I was having lunch with my friend the other day, and we started talking about miles and points. She has some credit cards and has even made a few redemptions, but from the conversation it was clear that there was a lot about our world she didn't know.

I gave her one homework assignment that I thought would greatly improve her grasp on miles.

American Airlines off peak awards are one of the best deals with miles. At the moment, for between two and seven months a year, American Airlines miles can book discounted economy awards from the United States to (one way price):

Mexico: 12,500 miles
Caribbean: 12,500 miles
Central America and Northern South America: 15,000 miles
Hawaii: 17,500 miles
Southern South America: 20,000 miles
Europe: 20,000 miles
Korea and Japan: 25,000 miles

Read more about American Airlines off peak awards here.

Until March 31, 2016, you can buy 56,000 or more Alaska Airlines miles for 2.11 cents each.

The sale is structured as a bonus on the normal number of miles you’d receive. The bonus is tiered, so the biggest 40% bonus comes from purchasing 40,000 miles at the normal price of about 2.96 cents each after tax.

To buy 56,000 miles (40,000 + 16,000 bonus) during this sale costs $1,182.50, which is 2.11 cents per mile. This is not the best sale we’ve seen.

This post is part of a series about how to maximize value when transferring your Citi ThankYou Points to airline partners.

Sweetspots with Singapore KrisFlyer Miles #1: Suites Class for as Little as 32,000 Miles
Sweetspots with Singapore KrisFlyer Miles #2: Awards on United and Partner Flights
Sweetspots with Virgin Atlantic Miles #1: 10,000 Points USA to Europe (this post)
Sweetspots with Virgin Atlantic Miles #2: Sweetspots on 12 Partner Award Charts
Sweetspots with Flying Blue Miles: 30,000 Miles Roundtrip to Hawaii
Sweetspots with Virgin America Points: 35,000 Points Roundtrip to Europe in Flat Bed
Sweetspots

Anatomy of an Award: India to United States in Etihad and American Airlines First Class for 90,000 AA Miles
Trip Report: Etihad Business Class from Chennai to Abu Dhabi
Trip Report: Etihad First Class Lounge, Abu Dhabi Including Shave and Massage (this post)
Trip Report: Etihad First Class Apartment from Abu Dhabi to New York: Seat, Suite, Vanity, Amenity Kit, Pajamas, Bed, Sleeping
Trip Report: Etihad First Class Apartment from Abu Dhabi to New York: Food, Drink, and Onboard Lounge
Trip Report: Etihad First Class Apartment from Abu Dhabi to New York: Shower and Bathroom
Trip Report: Etihad

Great news:

The United States has officially signed an agreement with Cuba to re-establish scheduled air services between the two countries.

Starting Tuesday, U.S. carriers will have 15 days to submit applications to the Department of Transportation for routes they'd like to fly between the U.S. and Cuba in what's sure to be a fierce bidding war.
What's the time table?
This agreement will mean the potential for 110 daily round-trip flights in and out of Cuba.

I got this email on Saturday because I have a Citi Prestige® Card.

It looks like it is designed to remind people about their $250 Air Travel Credit, and that it is personalized to include how much of your 2015 credit you received and how much of your 2016 credit you've gotten so far.

As I already wrote about, I got all of my 2015 credit on my first 2015 statement and all of my 2016 credit for airfare purchased in 2015 that appeared on my January 2016 statement.

But if you haven't gotten your full 2016 credit yet, you

Chase already automatically denies applications for Chase-branded personal cards (ie Sapphire Preferred, Freedom, Slate) if you have opened five new credit cards of any type from any bank in the last 24 months.

Soon, Chase will automatically deny applications for all Chase-issued credit cards (ie United Explorer, British Airways, Ink Plus) if you have opened five new credit cards of any type from any bank in the last 24 months.

Doctor of Credit says:

Currently, once past 5/24, [Scott: five credit cards opened in 24 months] you can not get Freedom, Sapphire, or Slate.

The Citi Prestige® Card has the best benefits of any of the premium cards at the moment, which is why I consider it one of the top credit card offers on the market. Many of those benefits are annual benefits.

Back in January I wrote about Delta's devaluation of awards to Australia, Asia, Africa, and South America effective October 1, 2016.

To give a two sentence summary, a few regions in economy are going down in price, and three regions in Business Class are going up in price.

Awards for travel from October 1, 2016 on are going up in price to:

North Asia in Business Class
Southwest Pacific in Business Class
Africa and South Africa in Business Class

(Did you notice that this is very different than American Airlines' devaluation where the price is determined by the day you