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Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.I flew first class from Washington Dulles to Rio de Janeiro yesterday (full report to come soon) and as a ticketed first class passenger, I got access to the International First Class Lounge. Overall, the lounge was quiet, empty and well stocked....

Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.While United’s new 777-300ER has received the majority of the Polaris fanfare, the 767-300ER retrofit is an even bigger deal in my book. The reason? United only operates a total of 14 of the larger 777s, and they’re assigned to the carrier’s longest international routes....

Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.Yesterday’s installment of American Airlines’ 30 Deals in 30 Days promotion, was an offer to get AA miles for staying at Fairmont and Swissotel properties.The deal is pretty lucrative since it only requires one three-night stay (or 3 single night stays) and you also get a room upgrade based on availability....

Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.Its that time of year- the senseless Grand Slam purchases start rolling in (along with the thousands of bonus miles!). I guess you could say that its like Christmas for a mileage junkie. I’ve currently completed 29 “hits” for the Grand Slam Promotion so only 7 more to go to hit the 100,000 mile bonus....

A United Airlines passenger caused a flight from Indianapolis (IND) to Newark (EWR) to be delayed more than four hours on Monday when she refused to check her luggage after her bag would not fit in the aircraft overhead bin.The airline says the unidentified female passenger became “verbally abusive” to the cabin crew that was instructing her to check the bag.“When we got on the plane, she asked for my help with her suitcase,” passenger Ben Barrick told the IndyStar on Tuesday....

What for some is a little slice of heaven is to others a politically freighted headache. But think what you will, there is only one Jerusalem. And while it’s always in current affairs — most recently as the designated capital city of Israel — the place is very, very old. With roots that stretch back millennia, Jerusalem is almost certainly the most famous religious city on the planet. There are impressive historic sites holy to three major faiths, mostly contained within the compact ancient city encircled by a meandering 465-year-old wall....

Iran Air has long struggled with a small, aging fleet, but won’t for much longer. Since the international sanctions were lifted, the flag carrier has ordered 100 jets from Airbus — and another 80 from Boeing — as a way to meet the demand from the Iranian government of having more than 400 aircraft in the country over the next decade. The carrier is acquiring 46 more planes from the A320 family, 38 from the A330 family and 16 A350 XWB aircraft, meaning by the time all are of these are delivered, Iran Air will have one of the youngest and most modern fleets in the world....

In a fun little bit of airline industry news that I first reported on back in April, American Airlines now lets AAdvantage members pre-order meals before they get on the plane. Flyers can choose between fresh salads and sandwiches on their upcoming flights. It’s easy to place an order by simply clicking on the “Pre-Order Now” button in the email you should receive before your flight to place an order for yourself and everyone traveling in the same reservation....

After 55 years without commercial flights between the US and Cuba, airlines were thrilled to get the chance to launch dozens of routes between the two former adversaries. The problem is, travelers haven’t been as excited about the new routes.While airlines are famously hush-hush about their operational performance, the slew of cheap fares to Cuba show that airlines have been struggling to fill seats. Now, we have much more solid proof that US-Cuba flights aren’t working out the way airlines expected: American is cutting three daily flights to Cuba — one each to three Cuban cities....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Citi Prestige CardOne of the best perks of the Citi Prestige Card is — without question — the 4th Night Free benefit. With it, Citi will pay for the fourth night of your stay at virtually any hotel when booking through ThankYou.com or the Citi Prestige Concierge. The rate is based on the average night stay, and it doesn’t include taxes and fees....

A Saturday test flight of the Boeing 737-MAX turned out to be fun for the pilots and those working for the aircraft’s manufacturer, as revealed by the flight path from FlightAware. The nine-hour test flight over Washington, Idaho, Montana and Oregon spelled out a particular word…The 737-MAX departed from Boeing Field/King County International Airport (BFI) just before 9am local time on Saturday. The test aircraft did several spirals over southern Washington near the Oregon border before embarking on its “MAX” test flight across four states, which you can see in animated form by clicking here....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View all current offers here.I have to decide this month whether or not to keep my American Express Platinum card, so I have been taking a look at my overall credit card strategy when making that decision. I’ll post more soon about what I am doing with my Platinum, but where I really started thinking was whether or not to keep both the Ink Bold and the Sapphire Preferred....

5 points per dollar on Lyft. 5 points per dollar on each Peloton Bike and Tread purchase with a max earn of 25,000 total points through June 30, 2022. 3 points per dollar on dining at restaurants worldwide, online grocery purchases and select streaming services. 2 points per dollar on all other travel. 1 point per dollar on everything else. 10 points per dollar on Lyft. 10 points per dollar on each Peloton Bike and Tread purchase with a max earn of 50,000 total points through June 30, 2022....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available – United MileagePlus Explorer CardThroughout the month of October, United’s been offering MileagePlus members the opportunity to earn some pretty substantial bonuses when purchasing products at select retailers with United MileagePlus Shopping. The carrier has offered day-only bonuses, as well as some that have spanned a few days. To finish out the month, the airline is offering one last round of elevated bonuses on five merchants....

In late 2017, Delta stepped up its business-class game in a big way by introducing its Delta One Suites product on its Airbus A350 aircraft. If you’ve been hoping to try it out for yourself, here’s an excellent opportunity to do so. Virgin Atlantic is currently showing solid award availability between Delta’s Detroit (DTW) hub and Amsterdam (AMS) for just 50,000 Virgin Atlantic Flying Miles plus $5.60 in taxes:As of publishing, here are the dates we’re seeing available:July: 29, 31August: 6, 11, 21September: 6October: 2, 30November: 18, 23December: 22-25, 27-31January 2019: 1-2, 9-10, 22-23, 29-30February 2019: 12, 19Delta flies three times daily between DTW and AMS, and only one of the three frequencies is operated by the new A350....

Each Saturday, we round up news stories that you may have missed from the week before, including several that already appeared on The Points Guy, and some more that we haven’t covered yet. If you’re an avid TPG reader, scroll down for the new stuff. Here’s the top miles, points and travel news you may have missed this week:Southwest just launched a bunch of new domestic routes, as well as a new flight to Liberia, Costa Rica....

This is an installment in my March 2012 Asia Trip Series which includes: A Birthday Present To Myself: Business Class on the World’s Longest Flight for $2.50, Help Me Plan My Asia Trip Starting With Singapore, Flight Review: Singapore Airlines All Business Class Flight From Newark To Singapore, Hotel Review: Intercontinental Singapore, Video Trip Report: Singapore, Hotel Review: Le Meridien Bangkok Avantec Suite, Video Trip Report: Bangkok, Hotel Review: Le Meridien Angkor, Video Trip Report: Siem Reap, Hotel Review: Intercontinental Phnom Penh, Video Trip Report: Phnom Penh and the Khmer Rouge Killing Fields, Hotel Review: W Hong Kong....

TPG reader Marc sent me a message on Facebook to ask about missing rewards:“My wife and I both got Citi AAdvantage cards. I received my sign-up bonus, but hers didn’t come through, so we’re wondering if something isn’t syncing correctly. What should we do?”Credit card sign-up bonuses are a great way to boost your loyalty accounts, since you can earn rewards much faster than you would normally. The best offers provide a lot of value, so failing to collect a sign-up bonus after you’ve applied is one of the biggest mistakes award travelers can make....

Starbucks and Spotify are partnering to give you the perfect way to combine your caffeine and music addictions. For a limited time, you can register to get Spotify’s Premium service for 60 days, as well as 125 Starbucks Rewards Stars — all for free.Through November 16, 2017, or while supplies last, you can sign up at this website to get a free 60-day trial of Spotify Premium. After the 60-day period is up, you’ll be charged at a rate of $9....

As new aircraft continue to join fleets around the world, new cabin options like mood and atmosphere lighting, larger in-flight entertainment screens and self-cleaning hygienic lavatories are becoming familiar features for frequent flyers.At the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg a few weeks ago, I spoke with DIEHL Aerosystems, which was in town showcasing its Dandelion Projection-Enabled Flight Experience, basically a high-tech projector that can virtually transform the walls of an airplane cabin into anything the carrier wants it to be....