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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.American Express Membership Rewards points can be tremendously valuable — we value points at 1.9 cents apiece, thanks to the program’s lucrative transfer options. It’s no surprise, then, that consumers (and in this case business owners) close their accounts only to sign up again, hoping to receive an additional sign-up bonus.For years, it’s been possible to do this with personal and business cards issued by American Express, but in 2014 Amex tweaked the language for personal cards, technically making it impossible to receive a sign-up bonus more than once....

“I didn’t even realize we’d landed!” Of all the comments pilots like to receive from passengers, this has to be right up there. Everyone loves a smooth landing, it makes us pilots feel proud and passengers feel safe.However, no matter how smoothly we fly, bringing a 190-ton aircraft down onto the runway at 170 mph requires some serious technology to keep all those onboard safe.The landing gear of a modern airliner is not only built to absorb the forces of a gentle touch down, but it is also designed to take some serious punishment in the most extreme conditions....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here: Citi PrestigeOne of the things I love most about being The Points Guy is getting to hear stories from readers about how award travel has affected their lives — the exotic vacations they’ve planned, the trips they’ve made to be with family and friends, the premium seats and suites they’ve experienced and so much more, all made possible by points and miles....

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.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....

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 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....

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.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....

If you’re a TPG regular reader, you’ve probably flown a Boeing Dreamliner, but next time you fly Etihad, you may get to travel on the first-ever Greenliner.The American manufacturer and the Abu Dhabi-based airline have entered a partnership which will see one of Etihad’s new 787s used as a real-life test bed for eco-friendly best practices, the companies announced Monday.The plane will get a special paint scheme and will enter service next year....

Uber has identified the cause of the crash in which one of its autonomous vehicles stuck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona, reports say.A malfunction of the software that recognizes passing objects in Uber’s autonomous vehicle technology caused the car to strike and kill 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg as she walked her bike across a street one night in March, The Information reports, citing two sources with inside information on the matter....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.I recently found myself in Guangzhou for the second time. The city is located several hours from Hong Kong in mainland China and is one of the manufacturing capitals of the world. I was actually there to attend the Canton Fair — you’ll find out why soon enough!When I found myself having to go back to New York, the nicest way would have been to drive or take a train and fly out of Hong Kong (HKG) on Cathay Pacific, but there was no availability and that would have added several more hours of travel time after what had already been an exhausting week....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.We undoubtedly live in the cheapest time to fly, thanks to declining fuel prices and increased competition from ultra low-cost carriers — 2017 has seen an explosion of budget airlines across North America, as WOW Air and Norwegian Air both continue to expand to more destinations. Many parts of the world now have their own as well, but because of their limited route networks, you might not ever know they exist unless you’re traveling to that specific country....

As the US government shutdown lingers on, the impacts are being felt nationwide. At airports, the TSA is facing its own problems. For those wanting to visit national parks, the shutdown poses some real risks. In an unusual move, the administration chose to leave the national parks open, but with severely reduced staff or having no staff at all.National parks aren’t exactly the safest place on the planet to start with....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here: Citi Premier® Card, Citi PrestigeOn his most recent trip to Asia, TPG Special Contributor Eric Rosen stayed at The St. Regis Beijing for three nights. Here is his review of the experience.While my main destination on a recent trip to Asia was to be Sri Lanka, I had to find the right connections from my flight on Hainan Airlines from Los Angeles to Changsha....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Marriott’s acquisition of Starwood was by far one of the travel industry’s biggest stories in 2016. Since then, you’ve been able to transfer points from your SPG account to your Marriott Rewards account at a 1:3 ratio, which has opened up a slew of sweetspots for redeeming points within each program.One such sweetspot is redeeming points at a new Ritz-Carlton partner hotel near Dubai called The Al Wadi Desert, Ras Al Khaimah resort....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.It may not be as pricey or exclusive as the Amex Centurion (Black) Card, but the recently introduced MasterCard Gold Card is one of the most expensive premium credit cards on the market, with a $995 annual fee. TPG Contributor Richard Kerr runs through the benefits to determine whether or not it’s worth it.Earlier this year MasterCard introduced the new Luxury Card portfolio, including the $495 Mastercard Black Card and two other Luxury Card versions: the Mastercard Titanium Card with a $195 annual fee ($195 for each Authorized User) and the $995 annual fee ($295 for each Authorized User) Mastercard Gold Card....

While talks of supersonic air travel immediately conjure up images of the iconic Concorde, it wasn’t actually the first supersonic passenger jet to fly. In fact, the Russian-built Tupolev Tu-144 completed its first supersonic flight four months before Concorde did.The Tu-144 flew at an average altitude of 52,000 feet with an average cruising speed of Mach 1.6, or 1,200 mph. If you’ve never heard of this fast-as-lightning plane before, it’s because the Tu-144 had a difficult career....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Earlier this week, I announced a limited-time welcome bonus offer for the American Express Business Gold Rewards Card of 75,000 points when you spend $10,000 in four months and the $175 annual fee is waived the first year. The offer is only around for another day, and will officially end at 2:00pm ET tomorrow, March 8, 2013.Application link and Card Details:Before you apply, remember, per the terms and conditions,“Welcome bonus offer not available to applicants who have had this product or any Business Gold, Green or Platinum Card account within the last 12 months....

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 - Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express, Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American ExpressJust a friendly reminder to cast your vote for the Starwood 100,000 point giveaway!...

Update: We are now sending $100 electronic gift cards for American, Delta or Southwest Airlines.TPG has grown quite a bit over the past few months. We’ve added editors and contributors, integrated new tools and made reporting news quickly and accurately a top priority, bringing you the stories you want to read within a few hours or even minutes of when they break. Still, we can do better — and we will — but to get there, we need your help....

United Airlines has removed the Boeing 737 MAX from schedules through Labor Day weekend, joining peers American Airlines and Southwest Airlines in extending cancellations.The Chicago-based carrier announced Wednesday that it has removed the aircraft from schedules through Sept. 3. The move will result in roughly 60 cancellations daily in August, or 1,900 flights for the month.United joins American and Southwest is cancelling 737 MAX flights through Labor Day as a return-to-service date for the aircraft remains elusive....