We need two coach tickets for a Turkish Air flight from Istanbul to Baku, which cost about $250 each. The trip is in early May.

I have about 134,000 Chase points, and 26,229 Citi Thank you points. Which type of points should I use for this transaction, and how do I go about it?

It has been several years since I redeemed, but I recall temporarily upgrading my Chase Sapphire card to a preferred card in order to get a better deal on the points, but then immediately downgrading it before the change becomes permanent. Is that still possible?

Please advise which route to take. Thank you in advance.