Posts

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Readers often ask me which credit cards help you earn miles toward airline elite status, and after recently exploring the best airline credit card offers and the top credit card spending bonuses for 2014, it seemed like a great time to specifically address this question. While most airline co-branded credit cards simply offer award/redeemable miles that have no bearing on elite status, there are actually a few out there that offer them either as part of their sign-up bonus or as a spending threshold bonus…or both....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.It’s now been a week and a half since we held the inaugural TPG Awards on the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space museum, but the conversation continues. Sure, it was incredible to see Captain “Sully” Sullenberger reunited with one of his passengers from Flight 1549, and it was inspiring to hear Leymah Gbowee speak of her experiences fighting for peace in Liberia, but the hottest post-ceremony debate has surrounded the credit cards, airlines and hotel programs that took home awards on Dec....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Today I want to share a story from TPG reader Erik, who booked flights to the Caribbean with miles from a credit card sign-up bonus. Here’s what he had to say:Last spring I got the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard and scored the 60,000 bonus miles after completing the spending requirements [offer not currently available]. My wife and I then both got the Hyatt Credit Card from Chase to earn two free nights each before that signup bonus was discontinued....

In most developed countries, we take health care for granted. Not feeling well? You go to see your local doctor. If it’s an emergency, you call an ambulance and within minutes you’ll have professional help at your door. If it’s really serious, they can whisk you off to the nearest hospital.But what if you start to feel unwell on a flight? When you’re in a pressurized metal tube seven miles above the ocean in the middle of the night....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available.“Reader Questions” are answered three days a week — Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays — by TPG Senior Writer Julian Mark Kheel.The Discover it card has a pretty terrific sign-up offer — it doubles all your cash back for the entire first year you have the card. So TPG reader Christopher sent us a Facebook message to ask if that makes it a better choice than the Chase two-step…[pullquote source=“TPG Reader Christopher”]I just got 2% cash back for a year from Discover....

It’s something many travelers are used to hearing about, and seeing on their final bills: the notorious resort fee.Sometimes called amenities fees, destination fees or facilities fees, these mandatory charges are being billed to guests who aren’t just staying at resorts. In fact, resort fees, which generally range from $20 to $40 a night (but can be much, much higher — like the eye-watering $95 daily resort fee at Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve), are nearly ubiquitous these days, whether you’re at an actual resort or staying in a busting city hotel....

A single personal electronic device with a lithium battery that overheats and catches fire in the cargo hold could potentially down a commercial airliner.That’s what the US Federal Aviation Administration found in its latest research.Regulators had originally thought that the fire suppressant systems in cargo holds would be able to extinguish flames if they were to arise from an overheated lithium-battery-operated device. However, the most recent study has shown that the systems don’t actually have the power to put out the flames caused by an overheated lithium battery, commonly found in laptops, cell phones and a wide range of other devices, when combined with other flammable substances, such as gas in an aerosol can or cosmetics....

We recently learned that the Marriott and SPG programs will officially combine on August 18, 2018. This means August 17 is the last chance you’ll have to book SPG and Marriott properties at the current award chart rates. While August 18 will bring some opportunities to book high-end Starwood and Marriott properties for significantly fewer points than today, many mid-range properties that are popular with families will become astronomically more expensive from that date forward....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.In the hopes that you’ll have a memorable meal the next time you’re visiting the City of Light, France-based TPG Contributor Lane Nieset shares her go-to list of restaurants where reservations are just a click away.Scoring a seat at the best table in Paris is no easy feat. Sometimes it takes having a connection with the right maître d’ or a concierge who’s in the know, or calling up your friendly American Express The Platinum card concierge....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Want to see the latest flight deals as soon as they’re published? Follow The Points Guy on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to text message alerts from our deals feed, @tpg_alerts.Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend that you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency, such as Orbitz, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking....

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.Frequent flyers of American Airlines have almost certainly encountered the carrier’s paper voucher. Infamous for their difficulty to use and simplicity to lose, the paper voucher is the bane of travelers everywhere.Issued for everything from involuntary seat bumps to reimbursed change fees, these documents are prevalent with American....

As a Ritz-Carlton Platinum Elite member, I’d heard of the Cayman Cookout before. It’s been going on for eight years now and has really become one of the most exclusive events in the Caribbean. So, naturally, I was dying to try it.The Cayman Cookout is a five-day culinary extravaganza, and it’s really unrivaled in terms of its reputation as a gastronomic experience in paradise. This year, the event took place from January 14 to 18 and was hosted in part by the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman and led by Eric Ripert, renowned chef and co-owner of Le Bernadin in New York and creator of Blue at the Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman....

It’s officially stargazing season in the US, and could there be a better way to celebrate than by visiting the newest addition to the International Dark Sky Park Association? The time is ripe to head to Arches National Park, which has just become the fourth International Dark Sky Park in Utah.Arches National Park is known primarily for its unique rock formations and wind-worn sandstone. It currently holds the title for “the highest density of rock arches in the world” according to Lonely Planet, and it’s now also being recognized for its commitment to dark sky preservation....

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.Aeromexico flight passengers were in for a long day after their flight was diverted from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Oakland International Airport (OAK). Due to disputes between the airline and the airport, travelers aboard the plane were held for four hours on the tarmac leading to 911 calls, near-arrests and a trip to the hospital....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.This week we wrote about 11 different airline and hotel co-branded credit card anniversary perks that far outweigh their annual fees. One of these perks is the Annual Companion Certificate that comes with the Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express, whereby if you purchase one economy ticket (in L, U, T, X or V fare classes) for a roundtrip within the 48 contiguous United States, the second ticket is free....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Update 1/23/17: Chase has confirmed that the skiing component of the ski weekend in Vail is sold out. However, you can put your name on a waitlist if you’re still interested in attending the event. Also, you can still purchase tickets to the meet-and-greet event with the skiers, which costs $75.Credit cards can give you more than just points and miles to use for free travel....

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Airport Architecture (@airportarchitecture) on Aug 3, 2018 at 6:36am PDT View this post on Instagram View this post on Instagram A post shared by Airport Architecture (@airportarchitecture) on Aug 3, 2018 at 6:36am PDT View this post on Instagram Berlin Tegel airside detail (opened 1974, closing 2020), by Meinhard von Gerkan and Volkwin Marg. ? via ETH-Bibliothek Zurich. #airportarchitecture #flashbackfriday A post shared by Airport Architecture (@airportarchitecture) on Oct 23, 2020 at 7:56am PDT...

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Want to see the latest flight deals as soon as they’re published? Follow The Points Guy on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to text message alerts from our deals feed, @tpg_alerts.Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend that you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency, such as Orbitz or Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Want to see the latest flight deals as soon as they’re published? Follow The Points Guy on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to text message alerts from our deals feed, @tpg_alerts.Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend that you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency, such as Orbitz or Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Want to see the latest flight deals as soon as they’re published? Follow The Points Guy on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to text message alerts from our deals feed, @tpg_alerts.Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency such as Orbitz or Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking....