As a reminder, today is the last day to lock in your Starwood redemptions (for up to a year out) at the current hotel category prices. Tomorrow they’re making their category adjustments for the coming year with 10.49% moving up in category and 11.78% are moving down.The Palace San Francisco is increasing from a Category 5 up to a Category 6.Click here to view the list of changes.Click here to view existing hotel categories....
Ross Mathews has come a long way since his days as “Ross the Intern” on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno back in 2001. The man can write (his memoir came out in 2013), host (The View among other shows), play the guest (as on Celebrity Fit Club and Chelsea Lately) and certainly judge (RuPaul’s Drag Race).Over the years, he’s had ample reason to accumulate credit-card points — something that no doubt led to his latest role as pitchman for Capital One....
Here’s a recap of the interesting points and miles news from this week:100,000+ Bonus Iberia Avios For Premium Tickets to Europe: Much like recent American and British Airways promos, Iberia just announced new bonuses for traveling on premium fares between North America and Europe. You must register by December 31, 2012, and fly between now and January 31, 2013. Here’s how the bonus breaks down:-2 flights: 15,000 bonus Avios-4 flights: 50,000 bonus Avios-6 flights: 100,000 bonus Avios-Every 2 flights thereafter: 50,000 Avios....
Shortly after my 30th birthday in April, I decided to get my toes wet by fulfilling a long-time dream of mine: learning to fly. Besides being obsessed with aviation and all things travel to begin with, I also just so happened to live in vicinity of a dozen airports and flight-training schools. I had all the tools in front of me and still made every excuse to do it “some day....
Wow! Didn’t see this one coming. (Link)How will this effect the frequent flyer?I think this move will have an impact on all US flyers- not just Southwest and AirTran customers. This acquisition gives Southwest access many new markets- including Delta hub Atlanta, US Air mini-hub DCA and American hub Boston. I hope this spurs competition and prompts the major airlines to strengthen their frequent flyer programs . For example, Delta has historically targeted new markets for promotions, taking its ATL base for granted....
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.I’ve been toying with a trip to Lanai, so I’ve been accustomed to seeing $750+ airfares from NYC. Today, Continental introduced some relatively dirt cheap fares to Lanai, Molokai and Kapalua and there’s a bunch of availability from now until spring 2012....
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.I never thought I’d be able to surf, especially at 6'7" and with gravity not really working in my favor. But on a recent trip to Nihi Sumba Island, one of the top surf spots in the world, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to at least give it a try....
If you’re anything like us, you regularly dream of dropping everything and traveling the world — and for some, that daydream includes walking shoes and a multi-day pack.While this may seem like a far-off fantasy or a frivolous undertaking, it turns out it’s not only achievable, but it’s also really good for your health.A recent study in the Journal of Travel Research found that backpacking doesn’t just improve your physical health — it can make you a better and more successful person, too....
In Europe, trains can easily be the best way to get around, especially in Spain. I asked Madrid based TPG Contributor Lori Zaino to delve into Spanish train travel: routes, tips and more to make your train travel through Spain easy and painless.RENFE is the company that operates Spanish trains. Image courtesy of David Herraez Calzada / Shutterstock.comIf you ask anyone in Spain, they will tell you they prefer train travel over planes....
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.Two planes collided on the ground at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv as they were pushing away from their gates and preparing for departure. There were no injuries reported, but the two planes, which were both filled with passengers, were evacuated after the collision....
TPG reader Krassi tweeted me to ask:@thepointsguy– “What are the most aspirational hotel award redemptions out there?“Over the past year, we’ve seen a lot of hotel programs devalue, meaning you need to use more points than ever for award nights–especially at the higher end properties.Krassi is curious about my top picks for hotel awards, so I put together a list that includes some of my own favorite past redemptions, as well as some hotels that I really want to try and think are great deals....
Although helicopter travel isn’t our normal beat, we had the opportunity to check out a new piece of equipment that is promising to transform the way helicopters are designed: the Airbus H160, the world’s first civilian helicopter made entirely from composite materials.We checked out the second prototype, one of three currently flying, on display at the BLADE Lounge East in Manhattan. In development since 2011, the European-made chopper took its first flight in 2015, but won’t be available for its customers until next year....
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.Air Canada shared the details of a couple of improvements to its inflight Wi-Fi experience Tuesday. Before the end of 2018, the airline will offer free Gogo Wi-Fi to its top two tiers of frequent flyers. Altitude Elite 75K and Super Elite 100K members will receive either six- or 12-month unlimited use passes (respectively) for internet on board Air Canada operated flights....
Several TPG readers sent me an interesting promo they received from American Airlines offering double award (not elite) miles on all travel from February 8, 2012-May 31, 2012 and offering an accelerated route to Platinum (10,000 miles) and Executive Platinum status (25,000 miles). The earned status is good until February 28, 2013 unless you requalify with either 50,000 or 100,000 total miles by December 31, 2012, in which case your status will be good until February 28, 2014....
I mentioned the other day that Delta has a double/triple miles promotion for their new Tokyo Haneda routes … now it seems American has the same promo. I like these promos because they include ALL fare classes and Tokyo fares are pretty reasonable this time of year; especially because with all of the new Haneda capacity, airlines are discounting to fill the planes. Like Delta, these aren’t Elite Qualifying Miles, but it’s still better than nothing!...
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.This month, I will have flown over 32,000 “butt in seat” miles on American Airlines. I officially made Executive Platinum a couple weeks ago and I’m knee deep in figuring out the ins and outs of their elite program (more on that later)....
Grandma PointsMy dad, Grandpa Points, enjoys sharing glimpses into their travels here from time to time, but today it is my mom, Grandma Points who is helping us learn to explore and appreciate the small things on our journey. My parents both appreciate using much of their ‘retirement’ traveling more than they thought possible thanks to miles, points, and of course $15 flights on budget airlines. You will often find them packed in a free carry-on backpack ready to explore a National Park, enjoy the view at a scenic lake, skiing on a budget-friendly mountain, or working hard in their own backyardI tend to gravitate to the small things in life....
To commemorate reaching 1 million followers on Facebook, Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai is rewarding their followers with the launch of the world’s first social-media themed hotel suite on March 18.The five-star Dubai hotel and resort is offering its Facebook followers a chance to win a free one night’s stay in the Atlantis Fan Suite with bookings being taken every day until December 2018.The new ‘Atlantis Fan Suite’ will incorporate Facebook capabilities and functions into almost every aspect of the room....
British Airways has just launched a great fare sale for holiday travel originating at London Heathrow (LHR) or Manchester (MAN), which enables you to book two Club World business class fares for £2,014/~$3,15o (or one for £1,007/~$1,575, inclusive of all taxes, fees and carrier charges, to a wide variety of destinations.Fares must be booked by December 4, 2014, outbound travel must take place between December 21, 2014 and January 3, 2015, and inbound travel must be completed by January 11, 2015....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit CardEach Saturday, we round up news stories that you may have missed from the week before, including several that already appeared on The Points Guy, and some more that we haven’t covered yet. If you’re an avid TPG reader, scroll down for the new stuff. Here’s the top miles, points and travel news you may have missed this week:American flyers will have new options for co-branded credit cards....
