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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.Earlier today, we shared the news of a limited-time Membership Rewards transfer bonus to Etihad Guest, and now it looks like Amex has added a similar promotion for Virgin Atlantic....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Last month I wrote about the 50,000 point sign-up bonus Chase Sapphire Preferred card being a pretty good deal. This came on the heels of the British Airways 100,000 mile bonus, so I know a lot of you wanted to hold off on more Chase applications because you didn’t want to get denied for this card. Now that the card has been out for a month, a lot of people have reported their experience applying for the card on Flyertalk, so I thought I’d sum up the responses....

If you’re a lover of fashion at a great price and a master of maximization, you might just be interested in H&M’s brand new two-tiered loyalty program. From here on out, you’ll be able to earn every time you spend at H&M, and the program is all on an easy-to-use app. Here’s how it works.The basis of the program is pretty simple. Each dollar you spend at H&M online or in store will give you one point....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Shake Shack is offering a buy one, get one free promotion through Jan. 2, 2019. Although promoted as a buy one, get one free deal, the promotion actually provides $6 off orders of $10 or more at participating locations. This promotion is only available when using the Shake Shack app or website. You’ll need to sign in and enter the promo code THANKYOU18 when ordering to get the discount....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Etihad is known for offering great premium-cabin service, but its frequent flyer program is also a valuable option for booking award flights with a global network of partners. Below, TPG Points & Miles Contributor Richard Kerr walks you through the award-booking process and shows you the best options for earning and redeeming Etihad miles.The Etihad Guest program is incredibly valuable, thanks in large part to reasonably priced premium-cabin awards on partner airlines....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.There’s no doubt: basic economy is infuriating. From carry-on baggage restrictions on some airlines to lack of seat selection, it’s a step down from what travelers are used to getting when flying.The airlines are also doing a good job of making basic economy sound really bad so you’ll buy up to standard economy. Despite unpleasant things like checked baggage fees, there’s a way to use credit cards to avoid some of the pain points of basic economy....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available.Each Sunday, we round up the top deals you might have missed on TPG this week. From flight deals to limited-time bonus offers, here’s what you need to know.Sign up for the free daily TPG newsletter so you don’t miss a thing!United offering bonus miles on flights with Mile PlayFirst United Airlines 767-300ER in new livery. (Photo courtesy of United Airlines.)Get in on the action before Jan....

2017 was the safest year in the history of commercial air travel, with just 13 passengers perishing from two commercial aircraft crashes despite a number of other potential large aviation disasters. And it seems 2018 is following 2017’s trend. Just two weeks into the year, we have had no deaths or significant injuries, but a pair of close calls due to a pilot lining up on the wrong runway in San Francisco (SFO), and a LOT Polish Airlines de Havilland Dash 8-400 landing on its nose in Warsaw when the nose gear wouldn’t extend....

CruiseRadio.net, a blog focusing on cruise-related news, posted a photo that shows a letter directly addressing an increase in crime in major tourist areas throughout the Bahamas, which was distributed to passengers on a recent Royal Caribbean cruise. The letter, signed by the captain of the ship, does not recommend that passengers avoid the Bahamas entirely, but does stress the importance of awareness and safety when traveling throughout area. The letter comes amidst new travel warnings from the United States Department of State....

The government shutdown continues to affect American travelers, airports and workers in a multitude of ways. The Federal Aviation Administration has currently stopped its certification process for new aircraft, which is affecting one airline quite directly.Silver Airways was on track to be the first US airline to fly the ATR 42-600, an aircraft manufactured in France, and it was scheduled to start operating the turboprop next month. The Florida-based carrier is a modest operation with a fleet of 21 Saab 340s, but has ordered 16 ATR 42-600s and four ATR 72-600s to replace its aging fleet of Saabs....

Flexible cabin options are hugely popular, especially in Europe, where business class cabins can be reduced or extended multiple times a day on the same aircraft depending on route, time and demand, although the Euro Business seat is simply a standard economy seat with the middle seats blocked in each row.Some airlines like Air New Zealand have developed a concept where multiple standard economy seats can be converted to create a larger flat space....

Here’s something more airports should do: Host a day when families, and anyone else that may need extra assistance, can take advantage of a helpful day-of-travel practice session. That’s what the Wings for All program, under the auspices of The Arc, hosted on Oct. 19 at the Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) in Madison, Wisconsin.The Arc is a group whose mission is, “Promoting and protecting the human rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and actively supporting their full inclusion and participation in the community throughout their lifetimes....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.For this week’s Thursday Giveaway we’re giving away a $500 Marriott gift card, which you can use to cover expenses at one of the chain’s hotels worldwide. The gift card is valid for stays, dining and more at any participating property, including Edition, JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels.If you’re looking for some inspiration, consider a vacation in the Tuscan countryside with a stay at the Renaissance Il Ciocco Resort & Spa, which is currently offering rates of less than $200 per night....

United’s top published tier is Premier 1K, and, on Sunday, the airline confirmed that current elite members — up to and including Premier 1K — would have their current benefits extended through Jan. 31, 2022. That’s great news for most of the airline’s frequent flyers, but there’s a very important group that isn’t covered by the announcement.Some of the carrier’s biggest spenders belong to an invite-only tier, called Global Services. While the criteria has never been published, members generally spend a significant amount on United-operated flights each year....

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.United Airlines is once again the second largest airline in the world by passenger traffic, edging out Delta as the second biggest in the worldwide metric.In 2018, the Chicago-based carrier flew 230.2 billion revenue passenger miles – a key measure of traffic obtained by multiplying the number of passengers by the distance flown....

An American woman’s death in Turks and Caicos is being investigated by local authorities as a murder.US resident Marie Kuhnla, 61, was visiting the island when she was reported missing on Oct. 15. Her body was found the next day in bushes near the Club Med resort, the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force said in a statement posted to its Facebook page.The police noted that they were offering support to Kuhnla’s family during the investigation but did not offer any further details into the tragic incident....

Even before the advent of no-refund basic economy tickets, most flight were effectively nonrefundable due to steep airline change fees. If you have a change of plans after booking your flights, you’re likely to lose most, if not all, of the ticket’s cost.Sure, there are services like SpareFare that let you sell your ticket to another passenger, transferring the ticket by utilizing airline name change fee policies. However, these services aren’t endorsed by airlines, and passengers could risk blowback if the airline finds out about the transaction....

After a rough year filled with hurricanes and travel restrictions from foreign countries, Cuba’s tourism sector is finally beginning to bounce back — most notably with American tourists.Data from the Cuban Tourism Ministry shows that the numbers of US visitors to Cuba, though still in decline as compared to when the island first opened up to them, are starting to climb upward again.US travelers to Cuba in September 2018 reached a total of 460,646 tourists, according to Reuters, which reviewed the statistics from the tourism ministry....

If you’re flying into or out of LAX over the next couple of days it’s worth keeping an eye on the current brush fire burning in Saddleridge, north of Los Angeles, as airlines have begun issuing flight waivers.The fire, which started on Thursday, has burned more than 7,500 acres to the west of San Fernando. More than 1,000 firefighters are working around the clock to battle the blaze, which is currently only 19% contained....

Are there any Buffalo fliers in the house? You’re in luck, because according to local media, Buffalo Niagara International Airport is getting its very own lounge. Even better? It’s in the Priority Pass network, so if you own a card that offers a membership, you’re good to go.The lounge, called The Club, opens Tuesday morning. Officials conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday. The space was developed by Airport Dimensions (formerly known as The Airport Lounge Development)....