Posts

TPG reader Whitney tweeted me to ask:@thepointsguy — “If you had to choose between Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons hotels, which would you pick?“I won’t lie, I like staying at fancy hotels. I’ve stayed at some really nice Four Seasons properties; in fact, I absolutely love the Four Seasons Gresham Palace Budapest.I love a nice luxury stay at a Four Seasons hotel (like the Gresham in Budapest), but Ritz-Carlton offers more value in the realm of points....

Here’s a recap of the interesting points and miles news from this week:Earn up to 10,000 Alaska Airlines bonus miles on 3 roundtrips.Alaska Airlines Offers 10,000 Bonus Miles For Select Routes: Earn up to 10,000 bonus miles from Alaska Airlines when you fly 3 roundstrips (six flights in total) on any of the routes below, or fly 2 round trips (four flights in total) and earn 5,000 miles. The routes are between Seattle and Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Philadelphia; as well as between Portland and Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and San Francisco....

Not only am I suffering from a Vitamin D deficiency from one of the worst NYC winters in a long time, I’m also going through a seasonal depression experienced by many frequent flyers which is caused by severe bloating of the frequent flyer ranks. Why is February the wost month for this ailment? Let me explain.Airlines allow you to qualify for elite status from January 1 - December 31 of each year and as long as you hit your status threshold (say flying 50,000 miles) you enjoy status for the rest of the current year and for the following year....

Spain was the second-most popular holiday destination in the world in 2017, according to the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).Although the official UNWTO report will not be published until this spring, all tourism statistics indicate that Spain beat out the United States, with 82 million visitors in 2017, a record-breaking total that marks a nine percent increase over the year.“We’ve become the world’s second-largest receiver of tourists, and are in second place worldwide in income from tourists,” Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Wednesday....

As someone who is constantly on the road, I need to keep in touch wherever I am in the world. I thrive on connectivity and I make sure to keep a keen eye on my cell phone usage while traveling abroad, since as we all know, high charges can pile up on your bill faster than you can say ‘4G LTE’. That holds true even when using your phone within the US to call or text abroad....

Richard Branson-backed space-flight company Virgin Galactic has signed an agreement to expand its operations to Italy. The company wants to launch customers into space from a future Italian spaceport.Virgin Galactic is joining with two prominent Italian Aerospace companies, ALTEC and SITAEL, to launch flights from Taranto-Grottaglie Airport (TAR). ALTEC is owned by the Italian Space Agency while SITAEL is the largest private space company in Italy.According to The Verge, Virgin Galactic will work with the Italian companies to build a unique spacecraft that will only operate from a new Italian spaceport built at Taranto-Grottaglie airport, located in the “boot” of the country....

“Reader Questions” are answered twice a week — Mondays and Fridays — by TPG Senior Writer Julian Mark Kheel.Airfares can change drastically day to day, and sometimes even as quickly as minute to minute. So are there any airlines that can guarantee you aren’t paying more today for your ticket than you will tomorrow? That’s what TPG reader Darrin asked us in a Facebook message…[pullquote source=“TPG Reader Darrin”]Do any airlines offer a price guarantee if the price comes down after booking?...

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.Sometimes, you might be able to get a faster response by contacting a company on Twitter — that definitely isn’t the case with Amtrak. Yesterday, our nation’s rail operator responded to a tweet from a woman stuck in an Amtrak-operated elevator — seven months after she posted asking for help....

You resolved you would be a better planner in 2018, right? Well, don’t be left at home scrolling your friends’ Instagrams all year round — here, we rounded up some of the best festivals worth traveling to this year. Sip some bourbon, soak up the sun while listening to your favorite bands, or simply sit in cool theaters to get your culture fix.JANUARYSundance Film FestivalStars are born, careers are made and plenty of snow is trudged....

I have to admit, there are times when I feel a little bit indulgent as a points junkie. I accrue hundreds of thousands of points and miles for pennies on the dollar and then redeem them for unbelievable trips around the world. While I wouldn’t give this gig up for anything, I do like to balance it out with good deeds. Whether its helping family or friends when they are in times of need or donating my expertise and resources to charity - I think it’s good to give back as much as possible....

Just a couple of weeks after making a small — but very nice — change to its award routing rules, American Airlines has made another positive change to its AAdvantage mileage program: For travel on or after May 1, certain flights on Qatar Airways will earn more AA miles.Discount business fare class R has been added to the American Airlines award chart.The affected Qatar fare classes are:R (business)H (full-fare economy)L, V, Q and W (discount economy)Here’s the before and after — from AA:Note that your earnings rate is only affected by this change if you’ve booked Qatar Airways flight numbers....

As many of you know, I am in Spain for the next couple days basking in the sun and taking in my fair share of jamon serrano and vino. I flew American last night on their 757 in their new business class seat and after my hugely disappointing first class flight on their 777 in January, I have to say my, expectations were low.So were they met? Basically. It was an overall enjoyable flight: it left on time and arrived early, the food was decent (better than First class fare), in-flight entertainment was awesome (more on that later), standard headphones were Bose QC15, and the seat was comfortable enough....

With last week’s delivery of the very first 787-10 to Singapore Airlines, at Boeing’s Charleston, South Carolina factory, the manufacturer’s Dreamliner lineup — which first began passenger flights in 2011 with the smallest model, the 787-8 — is now complete.The 787-10 is the largest model, measuring 38 feet longer than the smallest Dreamliner, the 787-8. That added capacity comes at the cost of range, though — with a maximum range of 8,785 miles, the -9 can travel nearly 1,400 miles farther than the -10....

Last week marked the return of the Daily Getaways, an assortment of daily discounts and deals with various travel brands and loyalty programs sponsored by the US Travel Association. Over the next few weeks, the Daily Getaways will offer hotel packages, points/miles purchase promos, rental car discounts, and more. Last year’s Daily Getaways included some great deals, and there are some equally worthwhile ones planned for the next few weeks ahead....

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.What is the best-paid US occupation that only requires an associate’s degree? Air traffic controller, according to the latest data from the US Department of Labor.“Median annual wages of air-traffic controllers are the highest of any occupation in which workers typically do not need a bachelor’s degree,” said Rachel Gillett of Business Insider....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite MastercardLast week, American Airlines announced it was celebrating the 35th anniversary of its AAdvantage program by giving away 350,000 miles to 35 people. Not only that, but everyone could get up to 700 miles just for signing up. Now, with the carrier’s latest promotion, frequent flyers can earn up to 50,000 bonus AAdvantage miles for travel to Europe....

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.The Federal Aviation Administration has proposed to fine United Airlines $435,000 for operating more than 20 flights where the aircraft was not considered to be in “airworthy condition.” The 23 flights in question all occurred on a United Boeing 787 Dreamliner during June 2014....

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.Accidental airport evacuations are not all that uncommon. On Tuesday, a grenade-shaped marijuana grinder caused an evacuation at the Astor Piazzolla International Airport (MDQ) in Mar del Plata, Argentina — about 250 miles southeast of Buenos Aries.An officer holds a pot grinder made in the shape of a grenade, which triggered an evacuation of the Astor Piazzolla airport in Mar del Plata, Argentina....

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.One of my favorite things about being The Points Guy is when I get to travel around and teach people how they can take their own amazing, luxurious, life-changing trips with points and miles instead of spending tons of money for the same experience....

Something incredibly special occurred today. On a flight over Chile on Thursday, two flight attendants got married to each other — and that’s unusual enough, but what makes it truly exceptional is who married them: Pope Francis.The pope was onboard LATAM flight 1250 from Santiago, Chile (SCL) to Iquique (IQQ) — part of his South American tour. Among the flight attendants on the special chartered flight were Carlos Ciuffardi Elorriaga, 41, and Paula Podest Ruiz, 39, who approached the pontiff to take a photo as a couple....