Posts

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.For today’s Destination of the Week, TPG contributor Kathy McDonald takes us on a tour of a true desert oasis: Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, California. Her recent travels have taken her to Seattle, London, France (and a bucket list visit to Reims, the capital of Champagne), Florida and most recently, California’s Central Coast.WHAT TO DOYear-round, Palm Springs and the surrounding desert cities of the Coachella Valley attract visitors who come for the laid-back resort vibe, generally slower pace and 95% probability of sunshine with zero precipitation....

New to our Insider Series, TPG Contributor “Vic Vector" is an air traffic controller at a major ATC facility in the United States. His first installment covered the basic roles of air traffic controllers as well as the types of facilities in which they work — this time, he shares how air traffic controllers apply for and are trained to do one of the most important jobs in aviation.An ATC’s road to the control tower (or facility) is a long one — but worthwhile....

Airbus Helicopters and famed British carmaker Aston Martin are joining forces to launch special-edition VIP helicopters, and they’ve just announced the first one: the ACH130 Aston Martin Edition. It’s a limited-edition version of a VIP helicopter aimed squarely at a small but lucrative market, with projected sales of just five per year.The ACH130 is the VIP version of the H130, one of the European company’s workhorse helicopters. (“Airbus Corporate Helicopters,” just like the VIP versions of Airbus jetliners are sold as “ACJ,” for Airbus Corporate Jets....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Marriott Rewards Premier Credit CardOffer expired: October 16, 2013Chase released a new sign-up bonus on its Marriott Rewards Premier Visa today. The bonus used to be 50,000 points when you spent $1,000 within 3 months, but now the bonus is 40,000 points when you spend $1,000 in 3 months plus a $100 statement credit after your first purchase....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.As of today, 10/10/11, the links for the amazing 75,000 mile Citi AA cards are no longer available. Barring any sort of resurrection, I think this deal is dead (though I’d love to be proven wrong).Frankly, I’m impressed it lasted as long as it did since they technically expired in February. I walked away with 225,000 AA miles and judging by the 320+ comments on this post, I know many of you did as well, but I wanted to let everyone know in case you were planning on getting one of those cards in the near future....

Here’s a recap of the interesting points and miles news from this week:Earn triple points on JetBlue.com for the rest of the year.Triple JetBlue True Blue Points For Rest of YearFor travel now through December 31, 2012, register to earn triple True Blue points on all JetBlue flights booked on JetBlue.com and completed by the end of the year. You usually earn 3 points per dollar spent on JetBlue flights (base fare only), or 6 per dollar when you book on JetBlue....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Great news, Delta fliers with American Express cards: There’s a Amex Offer for the chance to get up to 20% cash back on upcoming Delta flight purchases.For the uninitiated, Amex Offers are opt-in, limited-time deals, such as 20,000 bonus points / $200 cash back for spending $1,000 with Qantas (available through 9/23), $100 cash back for spending $500 with Aerolineas Argentinas (available through 9/27) and more, specifically for targeted American Express cardholders....

It looks like U River Cruises, the one-year-old river line targeting millennials, is finally gearing up for growth.This week, the California-based company announced a doubling of departures for 2020 with three new itineraries in Central and Eastern Europe.The expansion comes as the line prepares to relaunch one of its two original ships, The B. Designed for 120 passengers, it’s a sister ship to the single vessel the line currently has in operation, The A....

Fans of the iconic supersonic Concorde will have something to look forward to in the coming months. CNN Travel has reported that the droop-nose (a.k.a. droop-snoot), one of the defining characteristics of the Concorde, is in the restoration process. The goal of the restoration is to reanimate the droop-nose in time for the 50th anniversary of the Concorde’s maiden flight.The Concorde made its maiden flight on March 2, 1969. As part of the 50th-anniversary celebration of the now-grounded fleet, Aerospace Bristol is offering special tours and talks in addition to scheduled events....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.News on the airline lounge front has been pretty dismal lately with American/US Airways announcing that they would no longer grant complimentary access to Amex Platinum and Business Platinum cardholders starting March 22, and Delta jacking up its membership fees over $200 as well as restricting Platinum and Delta Reserve access to their lounges to cardholders alone. If you’re affected, check out my post on getting free or discounted lounge access....

In 2016, Uber experienced a massive data breach that comprised millions of users’ personal information. To make matters worse, the ride-hailing giant tried to coverup that it was attacked by hackers. Now, the company is facing punishment by European authorities for the mishap.The United Kingdom’s Information Commissioner’s Office is slapping Uber with a £385,000 fine ($491,284) while the Dutch Data Protection Authority will fine the company €600,000 ($679,257). Both bodies say Uber failed to protect customers’ personal data, which included names, email addresses, phone numbers and driver pay records....

“Reader Questions” are answered twice a week by TPG Senior Points & Miles Contributor Ethan Steinberg.While there are shortcuts to earning elite status with your preferred airline or hotel, holding onto your status in subsequent years requires some serious commitment and planning. TPG reader Art wants to know what happens if he books travel and his elite status expires before his trip …[pullquote source=“TPG READER ART”]I’m currently a British Airways Silver elite, and have booked travel for after I lose my elite status....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite MastercardWell, we’re about to find out. TPG intern Kevin Song has kindly volunteered to spend this week touring the East Coast, visiting Admirals Clubs old and new with his brand-new Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard. In addition to full lounge access (even when he’s not flying AA), Kevin’s getting 75,000 AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $7,500 in the first 3 months — which should more than make up for his week on the road....

Some airline policies don’t make much sense, but if a flight attendant makes a request, you should always follow along. In TPG Editor-in-Chief Zach Honig’s case, that meant walking away with fewer review photos than he may have liked, and a not-so-great impression of AA.“The captain’s contacting dispatch to ask about you.” That isn’t exactly something you’d want to hear in the middle of a flight — and, thankfully, it was a first for me....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.If you’re a travel addict and can’t sit stay put long enough to exchange vows, a destination wedding might be for you. And you wouldn’t be alone. A 2017 trend report estimated that one out of every five engaged couples plans a destination wedding — and if you’ve got a stash of points and miles, there may be no better time to cash in than on your international nuptials....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.In the latest installment of our “Points and Miles Destination Guide” series, TPG Contributor Whitney Magnuson explores the many different ways to maximize hotel redemptions in Miami using points and miles.Miami is one of the most vibrant cities in the country — a melting pot of different cultures, cuisines, art, music and nightlife. The city attracts nearly 15 million visitors each year and has a plethora of drool-worthy hotel properties for all kinds of travelers and budgets....

Hail, Caesar! On Sunday, Rome was hit by a freak hailstorm that left the city looking like a winter wonderland.After days of unseasonably warm temperatures reaching the mid to high 70s, the bizarre storm pummeled the Eternal City with strong winds, torrential rain, floodwaters and knee-high ice drifts. The unprecedented weather created an unusual sight of summery, green-leafed trees surrounded by a snow-like blanket of ice.Roman roads were quickly transformed into frozen rivers by the accumulating hail, and drivers were left with no choice but to abandon their cars....

Pandas are arguably some of the cutest creatures alive. And you might soon be able to visit China’s first national park dedicated to the endangered, black-and-white bears.via GIPHYWhen it opens, Giant Panda National Park will connect 67 giant panda reserves spread across the southwestern province of Sichuan, which is home to over 80% of all wild pandas.The Giant Panda National Park will span over 10,476 square miles — about three times the size of Yellowstone National Park — according to China Daily....

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 case you hadn’t heard, American Airlines has just retired its fleet of MD-80 aircraft, sending a whopping 26 airplanes to Roswell, N.M.’s aviation boneyard in a single day. And while much fanfare was made for the final event....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Citi is a TPG advertising partnerAre you a country music fan with a Citi American Airlines cobranded card? Then we have good news for you.Starting Tuesday, Citi AAdvantage cardholders exclusively have the opportunity to buy tickets to a Luke Bryan concert in New York City.The concert will be held on Dec. 3 at Hammerstein Ballroom — an intimate (by NYC standards) 12,000-square-foot double decker venue in Midtown Manhattan....