Lufthansa has decided that checking in online now requires a digital relationship first. The German airline group is rolling out a mandatory 'Travel ID' account for online check-in, with flights departing the United States covered from November 16 and the full rollout completed by November 30. Tickets issued by other airlines are exempt, and you can always fall back on the airport counter — which, for infrequent flyers who can't be bothered to create a free account, means standing in a queue even when mobile technology would happily have saved them the trip to the desk.
The logic, presumably, is data: an account ties every passenger to a profile the airline can market to and profile. The practical effect is a little more friction at exactly the moment travellers least want it. If you're flying Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian or Brussels Airlines this winter, it's worth setting up the Travel ID before you leave home rather than discovering the rule at 5am with a boarding pass to print.
Elsewhere in the points-and-perks world, there's genuine value on the table for anyone with a transferable balance. American Express is running a 30% bonus when converting Membership Rewards points into Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles through November 30 — tempting on paper, but only worth doing if you already have a specific redemptions in mind, since Virgin's programme suits particular routes and cabin sweet spots rather than general flexibility.
Citi is matching that energy with a 40% bonus on transfers to Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles, also running through November 30. Turkish's award chart is one of the better-kept secrets for long-haul business class redemptions, so this bonus window could stretch your points meaningfully further than usual.
Less cheerful news for lounge lovers in the UK: the Amex Platinum UK is no longer an all-you-can-visit Priority Pass ticket. From January 1, 2028, cardmembers who don't put at least £30,000 a year on the card will be capped at 20 Priority Pass visits annually. That's a big step down for anyone who relied on the card for unlimited lounge access, and it nudges the value calculation for a card that already carries a hefty annual fee.
Why does this batch matter? Because small policy changes like Lufthansa's tend to spread — if mandatory accounts for check-in prove out, expect other full-service carriers to try the same trick. And the transfer bonuses have real deadlines: both the Amex and Citi promotions end November 30, so anyone sitting on a points balance should decide quickly whether a Virgin Atlantic or Turkish redemption fits an upcoming trip. The Priority Pass change, meanwhile, gives UK cardholders three years' warning to rethink their lounge strategy before the cap bites.
