: +$300 ChatGPT Business credit (total credits now $3,400/yr)
- Business Gold: +$300 ChatGPT Business credit (total credits now $695/yr)
- First credit card benefit tied to a ChatGPT subscription
- Enrollment required — not automatic
Chase Aeroplan Increased to 85K + Marriott Boundless Now 5 Free Nights
Two Chase card offers updated this week. The Aeroplan card jumped from 60K to 85,000 points (after $4,000 spend in 3 months), a significant increase from the typical 60K offer. The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless returned to 5 Free Night Awards (up to 50,000 points each) after $3,000 spend — up from the recent 3+1 structure.
Impact
- Chase Aeroplan: 60K → 85K points ($4,000 spend in 3 months)
- Marriott Boundless: 3+1 Free Nights → 5 Free Nights ($3,000 spend in 3 months)
- Aeroplan estimated value increased from $840 to $1,190
- Boundless estimated value increased from $800 to $875
New Video: Amex Marriott Brilliant 200K / Bevy 175K — All-Time High Offers
We published a new video breaking down the all-time high Marriott offers: Brilliant at 200K and Bevy at 175K points. But new restrictions — including cross-issuer rules and ascending order — make eligibility trickier than ever. Watch to learn what to check before applying.
Watch VideoImpact
- Brilliant 200K + Bevy 175K — both all-time high Marriott offers
- Cross-issuer rule: close Chase Marriott 30+ days before Amex app
- Ascending order: Bevy first, then Brilliant for both bonuses
- Watch the full breakdown at /learn/amex-marriott-brilliant-200k-bevy-175k
New Video: IHG Premier Business Lifetime Language Explained
We published a new video covering Chase's addition of lifetime bonus language to the IHG One Rewards Premier Business card. If you've ever held this card and received the bonus, you're now permanently ineligible. Personal IHG cards are not affected. Watch it on our Learn page.
Watch VideoImpact
- Watch the full breakdown at /learn/ihg-business-lifetime-language
- IHG Premier Business bonus is now a one-time opportunity
- Personal IHG cards (Premier, Traveler) still use 24-month cooldown
- If you haven't applied yet, consider doing so before more restrictions appear
New: Video Learning Center now live at /learn
We launched a dedicated video page where you can watch step-by-step guides on how CardOptimizer works. Two videos are available now: an intro overview explaining the eligibility engine, and a complete setup guide walking through profile creation, card entry, and result interpretation. More videos coming soon.
Impact
- Watch "What is CardOptimizer?" — 90-second intro to the eligibility engine
- Watch "Complete Setup Guide" — 7 steps to optimize your cards
- All videos accessible at /learn with detailed summaries and key takeaways
- More video guides planned for specific issuer rules and strategies
IHG Premier Business: lifetime bonus restriction now enforced
Chase added lifetime language to the IHG One Rewards Premier Business card: "The new cardmember bonus may not be available to you if you have ever had this card." Our eligibility engine now enforces this restriction — if you previously held this card and received the bonus, you'll see an INELIGIBLE status. This only affects the business card; IHG Premier and IHG Traveler personal cards still use 24-month cooldown only.
IHG Premier Business
LifetimeBefore
Now
"…may not be available if you have ever had this card"
Impact
- Lifetime language added: bonus restricted if you ever held this card
- Eligibility engine now returns INELIGIBLE for prior cardholders
- IHG personal cards (Premier, Traveler) unchanged — 24-month cooldown only
- Strategy tips updated with lifetime warning on card detail page
IHG Premier Business hits all-time high: 200,000 points
Chase raised the IHG One Rewards Premier Business welcome bonus to 200,000 total points — the highest offer ever on this card. Earn 140,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, plus an additional 60,000 points after $9,000 total spend in 6 months. The $99 annual fee card now includes lifetime language restricting future bonus eligibility. Meanwhile, IHG Premier (175K) and IHG Traveler (120K) elevated personal offers expire March 18–19, and Southwest Companion Pass offers end the same day.
IHG Premier Business
$4K spend / 3mo + $9K / 6mo
Before
140K
$700
Now
200K
$1,000
Impact
- IHG Premier Business: 140,000 → 200,000 points (all-time high)
- Tiered bonus: 140K after $4K/3mo + 60K after $9K/6mo
- Estimated value: $700 → $1,000
- Lifetime language added — future bonus eligibility restricted
- IHG personal + Southwest personal offers expire 3/18–19
Chase Freedom Unlimited bonus bumped to $250
Chase quietly raised the Freedom Unlimited welcome bonus from $200 to $250 — same easy $500 spend in 3 months. This is the highest publicly available offer we've tracked on this no-annual-fee card. The Freedom Flex remains at $200 for now. If you're building a Chase trifecta, the CFU just got a little sweeter.
Chase Freedom Unlimited
$500 spend / 3 months
Before
$200
Now
$250
Impact
- Welcome bonus: $200 → $250 (highest ever for this card)
- Offer score: 25 → 38
- Spend requirement unchanged: $500 in 3 months
- Freedom Flex stays at $200 — only CFU increased
Benefits pages launch + perk tag accuracy overhaul
We launched 6 dedicated benefit pages — Lounge Access, Travel Insurance, Purchase Protection, Cell Phone Protection, Free Night Awards, and Airline Credits — so you can explore cards by the perks that matter most to you. The Card Catalog also gained a new Benefits filter for quick discovery. Behind the scenes, we verified perk_tags across 125+ cards against official issuer pages, adding missing tags and removing inaccurate ones. The result: more reliable benefit browsing and filtering across the entire catalog.
Impact
- 6 new benefit pages: Lounge, Travel Insurance, Purchase Protection, Cell Phone, Free Night, Airline Credits
- New Benefits filter in Card Catalog for perk-based discovery
- 125+ cards verified — perk_tags checked against official issuer pages
- 262 tag corrections: missing tags added, inaccurate tags removed
New: Community Keep or Close votes on every card
Is that card worth the annual fee, or should you close it? Now you can vote on every card detail page and see what the community thinks. Results use Bayesian smoothing so the percentages stay meaningful even with few votes. Sign in to cast your vote — results are visible to everyone.
Community Verdict
Worth keeping long-term?
Sign in to vote
Impact
- Vote Keep or Close on any card's detail page
- Bayesian prior (5:5 seed) keeps early results balanced
- One vote per card per user — you can change your mind anytime
- Results visible to all, voting requires sign-in
Massive Marriott offer shakeup: Amex Brilliant hits 200K, Bevy 175K, Chase offers expire
Major changes across the Marriott card lineup today. The Chase Bonvoy Bold 2 Free Nights and Boundless 5 Free Nights offers expired March 12 — Bold reverts to 30K points ($210), Boundless drops to 3+1 Free Nights ($800). Meanwhile, Amex launched historic Marriott offers: Brilliant jumps from 100K to 200K points ($1,400 value), Bevy doubles from 85K to 175K points ($1,225), and Business adds 2 extra free nights for 5 total ($1,750). The Amex offers end May 13, 2026.
Impact
- Amex Brilliant: 100K → 200K points — highest Marriott card offer ever ($1,400)
- Amex Bevy: 85K → 175K points ($1,225, ends 5/13)
- Amex Business: 3 → 5 Free Nights ($1,750)
- Chase Bold: 2 Free Nights expired → 30K points ($210)
- Chase Boundless: 5 → 3+1 Free Nights ($800)
Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select bonus jumps to 80K miles
Citi has elevated the AAdvantage Platinum Select welcome offer from 50,000 to 80,000 miles — with a higher $3,500 spend requirement over 4 months (previously $2,500 in 3 months). At ~$0.015/mile, that's $1,200 in value, up from $750. This limited-time offer ends March 31, 2026, so act fast if you're an AA flyer.
Impact
- Bonus increased: 50K → 80K miles (~$750 → $1,200)
- Spend requirement: $2,500/3mo → $3,500/4mo
- Limited-time offer ends March 31, 2026
Chase World of Hyatt Business bonus jumps to 80K points
Chase has upgraded the World of Hyatt Business card welcome offer from 60,000 to 80,000 bonus points — now requiring $10,000 spend in 3 months (up from $5,000). At ~1.6 cpp, that's roughly $1,280 in value. The higher spend requirement is notable, but for business owners who can meet it, this is the strongest Hyatt Business offer we've tracked. Offer expires April 30, 2026.
Impact
- Bonus increased: 60K → 80K points (~$960 → $1,280)
- Spend requirement doubled: $5,000 → $10,000 in 3 months
- Limited-time offer expires April 30, 2026
Discover is here — 7 cards and a brand-new issuer rule
The fourth major U.S. card network finally has a home in CardOptimizer. We've added all 7 Discover credit cards — from the beloved rotating-category it Cash Back to the credit-building Secured card — complete with Cashback Match offer data. We also built a dedicated eligibility rule for Discover's unique 2-card limit and 12-month waiting period between approvals. Whether you're a student eyeing your first card or a points veteran looking to diversify, Discover's zero-annual-fee lineup is now fully searchable, scorable, and trackable in your wallet.
Impact
- 7 new cards now in the catalog — all $0 annual fee
- New rule: Discover 2-card limit + 12-month approval cooldown
- Discover issuer gradient and branding added to wallet view
BOA Business Unlimited Cash rewards bonus increased to $500
Bank of America quietly bumped the sign-up bonus on the Business Unlimited Cash Rewards card from $300 (after $3K spend) to $500 (after $5K spend). If you've been on the fence about a no-annual-fee business cash back card, this is one of the stronger offers we've seen from BOA in a while. We've updated the offer data and scoring to reflect the new terms.
Impact
- Offer score increased from 62 → 78
- Now ranks among top no-AF business cards
Card visuals redesigned — goodbye stock images, hello custom designs
You might notice the cards look a little different now. We replaced all real card images with custom-designed placeholders that use each issuer's signature color scheme — deep navy for Chase, charcoal for Amex, blue for Citi, and so on. Beyond looking cleaner, this change means faster page loads and no more copyright concerns. Each card now has a unique visual identity based on its issuer, making it easy to spot which bank it belongs to at a glance.
February 2026
New rule: Capital One Venture family 48-month cross-cooldown
Capital One has a lesser-known restriction that trips up a lot of applicants — if you've received a sign-up bonus on any Venture-family card (Venture, Venture X, VentureOne) in the past 48 months, you're ineligible for a bonus on another card in that same family. We've added this as a dedicated eligibility rule so CardOptimizer can now flag this before you waste a hard pull. If you're planning a Capital One strategy, this one's worth knowing about.
Impact
- New restriction flagged before application
- Prevents wasted hard pull on Venture family
Robinhood Platinum card added to the database
Robinhood's first credit card is here — the Robinhood Platinum, a $695/year invite-only card that's been generating a lot of buzz. It comes with some eye-catching perks, but the invite-only nature means not everyone can grab it just yet. We've added full card data, eligibility rules, and offer details so you can see how it stacks up against other premium cards in our catalog.