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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Even if you don’t consider yourself particularly travel savvy, you probably know plane tickets and hotels over New Year’s Eve (and the holidays in general) can be outrageously expensive. And if you’re a points and miles aficionado, you know award space for flights and hotel nights over New Year’s Eve is difficult — to put it mildly. Here are a few destinations that still have award space available, meaning that yes, that blowout New Year’s Eve can still be had....

Editor’s note: This post has been updated with new information.The way FICO scores are calculated is changing pretty dramatically, and it could lower your credit score.Fair Isaac Corporation — more commonly known as FICO — announced it will score consumers more harshly based on their debt levels and loan payments starting this summer. The purpose of this change is for FICO to be able to more accurately calculate the risk of a consumer to lenders....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Being the international travelers we are, when Chase started letting Sapphire Preferred cardholders request EMV SmartChip versions of the card, all of Team TPG called in to request their new cards with chips and yesterday evening, TPG Managing Editor Eric Rosen got his via UPS, so I asked him to share a picture of his snazzy new card....

One of the most important things an airline can do is to stay on time and on schedule. Not only to keep its customers happy, but also for the sake of its own bottom line. Running an efficient operation means a carrier doesn’t incur costs for delayed flights or mechanical issues.Every year, OAG releases its annual report of the airlines and airports that stick to their schedules the best. It’s just released the Punctuality League Report for 2019, and a modest Latin American Airline has dethroned airBaltic, which took the top spot last year....

American, Delta and United all offer million miler benefits, but United’s are arguably the most generous, with 1,000,000 miles earning you mid-tier Gold status for life, rather than the entry-level status you’ll get from AA and Delta. Since it’s unusual for one airline to offer more generous perks to its elite members than a competitor does, there’s been a rumor circulating that United was planning to introduce changes to its own million miler program....

As cruising regulars know, there’s no shortage of places to grab a beer on a Carnival Cruise Line ship. The self-described “Fun Ship” line has so many bars on its vessels that at times, they’re nearly touching each other.But for those of you who just can’t stand to lose a minute in the sun, there’s now a new app-based service on the line’s ships that will let you order a brew right to, well, wherever it is you happen to be standing (or lounging)....

Crystal Cruises is finally making the dream of chartering a private Boeing 777-200LR jet come true. Best known for ultra-luxe cruises, the company took to the skies with the launch of the Crystal Skye — the largest privately-owned tour jet in the world — on Sunday, August 13, when the plane was christened in Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport (LAS).The opulent, decked-out airplane can shuttle up to 88 guests to far-flung locales (for about $55,000 an hour) in such luxury that could make some first-class passengers on a traditional commercial flight envious....

Air Canada switched to a new reservation system back in November. As we’ve been reporting, it hasn’t gone well. Unfortunately, while a technical update is complete, booking issues remain rife between Air Canada and Aeroplan, the operator that handles the airline’s award bookings.Customers using Aeroplan who are trying to book award tickets, make seat changes or otherwise alter their reservations are still having trouble. Perhaps worse, Aeroplan’s phone systems appear to be completely overwhelmed....

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 Paris using points and miles.The City of Light is a destination near and dear to the hearts of travelers all over the world. But it’s no secret that a visit to the French capital can also cost a pretty penny....

Of the many seemingly unfair practices that seem to haunt the airline industry — from high fuel surcharges to United’s new policy of making passengers pay to use the overhead bin space above their seats — the most perplexing one of all may just be the rampant practice of overbooking.According to the Daily Mail, approximately 50,000 ticketed passengers are bumped off their flights in a given year due to the airline industry’s nasty habit of selling more seats than the plane has....

El Al Israel Airlines is gearing up to retire the last of its Boeing 747s. In the airline’s schedule update, the flag carrier of Israel detailed plans to retire the last of its 747s in early November.As reported by RoutesOnline, the final El Al 747 is scheduled to operate between Rome (FCO) and Tel Aviv (TLV). The outbound TLV-FCO leg will depart on Nov. 1, before returning to TLV — and retiring — on Nov....

Avianca’s LifeMiles program has some hidden gems, such as reasonably priced international premium-cabin awards. It’s just added a discounted redemption option for short-haul awards in the US, potentially making it even more valuable.With the new option, you’ll be able to fly domestically on short-haul routes for as few as 7,500 miles one-way. In economy, you can fly one-way between the US1 and US3 regions (i.e., New York to California) for 12,500 miles one-way....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.This year, the Pacific Northwest’s beautiful spring weather called for an impromptu weekend road trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, from my home base in Seattle. Having stayed at the Sheraton Wall Centre in the past, I decided to check out another Starwood property in the city, The Westin Grand, for this one-night stay.BookingI used a corporate rate via the SPG mobile app to book the hotel about 12 hours before we planned on checking in....

It’s no secret that the coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc across many industries in 2020. Travel and tourism took a major hit, and so did the credit card industry. It was like overnight, the perks and benefits that cardholders used on a regular basis were no longer valuable in the short-term. Spending habits changed, vacations were canceled and work travel decreased for many, as work-from-home became the norm.And as credit card issuers struggled to keep up with changing travel plans, insurance claims, a declining economy, and the risk of cardholders not being able to pay bills because of layoffs and other financial burdens, consumers have felt the affects through longer phone wait times, stricter approval requirements, cut credit limits and more....

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 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. Remember: Fares may disappear quickly, so book right away and take advantage of Orbitz’s courtesy cancellation if you’re unable to travel....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Per the Flight Deal, US Airways is offering some great deals on flights to Europe right including to Dublin, Madrid, Venice, Barcelona and Brussels to name a few. These fares will not last long, so if you are interested book now and remember US Airways offers a risk free 24 hour cancellation policy if you needed to cancel....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Update: Unfortunately a small number of flights will be operated by an A380 that does not offer Premium Economy. These dates will still be available to reserve, but you’ll be booked into the regular economy cabin (“Y” class) rather than Premium Economy (“P”). Be careful to note your cabin and booking class before ticketing.The airline has confirmed that the below dates do NOT have Premium Economy available....

Boeing’s newest long-haul aircraft is tantalizingly close to shuttling passengers around the globe. So far, 340 orders and commitments for the 777X are inked from an array of carriers, including All Nippon Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines. Now, for the first time, Boeing is giving us a glimpse at what the plane’s interior could feel like.Boeing 777X business class cabinBesides a “spacious, wider cabin” and a smoother overall ride, Boeing promises that the 777X will deliver “more comfortable cabin air, better temperature and sound quality and new lighting....

On today’s episode of Talking Points, host Brian Kelly, The Points Guy, brings on the CEO and founder of Scott’s Cheap Flights, Scott Keyes. Keyes tells TPG why and how he started his company, shares some of the best mistake fares he’s ever booked and explains ways outside of Google Flights to find cheap airfare.More From This Episode:How to Use Google Flights to Find Your Next Award TripLufthansa Wins Lawsuit Against Travel Site for Publishing ‘Error Fares’Guide to Canceled Mistake FaresSubscribe, rate and review Talking Points wherever you get your podcasts....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.I didn’t think I had that much beer and sake the night before, but the mixture of jetlag and the overall weird sleep schedule had me waking up Wednesday morning feeling pretty hellish. Although my friend had given me secret anti-hangover pills, they just weren’t cutting it and I wanted to sleep all day. This is a shame, because I woke up to an email from Delta notifying me that my 3:15pm departure was now 6:50pm, which would normally mean that I would have had an entire half day exploring Tokyo....