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Airbus economy seats could be getting a lot more comfortable.A high-tech prototype of a new Airbus seat designed for short and medium-haul flights is enabled with smart sensors that allows the passenger to control seat settings via an app on their phone. Flyers will be able to change seat temperature and customize the seat back according to their height and size. The seat even has a massage setting.The app paired with the seat will alert passengers when they should drink water or leave their seats to help blood flow; it also recommends stretches inflight....

Tickets go on sale today for the Star MegaDo 5 starting at 12:00 PM central time. MegaDo’s are events set up by frequent flyers and the airlines, where we charter a jet and fly around to different cities and the airlines/hotels set up really interesting events that provide access to places few people ever get to see. On past MegaDo’s I have gotten to use a United Airlines pilot training simulator, flown on one of United’s 787’s (pre-grounding!...

Let’s face it: We’re addicted to our screens. And while we say we could totally control our usage if we needed to… Well, we simply don’t want to — especially when it comes to travel. Now VitaminWater, in a move to test this theory, is offering up a contest to win $100k if someone can give up using their smartphone for a full year.When we found out about the contest, we were immediately curious to find out just how feasible the challenge would be for our frequent-flyer following, knowing that the travel process can be especially dependent on our personal devices these days....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Update 10/10 3:05pm: This 30% bonus on transfers to Virgin Atlantic has returned. Through November 30, 2017, you’ll get 1,300 Flying Club miles for every 1,000 Membership Rewards points you transfer.Part of what makes transferable currencies so valuable is their flexibility; your points aren’t trapped in just one program. Even better, sometimes airlines and hotels will partner up with these transferable point programs to allow members to transfer points with a bonus....

United’s made a whopping four customer-unfriendly updates to its schedule change policy in just one week.In light of the coronavirus pandemic, all major U.S. airlines have been forced to cancel hundreds of flights. In a likely effort to conserve cash and limit how many refunds it distributed, United decided to change the refund guidelines for schedule changes.Visit TPG’s guide to all coronavirus news and updatesBefore the update, if your flight time was changed by two or more hours, you’d be entitled to a full refund....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Last month, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced that it would “significantly reduce” access to PreCheck lanes to non-vetted travelers. While this means shorter lines for those who signed up for the program, not all aviation stakeholders are praising the decision. The U.S. Travel Association (USTA), representing over 1,200 organizations in the American travel industry, believes passenger convenience and airport security can coexist....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Having flown 274,292 miles over the last 12 months, I’ve been through my fair share of strange situations. However, showing up to an airport to find out my ticketed and confirmed flight didn’t exist was a new one. But that’s exactly what happened on Saturday to Katie and me for our Air Serbia flight from Belgrade (BEG) to Berlin (TXL)....

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 Trump Administration added 26 new names to a blacklist of Cuban tourist attractions that Americans no longer are allowed to visit.The sanctions are designed to direct “economic activity away from the Cuban military,” according to a statement by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin last November....

We’ve seen a slew of amazing flight deals over the past week. On New Years Eve, Cathay Pacific offered incredible sub-$700 business class and sub-$900 first class fares between Vietnam and the US/Canada. The financially-struggling Hong Kong-based airline is honoring the fare – perhaps feeling the pressure after its competitor Hong Kong Airlines honored its recent business class “mistake” fare.While that deal wasn’t very convenient for US-based travelers, Air New Zealand posted an incredible fare on Thursday morning: $1,493 for business class flights from Chicago to Australia....

The long-running spat between American Airlines and one of its Middle East rivals appears to be over.The Texas-based airline announced Tuesday a new “strategic partnership” with Qatar Airways that will be anchored by a renewed codeshare pact and could include new American-operated flights to Doha.American and Qatar Airways already offer some benefits to each other’s customers through their membership in the Oneworld frequent-flyer alliance. But the codeshare pact announced Tuesday would bring the two carriers closer together after several years of frayed relations....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Two of American Express’ most exciting Centurion Lounges to date are gearing up to welcome cardholders in the days and weeks to come. The new Hong Kong location will be the first to open, followed shortly by Philadelphia.First up is the Centurion Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport, which will open its doors to customers this coming Monday, October 2....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available – View the current offers hereThis past weekend, several TPG staffers took off for the 10th anniversary of Vegas Uncork’d. And with their Chase Sapphire Preferred cards, they were granted access to some neat perks while at the event. Read on for their full experience, as told by TPG Associate Editor Emily McNutt.The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is one of the most sought after travel rewards credit cards for points and miles enthusiasts....

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. If you’re interested in sharing your own award travel success story, email it to info@thepointsguy.com; be sure to include details about how you earned and redeemed your rewards, and put “Reader Success Story” in the subject line....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG reader Faraj sent me a message on Facebook to ask about co-branded credit cards:“Can I earn separate bonuses for opening credit cards with the same brand, but from different banks? For example, can I apply for one Hilton Honors card from Citi and another from Amex, and earn a bonus in each case?”Many airlines and hotels partner with a single credit card issuer, especially in North America and Europe....

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.Back in September I blogged that Chase had confirmed to me that the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card sign-up bonus of 50,000 points would indeed count towards the yearly 7% dividend, which is a nice perk of the card....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.When talking about award travel, it’s easy to focus on earning points and miles, and lose sight of the actual traveling. Today, however, TPG Senior Points and Miles Correspondent Jason Steele offers a detailed analysis of how you can use your travel rewards to get to Costa Rica.Over the past month, I’ve explored how award travelers could construct specific vacations from the points and miles earned through credit card sign-up bonuses....

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 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....

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 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....

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 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. However, if you’re using the American Express Platinum Card, you’ll need to book directly with the airline or through Amex Travel portal to get 5x MR points....

The FBI ruled that the deaths of three Americans, who died just days apart in the Dominican Republic, were the result of natural causes, according to multiple news reports.In June, the FBI assisted local authorities in toxicology tests of three of the nine U.S. citizens who have died in the Caribbean nation in the past year, CNN previously reported.The autopsies were performed on Edward Nathaniel Holmes and Cynthia Day, a Maryland couple, and Miranda Schaup-Werner....