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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.While it is more fun to use points to cover hotel stays than spend actual cash, we all know that sometimes cash is king when you need to book a place to stay. Even those who are pretty savvy with miles and points can sometimes forget the important step of checking cash-back sites before heading directly to a hotel’s homepage to book a stay with dollars....

In 2012, I got to travel to some amazing places all over the globe – from the streets of Seoul to the jungles of Cambodia, the Baltic Sea and Scandinavia, Hawaii, China, Switzerland and more.But now that it’s 2013, I’m looking ahead to my future travels, and in addition to my upcoming trip to South Africa (leaving Friday!), here are the top 10 up-and-coming destinations that I have my eye on....

Avgeekery.com is an aviation news site where content is written and edited by its team of professional pilots and aviation geeks. Occasionally we syndicate content from the site if we think it will interest TPG readers. This article originally appeared on Avgeekery.com under the headline, Why Is It So Freaking Cold (or Hot) on My Plane? and was written by Rob Graves, veteran pilot and Avgeekery contributor.You get to the airport parking lot, run to catch your shuttle, make it through the TSA body cavity search and then schlep your stuff a thousand yards to the gate....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Over the weekend, we wrote about upcoming changes to the Chase Sapphire Reserve slated for August 26, including how you earn points on purchases that qualify for the $300 yearly travel credit, Priority Pass guest privileges and the card’s price protection benefit.The reactions were mixed, with many readers claiming it was a non-issue while others threatened to cancel their cards as a result....

We’re down to the final two days of our “10 Days of Travel” contest leading up to the inaugural TPG Awards, and the last two prizes are the best yet. To enter for a chance to win, all you need to do is complete the secure Google poll to let us know which credit cards, airlines and hotel programs deserved to be honored in December. You’ll be automatically added to the list to win today’s prize and all future prizes....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Citi is a TPG advertising partnerThis week we saw the phenomenal 75,000 mile AA card deals die. Those offers were good all year long and I know many of you were able to get in on those deals.For those unfamiliar with applying for Citi cards - you can get two personal cards on the same day and it will only be one inquiry on your credit and the credit line will be identical on both cards....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Now that we’re more than halfway through 2017, we’ve asked several TPG staffers to share their progress toward elite status with a selection of airlines and hotel chains. Next, it’s TPG Points & Miles Writer JT Genter’s turn to share.Before digging in, it’s important to explain my unique situation. Ever since starting off at The Points Guy with a series of three economy flight reviews — Air China, Lufthansa and Air Canada — I’ve tried to continue to bring my budget traveler’s perspective to the site....

Are you worried that your last Uber driver hates you because you didn’t leave a big enough tip?Well, rest assured: It turns out that the average Uber passenger is a much stingier tipper. And possibly a bit sexist, racist and xenophobic.A comprehensive study of the details of 40 million Uber rides across the U.S. revealed that, when it comes to tipping their drivers, passengers leave a lot to be desired. Over 60% of the regular passengers the study looked at never tipped at all, and only 1% tipped every time....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available – View the current offers here - Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit CardFlying on Southwest can be a great experience, but because of the airline’s open boarding process with no assigned seats, boarding can be both exciting and a tedious task. Today, TPG Associate Editor Emily McNutt takes a tongue-in-cheek look at how you can best get other passengers to not take the seat directly next to you when flying Southwest....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.One of the things I love most about being The Points Guy is getting to hear stories from readers about how award travel has affected their lives — the exotic vacations they’ve planned, the trips they’ve made to be with family and friends, the premium seats and suites they’ve experienced and so much more, all made possible by points and miles....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Per View from the Wing, US Airways transitioned their fare classes over the weekend to align with American’s, but in doing so, there appeared to be some gaps that caused for a bunch of low-level Business Class award availability to be open.Currently the US Airways World Premier MasterCard is offering an increased 50,000 sign-up bonus, meaning signing up for this card could earn you a one-way Business Class award to Europe....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.American Airlines had said in July that it wanted to roll out basic economy to all domestic routes “by the end of September,” but things turned out a little different: AA just introduced the fare class to its entire network on Tuesday morning.No matter where you’re originating from or traveling to in the US, you’re likely going to have to pay more to get the same American Airlines “Main Cabin” ticket from before AA introduced basic economy in February....

Sleep is a precious commodity as the parent of a toddler.So when I got an invite from American Airlines to spend a night with them learning about their operations, I have to admit I briefly hesitated. I was choosing between a quiet hotel room with eight hours of uninterrupted sleep or pulling an all-nighter with an airline.But who I am I kidding? Of course I wanted to do it.The only question remaining was whether this would be a night of awesome aviation folks geeking out while learning new things or just a giant publicity stunt by American Airlines....

British Airways has announced that the airline will begin direct flights between Bahrain (BAH) and Dammam, Saudi Arabia (DMM), late this year. The route will become British Airway’s shortest route in the airline’s global route network.British Airways already serves Bahrain from its hub at London-Heathrow (LHR), however, the airline does not currently serve Dammam. The new route will bring the airline’s total number of destinations in Saudi Arabia to three.Dammam, Saudi Arabia, is considered the center of Saudi Arabia’s massive oil industry....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.United and Chase recently rolled out a new co-branded credit card, The Explorer Card and it was met with mixed reviews. The 40,000 point sign-up bonus was okay (it was actually a 25,000 point sign-up, 5,000 for adding an authorized user and then 10,000 every year you spend $25,000). However, the card comes with a bunch of benefits that could save you time and money if you are a United/Continental flyer....

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....

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....

Delta CEO Ed Bastian hasn’t been shy about sharing his feelings on inflight Wi-Fi. He wants it to be fast, and he wants it to be free. He’s been saying as much for several years now with little substance in the way of how or when, but all of that changed this week.In an interview with Barron’s, Bastian stated: “Our goal is to make Wi-Fi free with high-speed quality. It will take another year or two to make that happen....

“Reader Questions” are answered twice a week by TPG Senior Points & Miles Contributor Ethan Steinberg.Qualifying for airline elite status requires that you pay careful attention to your various ‘metrics’ — elite-qualifying miles, dollars and/or segments. Sometimes, it even requires you to book less convenient routings to pick up an extra segment or snag a few thousand extra miles. TPG reader Charlie wants to know if he can leverage a flight diversion to rack up elite qualifying miles even faster…[pullquote source=“TPG READER CHARLIE”]Are you entitled to additional Premier Qualifying Miles if your flight is diverted, lengthening the total distance of your trip?...

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Much digital ink has been spilled over the forthcoming combined Marriott and SPG loyalty program, including the addition of new co-branded credit cards from American Express and Chase. All of these changes may have overshadowed another significant development: the Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express is getting a makeover.Set for an August reboot, the SPG Business card will soon offer new rewards bonus categories that will place it in competition with other business rewards cards tailored for less travel-intensive spending....