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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.With Thanksgiving upon us, it means that retailers, airlines, hotels and more are gearing up to unleash their Black Friday sales for consumers to take advantage of. This week, we’re giving away a $500 Visa gift card to put towards your Holiday shopping or travel needs!...

Although yesterday it looked like the current best US Airways credit card offer, for the Chairman’s Preferred version of the card, expired yesterday, per this FlyerTalk thread, the Chairman’s Preferred version of the card might still be around and available for applications at this link. Update: It looks like there is no application submit button on the site at this time. Update: The current best offer on the card is for 35,000 miles after first purchase and 10,000 miles on each subsequent account anniversary and first year’s $89 annual fee waived....

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.Last month, Starwood and Caesars Hotel Group announced a partnership that went into effect on January 9. SPG members earn 2 points per dollar spent and can redeem Starwood Preferred Guest points for stays at participating Caesars Hotels and Resorts....

I’ll now be answering at least one Sunday reader question via video. To kick it off, TPG reader Bob explains his frustrating situation with Delta and poses a couple questions:I was waiting to transfer several hundred thousand miles to my new Delta Amex account (had just picked up 45,000 free miles with a new Delta Amex card) to buy 4 tickets from Portland to Lima in May 2012.Two business class tickets were 130,000 points each and two coach tickets were 70,000 points each for a grand total of 400,000 points....

Southwest just sent me an email announcing a sale today only of 30% off Southwest flights June 26-27, June 29, and July 2-6. The 24-hour sale is to celebrate the airline’s birthday and is good on Wanna Get Away fares.Though the window to get in on this deal is short and the travel time frame is just a few days, it falls right over the July 4 holiday, so if you’re looking to get away for Independence Day, you could find some great savings....

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.It’s 2018, and there are still aircraft out there that do no offer inflight Wi-Fi. And, with airplane seats shrinking and legroom diminishing, passengers could use some internet distractions.Traveloka, an Indonesian technology company that provides online airline ticketing and hotel booking services, looked at the top 50 most tech-friendly airlines, and only four US carriers made the list....

The future of train travel has already arrived in Japan. Accountable, on-time arrivals; exceptionally smooth, high-speed rides; gracious attendants who serve ice-cold Asahi — these are just a few of the reasons why train travel is the best way to see this amazing country. Here are nine tips to make your journey even easier.1. Purchase Your JR Pass Ahead of TimeSave yourself time and purchase the Japan Rail Pass ahead of your trip....

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.A longtime question of many flyers has been: Does each airline have its own no-fly list? Certainly if they did they would keep the information private, right? Not in the case of Azerbaijan Airlines.The Baku-based Azerbaijan Airlines does indeed have an “Unwanted Passengers” list....

Five major US airlines are offering bonus miles if you spend certain amounts through their shopping portals. While many of the promos are labeled as back-to-school specific, they’re the perfect time to earn redeemable miles — regardless of if you’re making back-to-school purchases.With all five promotions — Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest and United — you can earn up to 8,500 bonus miles for making qualifying purchases. Check each of the promotions below to find out the bonus earning possibilities:Alaska Mileage Plan ShoppingAlaska’s offering up to 1,500 bonus miles when you spend with its shopping portal....

Would you rather burn 110,000 United miles for a flight in Lufthansa first class, and all the first-class perks that come along with it, or use just 70,000 miles for the exact same seat, but business-class catering and amenities? I think I’d like to keep those 40,000 miles, thank you very much.But wait a minute; this doesn’t make any sense — you can fly in first class for the price of business?...

There is a big business class fare sale to South America going on right now according to this FT thread - and a lot of people are getting in on it, so if you haven’t already, have a look at fares today to see if there are any that suit your needs. The main origins for these great fares seem to be Los Angeles and New York mostly, though if you find any others, please be sure to share them here....

Flyers leaving and coming into Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) may soon be sharing the airspace with arrows and crossbow bolts. The neighboring wildlife refuge is proposing to open up sections to deer hunters later this year.Hunting would be allowable for the first time in designated areas of the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, a 1,200-acre sanctuary on the Delaware estuary. The airport is wedged between the refuge to the north and northwest and the Delaware River to the east and southeast....

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 next time you walk into a pizzeria in Asia, a robot might be standing there to greet you — and take your order. Mastercard is working on bringing its MasterPass digital wallet software to Pepper, a robot designed by SoftBank and Aldebaran Robotics....

Just as they’re doing with mainline aircraft, including narrow-bodies and long-haul planes alike, manufacturers and their airline customers are investing significant resources in updating their regional jets, offering more spacious cabins, improved overhead storage space and amenities like power outlets and Wi-Fi.The latest aircraft to get a major overhaul is Bombardier’s workhorse CRJ900, a plane that I’ve actively avoided flying in the past — primarily because of the limited overhead bin space, and the requisite bag check that follows....

IHG Rewards always has an ongoing list of special little promos under its Offers page that pretty much any member can sign up for as long as they have the specific promo code. These often aren’t advertised the way their major quarterly promos like the current Big Win one are, so you have to know the code to enter. There are usually about a half-dozen going on at once, and what’s even better - you can usually stack them....

Today TPG Contributor Richard Kerr explains airline business loyalty programs, and how you can benefit by signing up.Most points and miles enthusiasts know the names of domestic airline loyalty programs. SkyMiles, AAdvantage, MileagePlus, and Rapid Rewards are like the ABC’s of award travel, but I’d bet that most of you are less familiar with SkyBonus, Business Extra, PerksPlus, and SWABIZ. Many airlines offer perks, savings, and in some cases completely separate loyalty programs to win over the travel accounts of small and medium-sized businesses....

Airlines around the world launch and announce dozens of new flight routes and service changes every month. Today, I’ll share just a few of the latest flights that will take to the skies this month or in the near future. Keep in mind that exact flight details (like schedules and aircraft, among other things) may change based on your travel dates.NEW ROUTES LAUNCHED IN DECEMBER 2016Southwest now flies from Fort Lauderdale and Tampa to Havana....

Nine months after Air Canada Flight 759’s near-disastrous close call, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has determined that most runway mishaps at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) are due to pilot error, according to The East Bay Times. In addition to the Flight 759 case, The East Bay Times also summarized four other instances in which accidents or near-accidents have occurred at SFO within the last 18 months.“San Francisco seems to have more of these issues,” said Ross Aimer, a retired United Airlines pilot and CEO of Aero Consulting Experts who has been following the SFO incidents....

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.American Airlines CEO Doug Parker announced Thursday morning that rising fuel costs are gouging the carrier’s profits, and will drive up airfares.“If indeed this is where fuel prices are going to stay, I would expect you would see higher fares to consumers over time,” Parker said Thursday during a Q1 2018 earnings call....

For many travelers, having consistent and functional Wi-Fi is critical. After having an extremely frustrating stay in Capetown, South Africa — where the Wi-Fi was so bad that TPG writer JT Genter and I retreated to a nearby bar multiple evenings to work — I developed a process to find lodging with adequate Wi-Fi.Using this process, I’ve been able to consistently get good Wi-Fi since the Capetown stay. Even in places with generally poor internet quality, like Saipan, the Marshall Islands and Mongolia, I was able to find a decent connection....