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 points and miles have helped them get where they want to go. And, while I pick one each week that catches my eye and post it for everybody to enjoy, this week I’m posting two — because of the World Series that ended Wednesday....
Today is “Day 40.”For nearly six weeks, I’ve been isolated in my Manhattan apartment with my wife and our young daughter.When the novel coronavirus first came to America, I naively worried about getting through a 14-day quarantine at home, or day care having to close for two weeks due to some sort of deep cleaning.Then the seriousness settled in. Airlines started canceling large blocks of flights. We launched a special weekly newsletter at TPG just to keep readers abreast of all the changes....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.In my post earlier this week ranking the top American Express travel credit cards, I included the fact that the Gold Delta SkyMiles credit card gives cardholders a $99 annual companion ticket (for L,U,T fares) benefit. However, as of January 25, 2013, this benefit will be discontinued on this particular card.Like several other airline credit cards, the Gold Delta SkyMiles Amex comes with a companion ticket benefit for cardholders....
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.Hilton’s third quarter results are public information as of Wednesday morning, with several noteworthy highlights.The global hotel brand approved 29,200 new rooms for development in Q3, increasing Hilton’s total pipeline to 371,000 rooms – an 11% increase from 2017....
The America-first policy of the Trump administration is hurting US hotels, the CEOs of major hotel companies said Monday.“President Trump is clearly calculated in his interests to be anti-immigration and in effect anti-foreign, and you end up with a voice heard around the world as, ‘It’s harder to get into the US.’ It makes [the US] less welcoming than it was before,” Arne Sorenson, CEO of Marriott International told the crowd at a hotel industry conference....
Today, I want to share a story from TPG reader JP, who tried (and failed) to get some extra room on a long economy flight:I was traveling from Miami (MIA) to Sao Paulo (GRU) on American Airlines in the spring. American normally has two daily nonstop flights along this route, both in the evening on a Boeing 777. Being that it was low season, there were a lot of empty seats....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Late each winter, Austin, Texas is taken over by the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference & Festivals. The 10-day event has become a pop culture phenomenon, attracting sitting presidents, former vice presidents, top celebrities, emerging businesses and even The Points Guy. I’m speaking at SXSW this weekend but didn’t confirm until recently, meaning already sky-high airline and hotel prices had by that time become simply unfathomable....
Sunday brought news that the US Federal Aviation Administration has concerns with more than 300 Boeing 737 aircraft regarding “improper manufacturing” in the aircraft wing. This is because the leading edge slat tracks may have been “improperly manufactured and may not meet all applicable regulatory requirements for strength and durability”, the FAA said in a statement posted to its website.Of the 312 Boeing 737 jets affected, they are made up of the following variants:133 Boeing 737NGs and179 Boeing 737 MAXs....
The future of airline travel was on display in Berlin last month as the travel industry showcased what’s in store for travelers and the ways virtual reality (VR) might entertain passengers by enhancing their flight experience, or easing the discomfort of airline travel.TPG was on hand to glimpse what’s ahead at ITB Berlin, the annual travel industry exhibition that brings together more than 10,000 international exhibitors from all areas of the travel industry and dozens of major airlines....
During the height of the busy spring travel season, Delta Air Lines didn’t involuntarily bump a single passenger.Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian singled out the milestone Thursday during the company’s quarterly earnings call, saying it marked a first for the Atlanta-based carrier.Bumpings, technically “involuntary denied boardings” in aviation parlance, is high on the list of travel nightmares for most passengers. As Delta aims to distinguish itself as a customer-focused airline, the achievement was important enough for Bastian to mention in his opening remarks....
Update 8/27/19: We have a winner! Trudy D. of Kansas City will be headed to Turkey in business class later this year. She’ll be bringing along one of her sons, and hopes to visit Cappadocia as well. Congratulations Trudy!One of the world’s best-reviewed business-class products is about to get a whole lot better — and we’re offering up a chance to fly it for free! In connection with the latest episode of our Miles Away podcast, we’re running one of our most exciting giveaways yet....
As I mentioned in my “Out of Office” message, my year-end vacation this year is a combination of Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, Punta del Este and Buenos Aires. The quickest way to get from Rio to Montevideo was flying Pluna Airlines, the Uruguayan national carrier.I did some research before purchasing on Pluna and every report seemed the be the same “no-frills, but nothing bad” and that’s how I’d sum up my trip....
REGISTER NOWThese are trying times for all of us, but the challenges facing small business owners and leaders are unique and acute. I’ve read dozens upon dozens of small business owner stories over the last couple of months in the TPG Small Business Facebook group and we began writing resources to try and help our small business readers.Today, we’re excited to launch the next phase of our small business community by introducing the TPG Small Biz Sessions....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.American Express loves to engage with its customers on social media, and Amex cardholders can save a lot of money by taking advantage of the company’s ongoing promotions like Sync on Twitter and Like Link Love on Facebook. To take part in these deals, simply connect your Amex card with your Twitter or Facebook account, then follow the American Express Twitter feed or like the Amex Facebook page to see offers....
2 points per dollar for gas and groceries 1 point per dollar on everything else 2 points per dollar on dining 2% back on mobile wallet purchases 1% back everywhere else
The Federal Aviation Administration wants to make it easier to test supersonic commercial airplanes, and has just proposed new rules that would help usher in a new era of faster-than-sound civilian jets. We are nowhere near the point where the successors to Concorde take to the skies, but the new rules would be a necessary step in the right direction.Several private companies want to bring back supersonic commercial jets. If they manage to deliver on schedule, we might be able to cross the Atlantic in three hours again sometime in the mid-2020s, more than two decades after a Concorde landed for the last time, in 2003....
The Transportation Security Administration is in the midst of a crippling furlough, as a result of the current government shutdown. But that hasn’t stopped the agency from trying something new — and, especially in this case, long overdue.The TSA has finally added PreCheck to the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) — where many travelers begin their journey ahead of long-haul flights. It’s a huge boost to eligible flyers, given that regular security lines can be outrageously long during peak periods....
Editor’s note: The team at The Points Guy loves to travel, but now is not the time for unnecessary trips. Our team has temporarily ceased taking review trips and we are not publishing new flight or hotel reviews. While bringing our readers unbiased, detailed reviews of travel experiences is one of our core missions, now is not the time. We all love to travel and know you do too. So, to help keep you entertained — and maybe inspire you — we are publishing a video review that was filmed earlier this year....
Since Delta began flying the Airbus A220 earlier this year, the plane has proved to be quite an upgrade to the passenger experience on many of Delta’s longest and most premium short-haul routes.TPG’s Alberto Riva wrote about the reasons he loves Delta’s A220s and why he now goes out of his way to fly on them over Delta’s other short-haul aircraft. With a much more spacious cabin than the regional jets it’s replacing, the widest economy seats in Delta’s fleet, spacious fold-down overhead bins on both sides, and a high-resolution, responsive entertainment system, it’s easy to see why he was impressed with the new airplane’s interior....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.When redeeming miles for an award ticket, you usually have the chance to pick your seat during the booking process. Granted, we’ve started to see that perk go away with the rise of budget carriers and basic economy fares.British Airways has been one of the more restrictive airlines when it comes to the seat selection process. You have to be either a first-class passenger, traveling on a flexible ticket, have Oneworld Emerald or Sapphire status or British Airways Executive Club elite status to choose your seat for free....
