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SFO deal radar May 28: Nanjing + Mumbai land, four-day deadline sprint starts now
Two new confirmed cash fares lead today's issue — Cathay Pacific adds Nanjing (NKG) as the 9th China-series city at $812 roundtrip via Hong Kong, and Scandinavian Airlines posts a standalone Mumbai (BOM) deal at $868 Basic Economy / $968 Regular Economy via Copenhagen. Four deadlines land in four days: Amex MR → Hilton 20% on May 30 (FM's confirmed date; Roame incorrectly shows May 31), Aeroplan 90% buy bonus + Capital One → Qantas 20% both May 31, Bilt → TAP Air Portugal up to 125% on June 1 only (single-day Rent Day window), and the Aeroplan award-chart devaluation effective June 1 (SFO → Asia business class 45K → 60K points). Korean Air SFO → Kunming ($745) and United SFO → Fort Myers ($237 BE) both verified active at Day 4.
May 29, 2026 · 12:22 AM
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Two new cash fares confirmed today — Cathay Pacific's ninth China-series city (Nanjing, $812 roundtrip) and a standalone SAS deal to Mumbai ($868 Basic Economy) — while the clock on four points/miles deadlines compresses sharply. Amex → Hilton expires May 30, not May 31 as Roame shows; Aeroplan's 90% buy bonus and Capital One → Qantas both end May 31; and the Bilt → TAP 125% window is a single calendar day: June 1 only. The Aeroplan award chart devaluation takes effect the same morning.
Deadline table — act by date
| What | Deadline | Key detail |
|---|---|---|
| Amex MR → Hilton +20% | May 30 (2 days) | 1,000 MR → 2,400 Hilton Honors; no cap. FM confirms May 30; Roame incorrectly shows May 31 |
| Aeroplan 90% buy bonus | May 31 (3 days) | Top tier (70K+ pts purchased) only; no independent source confirmed exact terms |
| Capital One → Qantas +20% | May 31 (3 days) | Useful for AU/NZ premium awards; limited Bay Area departure sweet spots |
| Aeroplan award chart devaluation | June 1 effective | SFO → Asia (>5,000 mi) business class: 45K → 60K points. Book before midnight May 31 |
| Bilt → TAP Air Portugal up to 125% | June 1 only (single day) | 0:00 am ET – 11:59 pm PT; cap 100K Bilt points; Platinum tier + $150 Bilt Cash = 125% |
| Chase UR → Southwest +30% | June 5 | 8 days out; no immediate urgency |
| Rove → Aeroplan +25% | June 6 | Transfer after June 1 uses new (higher) chart |
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New cash fares today
CX SFO → Nanjing (NKG) — $812 roundtrip
Cathay Pacific added Nanjing on May 27 as the ninth city in the SFO China series, posted at $812 roundtrip all-in — one dollar above the $811 that every other city in this run has carried. 1
Route: SFO → Hong Kong (HKG) → Nanjing (NKG), returning the same way, all Cathay Pacific metal. Cabin: Q class (economy). Travel window: late August through mid-October 2026, Monday–Thursday departures and returns. Advance purchase: 7 days minimum. Stopovers permitted (up to 2, at $100 each). Booking: Priceline. Sample dates: Sep 3–10, with a connection in Hong Kong ranging from 20h 40m to a 32-hour overnight layover.
Mileage credit: Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan — 15,258 miles flown, earning roughly 3,814 redeemable miles (~5.3¢ per mile). American AAdvantage: 0 miles. 1
Visa: US citizens need a Chinese visa — Nanjing does not carry the visa-free status that Hainan Island (Haikou/Sanya) holds. Google Flights confirmed current market floor at $812 on Sep 3–10, matching The Flight Deal's listing. 2
SAS SFO → Mumbai (BOM) — $868 BE / $968 RE roundtrip
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS, a SkyTeam carrier) posted an independent fare to Mumbai on May 27 — one day after the SAS 80th Anniversary Sale closed — at $868 Basic Economy / $968 Regular Economy roundtrip. 3 Google Flights showed a market floor of $869 on Jan 21–29 2027, consistent with The Flight Deal's listing. 4
Route: SFO → Copenhagen (CPH) → Mumbai (BOM), same routing return. T cabin. Travel windows: late October, late November–early December 2026, or mid-January–early March 2027. Restrictions: Sunday minimum stay required; 28-day advance purchase minimum. No stopovers. Booking: flysas.com directly. Sample dates: Jan 21–29, 2027 — total travel time roughly 20h 35m outbound, 1h 45m connection in Copenhagen.
BE vs. RE comparison:
| Basic Economy ($868) | Regular Economy ($968) | |
|---|---|---|
| Checked bag | Not included (buy ahead $75/leg or pay $105 at gate) | 1 bag included |
| Seat selection | Not available in advance | Available at booking |
| Refund/change | Non-refundable, non-changeable after 24h | Standard RE terms |
| Mileage credit | 1,890 redeemable miles (~4.6¢/mi) | Same miles, higher earn rate (~5.1¢/mi) |
Mileage credit: Delta SkyTeam partnership — 18,902 miles flown. 3 Visa: US citizens need an Indian visa in advance.
The $100 savings on Basic Economy evaporates quickly if you check a bag on both legs ($150–$210 in fees). The Flight Deal notes this is a "good sale" to Mumbai and an unusual SAS direction for South Asia.
CX China series status — 8 active cities, Chengdu dropped
With Nanjing joining today (the 9th city posted in the series overall) and Chengdu (TFU) dropping off the TFD SFO page, 8 cities are currently active — though age is a real concern for entries from Day 5 onward. 5
| City | Code | Post date | Age (May 28) | Risk level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nanjing | NKG | May 27 | Day 1 | Low — fresh |
| Haikou | HAK | May 26 | Day 2 | Low |
| Qingdao | TAO | May 25 | Day 3 | Moderate |
| Ningbo | NGB | May 23 | Day 5 | High |
| Hangzhou | HGH | May 23 | Day 5 | High |
| Xiamen | XMN | May 21 | Day 7 | Very high |
| Xi'an | XIY | May 20 | Day 8 | Very high |
| Chongqing | CKG | May 20 | Day 8 | Very high |
| May 19 |
All cities: Q cabin, $811 except Nanjing ($812), SFO → HKG → destination, Monday–Thursday travel, late August–October sample dates, 7-day advance purchase. Stopovers allowed at $100 each.
Haikou reminder: Hainan Island (Haikou and Sanya) carries a 30-day visa-free policy for US citizens, provided you enter via a non-mainland Chinese port — transiting through Hong Kong qualifies. None of the other eight cities share this exemption. 6
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Bonus detail — the May 30–June 1 cluster
Amex MR → Hilton +20% — expires May 30
The 1,000 Amex Membership Rewards → 2,400 Hilton Honors bonus (standard is 1,000:2,000) runs through May 30, per Frequent Miler's independent article. 7 Roame's tracker still shows May 31 — that date is wrong; FM's dedicated article key terms are the authoritative source here. No registration required, no transfer cap.
Frequent Miler's assessment is worth reading plainly: Hilton points are worth roughly 0.41¢ each, meaning 2,400 Hilton points ≈ $9.84. Stephen Pepper wrote: "For most people, a transfer to Hilton using this transfer bonus will make most sense if you need to top up your balance for a high value redemption, rather than transferring a huge chunk." 7 If you have a specific Hilton aspirational booking (Waldorf, Conrad, etc.) that's a few thousand points short, this bonus is the right tool. Otherwise, the math doesn't justify a bulk transfer.
Aeroplan 90% buy bonus — expires May 31
Aeroplan's 90% points purchase bonus expires May 31. 8 This matters most in combination with the devaluation: any SFO → Asia business class award you want to book at the current 45,000-point rate needs to be ticketed before midnight May 31.
A note on verification: Air Canada's buy-points page and Points.com were both inaccessible during this cycle's research window, so the precise purchase tiers, time-zone cutoff, and whether this is targeted or public remain unconfirmed from a first-party source. The bonus is listed on Frequent Miler's tracker but without a dedicated article. Only buy points if you have a specific booking ready to execute — not speculatively.
Capital One → Qantas +20% — expires May 31
Capital One miles → Qantas Frequent Flyer at a 20% bonus through May 31. 8 Qantas's sweet spot for Bay Area travelers is trans-Pacific business class on partner metal (Qantas itself doesn't operate SFO routes directly, but partners including American and Finnair do). The 20% bonus improves transfer economics if you're building toward an Australia or New Zealand redemption.
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 from 0:00 am ET through 11:59 pm PT, with a 100,000-point transfer cap. 9 Tier breakdown:
| Bilt tier | Bonus | + $150 Bilt Cash | Total max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | 25% | +25% | 50% |
| Silver | 50% | +25% | 75% |
| Gold | 75% | +25% | 100% |
| Platinum | 100% | +25% | 125% |
The 100,000-point cap means even at the top tier, 100,000 Bilt points become 225,000 TAP miles (with the $150 cash add-on). TAP miles can cover SFO → Lisbon on TAP metal or Star Alliance partners including United and Air Canada. Frequent Miler notes TAP's award chart has limited appeal for North American routes at standard pricing, but the bonus ratio changes the math significantly for Platinum-tier holders.
Roame currently shows June 1–2 for this bonus — that is incorrect. FM's dedicated article confirms the single-day window. 9
Aeroplan devaluation — June 1 effective
Air Canada Aeroplan raises its partner award chart on June 1, with SFO → Asia routes over 5,000 miles (SFO → Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong) moving from 45,000 to 60,000 points in business class. This information comes from the research cycle's prior data; no independent published article from Frequent Miler, TPG, or PointHacks was available this cycle to verify the full revised chart. If you hold Aeroplan miles targeting any SFO–Asia business class route, the sensible move is to book at current pricing before midnight May 31 regardless of whether you purchase additional points.
Other active fares
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Korean Air SFO → Kunming (KMG) — $745, Day 4
Korean Air (SkyTeam) SFO → Kunming at $745 roundtrip, posted May 24, is now Day 4. 10 The fare verified active as of May 28. Route: SFO → Seoul Incheon (ICN) → Kunming (KMG). T cabin. Travel window: September–November 2026 or January–early April 2027, Sunday–Thursday. Minimum advance purchase: 3 days. No stopovers. Sample dates: Nov 8–15.
Mileage credit: Delta SkyTeam partnership — 14,530 miles flown, roughly 3,632 redeemable miles (~5.1¢/mile), with $726 MQD toward Delta Medallion status. 10
US citizens need a Chinese visa. At Day 4, expect reduced date availability rather than fully open inventory.
United Airlines SFO → Fort Myers (RSW) — $237 BE / $347 RE, Day 4
United nonstop SFO → Fort Myers at $237 Basic Economy / $347 Regular Economy roundtrip, posted May 24, verified active as of May 28. 11 Travel window: late October–early December 2026 or January–early March 2027. Sample dates: Nov 7–12. Advance purchase: 7 days minimum.
Basic Economy (N cabin): no checked bag, no advance seat selection, no mileage accrual without a United co-branded card or elite status. Regular Economy (K cabin): standard carry-on, advance seat selection, full mileage credit. At Day 4, date availability is narrowing — check Priceline or United.com directly.
Off the board
- SAS Anniversary Sale (Warsaw $660, Prague $598, Brussels $641, Milan $591): All expired May 26. 12
- CX SFO → Chengdu (TFU) $811: Dropped from TFD's SFO category page as of May 28. The sale is over for that city. 5
- Chase UR → Flying Blue +20%: Expired May 27, confirmed moved to Frequent Miler's expired section. 8
- Copa SFO → Cartagena (CTG) $441 / Southwest SJC/OAK → Honolulu: Both are unverified across two consecutive cycles and do not appear on TFD's SFO page. Treat as expired unless you independently confirm availability on the booking platform.
Cover image: Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, via The Flight Deal 3
References
- 1The Flight Deal: Cathay Pacific SFO–Nanjing $812 Roundtrip
- 2Google Flights: SFO to Nanjing Sep 3–10
- 3The Flight Deal: SAS SFO–Mumbai $868 BE / $968 RE Roundtrip
- 4Google Flights: SFO to Mumbai Jan 21–29 2027
- 5The Flight Deal: SFO category page
- 6The Flight Deal: Cathay Pacific SFO–Haikou $811 Roundtrip
- 7Frequent Miler: Amex MR 20% transfer bonus to Hilton Honors
- 8Frequent Miler: Current point transfer bonuses
- 9Frequent Miler: Bilt Rent Day for June — 25%–125% bonus to TAP Air Portugal
- 10The Flight Deal: Korean Air SFO–Kunming $745 Roundtrip
- 11The Flight Deal: United SFO–Fort Myers $237 BE / $347 RE
- 12The Flight Deal: SAS SFO–Brussels $641 BE (expired)
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