Posts

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.It’s been an exciting year for flights to French Polynesia, to say the least. The region’s namesake carrier, Air Tahiti Nui, just took delivery of its very first 787-9 Dreamliner, offering a big comfort boost throughout the plane. This year also brought two new nonstops from San Francisco (SFO) to Papeete (PPT): an A350-900 flight on newcomer French Bee, and a 787-8 Dreamliner option operated by United....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Luxury Card expanded its portfolio at the beginning of 2016, offering the Mastercard Titanium, Mastercard Black and Mastercard Gold Card. I was lucky enough to be approved for the Mastercard Gold Card and have the $995 annual fee waived as part of Barclaycard’s benefits for active duty military (which have recently been cut).On December 1, Luxury Card opened its first city lounge in New York....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available – Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American ExpressEmirates awards are some of the most highly sought after awards in the points and miles hobby. And that’s for good reason. From unbelievable new suites to posh new business class seats, Emirates provides some of the top experiences in the sky.Our go-to way of booking Emirates awards was through Japan Airlines’ Mileage Bank....

For Spring Break this year we ditched our original far-flung and complex itinerary and instead embraced where we are in life right now with two young kids and flew two hours from Houston to Cancun to the new all-inclusive Hyatt Ziva Cancun. In the linked posts below I outline the process of booking and getting to the resort, a detailed look at our massive two-story suite, and the on-site pools and beaches....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Today I want to share a story from TPG reader Derek, whose credit card protected him from an expensive loss. Here’s what he had to say:A few months ago I decided to apply for the Ink Business Cash Credit Card to buy a new laptop and take advantage of the sign-up bonus ($300 cash back at the time)....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.This question came in from TPG reader Luke regarding his imminent achievement of Delta Silver Medallion status (congratulations!):“I am about to become a Delta Silver Medallion member for the first time. I’m just out of college so this is my first time ever becoming a Medallion. I know its not much to you, but its exciting to me....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Today I want to share a story from TPG reader Matt, who got great value on hotel awards for two separate trips to Florida. Here’s what he had to say:My dad is a huge Washington Nationals fan, so in the fall of 2016 when I was trying to figure out what to get him for Christmas, I knew I wanted to do something baseball-related....

The world’s best airport is getting even fancier. The 10-story Jewel Changi Airport complex finally opened at Singapore’s namesake airport (SIN) Wednesday. The 1.46-million-sq.-ft. retail development directly connects to the arrivals hall of Terminal 1, and is just a five-to-10-minute walk from Terminals 2 and 3 via air-conditioned moving walkways. And although the space is intended primarily for airport visitors, anyone can access the Jewel, as it’s located outside of immigration and security regions....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to visit the new American Express Centurion Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). The lounge is the first Asian iteration of Amex’s popular Centurion Lounge network, and overall, it’s very impressive.The lounge, located in HKG’s Terminal 1, first opened on October 2. It sits on the upper level of the terminal, accessed via an escalator near Gate 60, right near the United Club in the terminal....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.I thought I’d give some tips that I’ve learned booking millions of miles in awards using BA miles. Even if you don’t have BA miles or Amex points, knowing how to use the BA award engine is extremely useful when using American miles or any other Oneworld partner.1) American Express Membership Rewards points transfer to BA instantly at 1:1 ratio (and often at bonuses of up to 40%)....

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.While Verizon’s been my go-to for talk, text and data in the US, I’ve long been a fan of Google’s Project Fi for international travel, letting me add a data-only SIM to TPG’s account to surf the web in more than 170 countries and territories for just $10 per gigabyte....

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 words “Virgin” and “space” have become synonymous. One way or another, Sir Richard Branson is going to roll out the red carpet for humans to more easily visit the next frontier. Virgin Orbit, sister company to Virgin Galactic, has a slightly different mission....

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.Anyone up for some friendly competition?Since Jerusalem has such a wide variety of places to stay, the TPG team decided to test out a little experiment by comparing two luxury hotels side-by-side. We have team Brian, who is staying in the Waldorf Astoria, facing off against TPG UK’s Nicky Kelvin — who’s staying at the historic King David Hotel....

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.Hot on the wings of TPG UK’s Battle of The Big Three Middle East A380s, the next comparison review is here: The Emirates All-Cabin Review. The Middle Eastern giant is renowned for its first-class cabin, which is often deemed one of the best in the world....

Reviews have been at the very core of The Points Guy since Brian began writing back in 2010. We’ve certainly come a long way since then, and today, TPG himself and the rest of the team have reviewed hundreds of flights and hotels all over the world. We’ve aimed to review as many products as we can, from Emirates first class all the way down to the back of the bus on Spirit....

Many things can conspire to ruin your vacation: mosquito bites, sunburn, travel sickness, jet lag. But incendiary rockets are rarely one of them.But if you’re planning a holiday in Israel, potential missile attacks are one of the issues you may have to factor into the equation alongside a trip to Jerusalem’s historic Western Wall or the Hanging Gardens of Haifa.Since US government-designated terrorist organization Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in 2007, Israel has conducted three major military operations inside the Palestinian coastal enclave (in 2008, 2012 and 2014) which have been marked by Israeli-targeted strikes and ground incursions — and a barrage of rockets from Gaza....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.All summers have to end, but don’t dismay — the influx of fleece and leaf-peeping has its perks. TPG Contributor Kelsy Chauvin takes a peek at some of the top LGBT-friendly destinations to book this fall, with either swimsuit or sweater in hand. (All photos by the author unless otherwise specified.)The elegant Vieux Carre in New Orleans.1. New Orleans, LouisianaWith its oppressive summer humidity finally fading, the Big Easy in fall makes for a fabulous last hurrah for gays on vacay....

Air France is one of the largest airlines in the world. In 2018, the French flag carrier transported 51.4 million passengers. Its network includes almost 200 destinations in about 100 countries. And most of those operations went through the carrier’s hub at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), which houses not only the airline’s headquarters and a majority of its operations, but is also home to the CDG Hub Control Center, the center of Air France’s massive operation at the airport....

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.Passengers on an American Airlines flight out of Miami were forced to deplane Wednesday night due to what law enforcement dubbed a “security concern.“AA flight 257 from MIA to Mexico City (MEX) was canceled after what the airline said ended up being a “non-credible” threat against the flight....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Tahiti, an island typically known as an exotic honeymoon destination, is now a bit more affordable for families and casual travelers alike. Air Tahiti Nui is now offering a limited-time sale that’s extended to July 10, 2016, which offers travelers a trip to New Zealand or Australia with free stopovers in Tahiti. From Los Angeles (LAX), fares are starting at $1,098 to New Zealand and $1,498 to Australia....