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One of the best things about travel rewards is that when you’re not paying for flights and hotels, it frees up more cash to spend on the things that really matter to you in life. At the age of 23, I straddle the divide between the Millennial generation and Gen Z, which tells you right away that nothing is more important to me than my dog.In fact, my two-year-old corgi Watson (named after Watson’s Bay in Sydney and Watson & Crick, not Sherlock) is so important to me that earlier this month I purchased the most expensive plane ticket of my life to get him out of China....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite MastercardMost American Airlines flyers that I talk to are nervous that the merger with US Airways will bring about almost all negative changes. I have to say that they aren’t off to a great start. With US Airways management now mostly at the helm, we’ve seen a string of negative changes, including the nixing of bereavement fares, increase in Choice fares and overnight devaluations in AAdvantage....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.2013 has been a great year for credit card sign-up bonuses. Not only have we seen some of the same promotions return like the current Starwood Preferred Guest Amex but a bunch of new cards have entered the market. Best of all, many of the most lucrative cards also come with the first year annual fee waived, making them a no-brainer- at least for the first year....

As someone who usually flies 250,000+ miles and hasn’t been on plane since March 1 due to coronavirus, these last two months being grounded have me itching to get back in the air, just like everyone else here at TPG.Want more travel news and advice from TPG? Sign up for our daily newsletter.https://www.instagram.com/p/CAJzXhSp8G_/While I’m using this time to continue to rack up points and miles for and plan my next trip, I’ve also been thinking about the little things — even the usually annoying things!...

Editor’s note: This Q&A with Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly was originally published earlier this week. Subscribers to TPG’s new Aviation newsletter got an exclusive first look on Wednesday. Sign up for the newsletter so you can be first to see future interviews that debut in the newsletter.Like all U.S. carriers, Southwest Airlines finds itself in uncharted territory as it tries to navigate the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.Travel is down, and business travel has been hit especially hard....

Two passengers on an American Airlines flight from San Luis Potosi, Mexico (SLP) en route to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) were taken to the hospital with not life threatening injuries after severe turbulence struck the aircraft, forcing it to divert to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS).American Airlines Flight 5781 departed from San Luis Potosi (SLP) at 2:25pm local time bound for American’s hub in Dallas. The aircraft, a Bombardier CRJ-900 operated by American’s regional affiliate Mesa Airlines, navigated around the strongest storms, resulting in a rather lengthy route....

Last week, the City Council of Venice approved new regulations with the intent of keeping the city clean and orderly. According to the Local, “visitors caught snacking, sunbathing or taking a dip in Venice’s canals risk being kicked out of the city and banned from returning, under the latest rules aimed at reigning in disruptive tourists.“In recent months, the city has taken several measures to crack down on disorderly and disruptive behavior as well as overtourism more generally....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG reader Lindsey is thinking about switching hotel loyalty programs and writes in:“I’ve been a Hilton Honors Gold member for a number of years and am looking to change it up and get in with a new rewards program. I’ve heard some great things about Starwood Preferred Guest and I like their contemporary collection of hotels. I travel on business 15-20 times a year (usually one-night stays) and like the ease of which I can earn points through Hilton HHonors, especially with my Hilton Honors Card from American Express....

35 years ago today, Sir Richard Branson marked the first flight of his new airline. Now 35 years later, while other airlines have come and gone, Virgin Atlantic is still flying high.The airline this week got to show off its newest addition to the fleet; a brand new Airbus A350-1000 named Mama Mia — which is quite a birthday present. This is the first of 12 A350s slated to be added to the airlines growing fleet of planes....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG reader Daniel tweeted me to ask about finding a hotel in Jerusalem:@thepointsguy – “Do you have any rewards hotel recommendations in Jerusalem? I can only see Waldorf/Hilton and Crowne/IHG.“I’ve never been to Israel, but I really would like to visit in the future. There are plenty of options in Tel Aviv, but your options are limited when it comes to rewards hotels in Jerusalem....

Now is your chance to live that Beyoncé and Jay-Z lifestyle you’ve always dreamed of.To celebrate the 30th anniversary of its iconic pyramid-shaped atrium, the Musée du Louvre has teamed up with Airbnb to offer one person (and a guest) the chance to stay the night at the home of the Mona Lisa.As one would expect, the stay won’t be like your average night at an Airbnb. The Louvre is offering up some once-in-a-lifetime experiences for the lucky winner, including a VIP tour, free gourmet food and exclusive views of some of the world’s most famous art exhibits....

Air France-KLM has committed to ordering up to 60 Airbus A220-300s, as part of a larger fleet shakeup that will also see its Airbus A380s disappear over the next three years.The memorandum of understanding with Airbus covers 30 firm A220-300s plus 30 options with deliveries from Sept. 2021, Air France-KLM said on Tuesday. The aircraft will replace aging Airbus A318 and A319s in the Air France fleet.Air France has ordered up to 60 A220-300s....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.One of Chase’s best deals last year was the 25,000 mile sign-up bonus on Personal and Business checking accounts. All you had to do was either utilize direct deposits or use your check cards 5 times a month to avoid fees.No longer. You now need to have one of the following to avoid monthly fees:Chase Premier Checking (what most Continental debit card checking accounts were opened as):Maintain an average daily balance of $15,000 or more in linked deposits7/investments, otherwise a $25 monthly Service FeeHowever it looks like you can downgrade to a: Chase Total Checking account which has no fees if you:Have a monthly direct deposit of $500 or moreOR, maintain a $1,500 minimum daily balanceOR, maintain an average daily balance of $5,000 or more in linked deposits/investmentsOtherwise, a $12 Monthly Service Fee applies ($10 in CA/WA/OR)....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Chase recently announced upcoming changes to benefits for the Sapphire Preferred card, including the demise of the 7% annual points dividend and the addition of primary auto rental insurance. Chase has now released a complete list of the upcoming changes, and while they aren’t as newsworthy as last week’s changes, they aren’t great.Changes to Ultimate Rewards Portal EarningChase will also discontinue the extra 1x bonus point offered for travel charges when using the Ultimate Rewards shopping portal, but once again gives a long grace period with that not going into effect until January 1, 2016....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.When the Chase Sapphire Reserve burst onto the scene just over a year ago, the credit card industry — and all of us points and miles junkies — were taken by storm. Not only did the card offer an outstanding 100,000-point sign-up bonus, but the earning potential on the card is also fantastic. If you’re even a little like me, you’re traveling....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.If you’re a Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholder, you may be targeted to earn a special bonus-point offer if you meet specific qualifications.TPG reader Daniel L. sent us a copy of the offer he received from Chase. According to the offer, if you upgrade your checking or personal savings account to a Chase Private Client account and deposit $100,000 in your new account within 10 business days, you’ll get 50,000 bonus Ultimate Rewards points....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.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. However, if you’re using The Platinum Card® from American Express, you’ll need to book directly with the airline or through the Amex Travel portal to get 5x MR points....

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.Delta has launched another award sale — this time, from US cities to Australia with round-trip economy awards starting at 80,000 SkyMiles. While it’s not the first time Delta has offered Australian awards as part of a flash sale — and it probably won’t be the last — these are great redemptions that could be worth taking advantage of....

For the first time since becoming one unified program with the former Starwood Preferred Guest, Marriott has launched a new promotion.The program’s MegaBonus promotion is the first-ever for 29 brands across the Marriott, SPG and Ritz-Carlton portfolio. With the new promo, you can earn up to 3,000 bonus Marriott Rewards points per stay. The bonus earning breaks down as such: You’ll get 2,000 bonus points on all stays of two nights or more, plus an additional 1,000 bonus points per brand, starting with your second brand....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.When a great deal on a business-class ticket pops up — especially on airlines I haven’t tried before — it’s hard for me to resist booking it. Although I’d flown at least 55 airlines up to this point, Colombian flag carrier Avianca wasn’t one of them. So, I jumped on the opportunity to book a NYC-Colombia mini-tour flying business class on Avianca’s Airbus aircraft in ascending numerical order: A319 (JFK-MDE), A320 (MDE-CTG), A321 (CTG-BOG) and A330 (BOG-JFK)....