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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.Today’s installment of American’s “30 Deals in 30 Days” promotion is a bonus offer for La Quinta stays. I’ve never actually stayed in a La Quinta, but if you have any stays planned, this promotion probably makes more sense than banking points to La Quinta Rewards program....

The view from the patio at Regusci Winery in the Napa Valley is one of those panoramic vistas travelers dream about. Rows and rows of vineyards, as far as the eye can see. Rolling hills in the distance. Sky so blue it’s almost inconceivable, often punctuated with fluffy clouds that seem to hang over the countryside like halos.As you swirl a glass of estate zinfandel from the comfy bench, soaking up the vibe, it’s hard to believe this picture-perfect spot was nearly destroyed by fire last month....

The past few weeks have been all about hotel points program changes and devaluations, with Hilton and Marriott announcing both individual hotel category changes and the addition of new top-tier categories requiring even more points for redemptions, and Starwood making sweeping changes to its Cash & Points redemptions.Well, the trend continues with Starwood now announcing its annual hotel category adjustments, which is rarely good news for loyalty program members since more hotels tend to go up in category than down....

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.Hampton Inn is back at it again on their Facebook page, where you can earn another 500 Hilton Hhonors points just for watching their new video now through October 12, 2012. To be eligible, you must first “like” Hampton Inn, and then you are suppose to watch the Hamptonality video....

The other day I got a question from a reader that I thought might be of interest to some of you, too. This reader likes to fly United, and wanted to know what credit card programs they should focus on next since they already had the United card, as well as various cards that earn Chase Ultimate Rewards (that transfer into United 1:1).I can totally relate to flying United awards more frequently than the others, not just because of my United hub location in Houston, but because their award availability is still very good at the saver level compared to some other programs....

Update: As of April 2013, Chase Ultimate Rewards has added Virgin Atlantic as a new airline transfer partner.Chase’s Ultimate Rewards program is shaping up to be a formidable competitor to American Express’ Membership Rewards. While browsing their site since I recently became a Sapphire Preferred cardmember, I noticed that Korean Airlines Skypass is now a transfer partner of Ultimate Rewards.This is interesting, because now all three alliances are covered:Star Alliance: ContinentalOneworld: British AirwaysSkyteam: Korean AirI’ve never given the Korean Air program much of a look because I bank all of my Skyteam miles to Delta....

Dublin is one of my favorite cities in the world- great people, bars and overall vibe. It also helps that airfares dip low throughout the year. Today’s cheap fares are from Chicago- $401 total roundtrip and you can route via Atlanta for maximum miles- 9,088 valuable Medallion Qualifying Miles and base Skymiles plus up to 11,360 bonus SkyMiles depending on elite level. So a Diamond who books this trip banks 20,448 SkyMiles- even if you conservatively value them at 1 cent a piece, that is like receiving $204 back (51%!...

Virgin Atlantic has been forced to ground some of its 787 Dreamliner aircraft to fix an ongoing engine issue. So, while those planes are out of service, Virgin Atlantic is relying on Delta to fly some of its passengers to and from Europe. According to a Bloomberg report, Delta will operate one daily nonstop flight between London Heathrow (LHR) and New York (JFK) on behalf of its joint-venture partner through October 31, 2017....

Last month, we reported that Hong Kong Airlines (HX) would be launching nonstop service from HKG to Los Angeles, operated by its brand-new Airbus A350. The carrier has already taken delivery of its first plane and has a whopping 21 A350s on order, though, so it seemed likely that LAX wouldn’t be HX’s only US destination.While that Los Angeles flight will be the first to launch, on December 18, 2018, the South China Morning Post is reporting that HX will also launch service to New York and San Francisco, in addition to London....

Editor’s note: This post has been updated with the latest information.Your credit score is a critical metric for your ability to receive a credit card and score a lucrative sign-up bonus. Knowing your score — and how to improve it — is a fundamental of the points-and-miles hobby.Before 2005, you would have probably had to pay to check your credit score. But since then, you can check your credit score for free from each credit reporting agency once every 12 months....

The CEO of Korean Air, Cho Yang-ho, has fired his two daughters who were serving as executives for the carrier after a couple of embarrassing scandals involving the two women drew public outrage.The most recent scandal involved the younger daughter, Emily Cho, who reportedly insulted an advertising executive and threw water in his face in March. Cho later apologized and said her outburst was “foolish,” but the incident caused public ire, especially with the labor unions, who demanded she step down from the airline’s executive team....

It’s soon going to become harder for those traveling in Russia to access certain websites, as the Kremlin has shared that it will be cracking down on the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) which allow internet users to access websites that are blocked by firewalls, usually imposed by governments.The law, signed by President Vladimir Putin and passed by the Russian Parliament last week, will go into effect on November 1, 2017....

Here’s a recap of the interesting points and miles news from the week:Get bonus miles for shopping at AAdvantage shopping portals.Bonus American Miles For Shopping Through AAdvantage eShopping: Earn up to 1,500 bonus miles by shopping via the American AAdvantage shopping portal. No registration is required, and the spending requirements are:spend $150 in collective spending on the AAdvantage eShopping portal and earn a 500 mile bonus.spend $300 in collective spending on the AAdvantage eShopping portal and earn a 1,000 mile bonus....

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.In an attempt to keep Platinum members who have already hit their requalification for 2011, Starwood is offering an extra point per dollar spent for all stays October 1- Dec 31 (link here). So once you hit 25 stays/50 nights, you will earn 4 Starpoints per dollar, in addition to any Starwood Amex bonus points or the Double/Triple promo....

Delta has offered targeted SkyMiles members the opportunity to earn 10,000 bonus SkyMiles each time they fly a paid domestic round-trip first-class flight now through October 31, 2015.Per the terms of the offer:You must have received the communication about it directly from Delta in order to participate.Register, purchase and fly a domestic round-trip Delta or Delta Connection in first class by October 31.Codeshare flights operated by other carriers are excluded.Eligible fare classes include: F, P, A, G, J, C, D, I and Z....

Imagine if BBC’s Planet Earth was not a filmed tour of the globe guided by Sir David Attenborough but instead an interactive computer game complete with factoids and 3D imagery so crisp, you could almost imagine you took the photos yourself. Welcome to the latest version of Google’s globe-trotting tool, Google Earth. The internet giant recently added some awesome new features, including updated satellite imagery, which is then used to create astounding visual clarity and definition across the virtual globe....

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.Contrary to what its decor might suggest, this beautiful spot is neither a spiritual sanctuary nor a high-end spa: It’s Skukuza Airport (SZK) in South Africa.The lobby (Photo by Teddy Minford/Skukuza Airport)Skukuza serves as the gateway to a number of national parks and reserves, most notably Kruger National Park....

Uber and Lyft have a new competitor, and it’s not just another Silicon Valley based startup. ReachNow, BMW’s car-sharing service is launching a ride-hailing service of its own.For those unfamiliar with ReachNow, it offers short-term rentals of BMW and Mini Cooper vehicles, à la Zip Car or Car2go (which plans to merge with ReachNow). Now when users open up the ReachNow app, there’s a “Ride” option where you can hail a car to pick you up and take you wherever you need....

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 know, you know: New Orleans is unlike anywhere else on this planet.So it’s only fitting that a recent United flight from Washington-Dulles (IAD) to MSY turned into a party in the sky. Passengers on UA495 on March 28 were serenaded by the Sugar Foot Stompers, a brass band from Germany....