As credit card companies become increasingly influential players in U.S. travel, Capital One is upping its game. Capital One acquired Discover last year, and it has recently been giving Discover cardholders access to Capital One Travel.

The integration will take place in phases throughout this year and 2027, but 60 million Discover cardholders will significantly add to Capital One Travel’s customer base.

Capital One Travel isn’t yet in the Chase and American Express Travel conversation, but it is on the move. Capital One’s pending acquisition of Brex will likewise give it more juice, albeit in the business travel sphere.

EDITOR’S PICKS

Capital One Travel Adds Discover Cardholders in Push to Rival Chase and Amex

by Dennis Schaal

January 27, 2026

Capital One Travel isn't seen as a luxury player like Amex and Chase, but adding Discover's cardholders significantly boosts its competitive position.

Expedia Cuts Jobs in Fresh Round of Layoffs

by Adriana Lee

January 27, 2026

Expedia is cutting roles, then spotlighting hiring elsewhere. The company won’t say how many jobs were eliminated, making the scale hard to gauge.

Ryanair CEO Fears AI Platforms Could Start Laying On Distribution Fees

by Dennis Schaal

January 26, 2026

There's always a "pirate" in the wings when it comes to travel distribution.

Navan Buys Lodging Visibility in Business Travel Blind Spots — With Booking.com as the Guide

by Clara Awuse

January 26, 2026

Navan is buying relevance in places corporate travel programs still don’t reach, and Booking.com is happy to be the map.

From No Fees to AI Agents: Ex-CEO Brett Keller’s 26 Years at Priceline

by Dennis Schaal

January 24, 2026

Brett Keller has seen it all at Priceline, including the disruption that takes place when there are platform shifts. He thinks the AI revolution will be true to form.

Sabre Exec on the Agentic Shift: ‘This Is Augmentation, Not Displacement’

by Adriana Lee

January 23, 2026

Sabre’s agentic AI pushes travel agencies to rethink their roles, in a move that’s drawing both interest and unease. Here’s how the company is making that case.

What Google Thinks About AI Now

In last week’s newsletter we teased this session from the Skift Megatrends event in London. Today we’ll share the full video. In this audience led ‘Ask Me Anything’ session, Jay Chauhan, Travel Industry Head at Google and Skift Airline Editor Gordon Smith dive into how AI and evolving consumer behavior are reshaping the way travelers search, discover, and book trips.

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