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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.If you’re a foodie and a music lover, Tokyo Record Bar is your spot. Dedicated to Japan’s jewel boxes of vinyl, this underground restaurant, which serves eclectic Japanese cuisine and specialty cocktails also features an expansive collection of records.The restaurant has two to three seatings per night and reservations are required about a month in advance. Once seated, the experience will last about an hour and a half, and also includes each member of your party selecting their favorite song....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG reader Matt sent me a message on Facebook to ask about using a companion ticket on flights booked through a third party:“If I book a Southwest flight using ThankYou points, can I still add a companion to that reservation?“You can get a lot of value out of companion tickets, but many of them come loaded with rules and restrictions that make them difficult to use....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.[tpg_rating tpg-rating-score=“76” ground-experience=“8” cabin-seat=“20” amens-ife=“8” food-bev=“15” service=“25” pros=“Reasonable seat pitch, flexible change and cancellation policies and friendly staff” cons=“No power, no buy-on-board meals and no seat-back entertainment” /]Southwest is a popular airline for many reasons: friendly staff, two free checked bags, no seat assignments, flexible change and cancellation policies and family-friendly lap-child policies. But if you’ve flown Southwest, you know that Southwest is an interesting combination of low-cost carrier, legacy airline and something completely unique....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.On Monday, we launched our first-ever Business Class Battle, starting with my review of Lufthansa’s 747-8 between Washington DC’s Dulles (IAD) and Frankfurt, Germany (FRA). Today, we present a full review of United’s option on this route: the 777-200. Check back Friday evening for the comparison between the two.And while the customer service failings I experienced on this trip have been covered separately, this is the full story of what happened on my first — and perhaps last — United Polaris flight....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Planning to fly American Airlines this holiday season? Get priority check-in, priority boarding, preferred seats and a free checked bag thanks to this offer from Air Berlin. Now through November 30, register to get free Air Berlin Silver (Oneworld Ruby) status for four months.The offer page is only in German. If you aren’t fluent, use an in-browser translate feature or Google Translate to understand the offer....

The Ireland Aviation Authority has launched an investigation into mysterious, unidentified flying objects commercial pilots spotted while flying over southwest Ireland over the weekend.A British Airways pilot saw a strange object outside of her window while flying over the Irish town of Kerry on Nov. 9 at about 6:47am.When the BA captain saw the bright and fast-moving object from the cockpit of the Boeing 787, she radioed air traffic control in Shannon to ask if there were military exercises occurring in the area....

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.In case anyone’s forgotten that Japan works very differently from most other places, a train company made a public apology this week after a train left the station 25 seconds early.The world fell apart when the train conductor, who thought his train was scheduled to leave Notogawa Station on Friday at 7:11, closed his commuter train doors one minute early, pulling out of the station 25 seconds ahead of the actual scheduled time of 7:12....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Editor’s note: This post as been updated with new offer details. It was originally published on July 30, 2019.Apply for the Brex Corporate Card for Startups through TPG’s official application link by March 31, 2020, to earn 75,000 bonus points.Brex is celebrating this holiday season with a limited-time offer for new cardholders. Eligible startups will earn 75,000 bonus points after spending $1,000....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.This summer, I had an unparalleled experience interning at The Points Guy, and right before my last week of work I had the opportunity to review Royal Caribbean’s completely revamped Mariner of the Seas (stay tuned for the full review!). I flew down to my hometown, Miami, where the ship was ported. When I returned to Miami from the cruise three days later, I headed straight from the Port of Miami to Miami International Airport (MIA), where I flew back to LaGuardia Airport (LGA) on AA Flight 1550 on an Airbus A321....

On Tuesday, low-cost carrier Norwegian Air and credit card company Synchrony launched the airline’s first cobranded credit card in the U.S. The new Norwegian Reward Card is tied to the carrier’s existing Norwegian Reward loyalty program and offers credit card rewards in CashPoints, the currency of Norwegian Reward.(Photo by Eric Helgas for The Points Guy)Details on the new no-annual-fee Norwegian Mastercard include:A sign-up bonus of $50 in CashPoints after making $500 in purchases in the first 90 days after receiving the card2% on Norwegian flights, 2% on dining and grocery and 1% on everything elseA bonus of $100 in CashPoints after spending $20,000 each year after the account opening dateRedeem CashPoints anytime on any Norwegian flight with no blackout dates and no minimum spend requirementPriority boardingNo foreign transaction feesNorwegian Reward members can also earn Cashpoints with partner hotels, renting cars and shopping online....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Southwest is an airline that has captured the hearts of millions of flyers looking for a sensible airline that has straight forward fares and rules. However, in appealing to the masses with simple fares, open-boarding and coach-only aircraft, they’ve also alienated some business travelers who cherish elite program benefits such as premium seating, priority boarding and first-class upgrades....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.As soon as the doors swung open to reveal the inside of the Faena Hotel in Miami, I realized this was not just some artsy, trendy, pricey resort; the whole experience was like a show. The Faena treats hospitality like theater.I hadn’t even set foot in the “Cathedral” lobby yet when one of the doormen, dressed in white, approached my wife and me and, unprompted, curated what we were seeing, pointing out the enormous allegoric murals depicting nature scenes under different themes (painted by Argentine artist Juan Gatti), the mosaic tiles on the floor, the fat gold columns and at the end of the red carpet just beyond the other set of double doors, Damien Hirst’s “Woolly Mammoth” skeleton in a glass cage....

When the Airbus A380 made its debut, the aircraft was considered the widebody of the future. With a range of around 8,000 nautical miles and a maximum capacity of 853 passengers, the A380 was truly a feat of engineering. The Airbus A380 racked up 290 orders from 14 carriers in Europe, Asia and Oceania. Airports worldwide rushed to construct Airbus A380-capable gates assuming the super-jumbo would become as commonplace as the Boeing 777 or Boeing 747....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG reader Shan writes:“My wife and I have been amateur points fanatics for over a decade now. Since finding your blog, I realized how amateur we really were. My question my be helpful for some of your readers: How does your credit card points strategy change within a marriage (i.e. each applying for the same/different cards)? With two people applying, can you theoretically collect points twice as fast in one household?...

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.There are plenty of ways to maximize your travel even if it isn’t free. Today, TPG Points & Miles Editor Peter Rothbart discusses the Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection, and describes his recent experience with the program’s benefits.I use points to cover hotel stays whenever I can. That said, sometimes award availability is scarce, and in many destinations, redeeming points either isn’t an option or offers poor value....

Each week in his column “The Critical Points,” TPG Loyalty and Engagement Editor Richard Kerr presents his opinion on a loyalty program, card product or recent news that he believes is overlooked, unsung or the result of groupthink taking mass opinion in a direction with which he doesn’t agree. His goal is not necessarily to convince you to agree with his position but rather to induce critical thought for each of the topics and positions he covers....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.US citizens enjoy visa-free access to 155 countries, but Australia isn’t one of them. However, US citizens are one of eight nationalities that can apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) online using the Australian government’s website. An ETA allows multiple entries of three months or less during a one-year period.The ETA application process takes about five minutes to complete, and you could be instantly approved....

United Airlines hopes Boeing’s beleaguered 737 MAX will be flying again by next summer, and has pulled the aircraft from its schedules until June.The Star Alliance carrier pushed the MAX’s return to June 4, United said Friday. This is three months later than it previously hoped, and two months later than when its peers American Airlines and Southwest Airlines aim to return the jets to the skies.“Moving the return to service date back more than just a month – as we have done previously throughout 2019 – allows us to have more certainty by providing our customers and our operation a firmer and more definitive timeline,” United spokesman Frank Benenati told TPG....

One of the top United elite perks is access to PlusPoints, the carrier’s new currency for regional and long-haul upgrades, enabling MileagePlus members to confirm an upgrade to domestic first class, regional business, Premium Plus or Polaris business class at booking, or join a priority waitlist to clear before the departure date, or at the gate.Unfortunately, PlusPoints currently aren’t working as intended — in certain situations — and it’s likely impacting a large number of customers and flights....

It’s hardly a secret that Spirit Airlines is America’s most hated airline. Rest assured that Spirit’s semi-new CEO, Bob Fornaro, has heard your gripes about poor customer service, hidden fees and late or cancelled flights, and wants to improve the airline’s reputation and performance — but only up to a certain point.While that might seem like the expected response from the face of a company that is regularly accused of being detached when it comes to dealing with its customers, Fornaro’s goal of doing just enough to not be considered “the” most hated airline is actually pretty strategic, according to a recent Bloomberg article, at least if the company wants to continue to operate successfully in the low-cost carrier space....