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Today, TPG Senior Points & Miles Correspondent Jason Steele looks at loyalty account security and offers some tips for keeping your travel rewards where they belong.We spend a lot of time discussing how to earn points and miles, as well as how to spend them. However, we don’t often discuss the importance of protecting them. After the numerous security breaches of airline and hotel loyalty programs that have taken place, I thought it would be a good occasion to discuss some new account security procedures that are being implemented, as well as how vulnerable your loyalty accounts are, and what you can do to keep them secure....

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. Each week I pick one that catches my eye and post it for everybody to enjoy. If you’re interested in sharing your own award travel success story, email it to info@thepointsguy....

I’m a traveler and extrovert at heart and at the start of lockdown, I was apprehensive about having to endure months of not being able to do some of the things I love most.Sign up for TPG’s new weekly newsletter written by Brian Kelly.However, it ended up being a good thing for me: I was able to focus on important things in life like my personal health and well-being as well as spend more time with my family who I got to quarantine with....

While I’ve had the opportunity to experience Lufthansa first class on several of the carrier’s long-haul planes — as recently as earlier this year, on the Airbus A340-600 — I have yet to try the carrier’s top cabin on the superjumbo A380. And, as reported by Bloomberg, I may never get the chance.Lufthansa initially made the decision to ground its fleet of 14 Airbus A380s as coronavirus began its global spread in early March, and now, according to an airline spokesperson, the double-decker planes will remain on the ground through all of 2021, as well....

On Tuesday, March 31, Marriott International disclosed that it suffered a data breach that likely affected more than 5 million guests.According to a press release from Marriott, the breach began in mid-January 2020 and was discovered at the end of February 2020. Per the results of the company’s investigation, compromised data includes contact details (name, phone number, email address, mailing address); loyalty account information (passwords were not affected); additional personal details (birth date, gender, company); partnerships and affiliations (linked airline accounts and frequent flyer numbers) and preferences (language and room preferences)....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Marriott Rewards Premier Credit CardThis is part of my series on using points for premium rooms and suites. Other posts include: Maximizing Starwood Points for Rooms and Suite Upgrades, and Maximizing Hilton HHonors Premium Room Rewards and Room Upgrade Rewards.With the current 50,000-point sign-up bonus after $1,000 spent in the first 3 months for the Marriott Premier Rewards Credit Card, I thought I’d go through some of the Marriott hotel redemption opportunities that aren’t just for standard free-night redemptions, but for premium room and suite upgrades instead....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.2018 is the year of the Max. Aviation enthusiasts are probably most familiar with Boeing’s latest 737, which airlines are adding to their fleets at a growing rate. There’s a more mainstream Max taking off, too, though.It’s the latest smartphone addition to Apple’s iPhone lineup — a Max variant of the new iPhone XS. It’s a larger version of the company’s popular iPhone X, hence the name, and I’m especially excited about one feature in particular....

“What do you know about vintage planes?,” TPG’s Scott Mayerowitz asked me. I figured a pop quiz was on the way. “Well, I crossed the Atlantic on a Wamos Air 747 and learned to fly in a tiny single-engine Cessna from the 70s. Does that count?,” I wondered. As it turns out, only the latter helped prepare me for what I was about to find sitting in the scorching Arizona desert — and even then, only a bit....

Before the world went crazy a few weeks ago, I ventured out on a trip with my mom to Nicaragua to review Calala Island, the private island resort bookable with World of Hyatt points. While my stay went smoothly, the same cannot be said of my journey home. Why? Because although it had been perfectly simple to fly into Managua Airport, by the time we tried to leave, governments around the world had begun closing their borders entirely....

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.Priority Pass no longer has a presence at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA).A TPG reader submitted the tip, stating that he had specifically booked a trip out of LGA in order to utilize Air Canada’s Maple Leaf Lounge on Level 3 of Concourse A....

Tourists know a thing or two about bugging European city officials.Rome is following Venice’s lead by announcing Wednesday the city will be cracking down on disruptive tourism with fines and potential bans. The city council issued new laws that will prevent people from dressing up as centurion soldiers from the army of Ancient Rome and posing for photos with tourists on the street. Violators could be fined up to 400 euros if they’re caught, according to CNN....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Silvercar has been popping up in more and more locations, seemingly overnight. Following its $28 million investment earlier this year, the company shared news that it was going to continue expanding its markets, which now includes two new locations in the NYC area: Brooklyn (available as of today at McCarren Hotel & Pool) and Newark Airport (launching May 9)....

Close your eyes for a moment and think about a vegetable farm. What comes to mind? Lush, verdant fields? Acres and acres of crops gently swaying in a damp summer breeze?Probably.How about a former steel mill on a potholed road in Newark, New Jersey?Unlikely.But maybe it should come to mind, especially if you’re traveling on Singapore Airlines’ nonstop service from Newark (EWR) to Singapore (SIN).If you’re sitting in business class on that flight, the greens in your salad will be grown locally and harvested within days — in some cases hours — of your flight....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Aspirational travelers typically don’t spend much time on Tahiti. Rather, Tahiti is an unavoidable necessity when commuting to one’s actual destination: one of the picturesque islands or motus that have made French Polynesia famous.That said, it’s worth soaking in as much culture as possible if you’re only spending a night in Papeete, and if you’re willing to shell out, that one night can be just as memorable as your stays on Bora Bora or Moorea....

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.South African Airways showed off stunning airmanship skills on Saturday in a flyover demonstration for the presidential inauguration in South Africa. Two of the airline’s A340s flew in formation along with fighter jets from the South African Air Force, proving that airliners are capable of spectacular performance passengers never see....

The Points & Miles Backpacker is a weekly column appearing every Monday. TPG Contributor Brian Biros, who has backpacked the globe for the past 15 years, discusses how to fund this adventurous, budgeted and increasingly popular form of travel with points and miles. He’ll also explore all things backpacking-related. Read his story here and his high-level approach here.I didn’t think I was a millennial. I thought I was old enough to scoff, with the boomers and the Gen X-ers, at those entitled youngsters glued to their smartphones....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – The Blue for Business Credit Card from American Express, Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite MastercardWere you busy traveling to exciting locations yesterday (on points or miles, of course)? Never fear — we’ve got your back with a recap of the previous day’s top stories, including news, reviews and more.How To Search for Oneworld Award AvailabilityOneworld isn’t the biggest alliance, but it does have some major carriers with extensive global route networks....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.In the rush of the holidays and a last minute trip to Ireland and Scotland I took, I forgot to actually publish this post that I wrote a couple weeks ago, but the deal is good until December 31, 2012, so I figured it was still worth getting out there!Although some other airlines like Delta and US Airways have offered customers elite-qualifying miles for joining or renewing membership in their airline lounges lately, Alaska Airlines is offering a bonus of just regular old redeemable miles for new members of its Board Room lounge program....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.An act of kindness at LAX means Arizona Cardinals tight end Jermaine Gresham can add philanthropist to his highlight reel. When Arizona State University graduate Delilah Cassidy’s credit card wouldn’t make the transaction to pay for her luggage on an American Airlines flight out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Gresham stepped in to pay the $50 fee....

If you’re a premium cabin patron, All Nippon Airways (ANA) wants to make sure you get exactly what you want for dinner.Just in case you’re confused by your new options, ANA included this whimsical little graphic to help you out.Starting March 1, all business class travelers will be able to choose their own meals via the ANA website up to 24 hours before departure time (the foodies amongst us will enjoy drooling over this link with more details)....