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Today I want to share a story from TPG reader Kevin, who attended a lucrative timeshare presentation in Lake Tahoe:In November, I booked a two-bedroom villa at Marriott’s Timber Lodge in South Lake Tahoe for me, my wife, my mom and her boyfriend for a ski trip. The Timber Lodge is part of Marriott’s Vacation Club brand, more commonly known as their timeshare properties. It being a timeshare, I knew someone would try to sell us on buying in at some point during the stay....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Today I want to share a story from TPG reader Stephanie, who sought a second opinion after her flight was canceled:I was traveling from New York to Charleston for a bachelorette party, booked on a non-stop flight from New York-LaGuardia (LGA) to Charleston (CHS) at 9:40 am. I planned to leave my apartment around 6:45 am to beat traffic and spend time in the Centurion Lounge (thanks to being an authorized user on my grandfather’s Platinum Card® from American Express)....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Citi is a TPG advertising partnerToday, TPG Senior Points & Miles Correspondent Jason Steele explores one of the most intriguing benefits on the new and improved Citi Prestige to see how much value it offers cardholders.Citi is attempting to capture the market for premium credit cards with its recently upgraded Citi Prestige Card, and to get the attention of new applicants, it’s currently offering a sign-up bonus of 50,000 ThankYou points after spending $3,000 within the first three months after account opening....

John Travolta by any measure is an AvGeek: A collector of not only aviation memorabilia but also actual aircraft as well. His private fleet has included multiple Gulfstream aircraft, an Eclipse 500 very light jet, and his most well known aircraft, a former Qantas Boeing 707. That plane is now headed back to Australia, where it will be maintained and put on display with the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS), according to an ABC report....

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.There’s little that brings more peace of mind to a parent who’s driving his or her baby around than knowing that the wee one is safe and sound in their car seat (preferably, sleeping).That’s why Cybex introduced the Sirona M SensorSafe 2....

A Syrian refugee who was stranded in a Malaysian airport for more than seven months made it to his final destination of Canada on Monday.Hassan al-Kontar had been stuck in the Kuala Lumpur airport since March. Kontar originally left Syria to avoid compulsory military service and refused to return after the nation’s civil war ignited in 2011. He became stranded in the Malaysian airport months ago while trying to seek asylum (he overstayed his visa), and he could not leave the airport or go to a different country due to travel restrictions placed on Syrian citizens....

Each week in his column “The Critical Points,” TPG Loyalty and Engagement Editor Richard Kerr presents his opinion on a loyalty program, card product or recent news that he believes is overlooked, unsung or the result of groupthink taking mass opinion in a direction with which he doesn’t agree. His goal is not necessarily to convince you to agree with his position but rather to induce critical thought for each of the topics and positions he covers....

Leaving paradise can be painful. You’ve been sitting on the beach for days, soaking in the sun and slurping a few too many daiquiris or pina coladas. Then your phone buzzes: It’s time to check in for that flight home.Thankfully, vacationers waiting to fly out of Turks and Caicos can get in one last bit of fun at the airport via its awesome observation deck – with (bonus!) a bar.https://www.instagram.com/p/BtMAws-ADR1/On the second floor of Providenciales International Airport is one of the best observation platforms I’ve ever visited....

Flights with all-female crews aren’t that unusual anymore. It happens at Emirates, it happens at Air India, it happens at Southwest, and at many other airlines.But it can still make news, for example when a jetliner staffed by all women goes on a special flight to the biggest airshow in the world. That’s what happened on Wednesday, when United sent a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner staffed by women only from Chicago (ORD) to the EAA AirVenture air show in Oshkosh (OSH), as a symbol of the company’s support of women in aviation....

It’s time to break out that picnic blanket and set your alarm for an absolutely ungodly hour, because on Monday evening, you can watch the Lyrid meteor shower from your backyard.The shower, which started on April 16 and will end on April 25, will be at its most brilliant when it peaks late in the evening on April 22 and continues into the early morning hours of April 23. It will be visible all across North America....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Club Carlson’s “Big Night” promotion is back and this time not only can you earn bonuses staying at hotels worldwide, but you can actually stack three separate promotions into one and earn up to 138,000 bonus Gold Points. Here’s how.The PromotionFirst, let’s talk about the “Big Night” promotion—or rather, all three stackable “Big Night” promotions. You have to register separately for each promotion on its individual page and complete a stay starting on or after May 15 and checking out on or before July 15 to qualify....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Here’s a roundup of the week’s points, miles and travel industry news you may have missed:Boost your AAdvantage account when you rent with Avis and Budget.Earn AAdvantage Miles for Avis and Budget Car RentalsAAdvantage members can earn at least 500 miles per qualifying rental with Avis and Budget. You can also earn an extra 250 miles per rental if you have a co-branded Citi AAdvantage or Barclaycard AAdvantage Aviator card....

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. In this case, however, you’ll need to search through Google and book on Norwegian’s site....

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....

The safety of the Dominican Republic for tourists has been called into question following a spate of alarming headlines reporting sudden tourist deaths, illnesses and accidents.At least 10 American tourists have died during or recently after traveling to the Caribbean destination this year, according to CNN. It’s enough to make any traveler nervous, especially after the Cancún resort scare in 2018.Two travelers from the US died shortly after staying at the all-inclusive Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana....

The Dubai International Hotel, located at Terminal 3 inside Dubai International Airport (DXB), is offering those with early flights a new option to help make traveling a little bit easier. The hotel’s new “Wake Up at the Gate” package lets travelers, including families of up to four, check into the airport and clear security the night before an early departure, which means waking up and going straight to the gate in the morning....

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.Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – The Hyatt Credit CardStarting today, Hyatt Gold Passport is offering cardholders of the Hyatt Credit Card the chance to receive 10% of their redeemed points back on award or Points + Cash stays through October 31, 2016....

Wednesday morning, we published our fourth annual report on the best and worst airports in the US. For this report, we compared the 50 busiest airports in the nation, considering 35 different factors to generate our scores, such as airport amenities, on-time records, location, reader feedback and the experiences of TPG staff. It’s factors like these that landed San Diego International Airport (SAN) the top spot on our list and Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) at the bottom....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.American Express is now offering a fairly lucrative bonus (at least, compared to past offers) of 60,000 points for its Hilton Honors Surpass card.The Past OfferI wrote about the Hilton Honors Surpass card in a Sunday Reader post from this summer. At the time, the card offered a bonus of 40,000 points after the first purchase, and 2,500 bonus points for each of your first eight eligible stays at Hilton when the stay was paid for with the Surpass card within the first 18 months of membership....