TPG reader Michael sent me a message on Facebook to ask about status challenges:“I have Platinum status with American Airlines and Gold status with SPG. Is there any reason why I shouldn’t try to match status with all the other carriers and hotel groups? I figure I might as well get benefits from every hotel and airline; Delta won’t know if I try to match with United at the same time, right?...
NYC –> Dallas –> Las Vegas –> NYC –> Ghana –> NYC –> Miami. That’s been my busy travel schedule over the last few weeks. The end of October had me taking some pretty awesome trips, like returning to the Ghanian village of Manya Krobo — where I was made a traditional chief earlier this year — and meeting pop icon Ricky Martin in Dallas, where he revealed his love for Oneworld and all things travel....
A couple of weeks ago, we told you about a new Chrome extension that adds legroom to Google Flights search results. At the end of the post, we called for Google Flights to add a filter for basic economy. While we are still waiting for that call to be answered, the creator of Legrooms for Google Flights has stepped up to help.In the newest version of the app, you’ll see if a fare has restrictive carry-on baggage policies right in the search results:This is a great way to see at a glance which options to potentially avoid if you’re not loyal to just one airline....
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 Transportation Security Administration found, on average, more than 10 firearms per day at checkpoints around the country last year. The TSA released its 2017 findings, with the highlight (lowlight?) being that agents found 3,957 guns at airport checkpoints — a 17% increase from 2016’s total of 3,391....
One of the best online resources when you have a very specific Disney Parks question is unquestionably the Disney Parks Moms Panel. They have been there, done that and plan to do it again. They can tell you things like the best place to change a diaper, what rides a 9-month-old might enjoy, where to find a certain type of food in the parks, the quickest path to Haunted Mansion and whether the Halloween Parade is “scary” for a preschooler....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available – Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit CardChase recently changed the benefits of its Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit Card to include a new sign-up bonus of three complimentary nights at a Tier 1-4 property when you spend $5,000 in the first three months of account opening, Priority Pass Select membership, a $100 Global Entry application credit and Visa Infinite benefits, among other perks.That might have you looking more closely at the card and at the Ritz-Carlton Rewards program in general....
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 trip report is going to be pretty short, but I thought I’d still highlight Air France’s short-haul business class product. While many of us complain about US domestic first class as, “not being worth it” and “paling in comparison to the good old days of travel,” European business class is much, much worse....
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 Eiffel Tower: city landmark, national symbol and now, for one week only, home to an epic zip line?Visitors to the famous French monument now have the opportunity to zip line from the Eiffel Tower to L’École Militaire, a 375-foot journey that patrons — flying through the air at 55mph — will complete in about a minute....
Virgin America and Hawaiian Airlines just announced a new partnership and codeshare agreement that allows members of both frequent flyer programs to book flights on the other carrier. This is great news for members of both programs: Hawaiian members (and thus those with American Express Membership Rewards points because they are a 1:1 transfer partner), because you can now redeem for Virgin America flights at potentially cheaper ratios than directly through the Virgin America Elevate program....
It might be a little early, but we’ve already got this holiday season on the brain. Here are some of the things we’re hoping to get this year.Brian Kelly, The Points GuyI really hope people will donate their points, miles and expertise in booking award tickets to Points for Peace, a partnership between TPG and the PeaceJam Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that connects youth around the world with Nobel Peace Prize winners, who then work together to bring positive change to their communities....
The arrival of the Saudi King in Indonesia on Wednesday was unlike anything we’ve seen from other foreign dignitaries. After the Saudi Royal Family’s 747 landed, the king did not take the stairs down to the tarmac; he used his own personal escalator.King Salman also likes to surround himself with assistants, diplomats and security people; his massive entourage of over 1,500 people included 800 delegates, 25 princes and 10 ministers. While in Indonesia, the King and his squad will be staying in Jakarta’s top hotels including the Ritz-Carlton, the Raffles Jakarta and the JW Marriott....
Iberia Airlines recently devalued its award chart, greatly increasing the number of Avios one needs for Oneworld partner redemptions. Since Iberia and British Airways are both owned by the International Airlines Group, it’s not unrealistic to think that a similar change could be coming to British Airways with regard to redeeming on their partner airlines.Here’s a look at the award chart for redeeming Iberia Avios for British Airways flights, which is currently the same as the British Airways Avios chart to redeem on their own metal....
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.Iran Air will be led by a female CEO for the first time in its 70-year history, the Associated Press reported today.The new CEO, Farzaneh Sharafbafi, previously led Iran Air’s research and development wing as a member of the company board, state-owned Iranian broadcasting network Press TV reported....
The time has finally come: JetBlue is introducing its own version of basic economy. Beginning “later next year,” JetBlue will change up its fare options to attract those looking for the lowest fare without worrying about sacrificing the add-ons.JetBlue is calling the new basic economy fare “Blue Save” — at least for now. The Blue Save fare class will join Blue and Blue More. (Note that in the blog post announcing the change, JetBlue said that these are working labels for now and not actual brand names....
For those of you who were unable to attend our recent TPG Reader Meet Up at the W Lakeshore in Chicago, there are still 20 seats left for the Chicago Seminars on October 17 to 19th. The event will be held again at the Holiday Inn Elk Grove Village near O’Hare. You can register here for $95 for the weekend, which includes the cost of attending, but not your accommodations or dinner....
Earlier today, we wrote about the approval of the Marriott/Starwood merger — including Starwood’s email to SPG members, which discussed the future of the program. Marriott has also released a statement for Marriott Rewards members. As with SPG’s statement, Marriott doesn’t discuss too many details, but the letter does indicate that members will have access to more hotels within both portfolios and more unique benefits as guests. Here’s the full text of the letter:One Step Closer to More Choices for Marriott Rewards MembersWe’re excited to announce that we’ve secured shareholder approval for Marriott International to join together with Starwood Hotels & Resorts — a significant milestone towards creating the world’s largest lodging company and strongest loyalty program in the industry....
Earlier this week, The Sun’s UK edition published an article stating that cabin crew prefer working in economy over working in first or business class. The Sun, in case you didn’t know, has a reputation for shoddy journalism, often publishing articles full of alternative facts — and this piece is no exception. In the interest of preserving our collective professional image as cabin crew, allow me to set the record straight....
Earlier this year, I took advantage of a fantastic business-class fare from Germany to the US. The first portion of the trip got me home from an event in Berlin, on British Airways’ special Airbus A318 flight from London City (LCY) to New York JFK.The return was booked on American Airlines, British Airways’ alliance partner, from JFK to London Heathrow (LHR). I opted for a rare Sunday daytime flight to Europe, which allowed me to attend an event near NYC on Saturday while still arriving in the UK the night before the show kicked off....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here- United MileagePlus Explorer Card, Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express, Gold Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card from American ExpressWith summer coming to an end, I wanted to give a quick round up of credit card offers and promotions that will be ending soon.Expiring Credit Card OffersUnited Explorer: Ending September 2, 2014• Earn 50,000 miles after $2,000 spent on purchases in the first 3 months....
Here’s a recap of the interesting points and miles news from the week:Earn double miles for flying premium economy on Cathay Pacific.Earn Double Miles For Flying Premium Economy On Cathay Pacific: You can earn double Asia Miles for flying premium economy on Cathay Pacific. Simply register and travel before March 31, 2014. New members who join the program can also earn 500 bonus miles.30% discount to transfer AAdvantage miles.Save Up To 30% When You Share AAdvantage Miles: If you want to transfer AA miles to friends/ family you can save 30% if you move them before March 31, 2014....
