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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View all current offers here.Last week I wrote about the great dynamic points earning duo that the Chase Freedom Visa and Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (or Chase Ink Bold) cards make. There were several comments on that post about the way that a Chase checking account can make that deal even sweeter, so I promised to do a more detailed post on the subject, so here it is!...

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.Etihad Airways will soon be upgrading its second daily flight from New York (JFK) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) from a Boeing 777-300ER to an Airbus A380. This means starting June 1, 2017, you’ll have a better chance of finding availability to book yourself a $32,000 ticket in the over-the-top, super-opulent Etihad Residence on future trips to the UAE — there will be more Etihad Apartments available as well, which you can book with Etihad Guest Miles....

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: New Orleans is unlike anywhere else on this planet. The city essentially forces you — in the best way possible — to enjoy yourself, not take yourself too seriously, and to celebrate life. With such incredible food, music and people everywhere you turn, it’s hard not to fall in love with the city. There are, though, some cardinal mistakes many tourists make the second they step off the plane at MSY; here’s how to make sure you’re not one of them....

Today I want to share a story from TPG reader Nasr, who came out way ahead after paying an award redeposit fee. Here’s what he had to say:For our family vacation this year, we decided on Egypt. In late 2017 we bought tickets for July, including a flight from Cairo (CAI) to New York (JFK) on EgyptAir using Singapore Airlines miles. There were four of us traveling, and it cost us 57,500 miles and $367 in taxes each for business class seats....

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.Just in time for Mother’s Day, Alaska Airlines is announcing a new benefit of the Mileage Plan program that’ll make new parents smile. Effective today, Alaska Airlines elites who are new parents can put their status on hold with a new Elite Leave program....

Norwegian is at the forefront of the group of low-cost carriers that began transatlantic narrow-body flights, using its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. However, since launching service from several smaller Northeast US gateways to destinations in the UK and Northern Ireland, the carrier has slowly drawn back some of that service, including pulling out of Hartford (BDL) completely.Now, Norwegian is completely ending its transatlantic operations to and from Edinburgh (EDI), as well as its Newburgh (SWF) to Belfast (BFS) service....

Traditionally, flights between the US and Tahiti haven’t been nearly as glamorous as the destination itself. Aside from Hawaiian’s route to Honolulu (HNL), flights from Papeete (PPT) were limited to Los Angeles (LAX), operated by both Air France and Air Tahiti Nui.Air France award space is almost nonexistent, and while Air Tahiti Nui offers better availability via its US-based partner program, American Airlines AAdvantage, the Airbus A340s it flies on the route sport angle-flat seats and a dated interior....

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.As I wrote about here, the RBC Avion card has a little publicized transfer feature where you can move your points at a 1:1 ratio to British Airways, Cathay, and American. BA is offering a 50% bonus on transferred miles until January 31, 2011, which is a phenomenal deal....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Marriott Rewards Premier Credit CardTPG Special Contributor Eric Rosen recently stayed at one of Marriott’s newest Autograph Collection properties — Portland, Maine’s Press Hotel — and here’s his review.While planning a recent vacation to Portland, Maine, I was thrilled to see that the city’s newest lodging hotspot is actually part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection. Located in the 1923 Portland Press Herald newspaper building, The Press Hotel incorporates many of its historical elements into the design....

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.Earlier this week, United put domestic round-trip award tickets on sale, and now it’s discounting award tickets to Asia. From today (August 11) until August 22, you’ll save 17,776 miles when you book a round-trip award ticket to many Asian cities....

TPG reader Julie asks:“I’m thinking about transferring 120,000 Amex points to British Airway Avios points to travel from LAX to Tokyo. Since BA is having their 30% promotion, do you think this is a good conversion? The lowest price I found was approx $900.00 for (2 one way tickets).“I have some good news and bad news for you. British Airways Avios are great for a lot of reasons and the 30% transfer bonus can get you huge value on certain redemptions and they recently revamped their website to make booking partner awards a little bit easier....

Every week, the TSA blogs about items (mostly weapons) that agents have confiscated at airports around the country, and the agency posts some of the crazier ones on its Instagram page. Below are the five most ridiculous items that were confiscated this month — at least according to us at Team TPG. As always, we’re grateful that the TSA remains diligent in preventing passengers from boarding aircraft with such dangerous weapons....

One of Boeing’s early 787s is headed for an unwanted fate. The fifth Dreamliner aircraft is on its way to becoming carbon fiber scrap after Boeing spent years searching for a buyer of what’s now a wildly successful long-range widebody jet.The aircraft is actually the first in the 787 program to be scrapped. The bird will be dismantled in Everett, Washington, home to Boeing’s headquarters, and will be recycled by a German company....

TPG contributor Katharine Gammon is a science writer for publications including WIRED, Popular Science and Los Angeles Magazine. When she’s not jetting to international conferences to interview some of the world’s leading scientific minds, she’s globetrotting herself, exploring unique destinations including recent trips to New Zealand and Southeast Asia. Today she explores the science behind plane boarding procedures and what could be done to improve efficiency.How often does trying to board a plane feel like this?...

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 an effort to force Uber to rethink its policies, the Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) of New York City is attempting to step in. According to the New York Times, the TLC announced today that it’ll be introducing a proposal that would require all ride-sharing services that accept only credit cards (like Uber) to allow customers to add a tip using their card....

In South Africa, there are a slew of immersive experiences that expose safari-goers to the incredible wildlife many of us only see at the zoo. But few compare to the close encounter Mhondoro Lodge guests had with a trio of elephants who turned one of the property’s swimming pools into their personal watering hole.https://rumble.com/v65kjv-tourists-freeze-by-pool-as-wild-elephants-drop-in-for-a-drink.htmlA tour guide, Ivan Ueckermann, captured stunning footage that shows two of the three elephants dunking their trunks into the pool, seemingly unfazed by the humans lounging just feet away....

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.While points and miles can get you free travel for vacation, they can do much more than that. In fact, they can be used for good to help transform the world we live in.The Points Guy has teamed with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers initiative to help women’s organizations and movements around the world....

TPG reader Matthew emailed me to ask about hotel options in Hawaii:“I’m thinking of taking my wife to Hawaii, and wanted to know which you think is better: The Andaz Maui or the St. Regis Princeville?”I’ve had good experiences at both the Andaz Maui and the St. Regis Princeville, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy a stay at either one. If I were spending a week in Hawaii and had to pick one of the two, I’d take the Andaz, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should....

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.Discounted merchandise websites are all the rage these days and the loyalty programs are getting in on promoting the top sites. Earlier this week we saw Gilt and Continental/United team up to offer 1,500 miles for a first purchase from the discount site (and 5 miles per dollar on all purchases) and now American Express is offering a $20 statement credit when you make a purchase from discount retailer Vente-Privee....

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 – Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Credit CardAlaska Airlines miles are some of the most valuable miles out there (2 cents a piece in my most recent valuation), and one of my priorities this year has been to build up my bank of miles to redeem for some incredible redemptions (like my recent Emirates First Class trip home from Mumbai via Dubai for just 90,000 MileagePlan miles)....