Posts

Update: Offers mentioned below are no longer available.I went to college in Pittsburgh, so naturally by the end of my time in “the Burgh” I was a bonafide Steelers fan. I’ve been to games at Heinz field, have a battered lucky Terrible Towel, and I’m not surprised when I visit Pittsburgh to see everyone in Steelers jerseys (including flight attendants!).I’m pretty pumped for today’s “Stairway to Seven” win, and of course I was excited to learn I could even add a mileage spin to my day....

Today I want to share a story from TPG reader Soheil, who found a shortcut to aid his Marriott elite qualification in 2018:At the end of last year, I was trying to decide whether to do a couple mattress runs to reach Marriott Platinum Premier Elite status for 2019. I was a Platinum Elite member with 63 elite nights, so I needed 12 more to reach the 75-night threshold. Since I didn’t have any travel plans, achieving Platinum Premier would have meant selecting five elite night credits as my annual Choice Benefit, redeeming points and a free night certificate for three nights, and paying at least $500 for four paid mattress runs....

Utah-based online booking agency Travelpass Group LLC alleges that online travel agency Expedia colludes with Marriott, Wyndham and several other major hotel chains to manipulate Google search results from competing brands. If proven true, the alleged actions would violate antitrust laws governing online travel booking.“The defendant hotels’ illegal activities have severely reduced, and in many cases even eliminated, the revolutionary benefits of the Internet economy for hotel consumers,” Travelpass said in its lawsuit....

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.Flying through Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) this week with some time and space to fill on your schedule? If so, you’re in luck because from July 9 to 11 there are some extra special offerings going on to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing....

Nearly 10 years after Chase dropped arbitration clauses from its credit cards as part of a legal settlement, the largest US credit card issuer has informed cardholders that it will be adding back a binding arbitration provision effective August 10, 2019.Binding arbitration essentially prevents customers from taking Chase to court to settle disputes. Instead, their cases are heard by a private arbitrator, often paid for by Chase. Here’s what the fine print of Chase’s announcement say about arbitration:“With arbitration, you cannot go to court, have a jury trial or initiate or participate in a class action for your dispute(s) with us....

On Wednesday afternoon, less than three hours after Canada became the latest nation to ground the Boeing 737 MAX, the US government reversed course. Just the night before, the Federal Aviation Administration had trumpeted its confidence in the 737 MAX with the loudest of announcements: an official statement sent out at 6:15pm, perfectly timed to lead the evening broadcast news.When US authorities finally joined the long list of nations, agencies, and airlines that had grounded the Boeing plane, the United States had been left as the last holdout....

Why buy a home or rent an Airbnb in London when you can drop $14.5 million to live in a hotel room?For travelers interested in relocating across the pond to London, an esteemed address is up for sale — a 3,705-square-foot apartment at the Corinthia Residences at 10 Whitehall Place, adjacent to the five-star Corinthia Hotel London. With a £11,250,00 (approximately $14.5 million) price tag, that’s more than $3,900 per square foot....

A passenger is suing American Airlines and SkyWest for negligence after he allegedly got his pinky finger stuck in his plane seat’s armrest for almost an hour on a flight to Los Angeles.Stephen Keys was in first class on SkyWest Flight 3095 from Reno to LA on Sept. 9, his lawsuit states. When Keys lifted the right armrest to access his seatbelt, his pinky got stuck in a hole on the underside of the armrest....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.A lot of readers sent in questions regarding Club Carlson’s recent unannounced devaluation of its option to convert Gold Points into airline miles with its various partners, so for today’s Maximize Monday post, I thought I’d outline the conversion rates of hotel points to airline miles for the major chains as well as some better redemption options for your points....

What’s the world’s shortest “Dash 8” flight?Earlier this week we showed you the longest airline routes flown by the De Havilland Canada Dash 8 turboprop, so now it’s time to look at the shortest.The routes, compiled by flight-data firm OAG, showed the shortest regularly scheduled Dash 8 flights around the world that operate at least once a week as of July 22.The very shortest one is measured in single-digit mileage! Scroll down for the full top (or should we say, bottom) 10:The shortest routes flown by Dash 8 planes....

Thousands of tourists and residents alike are fleeing Thailand’s popular southeastern beaches for higher ground ahead of a major tropical storm forecast to hit the island nation.Experts say tropical storm Pabuk will hit Thailand’s southern coast on Friday. The BBC reports that strong winds and up to 22-foot waves are expected, along with heavy rain and flash floods. Pabuk is not, however, predicted to turn into a typhoon. Officials told CNN that the storm could still be one of the most devastating in decades....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Earning airline miles using the traditional method (actually flying) is just one option for growing your account balance. While it’s increasingly harder to earn miles from flying, airlines make it relatively easy to accrue miles without flying — whether through top credit card offers or by utilizing shopping portals and dining rewards programs. If these methods leave you short of your travel goals, you can also purchase miles directly from an airline....

Attracting more than 80 million visitors per year, France sees more tourists than any other country. Paris, the cultural center of France, is one of the more popular destinations for tourists. Tourists visiting Paris can often be seen strolling the iconic Champs-Élysées, a 1.2-mile long avenue that cuts through the heart of the historical city. The avenue is also the site of some of the most luxurious hotels in the world....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Don’t enjoy rushing out of your hotel room at 10:00am? Consider staying at a Standard Hotel on your next trip to Los Angeles, Miami or New York. The small hotel chain recently rolled out a new feature called Standard Time, allowing guests to check in and check out at any time, depending on availability.In order to book a room with this perk, choose the room type you’d like and a Standard Time rate will display if the option is available for your desired date(s)....

Get ready to let out the loudest “woo!” you’ve ever woo’ed before, because if you’re an avid SoulCycler (present!) who loves to travel (yes, hello), we have some good news.The fitness brand just announced a new “off-the-bike” experience that sounds even better than getting your favorite bike on Monday at noon.It’s called Retreats by SoulCycle.The retreats will be “intimate group getaways curated to help [travelers] reflect, recharge and reconnect….“SoulCycle partnered with luxury travel agency Black Tomato to deliver the ultimate traveler-meets-cycle experience....

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.Passengers on a Frontier Airlines flight from Orlando (MCO) to Colorado Springs (COS) were treated with a humorous rendition of the typically monotonous passenger safety briefing. Flight attendant Daniel Sanberg started the announcements comedy routine by introducing the flight attendant in the front of the plane as his wife and the one in the rear as his mistress....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Based on the emails, comments and social media responses we have seen at TPG in the last couple of months, travelers are not all thrilled with post-integration Marriott and Starwood. But, what does that mean to Marriott and its earnings? Yesterday, we got to peek behind the curtain a bit thanks to the third-quarter Marriott earnings call that was largely run by Marriott’s CEO, Arne Sorenson....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Trekking through America’s vast wilderness provides a chance to strip down to basics, cast off distractions and reconnect with nature and ourselves. If planning your first backpacking trek seems intimidating, read on as TPG Contributor Liz Song of wilderness backpacking site Snowqueen & Scout highlights five trails that will challenge, empower and fill you with awe — and offers tips for feeling both prepared and safe along the way....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.As frequent travelers look ahead to a new year of new credit card offers, I’m taking a look back to reflect on the past 12 months of news for cardholders and see which of my credit card predictions came true over the past year. Here’s my personal report card. Feel free to grade my performance in the comments below, and weigh in with the developments from this year that mattered most to you....

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.Anyone who flies is used to things getting a bit bumpy sometimes. For passengers on Air New Zealand flight NZ5715 things got a bit extreme. The flight was being operated by an ATR 72-600, a twin turbo prop flying from Christchurch (CHC) to Invercargill Airport (IVC) when it ran into some unusually choppy air....