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At the height of the 2017 electronics ban, peak frenzy occurred when it became clear that US Customs and Border Protection could seize your laptop or other electronic device if certain conditions weren’t met. We’ve since moved on to become outraged about other things, but that general feeling of unease is surfacing once more in New Zealand.The nation’s Customs and Excise Act 2018 went into effect this week, establishing guidelines on how agents can carry out “digital strip-searches....

Visitors from outside the European Union are continuing to have to wait in abnormally long lines — often more than two hours — at London’s Heathrow Airport to have their passports processed.New data from Virgin Atlantic published Monday by the BBC shows that for 30 days out of the 31 in July, the airport’s border force missed its self-imposed target of a 45-minute wait or less for 95% of the visitors from outside the European Union....

Sure, you can read about Tel Aviv-Yafo in a guidebook and you’ll likely find some great tips. But here are 10 things you probably didn’t know — and should know before you go.1. Airport Security Has Actually Gotten EasierBen Gurion International Airport (TLV), the main gateway to Israel, has a tough reputation when it comes to immigration officers and security procedures. On arrival, you may well be asked by an immigration officer about why you’re coming to Israel, what you’re doing there, what you do at home, etc....

The only thing better than an uninterrupted view? A continuous panorama enjoyed from an infinity-edge pool. From urban properties in the American south to remote Mediterranean resorts, we scoured the globe for hotels that make a day at the pool worth flying for.1. Dallas, Texas: The Joule Not ideal for travelers with a fear of heights, the Joule in Dallas, Texas offers a cantilevered rooftop infinity pool that juts out beyond the building to overlook Main Street....

Some people comb the beach for lost treasure. Others sift through dirt for ancient fossils. One group of German residents out on a walking tour, however, recently re-discovered something much bigger and more significant: a section of the Berlin Wall previously obscured by “big bushes.“The 20-meter section is located in northwest Berlin, and to make the discovery even weirder, it was located close to the seat of Germany’s intelligence service, the BND, according to DW....

Alaska Airlines has long been a great domestic option for Seattle-based travelers and those on the West Coast looking to get to Hawaii, and despite some recent devaluations its award chart still offers some great value. That said, the carrier has never been an obvious choice for flights to New York — but it looks like that could soon change.The airline just announced that it will begin daily service to Newark from three West Coast cities: Portland, San Diego and San Jose....

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.If you use Apple Pay, you can potentially save a few bucks on some upcoming purchases at select retailers, including Hotels.com! From July 19 - August 1, 2018, you can save money using Apple Pay at Hotels.com, Fandango, StubHub, and more....

American Airlines has gotten a lot of negative feedback for its treatment of African-American passengers recently, prompting the NAACP to go as far as issuing an advisory warning travelers to avoid the world’s largest airline. Now, AA is facing backlash again for how a flight attendant treated two black professional basketball players on a recent flight.Here’s what’s known about the situation: On Christmas Eve, two African-American members of the Memphis Hustle — a minor affiliate of the Memphis Grizzles basketball team — boarded an American Airlines flight from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Sioux Falls, South Dakota (FSD)....

After the US Trade Commission ruled that Canada’s Bombardier could sell its new CSeries jets in the US without high tariffs, the industry waited for Boeing to challenge the ruling. But, a Boeing spokesperson said on Thursday that it won’t appeal the case — meaning Bombardier can take a sigh of relief.Boeing had proposed a 292% tariff on all CSeries aircraft complaining that Bombardier had received heavy subsidies from the Canadian government....

The Oneworld trans-Atlantic partnership between British Airways, American Airlines, Iberia and Openskies often offers travelers who buy premium economy, premium economy, business and first class fares lucrative bonuses. Today, British Airways launched one of the most lucrative promotions I’ve seen in a while for US and Canadian Executive Club members: 20,000 bonus Avios per qualifying roundtrip booked and traveled between now and May 31, 2013 and if you do 5 qualifying roundtrips, you get an additional 100,000 Avios, for a grand total of 200,000 bonus Avios for 5 roundtrips....

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.Think of it as an early Christmas gift! Continental/Chase have extended their 25,000 point sign up bonus when you open a personal/business checking out.Personal account couponBusiness account couponFor details, read my original post about taking advantage of this offer....

Update 7/6/2017: Today Emirates tweaked its Wi-Fi pricing again, setting up tiered pricing for its Skywards members and elitesStatusClassWi-Fi PricingSkywards Platinum and Gold membersAllFree unlimited Wi-Fi for entire flightSkywards Silver and Blue membersFirst and BusinessFree unlimited Wi-Fi for entire flightSkywards Silver membersEconomy20MB free within the first 2 hours of log in Additional 150MB for $4.99 Additional 500MB for $7.99Skywards Blue membersEconomy20MB free within the first 2 hours of log in Additional 150MB for $6....

With the United award chart devaluation on the very near horizon, and premium cabin award flights with Star Alliance partners about to get a lot more expensive, I’ve been reminding myself that flying United operated flights isn’t bad. Honestly, I think that the United BusinessFirst product is solid, and is totally fine for sleeping and relaxing on a long-haul flight, which is the whole point of a premium cabin flight for me....

On Thursday, Hilton shared the details of what could potentially be a game changer for the hotel industry. Its “Connected Room” will allow guests to control multiple aspects of their room from their smartphone.Travelers will be able to make adjustments to their room’s temperature, lighting, TV, window blinds and more with just a tap on their smartphone through the Hilton Honors app.The chain is the first to announce a room that’s connected to the Internet of Things....

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.September is probably my favorite time of year for fare sales. I always seem to hop on good deals this time of year, which allow me to pad my elite status so I’m not scrambling come December. I’m hoping the following couple deals spark a fare war across the board....

Dust off your Platinum/Centurion/Titanium/Palladium/Whatever cards and pray these charges go through: Ruelala.com (one of my favorite discount online luxury good retailers) is selling “discount” packages on Magellan private jets. Unfortunately, these were a bit out of my price range, but it was interesting to see how much jet rental costs. To see for yourself you need to be invited for site access, which you can do so instantly using my link....

Hotel elite status can make your hotel stays more comfortable, and can even save you real money if you score free breakfasts, lounge access, or even some waived resort or parking fees as a result of your status. Of course you can earn hotel elite status by staying in hotels tons of nights each year, but sometimes you can also get hotel elite status by just getting certain credit cards or even leveraging one status for another....

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 January I wrote about this Star Alliance contest in which the grand prize was free business class round-the-world tickets. The award email initially looked like spam, so make sure to keep you eyes peeled for messages from “SAUA prize fulfillment team upgrade....

In the past couple years, a new kind of retreat has been popping up and it doesn’t feature a spa or yoga, nor is it a creative writing getaway. Nope, it’s a reading retreat and there’s only one rule here: The reading room must be silent at all times. You don’t even have to BYOB (bring your own book).People all around the world are turning to reading retreats as the next form of ultimate relaxation....

I am not a complainer. I generally find joy and happiness quite easily and readily. I genuinely look at life from an optimistic angle and believe that my time on this planet has been blessed. Consequently, I do not often get annoyed as the good in my life so outweighs the less pleasant. That being established, I must confess that the recently initiated Las Vegas parking fees and the associated hassle has significantly affected the fun and enjoyment of our recent visit to “Sin City”....