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TPG reader Oren sent me a message on Facebook to ask about earning hotel elite credits:“If I need two hotel rooms, can I make two separate bookings and get credit for two stays instead of one?“Between upgrades, bonuses and other amenities, hotel status can be highly valuable, and I get a lot of questions from readers looking for ways to meet the qualification requirements. The “normal” path to becoming elite is to complete a certain number of eligible nights or stays over the year, so some shortcuts to hotel status revolve around boosting the number of elite credits that get banked to your account....

There are plenty of travel sites that tell you how to do things the right way — but as every traveler knows, sometimes things go wrong. In his bi-monthly travel mistake series, TPG Contributor J. Keith van Straaten invites you to learn from his mistakes — his many, many mistakes.Despite this great photo, experts recommend that your cat fly inside the plane. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.For a few years, I was bi-coastal between Los Angeles and New York....

UPDATE: Continental is now a part of United.Continental runs a recurring promotion, Mileathon, which is similar to US Airways’ Grand Slam, but not nearly as lucrative. Bascially, you earn more miles for more activities that you complete. See below for the reward chart and qualifying activity. The earning period starts Feb 1 and goes thru April 30, 2011. I’ll offer some more analysis after I get a chance to research it a little bit, but you might as well register now....

It’s just another day at the office for Delta. The airline quietly “enhanced” its award redemption rates, this time for partner flights, specifically. In typical Delta fashion, no notice was provided — instead, travelers spotted the change and shared the news in a FlyerTalk thread.For now, it appears that this rate hike only affects partner flights, which, as you’re probably aware, typically represent the most reasonably priced SkyMiles redemptions. The new rates take effect on October 1, 2016, but rather than simply applying to flights booked on that date, the higher rates also apply to flights you’ll book today, assuming the travel date is on or after October 1....

Registration for the promotion begins today for the Set Your Sights IHG Rewards Club promotion that allows you to earn up to tons of bonus points. Depending on your targeted offer, you could earn between 50,000-70,000 bonus points!You must be an IHG Rewards Club member and must register your member number in advance. Once you register, you will arrive to a page that gives you your “offers”. Here you have several opportunities to earn bonus points by completing activities across IHG’s nine hotel brands....

Getting to Antarctica isn’t easy. Spending even a few hours with penguins (in their natural environment) is just as hard. But Antarctic Logistics &Expeditions — a tour company offering 360-degree trips (air transportation, trip logistics and guided experiences) to the interior of Antarctica — has an adventure that will have penguin lovers emptying their savings account.The nine-day Emperors & Explorers expedition will bring travelers to two locations during the course of the trip: the Gould Bay Emperor Penguin Colony on the Weddell Sea and the Geographic South Pole, otherwise known as the most remote destination on Earth....

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.As the quantity of available ride-hailing services grows in major metropolitan areas, it has become something of a hassle to compare prices. Opening up a handful of apps and plugging in the same destination doesn’t exactly scream “efficient,” and while that’s not the top advertised perk of Google’s latest Assistant feature, it’s a great wrinkle that will benefit travelers....

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.If you watched last night’s Republican presidential debate, you probably noticed the unusual backdrop: President Reagan’s former Air Force One plane. That aircraft, based on Boeing’s 707, was officially retired in 2001, and has been the main attraction at the Simi Valley, CA presidential library ever since....

The rage for co-working has meant a boom in office hives like The Yard and WeWork — and a rise in indie spaces upping the ante on design, food and fringes. Free snacks? So last month. The coolest new co-working spaces let you work in an architectural landmark, detox with an Xbox, hobnob with indie-rock royalty or munch artisan pastries as you teleconference. Here are four co-working spaces to check out next time you’re on the road....

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.If you’ve noticed that flights to and from New York’s JFK airport have been more delay-prone than usual in the last few months, there’s a reason for that. One of the airport’s four runways was closed for construction from September 5 through Friday, November 17....

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.As appealing as a week at the beach sounds any time of year, for pet lovers who are forced to leave their four-legged companions at home, there can be a bit of separation anxiety — on both sides....

One of the lesser known Hyatt brands is Hyatt House, which is Hyatt’s extended-stay brand that has studios, one- and two-bedrooms kitchen suites with full kitchens, living rooms, spacious bedrooms and bathrooms. Hyatt House properties also offers complimentary Free WiFi and they are pet-friendly. However, they just announced some new perks when staying with them.Hyatt HouseNew perks at Hyatt House include:Very Important Resident (VIR) program: Guests staying 30+ nights will receive personalized perks to make their transition from home to hotel even easier, including complimentary food and laundry credits, a pick-your-suite option, VIP welcome amenities and more....

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.This week, former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama left the golf courses of Palm Springs behind and headed for the sunny islands of the Caribbean on board Sir Richard Branson’s private jet. As part of their post-White House vacation, the couple is staying on Necker Island, a luxury paradise that’s privately owned by Branson — mere mortals can rent out the 74-acre British Virgin Islands oasis starting at $80,000 per night with enough space for up to 34 guests....

Just a friendly reminder that two current promotions are ending this Saturday, March 31.1) American Express Membership Rewards to Starwood 50% bonus. This means you get 1 Starwood for every 2 Amex points, instead of the normal 3 Amex to 1 Starwood ratio. While I’d love to see a 1:1 transfer ratio, I’m not going to hold my breath for that. I find Starwood points to be extremely valuable - especially when I use them for Cash & Points....

Social media is increasingly becoming the method airlines, hotels, credit cards and consumers get in touch with one another about the latest news, deals and promotions, so I thought I would start a new series on the site on Wednesdays rounding up the latest interesting contests, trending topics and more on social media from the week.I’ll be combing through Facebook posts, Tweets, Instagram pics and more to find the most interesting things going on during any given week, but if I miss something you’d like to discuss feel free to:-Post on my Facebook wall-Tweet me @thepointsguy-Instagram me @thepointsguyHere are some of the hottest news stories that have been trending on Twitter and everyone has been talking about....

This is a post in my new Transcontinental Series aimed at helping flyers choose the best options while flying coast-to-coast, as well as strategies on leveraging elite status and miles to get the most valuable upgrades possible. Other posts include: American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, and Virgin America. Today I’ll be talking about United’s transcontinental routes to/from JFK and the best ways for you to get upgraded on them.United offers p.s. (premium service) on its JFK-LAX/SFO routes....

As I wrote about last month, I recently got a French Bulldog puppy and to date he has flown with me on 5 segments, 6,527 miles on three different airlines (American, Southwest and Delta). I was nervous about traveling with a pet for the first time since I took him with me in American’s transcontinental business class, and stayed with him at some fancy hotels including the Park Hyatt Aviara north of San Diego, but I also learned a lot from the whole two-week-long experience, and now that we’re safe and sound back at home, I wanted to share my top 10 insights from traveling with my pooch....

A bill passed by the US House of Representatives on Tuesday includes a provision that makes it free for consumers to freeze their credit.Currently, there’s a cost — ranging from $2 and $10, depending on where you live — for freezing your credit. However, with the new legislation passed on Tuesday and that now goes to President Donald Trump’s desk for approval, you can place, lift and permanently remove credit freezes for free no matter where you live....

Earlier this week, Virgin America announced a double points promo on transcontinental flights in honor of Star Wars Day (yes, I’m being completely serious).To qualify, register here to book and fly between April 29 and June 11, 2014, and you will earn 100% bonus points for every qualifying flight. But what’s even better is that the bonus points count toward Elevate status, so this is basically a double elite-qualifying points promo!...

TPG reader Jason emailed me to ask about the AAdvantage status challenge:“If I initiate a status challenge with American Airlines, do existing reservations count, or can I only count flights booked after the challenge begins?”Status challenges are a great shortcut to earning elite benefits with both airlines and hotels. By completing a specified amount of travel during the challenge period, you can earn elite status as if you had met the normal qualification requirements....