Marriott S Giveaway Game Stops Doling Out Instant Prizes After You Win One Worth 45 Cents

Last week we announced that Marriott’s 29 Ways to Stay game was live and ready for you to test your luck. You could win instantly anything from 50 Marriott Rewards points to larger prizes including 20,000 points, or even four-night hotel stays at each of the 29 various SPG and Marriott brands.This online game celebrating Starwood and Marriott’s newly combined 29 brands is set to run for 29 days from Oct....

August 7, 2022 · 3 min · 577 words · Patricia Thomas

Smoke From California Wildfires Affects Sfo Visible From Lax

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.The western United States has been ravaged by wildfires this year, particularly along the California coast. Terrifying satellite images from NASA’s Earth Observatory show that the latest series of fast-moving fires, including Thursday morning’s Camp Fire 90 miles north of Sacramento, is visible all the way from space....

August 7, 2022 · 2 min · 293 words · Lisa Dungey

Spirit Airlines Brings Self Service Bag Drop To Las Vegas

Those recovering from a little too much fun in Sin City will have one fewer person to deal with at the airport – if they’re flying Spirit.The ultra low-cost carrier rolled out self-service bag drop stations at the McCarran International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas as it continues to expand its footprint there.“Our growth and investment in Las Vegas has been an ongoing mission for Spirit Airlines,” Mike Byrom, the company’s vice president of airport services said in a statement....

August 7, 2022 · 2 min · 309 words · Mary Keely

Today Is My Birthday And I M Giving Away 500 000 Points

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Update 3/7/18 3:30pm: Prizeo donations process with a small foreign transaction fee of around $0.10. If you’re going to donate, we recommend doing so with a card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees.Link to enter to win 500,000 points — $10 minimum donation.Today marks my 35th birthday. And this year, instead of asking for gifts, I’m asking for you to donate to help give the gift of life to someone who’s in danger of being killed just for being who they are....

August 7, 2022 · 5 min · 892 words · Iris Brown

United Mileageplus Once Again Offering Tap And Thai Awards

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 2/28/19: United has confirmed that ANA awards have returned to the website and mobile app as well.After an unexplained weeks-long absence, two unavailable United partners have returned. You can once again book awards on TAP Air Portugal and Thai Airways both online and over the phone....

August 7, 2022 · 2 min · 287 words · Jesus Meador

Video Tpg Flies British Airways First Class Tries New Amenities And Defeats Jet Lag

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.Jet lag is the bane of the frequent flier. But not today.In this episode of “Being The Points Guy,” Brian does his best to evade jet lag after a flight from Philadelphia to London. And after a pre-flight meal in the British Airways Lounge, a long slumber in BA first class, a pit-stop at the arrival lounge and a quick cryotherapy session featuring Ariana Grande (well, not really) — we think we might have cracked the code to ending post-flight fatigue once and for all....

August 7, 2022 · 1 min · 183 words · Peter Hunsinger

Why I Am Thankful This Week

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.I am a very fortunate person. This year has been pretty incredible for me - in June I left my stable day job to become a full-time blogger and since then the site has more than doubled and there are a lot of really great things in the works. There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not aware of how lucky I am to be pursuing and living my dream....

August 7, 2022 · 3 min · 565 words · Mary Bennett

Why One Of America S Top Airlines Is Eyeing To Buy One Of Europe S Most Troubled Airlines

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.Alitalia’s financial troubles have seen the airline file for bankruptcy twice — the first back in 2008 and most recently in 2017.Despite Etihad securing a partnership through a 49% stake in Alitalia in 2014, the state of the Italian carrier’s finances has remained turbulent....

August 7, 2022 · 2 min · 412 words · Christie Gay

You Can Have Dinner In A Cabin On The Middle Of A Frozen Lake In Swedish Lapland

Whether you’re on the hunt for the Northern Lights or not, the Aurora Hideaway Dinner is one of those experiences that will earn five gold stars on your bucket list. Available to guests at the Pine Bay Lodge in Luleå — a coastal town in Swedish Lapland — this dining experience is hard to put into one sentence, but I’ll try: Dine by candlelight in a one-room cabin on a very frozen lake that you need to take a snowmobile to reach....

August 7, 2022 · 3 min · 504 words · Margaret Winstead

Your Ride From New York City Airports Just Got More Expensive

It’s a good time to be an Uber driver in New York City – but it’s a bad time to hitch a ride. Starting at 12:01am on Saturday, all app-based ride-hailing services and yellow cabs will be raising the prices of trips in Manhattan in response to a new rule passed by the city.Approved in December by New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission, the regulation raises all ride-hailing drivers’ minimum wages to $17....

August 7, 2022 · 2 min · 398 words · Antonio Daines

10 Essential Things To Know Before Your First Trip To Cuba

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Upon returning from her second three-week visit exploring Cuba, TPG Contributor Lori Zaino explains everything you need to know before heading there. All photos are by Darrel Hunter.With a recent ease in travel restrictions to Cuba and exciting news that nonstop flights between the US and Cuba are officially launching this September, many Americans are planning to visit — you can even use AAdvantage miles to redeem award flights on American Airlines now, so no excuses....

August 6, 2022 · 14 min · 2783 words · Corrinne Richardson

British Airways Increases Fuel Surcharges Here S How To Avoid Them

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.The British Airways Executive Club program is known to occupy both extremes of the value spectrum when it comes time to use your Avios. Thanks to the carrier’s distance-based award chart, short-haul redemptions from Oneworld gateways can be a steal, starting at just 4,000 Avios one-way (7,500 Avios when booking American flights in North America). However, long-haul award flights on its own metal typically represent a horrific value thanks to the large fuel surcharges imposed on these tickets....

August 6, 2022 · 5 min · 978 words · Cynthia Martin

Can You Earn Elite Qualifying Dollars For Not Flying

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.“Reader Questions” are answered three days a week — Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays — by TPG Senior Writer Julian Mark Kheel.Now that all three of the US legacy carriers have added an additional spend requirement in order to earn elite status, TPG reader Diane wants to know if just paying for tickets is enough…[pullquote source=“TPG Reader Diane”]I’m American Airlines Platinum elite and was wondering if they count Elite Qualifying Dollars when you book a ticket and pay for it, but then don’t take the trip?...

August 6, 2022 · 3 min · 554 words · Edwin Williams

George Clooney Calls For A Boycott Of Dorchester Collection Hotels Over Anti Gay Laws

In a guest column for Deadline, George Clooney has called for an immediate boycott of Dorchester Collection hotels over the Sultan of Brunei’s announcement that citizens convicted of having gay sex or committing adultery will be put to death by stoning or lashing. The luxury hotel brand, which runs nine hotels in Europe and the US, is owned by the Brunei Investment Agency, which in turn is owned by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah — one of the richest people in the world....

August 6, 2022 · 3 min · 468 words · Douglas Fleming

Google Flights Now Shows Cheaper Fares From Different Services

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Google Flights is one of the most effective tools for finding cheap airfares. As you search for flights, you can narrow down results to specific airlines and flight times, as well as other variables to personalize your trip and create the best possible itinerary. Recently, the service also began listing train tickets in Europe, as well as the option to book certain flights directly through Google....

August 6, 2022 · 3 min · 585 words · Patricia Sowers

Klm Will Soon Offer Draft Heineken On Select Flights

It’s taken eight years of hard work, but KLM and Heineken have figured out how to serve beer from the tap on an airplane. Starting next month, you’ll be able to purchase a draft Heineken on select flights with the Dutch airline.There were many challenges to overcome with respect to serving draft beer in the air. Airplane cabins have less air pressure than the ground, so there was some concern that the beer wouldn’t taste quite right....

August 6, 2022 · 2 min · 244 words · Patricia Cahn

Laguardia S First New Island Concourse Is Coming This Fall

Passengers will soon enjoy a new concourse at LaGuardia Airport, the first major building unveiled as part of the significant modernization at the much-maligned facility. As early as November 2018, flyers will transition from the existing “A” gates at LaGuardia’s Terminal B to the brand new “island” Concourse B. This is the first so-called airside renovation at LaGuardia to be opened to the public since the Terminal B parking garage.In late fall, Air Canada, Southwest, and United Airlines will move into the concourse depicted below in green....

August 6, 2022 · 4 min · 688 words · Joanna Vasquez

Maximizing Low Cost Carriers In Asia And The Middle East

Getting to Asia from the United States can often be a pricey experience (unless you’ve used miles, of course - and even then if there are fuel surcharges). Once you’ve arrived in Asia, you have endless options and extremely large territory to cover - especially if you plan to visit several countries during your time there. An easy and cheap way to get around with burning through all your money is to take advantage of the myriad low-cost airlines that have sprung up there....

August 6, 2022 · 20 min · 4237 words · Joseph Henderson

Pakistan International Airlines Tells Cabin Crew To Lose Weight Or Don T Fly

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 season of dietary penance for holiday binging and New Year’s resolutions centered on weight loss, Pakistan International Airlines has set a hard and fast health goal for its cabin crew staff: Meet our weight requirements or you’re off the job....

August 6, 2022 · 2 min · 242 words · Laura Davis

Talking Points Episode 10 Girl With No Job Claudia Oshry

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.On this special Talking Points episode, host Brian Kelly, The Points Guy, sits down with comedian Claudia Oshry. You might recognize her by her hilarious meme account @girlwithnojob on Instagram. Oshry shares her travel pet peeves, the cards she loves and why she thinks LaGuardia (LGA) is the best airport ever....

August 6, 2022 · 1 min · 96 words · Owen Jones