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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.With the increased pressure coming from JetBlue’s Mint expansion, airlines have been forced to step up their game in traditionally non-premium transcon US markets. One of those is the Boston (BOS) to Los Angeles (LAX) route. While Delta added its premium Delta One product to the route, and United frequently operates a 757 with lie-flat seats, American — the carrier with the highest frequency between the two cities — has been lagging....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Luxury hotel fans rejoice! American Express cardholders can now earn 10,000 bonus Membership Rewards points or $100 cashback for stays at a number of luxury hotel brands, including InterContinental, Ritz-Carlton, Hilton’s Waldorf and more.While some of these offers have been around for a while, the newest offer popped up today: targeted cardholders who spend $500 or more at InterContinental hotels can earn 10,000 bonus Membership Rewards points — which TPG values at $190 per his latest valuations:Amex Offer found in my The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express account on September 6, 2018....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.If you’ve been wanting to take a trip to Europe, now could be a great time to book your flights with miles on Iberia. The Spanish carrier is offering an award sale with 25% off its normal Avios prices on select routes, which means you can fly round-trip between Spain and select Iberia US destinations for as little as 25,500 Avios in economy or 51,000 Avios in business class....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.IHG Rewards, the points program of chains including Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Hotel Indigo and more, has released its latest list of PointBreaks hotels for July 28 - September 30 and they are now bookable. Simply search for eligible properties and 5,000 point award nights will show if they are still available. Book quickly because they don’t last long!...

If you’re a duffer, you’re probably always on the lookout for ways to maximize points and miles for your golf outings and earn loyalty currency to use on future trips. Choice Privileges may have just what you’ve been looking for in its Golf by Choice program. You can earn and use points on gear for your game as well as tee times and even earn points for using a golf-training app....

Saturday night’s power outage left tens of thousands in New York City, a popular summertime destination for travelers from all over the world, without power. So what happens if you find yourself in a blackout while you are traveling? These tips can help make sure a lack of electricity doesn’t ruin your trip.Carry CashWhile we here at TPG are all about credit cards and the benefits they provide, but in a blackout plastic becomes useless....

The top executives at the major US airlines did not receive the outcome they had hoped for following a closed-door White House meeting with US President Donald Trump and Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker on July 18. According to reports from CNBC and Business Insider, President Trump did not side with US airline executives on accusations of unfair subsidies and illegal fifth-freedom routes.Executives from airlines including American Airlines, United, and JetBlue met with President Trump and al-Baker....

Qatar Airways operates what is often considered one of the top first class lounges in the world. The Al Safwa First Class Lounge at the airline’s main hub in Doha opened in 2014 along with Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH). As TPG’s JT Genter put it in his review of the lounge, the new airport coupled with Qatar Airway’s phenomenal first class product “established itself as one of the most luxurious airport experiences in the world....

President Trump showed off mock-ups of a new design for Air Force One in an interview with ABC News on Wednesday.Instead of the current 747-200Bs used to fly the president and designated VC-25A in the US military nomenclature, the new look will fly on modified Boeing 747-8 aircraft which Boeing never delivered to a bankrupt client. The new livery opts for a red, white and blue design, replacing in the iconic sky blue and white look that dates back to the Kennedy administration....

If you’re a United MilagePlus member wanting to book award travel with Singapore Airlines using your United miles its been bad news for the last six months. While we have seen things like this with United’s system before, most were resolved fairly quickly. Even when United pulled Singapore award availability for nearly four years you were still able to call United to book an award redemption over the phone.A spokesperson for Singapore Airlines recently told Live and Let’s Fly “United Airlines and Singapore Airlines are aware of the ongoing availability and booking issues of UA redemption on SIA....

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.How does your credit stack up to other Americans? A new report indicates that the average credit score across the US is just 604 — pretty poor compared with what’s needed for some of the best rewards cards....

Each Saturday, we round up the top miles, points and travel news that you might have missed on TPG this week. Here’s what you need to know.Tropical Storm ImeldaImage courtesy of Fox 26 HoustonIt’s that time of year again, where inclement weather leaves travelers at the mercies of the skies. Here’s what’s happening in southeast Texas, and here’s what you should do if you can’t get into or out of Houston....

Another day, another tourist attraction in New York City.Tourists and locals alike are coming out in droves to take pictures on a staircase in the Bronx, inspired by a scene in the recently-released “Joker” film. Many of them arrive decked-out in costume, ready to reenact Joaquin Phoenix’s iconic scene dancing down the steps. The stairs themselves are located between two buildings on Shakespeare Avenue.Cathyrine Spencer, a resident of the surrounding area, told NBC New York, “We live in the neighborhood, it’s taking up all of our time, we’re all being inconvenienced....

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.“Well clearly this United business-class cabin is way overstaffed” - said no one ever. Yet the airline seems to think so — beginning Feb. 1, 2019, United’s removing one flight attendant from the Polaris cabins on its 777-200s, 787-8 and -9 Dreamliners and 767-400ERs....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.“Reader Questions” are answered twice a week by TPG Senior Points & Miles Contributor Ethan Steinberg.The easiest way to quickly rack up a meaningful amount of frequent flyer miles or credit card points is by taking advantage of a welcome bonus on a new card. These generally follow a pretty standard formula: Spend X amount of money in X amount of time (usually 3 months or 90 days), and earn Y amount of points....

In October 2016, American Airlines become the first major US-based airline to offer true premium-economy seating. After taking delivery of more aircraft, AA launched premium economy in May 2017.Since then, Delta (in October 2017) and United (in June 2018) also introduced true premium economy, as US airlines began to realize that flyers desire something between the cramped conditions in economy and the pricey lie-flat options up front. And AA is at the forefront, with over 2,000 premium-economy seats installed on 85 aircraft by the end of May....

Hawaii is a massively popular destination for people traveling on points and miles. Unfortunately, because of the high demand and remote location, hotel rates in Hawaii can be high, both in dollars and points. For example, on Kauai most points hotels in the Marriott family go from 50,000 to 60,000 points per night. That can still be a better deal than spending cash, but it’s a lot of points, since you probably aren’t in Hawaii for just a night or two....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Citi Premier® CardIt’s been an exciting year for museum openings and other cultural attractions, including the inauguration of the new Whitney Museum in New York City’s Meatpacking District and the recent opening of Downtown LA’s new Broad Museum. While there are plenty of ways to save on museum admissions, many great institutions are actually free to visit — and TPG Special Contributor Eric Rosen shares a few of the best around the US....

As tourism boards around the world turn to branding to drive interest, Scotland just added another in a growing line of named routes meant to lure travelers from overcrowded areas to new regions, attractions and destinations.Called Heart 200, this touring route of approximately 200 miles circles around Perth, Stirling; The Trossachs; and Highland Perthshire, and officially launched on July 1. It’s designed to showcase two of the country’s most beautiful national parks (Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, and the Cairngorms) as well as castles, distilleries, wildlife parks, theaters and gardens along the way....

And like that, Hawaiian Airlines has retired one of the most iconic aircraft in its fleet.The last Boeing 767 flight operated by Hawaiian was completed on Monday, when the aircraft left Sacramento (SMF) at 9:30am PST bound for Honolulu (HNL) where it landed at 1:24pm HST.After landing at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, the aircraft, registered N594HA, and its passengers were greeted by Hawaiian Airlines CEO Peter Ingram and other airline staff....