While the month started with a continuation of travel restrictions, it ended with a bang as almost all major US carriers announced that they were eliminating change fees. Here’s a quick recap of some of the top stories we covered in the month of August.

New advisory extends Hawaii travel restrictions once again

Like many popular travel destinations, Hawaii also finds itself in a tough spot. On one hand, it needs to kickstart tourism and revive the economy. On the other hand, it wants to protect its people from infections. Hawaii has taken a prudent approach by extending travel restrictions.

Chase extends recent changes to its Ultimate Rewards points

In light of the myriad of travel restrictions, people aren’t using their points for travel. After Chase introduced its ‘pay with points’ option, it let customers redeem points for day to day expenses like groceries. Now, Chase has extended a popular feature that could well end up being permanent.

Banks tightening credit card approvals across the board

This move isn’t surprising, as banks look to reduce risk in a depressed market. However, we could well see an arms race for sign-up bonuses once banks see chances of the market rebounding.

Answering the million $$ question: when will travel return to normal?

As travel restrictions remain writ large all over, how does one predict a return to normalcy? This post how you can examine certain market indicators that could point to a comeback of the travel industry.

This could be the safest travel destination once Covid-19 restrictions are lifted

While the numbers still don’t look encouraging, a few of us enthusiastic travelers are looking to book travel in the future. However, how do you choose your next travel destination? Which destination can be considered as safest when you travel next? This report examines provides some insight into how a few governments and travel companies are looking to measure it.

Is Hyatt automatically extending free night certificates?

I’m hoping that Hyatt follows Hilton’s lead and does the right thing by extending these across the board. It would be a smart move to ensure that customers choose your hotel brand once they start traveling again.

After United, will other airlines follow suit and eliminate fees?

This was one of the most customer friendly moves by US airlines in a while. After United, almost all the major US carriers followed suit by eliminating fees.

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Disclosure: The Points Pundit receives NO compensation from credit card affiliate partnerships. Support the blog by applying for a card through my personal referral links. This article is meant for information purposes only and doesn’t constitute personal finance, health or investment advice. Please consult a licensed professional for advice pertaining to your situation.