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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.American Express Membership Rewards added the Virgin America Elevate program as transfer partner in October of 2011, but as I wrote about when it first launched, the transfer ratio is a dismal 2 Amex points per 1 Elevate point. Virgin America Elevate is a fixed value rewards program, which means you can use points to purchase pretty much any flight and based on my past research you’ll get between 1....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.American Express launched a new promotion yesterday allowing cardholders to transfer their Membership Rewards points to Air France/KLM’s Flying Blue program and receive a 25% mile bonus in the process. This is a great way to effectively receive a discount on award flights.Flying Blue is a member of the SkyTeam Alliance, so you can book awards on any SkyTeam carrier, like Delta or Korean Air, with Flying Blue miles....

“Should I get the new iPhone?“If you’re a tech enthusiast like me, there’s a good chance your friends and family members have been asking you this question for days, weeks or even months already.Now that it’s finally “out,” the answer is clear for many iPhone users: Yes, you should definitely consider the upgrade.Yes, the iPhone 11 remains an incredibly powerful device, and should perform quite well for some time. For someone like my girlfriend — who takes approximately 75 photos a month and uses her iPhone 11 Pro to browse Instagram, play the occasional game and check emails and texts — a new phone isn’t necessary....

Today I want to share a story from TPG reader Jack, who used a credit card benefit to get the miles he needed for a premium award:Flying Delta One has been on my travel bucket list for some time, but never seemed achievable. I couldn’t justify the $3,000 - $4,000 price tag or the 300,000+ SkyMiles required … that is, until Delta’s flash sale a couple of months back gave me a chance to utilize a little known Delta American Express perk!...

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Today I want to share a story from TPG reader Michael, who used points to pay for flights and hotels on an anniversary trip to Napa. Here’s what he had to say:My wife and I have always loved travel and fine dining, and by taking advantage of some lucrative sign-up bonuses last year we were able to celebrate our fifth anniversary in style....

The coronavirus has produced the first retirement of an airline’s entire A380 fleet. With a statement, Air France announced on Wednesday the immediate end of its operations with the biggest passenger plane in the world.“In the context of the current COVID-19 crisis and its impact on anticipated activity levels, the Air France-KLM Group announces today the definitive end of Air France Airbus A380 operations,” it says. That means the nine A380s wearing Air France colors will never fly again in scheduled passenger service....

Flying Blue loyalty program fans have a new way to earn miles and points toward elite status: Air France-KLM and Bank of America have just launched a new cobranded credit card that offers bonus miles on both airfare purchases and on everyday spend.The new Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard also comes with a 25,000-mile welcome bonus after you make $1,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of account opening....

Amtrak no longer offers discounted fares for students and AAA members—both of which had 10% discounts— and increased the senior discount eligibility age from 62 to 65. The discount programs changed between January and February, with no official announcement from Amtrak.“Amtrak is moving passenger rail service to a more streamlined and efficient business model,” Amtrak Spokesperson Jason Abrams told TPG. “The goal is to improve overall revenue performance by expanding the use of tactical fare sales to generate ridership growth versus everyday discounts for certain consumer segments....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Many people have reported being targeted for the 100,000 point offer for The Platinum Card from American Express through the CardMatch Tool. Be sure to check for yourself to see what offers are available to you (there is no credit check)!This past week, TPG reader JG tweeted me to ask:"@thepointsguy I’m going on a two-week trip and staying at Starwood hotels....

The day has finally come for British Airways to take delivery of its first Airbus A350 aircraft. On Friday, July 26, British Airways will receive its first A350-1000 from Toulouse.Registered as G-XWBA, the A350 making its way to London Heathrow (LHR) on Friday is the first of 18 of the aircraft on order. On Thursday, BA’s PR team released a teaser video of the aircraft leaving a hangar. View this post on Instagram...

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, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking. Remember: Fares may disappear quickly, so book right away and take advantage of Orbitz’s courtesy cancellation if you’re unable to travel....

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.Southwest just announced another major sale, with fares starting at $36 one-way for both domestic and international flights if you purchase before September 29. The sale is valid for departures from October 2016 through March 2017 with some restrictions in December and January....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.The holiday season brings a variety of point and miles earning opportunities. Whether it’s gifts for your favorite traveler or maximizing Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals, you can do many things to boost your account balances before the end of the year. One of the best ways to do this is through airline shopping portals, and one carrier just sweetened the deal for the next few weeks....

Update: These offers are no longer available. View current offers here.Like other issuers, American Express has long offered a referral program to encourage you to recruit new cardholders. This is a great way to earn some extra rewards with very little effort — all you have to do is get a friend or family member to sign up for a card with the link you provide, and you’ll earn some points or miles while they’ll be rewarded with an often-hefty welcome offer....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Well, here’s a situation we didn’t cover in our recent Survival Guide to Low-Cost Carriers: According to this BBC report, a man on an easyJet flight from London-Gatwick (LGW) to Belfast (BFS) yesterday was tasered after an argument over luggage. And to think, TPG thought Ryanair was the worst airline in the world!According to the report, witness statements, and tweets from other passengers, the Belfast man wanted to bring two pieces of hand luggage onboard, including what cheeky fellow passenger Niall Copeland called a “man purse....

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 6/12/2017: Emirates has told Reuters that the airline has no plans to buy additional A380s at this time. So, it seems that Airbus’ A380 program hasn’t been thrown the lifeline that Bloomberg originally reported.Amid the ongoing diplomatic crisis in Qatar, which will undoubtedly curtail Qatar Airways’ expansion plans, another Persian Gulf is remaining bullish in its outlook....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.When Norwegian Air announced $65 one-way fares from the East Coast to Edinburgh, Scotland, back in February, anyone hoping to get to Europe for less jumped on the chance to cross the Atlantic for such a low rate. While the price crept up a bit in the following days, we were able to book seats on the June 15 inaugural flight....

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.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 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....

While British Airways is celebrating the final few years of its 747 fleet with a recent refresh, many carriers have begun retiring their 747s. Others, like Delta and United, have completed the process altogether.Australia’s flag carrier Qantas continues to fly its Queen of the Skies to the mainland US, with nonstop service between Sydney (SYD) and San Francisco (SFO). Once that flight is replaced with a 787-9 Dreamliner in December, though, Qantas will no longer operate the 747 on North American routes — with the exception of occasional retirement flights, perhaps....