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Update 6/5/17: Wyndham’s match website is now live as well, so head to this page to request your instant status boost.Today we learned of some big news coming from Wyndham Rewards and Total Rewards, the loyalty program from Caesars Entertainment. The two programs announced today that they’re partnering together to offer members a complimentary status match, access to redeem for free nights at each other’s properties and more. Huge news from Wyndham!...

ANA made some major changes to its award chart this year, which went into effect on April 12. Now, just a few months later, the airline is quietly tweaking select redemptions. Award tickets to and from Japan will still require the same number of miles — to the US, that’s 50,000 miles for economy round-trip, 85,000 miles for business and 150,000 miles for first — but awards between several other regions are changing slightly....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – British Airways Visa Signature CardThanks to everyone who responded to my post last week about giving away tickets to the Freddies next Thursday in New York.A lot of you had great tips on maximizing British Airways Avios as well as guesses on which airline and which hotel would take home the top honors at this year’s awards ceremony....

TPG reader Faryn has some US Airway miles expiring soon, but is wondering if flying on American Airlines is enough to keep them active. Here was her question:“I have some US Airways miles that are set to expire in April. I am flying American this weekend. Will that prevent my US Airways miles from expiring, or do I need to do something else to keep my miles?“One of my least favorite things is hearing stories about people who let their miles expire, as it’s really easy to keep them active....

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.For those who may have missed the three-part BBC documentary series on airport operations around the world, another chance to catch the series begins tonight on your local PBS station. The broadcaster will air the first episode of the acclaimed series “City in the Sky” tonight at 10pm Eastern/9pm Central....

A Chinese airport worker’s pay was cut after a video of the employee went viral.An airport technician at Xiamen Airport (XMN) was filmed by a passenger on a taxing flight, and the video went viral on Tik Tok, a Chinese social media network. The 25-year-old-worker was compared to South Korean actor and heartthrob Song Joong Ki, and many chimed in that his looks were quite striking.His rocked aviator sunglasses and an outfit that resembled a flight suit which brings to mind the 1986 film, Top Gun....

Continental leaves the American Express Membership Rewards program September 30, 2011 and they have been aggressively emailing their frequent flyers asking them to transfer their points to Continental before it’s too late. I recently got an email:“THE COUNTDOWN IS ON. DON’T MISS OUT.TURN MEMBERSHIP REWARDS® POINTS INTO MILES NOW.Continental’s partnership with American Express® Membership Rewards® will end on Sept. 30, 2011. Convert Membership Rewards® points into miles for OnePass®rewards.*“I may actually transfer some American Express points to Continental, but I’d like to see some sort of incentive....

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.Delta is currently running a bonus mileage (redeemable AND elite qualifying) for flights originating in Pittsburgh, Nashville, St. Louis and Raleigh-Durham. This is one of those too good to be true Delta promos that allow you to rack up the miles (and elite status)....

Even though most are squeezing in more and more seats and cutting back on some of their more generous passenger policies, airlines will likely still see a significant drop in profits this year.The largest airlines in the world will likely collectively see their profits drop in the remaining months of 2018, new information from the International Air Transport Association says. IATA has slashed its global airline profit prediction for 2018 to $33....

“Reader Questions” are answered twice a week by TPG Associate Editor Brendan Dorsey.The ever elusive upgrade to first class… how can you get it? Are there any tricks to get bumped up to first? These are the questions that keep those with airline elite status up at night. TPG reader Phil asks if booking a “better” economy seat will increase his chances of being upgraded…[pullquote source=“TPG Reader Phil”]Does booking a flight and paying for Delta Comfort+ increase my chances of a first class upgrade more then if I just booked regular economy?...

In recent months, getting through airport security in a timely manner has been a major headache for travelers, the TSA and airport personnel alike. But one family didn’t even get the chance to make it through the security checkpoint at Albany International Airport (ALB) last week, as TSA agents had already packed up for the night and gone home about 20 minutes before they’d even arrived for their flight.According to the Albany Times Union, the Swick family had arrived at the airport at 8:20pm for their 9:45pm flight....

As I wrote last week, my main charity donation this holiday season was a two-parter. I donated approximately 100 designer handbags I had purchased during October’s amazing deal where you could earn 35 AAdvantage miles per dollar spent at eBags.com to Housing Works, an organization in New York City which gives housing, medical, and legal support to those who are homeless and living with HIV & AIDS.Then I gave one million AAdvantage miles that I earned from the purchase were given to Kids In Need, a program run by American Airlines that helps numerous charities helping to improve the lives of children around the world....

The first-ever nonstop flight between Europe and Australia is set to take off in March 2018, clocking in at a whopping 17 and a half hours long. Qantas plans to operate the more than 9,000-mile route between London (LHR) and Perth (PER) — the new holder of the title of world’s longest nonstop flight — with one of its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. The first of the airline’s eight Dreamliners on order exited Boeing’s paint shop Wednesday night....

Budget cuts – also known as sequestration – currently set to take place in Washington on March 1 (Friday!) could mean significant flight delays for U.S. travelers, though the hope is that these cuts can be averted in time to save a lot of these airport nightmares from taking place.Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood warns of massive flight delays.In a press conference at the White House last Friday, February 22, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood noted that these sequester cuts, approximately $85 billion sliced from current budgets including those of the FAA, would lead to nationwide flight delays as control towers adjust by using smaller staffs....

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.After an overwhelming response to some of our recent posts about TPG meet-ups in Austin and Park City, I’ve decided it’s time to take our reader events across the pond. With so many London locals and American expats interested in travel, I’m looking forward to hosting a round table discussion the next time I’m in town so I can hear about your experiences with award travel and loyalty programs in the UK....

Though it’s not one of the hotel groups we cover frequently on The Points Guy, Leading Hotels of the World is an association of 400+ luxury hotels spread over 80 countries around the world. The collection includes historic hotels, castles, safari camps and private islands, most of which are family owned and independently managed. In order to join, a hotel must be nominated by an existing member hotel and demonstrate “remarkably uncommon” attributes, such as distinct architecture or notable history, world-class restaurants or distinctive wellness offerings....

Update: You can no longer purchase Vanilla Reload cards using a credit card and Vanilla Reloads are no longer available in Office Depot.I’ve asked TPG contributor Jason Steele to take closer look at the various prepaid and reloadable card options out there that have allowed him to personally accrue thousands of points cheaply in a series that I’ll be running this week. I hope you’re not only learn the specifics of these products, but can decide which of these strategies might work best for you....

You’re used to no-frills, low-fare flights in Europe — but what about low-fare trains? Next year, you’ll find the first of its kind in Spain, where national train operator RENFE has launched EVA, which it calls a no-frills “smart” train. It will begin running between Madrid and Barcelona in 2019, complete with onboard Wi-Fi and an online ticketing system. The name EVA is also the spelling backwards of AVE or Alta Velocidad Española, “Spanish high speed,” the 190 mph trains that have been in service for more than two decades now....

While some people within the industry believe seat-back entertainment is on its way out — hello, American Airlines — others think it’s still full speed ahead. Panasonic is on the optimistic side, having announced a brand-new in-flight entertainment (IFE) system, dubbed “NEXT” at the Aircraft Interiors Expo earlier this month.Panasonic’s system isn’t limited to the typical “take your seat and watch some movies to pass the time” experience. Yes, there will still be movies — lots of movies — but there will be so many more options available to passengers and the airlines on which you fly....

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.Almost all elite status calendars will reset on January 1, 2011, so you better act this week! Whether you need a couple thousand miles to make airline elite status, or a couple hotel stays to lock-in hotel status- you only have 5 more days to act....