Posts

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG reader Jonathan tweeted me with this question:@thepointsguy — “With the recent changes to the Amex Premier Rewards Gold, is it worth switching from my Amex Platinum?“The recent changes to the American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card have been good, despite the $20 increase in annual fee which is now a $0 Intro Annual Fee for the 1st year, then $195....

On the heels of an extension of 737 MAX cancellations just last week, Southwest announced in a memo on Friday that it will be extending those cancellations even further into the calendar from late April into May, according to USA Today.In the memo, which was sent to the airline’s pilots by Southwest Pilots Association President Jon Weaks and Southwest Vice President of Flight Operations Alan Kasher, the airline said that with the extension, it can build its MAX-less schedule “well in advance in hopes to minimize the daily disruptions....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Citi Prestige Card, Cit Premier CardEach Saturday, we round up news stories that you may have missed from the week before, including several that already appeared on The Points Guy, and some more that we haven’t covered yet. If you’re an avid TPG reader, scroll down for the new stuff. Here’s the top miles, points and travel news you may have missed this week....

Since it first opened, I’ve had my eyes set on visiting the new Four Seasons Hotel in Philadephia.Having gone to college in Philly, I watched as the Comcast Technology Center sprouted from the ground. At a cost of $1.5 billion, this 60-story mixed-use tower in Center City is the tallest in Philly — and houses the new Four Seasons hotel on its top floors.Though I’m now based in NYC, I still have a soft spot for Philly....

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.You can find just about anything you could ever want in New York City. But when you go beyond the $1 pizza slices and skip the tourist hotspots, you can discover cultures, languages, food and shops that will make you ask yourself, “Is this New York?...

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.With all the recent miles and points devaluations - ranging from hotel chains like Hyatt and Hilton to airlines including both United and Delta (twice!) - you might think your points won’t get you anywhere these days. But while the current state of points and miles is frustrating at times, with a few smart strategies in place, you can boost your points earning and accrue all the ones you need to get where you want to go....

Flying first class is becoming a relic of bygone days as more and more airlines eliminate their highest-tier product offerings. While business class has improved, in many ways as a result of the elimination, it’s rare to find true first class these days, either domestically or abroad.American Airlines stands out as the sole domestic airline that still offers a true first-class product. And thanks to a 2017 reboot of its Flagship First program, its premium-class product — including the existing Flagship lounges in New York (JFK), Chicago (ORD), Miami (MIA) and Los Angeles (LAX) — is a delight....

Everyone who’s flown on an airplane in recent years knows that if you’re in coach, you’re likely not going to be enjoying the flying experience.And in a world full of devaluations and passenger experience cuts that are explained by “we’re just responding to customer requests” — we heard a surprisingly candid and honest response from United CEO Oscar Munoz that appears to acknowledge that the flying experience has become more stressful and uncomfortable....

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....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.There’s no doubt that Southwest’s Companion Pass is one of the most well known and lucrative airline perks in the industry. We’ve been talking up the advantages of the Companion Pass for years now and the different ways in which you can qualify.For those not familiar, the perk allows the Companion Pass holder to select a friend or family member and add them to any reservation — either a revenue or award ticket — for the small cost of the government imposed taxes and fees....

What’s worse than one overnight flight delay? Two. That’s the living nightmare more than 200 British Airways passengers heading to London Gatwick (LGW) endured when they were stranded in Orlando (MCO) and New York City (JFK) for almost three days.The series of unfortunate events started on Thursday, Nov. 1, when BA Flight 2036 (which was flying from Orlando to Gatwick) was canceled after experiencing mechanical difficulties. Passengers were already aboard the aircraft for several hours when the decision to nix the flight entirely was made....

Flying Blue is the combined loyalty program of Air France, KLM and a smattering of smaller airlines. Although there’s still value to be found in the program, it’s currently profoundly illogical after a change to the program that went into place at the beginning of June 2018. One thing that’s remained: solid mileage deals through the program’s Promo Rewards monthly promotion.Through this promotion, you can fly from Seattle to Europe from 21,500 miles round-trip or Boston, Chicago, Houston or Washington, DC to Europe from 32,200 miles round-trip....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Recently, TPG Contributor Nicholas du Pont visited the city of Tbilisi, capital of Georgia (the country, not the state) where he was pleasantly surprised by the food, wine and gracious hospitality. Here, he shares his top-five things to experience in Tbilisi, should you decide to make your own trek to the heart of the Caucus Mountains. (Images by the author unless otherwise specified....

Today I want to share a story from TPG reader Garrett, who took a few extra flights to improve his Medallion benefits:About a year ago, I accepted a new job that shifted me from never traveling for work to possibly having to travel every week. As a kid, my dad instilled in me a loyalty to Delta that has never wavered, and since my base of Orlando (MCO) isn’t a hub for any major airline, Delta was going to be my choice....

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.In 2011, All Nippon Airways became the first airline to introduce the innovative Boeing 787 Dreamliner to customers around the world. TPG himself listed the airline’s Vancouver to Tokyo (HND) route among the top-10 Dreamliner routes he wants to fly, last year ANA added new liveries to its fleet with a series of pop culture-inspired paint jobs and All Nippon is now one of the largest Dreamliner operators....

For most travelers, the mere thought of anyone lighting up a cigarette in flight likely seems foreign and dated. For US travelers, it has been nearly 20 years since smoking was banned on all flights. For UK flyers, smoking was banned in 1998.However, in China, where nearly 50% of the population smokes cigarettes regularly, the rules are a little different. While China banned in-flight smoking in the late 1990s, pilots had been exempt from such laws....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.The Citi ThankYou Preferred card just increased their bonus offer to 30,000 bonus ThankYou Points. You’ll earn 10,000 bonus points after $1,500 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening, plus another 20,000 points after an additional $3,000 in purchases within the next 6 months - so your total spending is $4,500 in 9 months. Previously this bonus was 20,000 points when you spent $1,500 within 3 months, so with this offer, you can earn an additional 50% bonus of 10,000 points if you can manage the extra $3,000 in 6 months....

When dressing before a trip to the airport, most of us probably don’t think twice about our apparel choices. Everyone has their own sense of style that broadcasts a bit about who we are. It may not dawn on us that what we think looks great could actually get us kicked off a flight or out of an airport lounge. But, it happens from time to time.Here’s a look at the clothing that may have a gate agent or flight attendant barring you from travel or a receptionist rejecting your entry to an airport lounge....

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....

This week, United Airlines reached a major milestone, with its new(ish) Polaris business-class seats now available on 100 wide-body planes. As it turns out, Delta’s celebrating a similar accomplishment — all of the carrier’s Boeing 777s now sport the airline’s Delta One Suites, complete with a sliding door at every seat.Now, business-class passengers traveling on Delta’s 10 777-200LRs or eight 777-200ERs won’t have to wonder about what they’ll find onboard — just like on the Airbus A350 and A330-900neo, the carrier’s entire 777 fleet offers a consistent onboard experience, with a total of 28 closed-door suites, 48 Premium Select recliners, 90 seats in Comfort+ and 122 in coach, with the latter two products arranged in a spacious 3-3-3 configuration....