Posts

If you’re an AvGeek, TPG has some good news for you — and even better news if you’re a SkyTeam aficionado. For 2018’s annual MegaDo event, we’re taking one lucky reader with us to experience all that SkyTeam MegaDo has to offer.For this year’s MegaDo — the first ever involving the SkyTeam alliance — we’re taking one lucky TPG reader along for the ride(s). The winner will join TPG’s very own Julian Kheel, a world-class points and miles and credit card expert and consummate flyer, in Amsterdam....

A German court recently ruled in favor of Lufthansa after the airline pursued a lawsuit against Germany-based travel blog HolidayPirates for advertising business-class “Error Fares” between Germany and California for just 687 euros ($819).The error fares, published on HolidayPirates on September 1, 2017, knocked more than €3,000 ($3,577) off the going rate on the fare, and could be booked from the travel site via a Kayak plug-in. The court called the published fare and search functionality an “unfair trade practice,” particularly in an antitrust context, since the HolidayPirates website could be considered a competitor selling travel services, according to Loyalty Lobby....

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 been a busy year for long-haul flights for me - so far I’ve been to Europe four times and South America once. Traveling, especially on a 6+ hour long flight, always takes a toll, but I’ve learned to minimize the effects by always traveling with a key set of products....

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.Although Aeroplan is promoting an ongoing 75% bonus on miles for flights flown within Canada on Air Canada or Air Canada Express by Canadian residents through October 21, the mileage program also announced a one-day promotion that will award flyers who book flights on aircanada....

Paris is chock full of iconic sights: The Eiffel Tower. Notre Dame. The Louvre. Musée d’Orsay. And now, bed bugs? Over the last few years, The City of Light has become permanent home to what newspaper Le Parisien describes as an “explosive phenomenon” of bed bugs infesting the homes and mattresses of local residents. The city’s explanation for why it’s happening? American tourists!Property management group RIVP, which oversees 1,000 housing properties citywide, says just about one resident per day is forced to discard a mattress because of bed bugs....

There’s a new(ish) premium-cabin trend, and Emirates is leading the way: in-seat mini-bars. In business class, you’re giving up precious storage space in favor of an at-your-seat beverage compartment, complete with pop-out door.But unlike the mini-bar you’d find in a hotel room, this one is not refrigerated — the drinks you’re pulling out are room temperature at best. Flight attendants will bring you the chilled beverage of your choice at a moment’s notice, so, really, what’s the point of having warm juices and sodas at every seat?...

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express, Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American ExpressLast month, the Starwood Preferred Guest Business Credit Card from American Express introduced a new sign-up bonus: two free nights at a Category 1-5 SPG property after you spend $5,000 in the first three months. This was an interesting deviation from the usual offer of 25,000 points after meeting the spending requirement, and as we discussed in previous posts, two free nights aren’t necessarily better than the haul of points, depending on how you redeem them....

Jetting to and from Japan from northeast Asia? TPG Special Correspondent John Walton says Konnichiwa to Japan Airlines’ business-class product and suggests you consider spending Avios to book this flight. (All photos are by the author).Japan is usually a big bucket list item for many travelers, but with more US carriers starting to use smaller planes for nonstop flights to Asia, lots of deals for travel are passing by this beautiful country....

Now until 11:59pm Pacific Time on Thursday, October 11, 2012, Southwest is holding a 40% off sale nationwide. It’s valid for travel from November 28-December 12, 2012, and then again from January 7-February 14, 2013.Discounts are off Wanna Get Away fares, Sunday travel is excluded and the offer doesn’t apply for travel to/from Ft. Myers, Florida, as is travel between Austin and Orlando, Detroit and Phoenix, and Orlando and Phoenix. There are some other blackout dates on certain routes, so check the T&C page....

This is a guest post from my dad, Grandpa Points. He and my mom are in their 60’s, are (mostly) retired, and are ticking off “bucket list” destinations quicker than they ever thought possible thanks to miles, points, and travel deals. They have an intense love of this country, of its National Parks and treasures, and have no problem with a clean budget hotel room and an economy airline seat on a budget airline as long as it gets them where they want to be....

When you step onto an airplane, there are a few things you have little to no control over: turbulence, talkative seat-mates, whether or not your mixed nuts will be warmed and medical emergencies, just to name a few.Fortunately, there’s an app to help with one of those problems. Dr. Ray Bertino, Clinical Professor of Radiology and Surgery at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, worked with a team of aviation experts to develop airRx, the world’s only smartphone app that’s designed to help physicians deal with some of the most common in-flight medical emergencies....

It’s a rough feeling to just miss out on an upgrade. I know the feeling all too well. With airlines changing their revenue management policies and offering cheap upgrades to non-elites, business and first class cabins are as full as ever, making the competition for those upgrades even more fierce.American Airlines made fundamental changes to its upgrade system in May 2017. While at first glance it seems far more complicated than the past system — which was simply based on elite status and then who got added to the list first — I actually find the new system to be fair....

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 the holiday travel season now upon us, it should come as welcome news for anyone traveling to, from or through Newark that the airport is now home to new automated screening lanes. United Airlines and Newark International Airport (EWR) have teamed up to offer the automated security checkpoint lanes to help speed up the screening process....

As part of its process to add the new Polaris business-class seats to older 777-200s, United’s always planned to phase out international first class.Last year, the carrier confirmed that May 1, 2018, would be the final day you could book a seat in the F cabin, though 3-cabin aircraft (the only planes that offer first class) would continue to operate on some flights. While it wouldn’t be possible to book a paid or award seat after that date, upgrades would be processed on the day of departure, once the older 777 version was assigned to operate a flight....

London airports don’t have the best reputation for connections. Heathrow (LHR) can be a confusing maze and given its size, especially if you have to change terminals to transfer to another flight (such as coming off one British Airways flight at Terminal 3 and on to another flight in Terminal 5) this can be an very inefficient process.If you have the choice of multiple European airports to connect in, what are the best options?...

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.Great news: Uber’s now expanding the breadth of its service in Southern California and Mexico. Travelers will now be able to take nonstop rides from California to Tijuana — a journey that previously required two separate rides and a border crossing on foot....

Some consumers might see their credit scores jump this week, thanks to new scoring rules from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that go into effect Monday.The new scoring techniques mean that the three major credit reporting bureaus — Experian, TransUnion and Equifax — will now exclude tax liens from all credit reports. About 11% of consumers will see a tax lien removed from their information and have their scores positively affected, according to a prediction from LexisNexis Risk Solutions, with as much as a 30-point bump in their scores possible....

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 - British Airways Visa Signature CardJust a friendly reminder that one of the most lucrative credit card deals ever will end on Friday. It’s been hugely successful, so I doubt it will be extended, but you never know....

Norwegian has been quick to expand its footprint in the US, and its inexpensive airfare makes the carrier particularly appealing for those looking for a great deal for a comfortable product. In fact, every TPG staffer (and TPG himself) who’s flown with Norwegian — both in Premium and in economy — has enjoyed their time on board. But, not all travelers have had the same positive experience.TPG reader Matt S. wrote in with this story about a recent flight from New York (JFK) to London (LGW)....

Here’s a recap of the top points and miles news from this week:Earn 3x the points for stays at Country Inn & Suites.Earn Club Carlson Bonus Points For Country Inns & Suites Stays: Club Carlson members can earn triple Gold Points on eligible stays of two or more nights between June 1-September 1, 2014 at Country Inns & Suites hotels in the United States, Canada or Latin America. Hotel stays normally earn 20 Gold Points per dollar spent, so with this promotion you’ll earn 60 points per dollar....