Winter chills and storms are upon us in the Northern Hemisphere. And in the winter, when you’re sitting at the airport terminal waiting to get out, it feels like every flight is delayed.Good news: that’s not the case, and the data backs it up. But some airports are much worse than others.In 2017, even during the coldest winter months of December, January, February and March, approximately 80% of US flights were on time....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Starting today, we’re upgrading our “Sunday Reader Question” series! Our new “Reader Questions” will be answered three days a week — Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays — by TPG Senior Writer Julian Mark Kheel.Our Reader Question today comes from Victor, who sent us an email wondering why…[pullquote source=“TPG Reader Victor”]On the Ultimate Rewards website, when I hover over the ‘Use Points’ menu there is no option to ‘Transfer to Travel Partners....
We all know Harry Potter is popular. If you don’t, it’s a mighty hefty rock you’re living under. We also know that theme park lines can be long. Really long. We’ve recorded waits as long as five hours at Disney World (and can’t quite figure out why people wait that long). But, what about a line twice that long?That’s what happened this morning for the debut of Universal Orlando’s newest ride....
For anyone who frequents airport hotels, one of your biggest frustrations may be locating (or waiting for) the complimentary shuttle to a given property. You may frantically rush outside only to stand outside for 20 minutes — sweating or shivering — when you could’ve casually grabbed a snack or cup of coffee en route to your designated pick-up location. In some cases, travelers may forgo the free ride entirely and order an Uber or Lyft instead of attempting to deal with the headache....
Frequent flyers and road warriors spend substantial amounts of time shopping for the best airline fares, hotel point redemption programs and rental car discounts.But business travel in the 21st century can be taxing in another way: Extra taxes. Many travelers aren’t aware that they are subject to state income taxes when they touch down to work far from home.Just as you are subject to local sales taxes while you’re on the road, you must pay taxes on “out-of-state-sourced income....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.As the popularity of American ExpressCenturion Lounges continues to grow, so have the complaints about them — in particular, TPG readers have noted overcrowding and inconsistent service as being serious drawbacks to an otherwise superb lounge experience. While each one is designed to pay homage to its home city — in San Francisco, vintage images of the Golden Gate Bridge adorn the walls and newspaper readers can pick up a copy of the San Francisco Chronicle — all have the trademark contemporary design of the Centurion brand....
Editor’s note: At TPG, we paused traveling to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Local and federal governments around the globe are now debating the appropriate levels of isolation and distancing. Before booking that next trip, we recommend you talk to your doctor, follow health officials’ guidance and research local travel restrictions. TPG is continuing to publish deals, reviews and general travel news to inform and prepare you for that trip, whether it is next month or next year....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.There are your standard airport hotels, and then there are airport hotels that put you really close to the runways, with a view of the takeoffs and landings that often can’t be matched. The former tend to be bland, utilitarian places designed to help travelers relax on a layover, all business and no pleasure — but the latter can be paradise for aviation enthusiasts....
These lucky volunteers will learn how to run an Airbnb in a remote Italian village.If you’ve ever fantasized about quitting your day job and jetting off to some super scenic locale to live out your dreams of owning a bed and breakfast, well, you’re in luck.On Tuesday morning, Airbnb announced that it would be sending four lucky volunteers on an all-expense paid three-month sabbatical. Winners will settle down in the Italian village of Grottole to learn how to become Airbnb Home and Experience hosts....
American Airlines and Delta Air Lines are paying the price for keeping travelers waiting.The United States Department of Transportation fined the two carriers Thursday for exceeding tarmac delay limitations between 2015 and 2018.The DoT requires airlines to offer passengers the opportunity to deplane at US airports after a plane has waited three hours on the tarmac for domestic flights, and after four hours of tarmac wait time for international flights. Exceptions to the time limit are limited to safety, security or air traffic control-related issues....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.In the past couple of weeks, The Platinum Card from American Express has become one of my favorites in my wallet. Since the card switched from 1x to 5x Membership Rewards points on airfare earlier this month, I upgraded my Amex Premier Rewards Gold Card to a personal Platinum Card and have been putting all of my air travel on the card — and earning tons of points in return....
The day I got to Cape Town, the New York Times ran a huge story about how the city is running out of water, and a friend who lives there posted a photo on her Facebook page of empty grocery store shelves that had been quickly stripped of their bottled water. The South African city is indeed about to go dry. So what is it like for a tourist like me to go there?...
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Chase Bank is known for its strong Ultimate Rewards points ecosystem that includes airline and hotel transfer partners and the ability to use your points for travel at a higher rate than normal with cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve.After introducing a special page to redeem points for Apple products last week, Chase has added a new “deals” tab to its Ultimate Rewards page....
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.Chase has announced that the sign-up offer launched earlier this week that only required $2,000 in spending in 3 months to score the 40,000-point sign-up bonus will be ending today at 3pm ET....
On Tuesday, Eurostar launched its first-ever direct rail service from the Netherlands to the U.K. on its route from Amsterdam to London. Tuesday’s first journey was just a test run but is scheduled to launch for paying passengers on April 30.Since 2018, Eurostar has operated in the opposite direction from London to Amsterdam. But, due to regulations and border restrictions, passengers taking the return route from Amsterdam to London had to disembark a Thalys-operated train in Brussels, clear customs and then get on to a Eurostar train to complete the journey to the U....
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 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.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.Thinking about flying to Hong Kong or Singapore this fall? You’re probably not going to do much better than this. Korean Air and Singapore Airlines both have some pretty fantastic sale fares from San Francisco to Hong Kong and Singapore, respectively.The easiest way to search for these flights is to head over to Google Flights or Orbitz, where you can enter your desired city pairs and dates to get a calendar view of prices....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available – View the current offers hereTPG reader Steven sent me a message on Facebook to ask about holding on to credit card rewards:“If I cancel my Delta card, will I get to keep the miles I’ve earned?”Earning points and miles is fun, but the whole point of earning them is to use them, so it’s natural to be wary of anything that might put your rewards at risk....
