Hyatt’s Category Chaos, Wyndham’s NEW $395 Card & Chase Nickel and Dimes Again!

MTM Travel July 2, 2026

Chase quietly cut Pay Yourself Back on the Sapphire Reserve again, dropping the bonus from 25 percent more to 20 percent, and we get into why they keep chipping away at it. Wyndham refreshed its entire card lineup, now four cards deep, headlined by a new $395 premium card with a 120,000 point welcome offer, a never expire points perk, and enough credits to offset the fee for the right person. We break down the new Q3 Chase bonus spending offers worth checking, Wyndham’s award chart shakeup adding a new 45,000 point top tier on September 15th, and the real world fallout from Hyatt’s category changes, including a category 3 hotel in New Orleans pricing higher than a category 4 one block away. It all adds up to why free night certificates might be more valuable than ever. Let us know in the comments what you are doing for the 4th and whether Chase is getting too nickel and dime.

Last call for our Detroit event October 23rd and 24th. A full weekend of seminars, a Saturday night meetup at Barcade, and a chance to meet us and our partners in person. Grab one of the last tickets here:

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Have a great week!