For me, this seems to be the new way to redeem. The old one and the one I recently posted about do not work for me.
It will be very difficult to redeem at the 2% or 4% grandfathered rate now.
This really is a major devaluation for most.
yes, this is quite unfortunate. Cheap trips for multiple people are no longer good value.
There is a positive side. Let's say you have 18k points. You buy a flight for $400+ and you will end up with 20k points. You can then redeem these 20k points for statement credit later..
Fortunately I picked up an arrival card and the cheaper trips would go on that card now.