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One little known feature of certain mileage programs is the ability to exchange unused gift cards for frequent flyer miles. United’s MileagePlus is one such program, and right now the program is running a 40% bonus on the miles you receive for these exchanges.Your gift card must have at least $25 of value on it, and must come from an approved retailer. You can find the entire gift card retailer list on the promo page, but it includes merchants like Adidas, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Brooks Brothers, Chico’s, Disney, Dell, Gap, Home Depot, Kohl’s, Kroger, Lowe’s, Lord & Taylor, Office Max, Office Depot, Rite Aid, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sams Club, Staples, Starbucks and even Tiffany & Co....

In central Vietnam, not far from Da Nang, travelers have discovered a gleaming gold bridge stretching across the highlands. It’s supported by giant concrete hands.Photo by LINH PHAM/AFP/Getty ImageKnown as Cau Vang, or “Golden Bridge” in Vietnamese, it’s one of the nation’s newest tourist attractions, having quietly opened to the public in June.According to the AFP, the bridge, which meanders above the forested mountains, has become a social media success — much to the surprise of the architect, Vu Viet Anh....

Earlier this morning I wrote about how United, US Airways and Delta all increased their ticket change/cancellation fees on routes in North America from $150 to $200 in the past week and speculated that American Airlines would probably soon follow suit.Well, I didn’t have long to wait to see whether my prediction would come true because American Airlines just announced that it would be matching the ticket change/cancellation increase to $200 for travel within the U....

“Reader Questions” are answered twice a week — Mondays and Fridays — by TPG Senior Writer Julian Mark Kheel.Most folks use credit cards entirely for making purchases, and if you’re smart, you pay your balance in full every single month. But what about those credit card checks that sometimes arrive in the mail? Will using those checks also help you earn travel rewards, as TPG reader Dave asked us in an email…[pullquote source=“TPG Reader Dave”]A lot of credit cards will give you checks to use in addition to the plastic card....

TPG reader Paul emailed me with a question about Southwest Rapid Rewards:“Is there a trick to booking award flights on Southwest that would save points? I know some American Airlines cards offer award discounts to cardholders; does Southwest have anything similar?”Many airlines offer discounted award flights that can help you get more out of your miles. Paul mentioned the reduced mileage awards from American Airlines, which are only available to co-branded Citi AAdvantage cardholders....

Hawaiian Airlines CEO Mark Dunkerley spoke this week about the carrier’s plans for initiating flights to Europe. There’s just one problem: The airline doesn’t have any aircraft that can reach the continent. And, based on the current Airbus delivery schedule, it’s going to be a while before it does.Dunkerley is hoping that the Airbus A330-800neos on order will provide enough range for the Hawaiian to start flying directly to Europe. But, it’s going to depend on “what our final seating configuration is and therefore the weight of the Neo and its exact performance and statistics when it’s actually built....

“Reader Questions” are answered three days a week — Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays — by TPG Senior Writer Julian Mark Kheel.Everyone’s a huge fan of the Transportation Security Administration — or the “TSA” as it’s affectionately known — so perhaps it’s a bit surprising that we received this Facebook question from Denis…[pullquote source=“TPG Reader Denis”]Is there a way to avoid going through the TSA scanners and instead go through an old-school metal detector?...

The A380 is my favorite aircraft by a long shot. It’s a big beast — and certainly not the best looking — but for long-haul travel she’s a dream — quiet, smooth (the bigger the plane, the less turbulence you feel), and most importantly, spacious. After a relaxing stay in the Maldives, I found the perfect flight that would allow me to check off a new A380 — Asiana’s A380 in first class from Seoul (ICN) to New York (JFK)....

Fast on the heels of yesterday’s announcement from Virgin America that it would be instituting new elite status levels, JetBlue unveiled its own new system of loyalty perks for its frequent flyers called TrueBlue Mosaic that will launch this fall.According to the press release, JetBlue’s program benefits will include:Free second checked bag for everyone flying on the member’s reservation (2nd bag usually costs $40, and third $75)Free Even More™ Speed, providing expedited security at 36 airports for everyone flying on the member’s reservationEarly boarding with early access to overhead bin space for everyone flying on the member’s reservationAbility to use TrueBlue points to purchase Even More™ Space seats for extra legroom (these seats have 38 inches of pitch, and come with Even More Speed privileges)Access to a dedicated 24/7 customer service lineThree bonus TrueBlue points per dollar spent for a total of nine points per dollar when booking on jetblue....

Storm Ali is wreaking havoc all over the UK and Ireland, causing dozens of flight delays and cancellations.Passengers on Ryanair Flight 1453 had a terrifying experience Wednesday morning when the flight from Brussels attempted to land at Dublin airport. The severe weather conditions resulted in a go-around by the pilots.The flight eventually landed without issue at DUB.Ryanair released the following statement: “This flight from Brussels to Dublin (Sep 19) performed a routine go-around due to high winds, before landing normally....

TPG reader Adam writes:“My girlfriend recently got a job as a receptionist. She’ll be doing all of the travel booking for the company … however, individuals will be using their corporate credit cards to book.Are there any rewards programs (hotel, air, or AmEx) that allow assistants to make points for choosing that hotel/air program over others?“First things first, she will need to clear with her employer whether it’s okay to collect points for the travel she books....

With the new, headphone jack-less iPhone 7, everyone who’s upgrading to the new device will be looking for a new wireless wearable if they haven’t already been converted to using a Bluetooth-enabled audio accessory.While Apple does supply an adaptor that enables traditional headphones to plug into the iPhone 7, users will not be able to charge their device and listen to music at the same time, which can be a real drag....

What does it take to be a cop, paramedic, freelance writer, flight attendant, viral Instagrammer and mom? Just ask Shawn Kathleen, the brains behind the Instagram account Passenger Shaming.Shawn Kathleen — she doesn’t use her last name — started the account when she was working as a flight attendant (she doesn’t divulge which airlines she’s worked for) and noticed the odd things that happen at 35,000 feet. She’s witnessed it all — from emergency landings to soiled diapers on tray tables and bare feet on the bulkhead, bare feet on tray tables, bare feet on ovens and everything in between....

There is only one place in China where your vacation Instagram posts will have a 100% shot of going through: the resort island of Hainan off the mainland’s southern coast.In its effort to establish itself as a world-class tropical destination — what some have dubbed “China’s Hawaii” — the island’s provincial government is planning to allow foreign tourists to access internet sites that are otherwise restricted on the mainland.According to the three-year launch plan, foreign visitors to Hainan will be able to fully access social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and YouTube, as well as other sites in the island’s two biggest cities of Haikou and Sanya....

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 just over two weeks, Team TPG and I will be heading to Illinois for the 2014 Chicago Seminars! These events will be taking place at the Holiday Inn Elk Grove Village near Chicago O’Hare Airport from Friday, October 17-19....

Back in October 2016, aviation enthusiasts everywhere were saddened to mark the final scheduled 747 flight to/from the iconic Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) in St. Maarten. No longer would beachgoing AvGeeks get to watch the Queen of the Skies pass just over their heads right before landing or sandblast beachgoers at departure.Since then, things have taken a tragic turn for the AvGeek haven. Hurricane Irma decimated the French/Dutch Caribbean island, with officials reporting that the island was 95% destroyed....

Richard Branson’s space travel venture, Virgin Galactic, is incredibly close to taking passengers into space.Virgin Galactic’s Unity spacecraft successfully completed its second test-flight on Tuesday, hitting an altitude of 114,500 feet, or nearly halfway to outer space.“It will be something like two or three more flights before we’re actually in space,” Branson told CNBC.Branson added that the test flight was “a tremendous step in the right direction toward accomplishing our goals....

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.Due to the catastrophic flooding in Houston due to Hurricane Harvey, both of the city’s major airports are closed, in addition to nine smaller airports in the region. While Houston’s Intercontinental (IAH) airport is still scheduled to reopen at noon Central Time Monday, Hobby (HOU) airport sustained flooding on runways and isn’t expected to reopen until Wednesday morning....

TPG reader Josh sent me a message on Facebook to ask about using points earned from work travel:“I have about 40-45 Best Western stays each year for work, but I don’t stay there on my own. Should I credit those points to my Southwest Airlines account, or will I lose points from each stay if I do so?”Business travel can offer great opportunities to rack up points and miles, but as an employee you don’t always get your choice of airline or hotel....

TPG reader Kevin emailed me to ask about credit scores:I have two conflicting dings on my credit report: a low average age of accounts, and a low number of accounts. If I add more accounts, the average age will go down, so will it help me or hurt me overall?For people without a lengthy credit history, building credit is a bit of a Catch-22. On one hand, you need good credit to get approved for many of the top credit card offers and other accounts; on the other hand, you need those accounts to establish good credit in the first place....