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Two deadlines tomorrow, one today: SFO deal radar May 25–26
A catch-up edition covering May 25–26. Three deadlines converge in 24 hours: SAS's 80th Anniversary Sale (SFO→Warsaw $660, SFO→Prague $598) closes today; the Chase UR→Flying Blue 20% transfer bonus and British Airways award ticket fee hike both take effect tomorrow (May 27). Four new cash fares posted across the two days, and the Cathay Pacific $811 China series now spans 7 confirmed live cities with Qingdao as the 12th entry.
May 27, 2026 · 12:24 AM
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This is a catch-up issue covering both May 25 and May 26 — yesterday's scan was skipped due to a tool outage. Four new fares surfaced across the two days, and three separate deadlines fall within the next 24 hours.
The short version: SAS's 80th Anniversary Sale closes today (Tuesday, May 26), and both the Chase UR → Flying Blue 20% transfer bonus and the BA award fee hike land tomorrow, May 27. If you have any BA award bookings to make or Chase points sitting idle with a Flying Blue target, act before midnight Tuesday.
One price correction carried forward: SFO → Prague (PRG) on SAS was reported as $470 Basic Economy in yesterday's issue. The confirmed price from the original TFD listing is $598 Basic Economy / $698 Regular Economy — the $470 figure appears to have been a third-party community report that could not be independently verified. Book at $598 if you want Prague; it's still a reasonable SFO–Central Europe fare.
Deadlines in the next 24 hours
| What | Expires | Action required |
|---|---|---|
| SAS 80th Anniversary Sale (SFO→WAW $660, SFO→PRG $598) | Today, May 26 | Book at flysas.com before end of day |
| Chase UR → Flying Blue +20% transfer bonus | Tomorrow, May 27 | Transfer points before midnight; 1,000 UR → 1,200 Flying Blue miles |
| British Airways award ticket cash fee increase | Effective May 27 | Book any BA award ticket today to lock current cash surcharges |
SAS 80th Anniversary Sale — final hours
SAS (Scandinavian Airlines, SkyTeam) is running its 80th Anniversary Sale through today, May 26. Travel window: June 16, 2026 through April 30, 2027. 1
Two SFO fares confirmed live as of this morning:
- SFO → Warsaw, Poland (WAW) via Copenhagen (CPH): $660 Basic Economy / $760 Regular Economy roundtrip, all taxes included. Posted May 25. 2
- SFO → Prague, Czechia (PRG) via Copenhagen (CPH): $598 Basic Economy / $698 Regular Economy roundtrip. Posted May 22. 3
Basic Economy (Economy Light) restrictions for both: no checked baggage, no seat selection, no changes. Regular Economy adds one checked bag per segment and change flexibility. Book on flysas.com — use the low-fare calendar to pick the cheapest departure date within the travel window.
SFO → Milan (MXP) at $591 Basic Economy, listed in the previous issue, is sold out from SFO. Only Chicago → Milan remains visible at that price.
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Chase UR → Flying Blue +20% — expires tomorrow
Chase Ultimate Rewards (UR) is offering a 20% transfer bonus to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, meaning 1,000 Chase UR points transfer as 1,200 Flying Blue miles. The bonus expires May 27 with no cap and no registration required. 4 5
Note: Flying Blue's May 2026 Promo Rewards (a separate 25% discount on select Flying Blue award tickets) does not include any SFO-origin routes this month. 6 The transfer bonus is still useful if you have a specific redemption in mind — SFO → Paris CDG or SFO → Amsterdam AMS in business class typically prices at 50,000 Flying Blue miles one-way. With the 20% bonus, that costs roughly 42,000 Chase UR rather than 50,000. Transfer only if you have a confirmed target; Flying Blue miles don't have exceptional value without one.
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British Airways award fee hike — effective tomorrow
British Airways (BA) notified Executive Club members on May 22 that the cash component of Reward Flight bookings increases effective May 27. Avios required for each booking stays the same; only the taxes-and-carrier-surcharges portion increases. 7 8
Sample post-hike fees (off-peak pricing):
| Route | Award type | Avios | Cash (post-May 27) |
|---|---|---|---|
| LHR ↔ JFK roundtrip | Club World (business) | 176,000 | ~$671 (£499) |
| LHR ↔ Cape Town roundtrip | World Traveller (economy) | 66,000 | ~$255 (£190) |
| LHR → Rome one-way | Club Europe (intra-Europe business) | 22,000 | ~$27 (£20) |
TPG's Eric Rosen noted the LHR–JFK Club World cash fee is rising roughly 25% from current rates. Before the hike, that same roundtrip was already showing $759.90 in carrier surcharges. 7 If you have any BA Avios award bookings you've been putting off — transatlantic in particular — complete them today.
If the post-hike cash fees make BA awards uneconomic for your route, two alternatives still carry lower surcharges: booking the same BA-operated flights through American Airlines AAdvantage (taxes on US metal are roughly $6 per segment) or through Japan Airlines (JAL) Mileage Bank for BA-operated flights where JAL is a codeshare partner.
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New cash fares — May 25–26
| Route (RT from SFO) | Airline | Basic Economy | Regular Economy | Travel window |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO → Qingdao, China (TAO) | Cathay Pacific | $811 | — | Mon–Thu, Aug–Sep 2026 |
| SFO → Warsaw, Poland (WAW) | SAS | $660 | $760 | Jun 16, 2026 – Apr 30, 2027 |
| SFO → Kunming, China (KMG) | Korean Air | $745 | — | Sun–Thu, Sep–Nov 2026 or Jan–Apr 2027 |
| SFO → Fort Myers, FL (RSW) | United Airlines | $237 | $347 | Ongoing |
All fares roundtrip, taxes included.
Cathay Pacific SFO → Qingdao (TAO) — $811
Cathay Pacific added Qingdao (TAO) on May 25 as the 12th city in its ongoing SFO→China $811 series. 9 Routing: SFO → Hong Kong (HKG) → Qingdao, Q cabin. Sample dates fall around late August through September 2026, Monday–Thursday travel required in both directions. The flight covers 15,898 total miles at roughly 5.1¢ per mile; Q cabin earns approximately 3,974 redeemable Cathay miles. American Airlines AAdvantage does not credit miles on this ticket — use Alaska Mileage Plan or British Airways Executive Club if AA miles are a priority.
Qingdao is a coastal port city in Shandong Province, about 800 km southeast of Beijing.
Korean Air SFO → Kunming (KMG) — $745
Korean Air (SkyTeam) posted SFO → Kunming (KMG) at $745 roundtrip on May 24, routing through Seoul Incheon (ICN). 10 Travel dates: Sunday–Thursday departures and returns, September–November 2026 or January–early April 2027. This fare is independent of the Cathay Pacific $811 series — Korean Air operates it via ICN, not HKG.
Kunming is the capital of Yunnan Province and the primary gateway to southwest China, including Yunnan's mountain and UNESCO heritage routes.
United Airlines SFO → Fort Myers (RSW) — $237/$347
United posted SFO → Fort Myers (RSW) at $237 Basic Economy / $347 Regular Economy roundtrip on May 24. 11 Basic Economy on United: no checked bag, no seat selection. Fort Myers (Southwest Florida) is a popular fall and winter break destination on the Gulf Coast. No hard booking deadline has been announced; these fares tend to narrow within a few days, so check sooner.
Cathay Pacific $811 China series — current status
Seven cities remain visible on The Flight Deal's SFO category page as of May 26: 12
| City | Airport | TFD post date |
|---|---|---|
| Qingdao | TAO | May 25 |
| Ningbo | NGB | May 23 |
| Hangzhou | HGH | May 23 |
| Xiamen | XMN | May 21 |
| Xi'an | XIY | May 20 |
| Chongqing | CKG | May 20 |
| Chengdu (Tianfu) | TFU | May 19 |
Five earlier cities (Beijing PEK, Shanghai SHA, Guangzhou CAN, Shenzhen SZX, Haikou HAK) did not appear in current search results and are presumed expired or archived. 12 No 13th city was found in this cycle. All seven confirmed routes share the same structure: Q cabin, via Hong Kong (HKG), Monday–Thursday travel, late August through September 2026 sample dates.
Transfer bonus board — updated May 26
| Program | Bonus | Effective ratio | Expires | Value tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase UR → Flying Blue | +20% | 1,000 UR → 1,200 miles | May 27 — tomorrow | ⭐⭐⭐ High |
| BA award cash fees increase | — | Book now to lock current rates | May 27 — tomorrow | ⚠️ Act today |
| Amex MR → Hilton Honors | +20% | 1,000 MR → 2,400 Hilton pts | May 30 | ⭐ Low |
| Capital One → Qantas FF | +20% | 1,000 C1 → 1,200 Qantas pts | May 31 | ⭐⭐ Medium |
| Aeroplan 90% buy bonus | +90% at 70K+ pts | ~1.84¢/point CAD | May 31 | ⭐⭐ Medium (buy only if booking pre-June 1) |
| Chase UR → Southwest RR | +30% | 1,000 UR → 1,300 RR pts | Jun 5 | ⭐⭐ Medium |
| Rove → Aeroplan | +25% | 1,000 Rove → 1,250 Aeroplan | Jun 6 | ⭐⭐ Medium (transfer before June 1 devaluation) |
| Citi TYP → Preferred Hotels (I Prefer) | +30% | 1,000 TYP → 2,600 I Prefer | Jun 13 | ⭐ Low |
| Citi TYP → Wyndham Rewards | +25% | 1,000 TYP → 1,250 Wyndham | Jun 13 | ⭐ Low |
| Chase UR → Marriott Bonvoy | +55% | 1,000 UR → 1,550 Bonvoy | Jun 30 | ⭐ Low |
| — | — |
Aeroplan double deadline — act by May 31: Aeroplan's 90% buy bonus (purchase 70,000+ points, get 90% more) runs through May 31. 13 Separately, Aeroplan raises its partner award rates on June 1 — North America–Asia routes over 5,000 miles (SFO → Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong) will cost roughly 15,000 additional points in business class; Europe partner business class moves from 70,000 to 75,000 points. 14 If you're planning a SFO–Asia business class redemption, book before June 1 to lock the lower chart — regardless of whether you buy points now. The Rove → Aeroplan 25% transfer bonus (Jun 6 deadline) extends past the devaluation; transfers completed after June 1 will use the higher award chart.
Chase UR → Southwest (+30%, Jun 5): At 1,000 UR → 1,300 Rapid Rewards points, this is one of the stronger UR transfer options if you have a domestic Southwest route in mind. Rapid Rewards points hold steady value around 1.3–1.5¢/point, so 30% extra makes the effective UR value roughly 1.7–1.9¢/UR. Transfers also count toward Companion Pass qualification.
Cover: AI-generated illustration
References
- 1AwardFares: Updates for SAS EuroBonus Members (May 2026)
- 2The Flight Deal: SAS SFO–Warsaw $660 BE / $760 RE
- 3The Flight Deal: SAS SFO–Prague $598 BE / $698 RE
- 4Roame: Current Point Transfer Bonuses for May 2026
- 5Frequent Miler: Current point transfer bonuses for May 2026
- 6Upgraded Points: Flying Blue Promo Rewards May 2026
- 7The Points Guy: British Airways is hiking award flight fees starting May 27
- 8LoyaltyLobby: British Airways Significantly Increases Award Flights' Cash Component
- 9The Flight Deal: Cathay Pacific SFO–Qingdao $811 Roundtrip
- 10The Flight Deal: Korean Air SFO–Kunming $745 Roundtrip
- 11The Flight Deal: United SFO–Fort Myers $237 BE / $347 RE
- 12The Flight Deal: SFO Category Page
- 13Premium-Flights.com: Current Offers to Buy Miles
- 14Suitesmile: Aeroplan devaluation coverage
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