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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Considering how much time I spend in airports, you might assume I like to experience the energy of the terminal — passengers hustling to their gates, mobility cart drivers and their verbal “beep beeps,” the constant robotic voice announcing departing flights and unattended bag warnings. Yeah… no thanks.My goal is to escape the chaos — fortunately, credit cards and airlines alike are making it easier than ever to do just that....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG reader Hussain sent me a message on Facebook to ask about sign-up bonuses:“I have the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, and I’m interested in also getting the Chase Freedom card. Would you recommend applying for the current $150 promotion, or waiting to see if the $200 bonus returns?“Credit card sign-up bonuses are a great way to boost your loyalty accounts, since you can collect large numbers of points or miles in a short time....

In case you missed it, here’s a link to our take on the best seats on British Airways in First Class. BA premium-class seats have become especially attractive with the recent introduction of a 30% bonus when transfering Chase Ultimate Rewards to the British Airways Executive Club. While BA’s long-haul biz class, called Club World, is in a dated seat configuration, it can still be quite an experience with the proper service and soft product....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available – View the current offers hereNot all business-class products are created equal and even on the same airline, there can be vast differences in the quality of seats and service. Looking at American Airlines’ 777-200 business-class cabins, for example, and you’ll either wind up with the airline’s second-best seat or the worst premium seat on any of its aircraft. This makes it very hard to know which airline and aircraft is the best to book....

Update: Lufthansa first class is once again available through United.com.Lufthansa first class is easily one of the world’s most sought after award redemptions. Availability is incredibly limited — Lufthansa itself doesn’t make first-class seats available via partner programs until roughly two weeks before departure. But as long as you’re somewhat flexible about your travel dates and/or routing, it’s often possible to score one of these coveted awards. Well, most of the time, at least....

Would you go out of your way to visit an airport just to eat, drink or shop … even if you aren’t about to catch a flight?Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY) in New Orleans is betting on it.Starting after Thanksgiving, the airport will launch a program called “MSY Guest Pass.” While an exact date has yet to be announced, the airport will follow in the footsteps of Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) and Tampa International Airport (TPA)....

Your next in-flight entertainment experience could be multidimensional.Beginning the week of February 18, Spanish airline Iberia is launching a six-month trial of virtual reality (VR) headsets on board its two daily A350-900 flights between Madrid and New York City, as well as on its daily A330-200 flight between Madrid and Tel Aviv.The second-generation Pico devices by Inflight VR will be available for rent at a trial rate of six Euros ($6....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.The Brex Exclusive Rewards program just got better. On Sept. 24, 2019, Brex announced the addition of a new transfer partner to its rewards program: JetBlue.With the addition of JetBlue, Brex customers will be able to transfer points directly through the Brex rewards dashboard and access thousands of JetBlue flights (including JetBlue’s Mint business class routes) directly — which is quite the game-changer for the Brex rewards program....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.We spend a lot of time on travel rewards credit cards here at TPG. By leveraging top sign-up bonuses and strategically using these cards at different categories of merchants, you can unlock fantastic redemptions like first-class flights and luxurious hotel rooms. However, there are a number of misconceptions out there when it comes to credit cards, so today I’ll continue our new series that debunks these myths and allows you to begin planning for your next vacation....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Spring has sprung all over North America … and morphed back into winter or straight into summer depending on where you live, so for this week’s Destination of the Week, we thought we’d take you along to a sunny little island where the Caribbean breezes blow, the surf’s up, and the rum is strong: Barbados.Barbados’s rugged, rocky east coast....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Marriott and Starwood have announced two new promotions where travelers can earn bonus points on paid hotel stays of three nights or more.Through the Marriott Rewards MegaBonus and SPG More Nights, More Starpoints promotions, members of each rewards program can earn bonus points for every night they stay — not including award nights — beginning with their third night at participating properties....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.What’s better than flying Singapore Airlines’ first class to Hong Kong? Having it be a last-minute surprise. At the time, my spouse and I had been married for 10 years and I wanted to celebrate by going on a trip with the points and miles I’d accumulated over the years from being a TPG aficionado. This flight took us to the first of our destinations, Hong Kong, and after a few days there, we ventured onward to Bali for almost a week....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.In 2017, the then Hilton HHonors program underwent a complete refresh, with a new way to redeem points, pooling points and more. Now, beginning April 1, 2018, Honors members will see some new benefits and changes to the program, which are generally positive.Here’s a rundown of the changes to the Honors program that will take place in 2018:No More Points & Miles OptionIn the current Honors program, members are allowed to select the option to earn Points & Miles, rather than just Points & Points....

Brits devote an abnormally large part of their conversation to the weather. Awkward silence in a lift? Talk about the weather. Spending time with your grandparents? Talk about the weather. Caught in a freak downpour? Talk about the weather. Yet, it’s no surprise, as this phenomenon, which we have no control over, plays such an important part in everyday lives. This is even more so if you’re a pilot.Understanding the weather plays a massive part in ensuring that an aircraft gets safely from A to B....

This week marked a bittersweet moment for that rare breed of airliner, the double-decker: Airbus delivered an A380 to a new customer for what will likely be the last time. Decked out in special colors, the airplane looked stunning, but it also carried a clear message: The era of giant double-deckers is over.The A380 was too big for the market, regardless of what its biggest (and seemingly only remaining) fan among airline CEOs, Tim Clark of Emirates, says about it....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.New TPG Contributor Series: Financial and travel writer Jason Steele takes a look at the various perks and pitfalls of the Chase Ritz-Carlton Rewards card.Competition between hotel credit cards has really heated up this past year with a bunch of new products, like the Hyatt Credit Card and the new Ritz-Carlton Rewards card. Unfortunately, both are offered by Chase (along with the Priority Club Visa and some Marriott cards), so you may have to pick and choose which ones you get....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Airlines continue to push award sales, with Delta constantly discounting a variety of routes, and American recently expanded its crazy cheap Economy Web Specials.Today, Singapore has announced a new round of its “Spontaneous Escapes” where its offering 30% off select routes between the US and Singapore.You can fly from Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO) and Newark (EWR) to Singapore (SIN) in premium economy (and business on one route) from 45,500 miles one-way or 91,000 miles round-trip....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Savvy TPG reader thegasguru asks:“I’d like to see a post on how to “spend” your way to status in various programs. Can the very top tier status be obtained without ever stepping foot on the plane or in the hotel? If not, what’s the highest you can go via spend only"These days, its not about how much you fly or how many nights you spend in hotels - its all about the benjamins, baby....

If you’re reading this article, chances are you’re an AvGeek like us. Or, maybe you like free stuff. Or both! We’re not here to judge.No matter what brings you in, get ready to see just how far your travels can take you. In the first-ever TPG AvGeek Bucket List Challenge, we’re giving you a list of aviation-related activities to complete for the chance to win a $500 airline gift card of your choosing (American Airlines, Southwest Airlines or Delta Air Lines)....

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 a very on-brand development, the Netherlands is moving forward with a $390 million investment aimed to inspire more Dutch citizens to commute by bicycle.The country, in which bicycles outnumber residents by approximately 6 million, already has been rewarding cyclists with tax credits of $0....