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A Saudi teenager who fled to Thailand to allegedly escape an abusive family rose to international prominence on Monday after she barricaded herself in a hotel room inside the Bangkok airport when Thailand immigration officials threatened to deport her. She is now reportedly “under the care” of the UN refugee agency, according to the BBC.Rahaf Mohammed Mutlaq al-Qunun, 18, had been posting about her ordeal on Twitter, claiming that after she arrived at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) on her way to Australia to seek asylum as a refugee on Saturday, officials from the Saudi embassy met her at the visa counter and confiscated her passport....

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.Put on your eatin’ pants and head to the Big Apple, because American Express has a new Membership Experience offer — the See Your City: Eats Edition....

United put its new carry-on baggage sizing policy into effect yesterday, so we asked TPG Contributor Jason Steele, a Denver-based United flyer, for his take on the policy and its enforcement.Better start measuring your bags! Courtesy of United AirlinesIf you’ve flown on United Airlines recently, you might have noticed that they have deployed new carry-on baggage sizers at all of their gates, and even at many of the check-in areas. This is in conjunction with a new policy that was implemented systemwide on Saturday, March 1....

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.Sir Richard Branson’s space tourism venture, Virgin Galactic, successfully reached space on Friday for the second time.The company launched another sub-orbital test flight of its SpaceShipTwo out of the Mojave Desert Air and Space Port (MHV). SpaceShipTwo, which was launched by its mothership WhiteKnightTwo, reached an altitude of 295,007 feet, or 55....

Update 12/28/2017 1:14pm: ABC News sources confirm our speculation that “The brothers, who have nearly identical names, were able to board the ANA flight together by apparently using a duplicate boarding pass.“In case you missed it, an ANA flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo’s Narita airport (NRT) turned around four hours after departure due to an unauthorized person on-board. Chrissy Teigen hilariously gave the world live updates from the eight-hour flight from LAX to LAX....

TPG Contributor Mitch Berman has lived all his adult life in Manhattan, and his son, TPG Teen Contributor Kofi Lee-Berman, was born there. Here, they share their love of heights and their vertical hometown, with text by Mitch and pictures by both of them. Visit Mitch and Kofi’s photo blog and Kofi’s travel blog for more.As a California kid from a suburb full of ranch houses, when I first looked up at Manhattan, I fell in love....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.‘Tis the season for raising bag fees? Within days of each other, three airlines have all confirmed that they’re raising checked baggage fees — with some fees doubling from what was charged just days ago.Air Canada and WestJet are raising their checked baggage fees from $25 to $30 for the first checked bag and $30 to $50 for the second checked bag....

Air France has announced its first North American route to feature its new Airbus A350. The aircraft will feature its new business class product and will fly daily nonstop to Toronto, beginning Nov. 25, 2019.The aircraft features a new business class product with 34 Zodiac Optima seats in a 1-2-1 lie-flat configuration, similar to United’s Polaris product. This means Air France now has numerous different premium products on different aircraft to North America....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.There is currently a 60,000 point sign-up bonus being offered on the Chase Ink Bold card, which is the highest offer I’ve ever seen on this card. I got the “old” Ink Bold card in November before they changed the new one to have no foreign transaction fees and 5x spend categories. I have two LLCs so I just applied for my other business, but got a “pending review” message....

As the 371 Boeing 737 MAX airplanes in service worldwide are grounded in the wake of two deadly crashes, Boeing is almost certain to face a lengthy legal morass that threatens to lay bare its manufacturing secrets and problem-solving practices.“Ultimately, it’s down to whether Boeing could be sued, and yes, they can be sued,” said S.V. Dedmon, associate professor of the aeronautical science department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and chairman of the aviation-law committee for the Florida Bar Association....

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.Flying Blue, the loyalty program of AirFrance and KLM, is offering members the opportunity to buy or gift miles at a 75% bonus.This promo is valid now through Jan. 14, 2020 and each member is capped at a maximum bonus of 100,000 miles....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Citi is a TPG advertising partnerThe Citi Prestige 4th Night Free benefit is one of the best credit card perks around. Just for booking your stay through the Citi Concierge, you’ll receive the cost of the fourth night of your stay back as a statement credit. For better or worse, in July this credit will change to be based on the average nightly cost and won’t include a credit for taxes....

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.I received our “super-newbie question of the week” from TPG reader Jessica, via Facebook:“I’m interested in getting a credit card for miles and points, but I’m not sure which one to choose. My main question is, how do you use the miles and points? Do they automatically come off your account when you pay, or do you have to call in?...

“This is not just an airport, it is a victory monument,” said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Istanbul’s much-awaited new airport. The quote was found on ads plastered throughout the city in the days leading up to the opening ceremony of the airport, which is being touted as the world’s future largest airport. (TPG News Editor Emily McNutt was on hand for a peek at the airport days before its soft opening on October 29....

For those who have been frustrated by Qantas award availability — especially wondering if there’s ever award space in Qantas’ incredible first class — the Australia-based airline has got a flight for you. On Oct. 21, Qantas is operating an entire flight that was only available using miles, fittingly dubbing it the “Qantas Points Plane.“All 14 first class seats, 64 business class seats, 35 premium economy seats and 371 economy seats on the A380 will only be available using Qantas Points....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG reader Carling writes:“I am looking into buying an annual lounge membership. I mostly fly domestically. Is there an airline that you recommend I purchase lounge access with? Which airline has the best domestic lounges?“Lounge membership is great - not only does it give you a somewhat quiet place to relax in between flights, but the agents staffing clubs can help you out immensely - especially when experiencing weather or other irregular operations....

A major airline has lent its weight to the efforts by points-and-miles collectors to reunite refugee families separated by the federal government’s controversial immigration policies.United Airlines has partnered with Miles4Migrants, a nonprofit organization that started out as a group of Redditors who shared loyalty-program tips and wanted to use their knowledge and saved points to help asylum seekers and refugees. United MileagePlus members can now donate their saved miles to buy flights to bring together migrant families who have been separated....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available – View the current offers here.Earning airline miles using the traditional method (actually flying) is just one way to add to your account balance. While it’s become harder to earn miles from flying, airlines make it relatively easy to accrue miles without flying — whether through top credit card offers or by utilizing shopping portals and dining rewards programs. If these methods leave you short of your travel goals, you can also purchase miles directly from the airline....

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.Getting a free drink in Las Vegas could soon become more difficult than simply parking yourself in front of a slot machine. The Los Angeles Times reports that two casinos have begun a trial that could determine the future of free libations for gamblers....