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Update: Category 8 pricing began on March 5, 2019. This means the 60,000-point pricing detailed below is no longer available. For details on Marriott redemption options, please visit How to Redeem Points With the Marriott Bonvoy Program.One of the most exciting aspects of the Marriott/SPG integration was the fact that all legacy SPG properties fit into the standard award chart. To make this even more lucrative, luxurious resorts like the St....

Editor’s note: This post has been updated to reflect Marriott’s extension of its elite benefits guarantee and brand standards suspension through September 15, 2020The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has upended nearly every element of the travel experience and made it harder for hotels to deliver the experience that guests expect. Properties have been forced to deal with supply chain issues, staffing shortages, and various local and federal health regulations.As anyone who’s stayed in a hotel recently will tell you, things are far from normal and travelers are noticing the difference....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG contributor Jason Steele looks at credit cards with category spending bonuses, travel shopping portals and at various airline and hotel partnerships as he plots out strategies to maximize points earning on car rentals.For many travelers, rental cars can be an unexpected huge expense, so it makes sense for road warriors to use a credit card that earns as many points and miles as possible for their car rental charges, as well as to book through travel and shopping portals where they can earn multiple point bonuses and to take advantage of airline and hotel partnerships to double dip as well....

The month of May honors many, hosting Mother’s Day, Teacher Appreciation Week, National Nurses Day and Military Month. So this year, Sandals Resorts decided to contribute to honoring those individuals by giving out free trips to mothers, nurses, teachers and military members every single day of the month in what it’s calling “Maycation.“Eligible winners will receive a six-night, seven-day vacation for two to any Sandals or Beaches Resorts of their choice in the Bahamas, Grenada, Barbados, Antigua or Saint Lucia....

Today I want to share a story from TPG reader David, who saved on airline fees after canceling some recent travel plans:Last year I had a number of ski trips planned flying my primary carrier (Alaska Airlines) using miles and some paid flights. Unfortunately, I ended up getting sick multiple times during the course of the winter, forcing me to cancel four different trips. Luckily, Alaska allows you to cancel a ticket and pay the change fee at a later date....

For at least the 15 years of my backpacking career, it has been a hot topic of conversation in hostels across Europe, South America, Asia and Oceania: why aren’t hostels popular in the US?The Stigma of Shared AccommodationThere is a stigma that shared accommodation is only for young travelers who can’t afford their own room — that after your days at university in dorms or Greek houses, or maybe after a couple post-graduation backpacking trips, you should no longer be sleeping in a room with people you don’t know....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.One of the best parts of having a travel credit card like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is the ability to cash in all those precious Ultimate Rewards points for hotel stays at Hyatt, IHG, Marriott and Ritz-Carlton properties around the world. Even more nifty is the ability to trade in your UR points for flights on airline partners like United, Southwest, British Airways, Korean Air, Singapore Airlines and more....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available – View the current offers here.There have been some new card offers and some have changed, so I decided to compile a list of the most lucrative credit card deals out there. For a full list, check out my Top Deals page. Feel free to comment below if I missed one!Transferable/Fixed Value point cards (Personal):50,000 points for the Citi Premier card (update: the bonus has been reduced to 30,000 points) when you spend $2,500 within 3 months....

Singapore Airlines is one of the world’s best airlines, known first and foremost for its premium-cabin offerings. Aside from its iconic Singapore Suites first class, the airline also offers a superb business class, premium economy and even economy product. Across the board, Singapore is synonymous with comfortable journeys.But what would happen when four coworkers boarded the same flight, one in each class? TPG U.K. did exactly that. In the latest iteration of a four-class video review, four TPG U....

Airbnb has added its most remote rental listing yet: A stay in a yurt with a nomadic tribe of reindeer herders in Mongolia.The rental listing in northern Mongolia is made possible by GPS company what3words, which maps every 10ft x 10ft square in the world with an address of three random words. This innovative technique makes it possible to pin down a remote nomadic tribe in the hills of Mongolia.The listing looks like it has been active since May 2018....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG Points & Miles Editor Sarah Silbert takes you through an amazing off-season trip to Cannes, Provence and Monaco, with a day trip to Italy thrown in.Not everyone’s lucky enough to visit Cannes during the eponymous Film Festival or enjoy the rest of Southern France during the spring or summer. While the warm weather and beautiful beachside promenades make those seasons ideal times to visit, based on my recent trip to the area, there’s still plenty to enjoy in the winter....

January 22, 1970, was a big day in the history of aviation. That’s when the first-ever commercial service by a Boeing 747 touched down. The arrival of Pan American flight PA2 from New York JFK to London’s Heathrow airport was saluted by the BBC as “the dawn of a new era in long-distance air travel” — and 50 years ago to the day, we can say that it really was. The giant airplane has since earned the respectful moniker of Queen of the Skies, and while it is no longer the biggest aircraft around, it remains the most recognizable....

Amtrak seems to see some benefit in remodeling itself in the image of an airline.William J. Flynn, the CEO of freight carrier Atlas Air, will take charge of the intercity railroad beginning April 15.Amtrak has been led by former Delta Air Lines CEO Richard Anderson since July 2017. He’ll stick around at Amtrak through the end of 2020 to ease Flynn’s transition.Sign up for the free daily TPG newsletter for more travel industry news....

British Airways announced Thursday that it will be refreshing three of its worldwide network of lounges. The renovations at its First and Club lounges in Berlin, Chicago and Edinburgh are expected to be completed in spring 2020.Once the renovation is complete in Chicago (ORD), passengers can expect to experience a personal, more interactive welcome at both the airport’s First and Club lounges. New décor, flooring, furnishings and specially crafted chairs will set the tone for a more relaxed atmosphere....

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.(The Chase Freedom is no longer open to new applicants)Just a friendly reminder that the Chase Freedom card’s 5x point categories for Q2 (April 1-June 30) are grocery stores and movie theaters....

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.If you’re planning a trip to Las Vegas soon, you could potentially earn bonus World of Hyatt points with the program’s latest promotion.Between May 7 and July 31, 2018, you can earn 20% bonus World of Hyatt points on eligible spend when you stay at Hyatt Place Las Vegas or any participating MGM Resorts destination in the city....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Most United flyers looking for an airline credit card will opt for the United MileagePlus Explorer Card — it’s a great option, especially for infrequent travelers who won’t have an opportunity to earn elite status. But if you frequently fly United, or often find yourself near a United Club, the United MileagePlus Club Card is hard to beat....

Steven Dickson’s nomination to lead the FAA has raised concerns with a number of senators during his confirmation hearings, according to a report by AP. The issue arises from Dickson’s time at Delta Air Lines.During his tenure, a pilot filed a safety complaint with the airline over possible fatigue issues for pilots. The pilot, Karlene Petitt, was subsequently referred to a psychiatrist selected by Delta who diagnosed her with Bipolar Disorder, leading to her being grounded for more than a year....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.After experiencing American Airlines Flagship First from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, I needed to get to Koh Samui, where I’d be spending the weekend with friends. My layover was in Bangkok so I decided to test out business class on Hong Kong Airlines before flying Bangkok Airways the rest of the way to the Thai island.BookingSince there wasn’t any award availability on Cathay Pacific and I had changed my flight at the last minute, I bought a $1,069 business-class ticket, which is pretty expensive considering this was just going to be a 2....

It’s no secret that airlines and hotels are hurting. Almost daily, there are additional reports of schedule cutbacks, employee furloughs or organizations on the brink of bankruptcy.Yet travel companies are persisting in this challenging environment. The injection of funding for the aviation industry from the U.S. government under the CARES Act has also kept employees on payroll and put a band-aid on significant losses.Want more credit card news and industry intel straight to your inbox?...