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Free parking on the Las Vegas Strip had almost become a relic of the past, and a pay-to-park model was now just as common in Vegas as the dreaded resort fee. There were a few places you could park on the Strip for free, but that list could just about be counted on one hand.Wynn and Encore to eliminate parking fees for guests on July 1However, in a ‘winning’ turn of events, the Wynn recently announced the return of free self and valet parking at the Wynn and Encore properties!...

This is part of my Maximizing Club Carlson Series. Other posts include Base Level Earning and Redemptions.Like the other major hotel chains, Club Carlson offers elite status at various levels and has been very proactive in the past year about matching members’ status from other programs in an effort to recruit more high-level loyalty customers, as well as holding lucrative promos like last year’s Big Night Giveaway and a recent Stay 1 Get 1 Free night promo at Radissons this past October....

This is part of a series on using points for premium rooms and suites. Other posts include: Maximizing Starwood Points for Rooms and Suite Upgrades, Maximizing Hilton HHonors Premium Room Rewards and Room Upgrade Rewards and Maximizing Marriott Rewards Points for Room and Suite Upgrades.Types of UpgradesHyatt offers Gold Passport members two types of upgrades using points.1. The first one is to use points to upgrade on paid stays. At certain hotels and based on availability, you can use points to upgrade to a Regency/Grand Club room for up to 4 nights for 3,000 points total, or to a suite for up to 4 nights for 6,000 points total....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Chase Sapphire Preferred CardIt’s almost lunch time on the east coast so I wanted to send out a little reminder that this is the first Friday of the month - and that means it’s time to earn 3x points on dining purchases today if you have the Chase Sapphire or Sapphire Preferred cards. And remember, earning 3x points with your Sapphire Preferred really means earning 3....

Everyone knows about the Miracle on the Hudson, but you might not know that approximately one in every 2,000 flights experiences a bird strike. A vast majority of these don’t end with a plane ditched in a river or a bird piercing a cockpit window, but this common problem is a constant threat to aviation safety.In fact, between 1960 and 2014, bird strikes were responsible for the destruction of approximately 150 civil aircraft and the deaths of 271 people....

TPG reader Danny sent me a message on Facebook to ask about selling travel rewards:“Where can I sell my points and miles for top dollar?”I get a lot of questions like this — some from readers like Danny and others from people who mistakenly think I’m a mileage broker myself. I can understand the temptation to exchange points and miles for cash, especially if you have no plans to use them....

There’s no shortage of low-cost carriers in the US. For no-frills flyers, choices range from the customer-friendly Southwest Airlines to the New York-based JetBlue, which offers free in-flight Wi-Fi. Then, there’s another group of airlines below those brands, which are commonly referred to as ultra low-cost carriers, or ULCCs — think Spirit Airlines and Frontier Airlines. Now, that ULCC market is about to get one more addition.Sun Country Airlines’ new CEO Jude Bricker announced in a staff memo this week that the carrier was about to undergo some big changes, especially in the cost-cutting department....

When Square started sending invitations for its customizable cash card last month, users began to wonder just how creative they would be allowed to be. Recode reported that censors would review every submission, and CEO Jack Dorsey’s design was hardly inspiring; the startup founder’s card consists of nothing more than “@Jack.“But users jumped at the opportunity and submitted designs in force. Now, as more and more personalized cards arrive, they’re sharing their creations with the world....

TPG reader Mark asks a question many of us have been wondering:“Do you have any idea when another deal will come out where you can transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to Delta SkyMiles and receive a bonus such as the deal posted last summer?“The short answer is: not that I’m aware of. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been been a transfer bonus from Amex Membership Rewards to Delta miles since a 30% rebate last November that expired on December 31, 2011....

Passengers on a United Airlines flight experienced two diversions and a landing that took them off the runway in Green Bay, Wisconsin, early Friday morning.United Flight 878 was bound for Minneapolis (MSP) from Houston (IAH) on Thursday evening. With a scheduled departure time of 7:40 p.m., the Boeing 737-900 didn’t take off until 9:33 p.m. Nearing its destination, the aircraft had to be diverted to Madison, Wisconsin (MSN) because of Minneapolis’ dangerous weather conditions....

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.Update 4/27/17 3:35pm: Since the news broke that United and Dr. Dao settled, United issued a statement of its own:“We are pleased to report that United and Dr. Dao have reached an amicable resolution of the unfortunate incident that occurred aboard flight 3411....

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.When the Pope came to the US, his means of getting around were widely discussed — mostly because of his less-than-thrilling aircraft accommodations. At the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ request, he ended up traveling around the East Coast (and back to Italy) on a 777-200 that’s been flying since 2000 and hasn’t changed much since....

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.We knew United’s Basic Economy fares were coming, and now they have officially arrived. Do not be fooled into thinking that means you can now save a few bucks on your airfare when you don’t need things like carry-on bags or advanced seat assignments....

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.Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Wyndham Rewards Visa CardWyndham Rewards is offering a Groundhog Day double bonus points promo on up to four hotel stays between February 3-March 21, 2014....

Here’s a roundup of the week’s points, miles and travel industry news you may have missed:The Buchanan in Japantown is one of two Kimpton hotels left in San Francisco.Seven Hotels Drop from the Kimpton Group in San Francisco San Francisco was home to nine Kimpton hotels, but after the recent IHG takeover, seven properties have dropped the brand: the Argonaut, The Palomar, Hotel Monaco (renamed The Marker Hotel after Destination Hotels and Resorts took over management), The Harbor Court, The Prescott, The Triton and The Tuscan Inn....

US Airways, the official consolidator of cheap Star Alliance miles, is at it again. This time it’s not as lucrative as some of their past buy-miles promotions, but it is also a lot simpler (no toolbar searches required). Simply transfer miles and get a 75% bonus, for a maximum of one bonus per member.At this rate, you are buying US Airways miles for 1.5 cents a piece - much better than their normal rate of 2....

One of Australia’s most iconic landmarks will soon be inaccessible after a government body voted to close the natural wonder this week. Uluru, previously known as Ayer’s Rock, is a massive sandstone monolith located in Australia’s Northern Territory. The Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Board voted to close the site to climbers on November 1. Now, tourists will only be able to visit the area around the rock, but not scale the monolith itself....

We often publish stories from readers that illustrate how points and miles can help you get where you want to go. However, it’s important to learn from our mistakes as well as our successes, so I’m calling on you to send us your most epic travel failure stories. Email them to info@thepointsguy.com and put “Reader Mistake Story” in the subject line. Tell us how things went wrong, and (where applicable) how you made them right....

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 other day, Sarah Blakely, the founder of Spanx, told The Strategist that she eats a lot of Cheez-Its. The kicker? She only does so when she flies, because she suffers from bad flight anxiety — but since she flies a lot, she’s apparently eating a lot of them....

Update 5/18/17: The Department of Homeland Security has released a statement concerning the expansion of an electronics ban:Earlier this week, we reported that officials representing both the United States and the European Union would meet to discuss the possibility of extending the electronics ban to US-bound flights originating in Europe. After a meeting that lasted several hours today in Brussels, it was decided that the electronics ban will not be expanded to include flights from Europe, however officials did say that ‘other measures were still being considered....