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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.There are few things I love more in the points and miles world than a good old-fashioned transfer bonus. You never know when (or if) a transfer bonus will appear, but when it does, you have the opportunity to extract more value for your points if you transfer them to that partner. Since families are often booking for multiple people, jumping on opportunities to stretch miles with beneficial transfer bonuses should be a key part of any solid family points and miles strategy....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.On a recent trip to Europe, TPG Special Contributor Eric Rosen was passing through Amsterdam for a few days and decided to put his points to use at one of the city’s most popular chain properties, the Andaz. Here’s his review of the experience.The Andaz (from across the Prinsengracht canal) was all kitted out for Pride.BookingI hadn’t really planned on spending any time in Amsterdam on my trip to Europe, but because of work reasons, I had to purchase a round-trip airfare from Amsterdam to Ljubljana (Slovenia) and found out that my return date would be the beginning of Gay Pride weekend in the city (July 31-August 2)....

It usually takes many flights or hotel nights to achieve lifetime status, but programs will occasionally offer “fast-track” or limited-time offers to sidestep those requirements. One such example is right now available for our men and women in uniform: Choice Hotels is currently offering lifetime Gold elite status to to Choice Privileges members who are active duty military, veterans and military spouses. To sweeten the deal even further, you’ll also get 2,500 points after your next qualifying stay....

After expanding Economy Web Specials to all routes, American Airlines launched Web Special pricing on business and first class awards earlier this month. Since then, we’ve seen some excellent deals such as first class awards to Hong Kong for 61,000 miles and business class awards to Europe for 84,000 miles round-trip.However, there’s a downside to dynamically-priced awards. TPG has found that these “web special” award prices have now also climbed above the published AAdvantage award charts for premium cabins on international flights — and American has confirmed that this pricing will be rolling out systemwide by the end of the day today (Tuesday Dec....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Whistler is an iconic place to ski or board, and it can be surprisingly much more affordable than ski trips to resorts such as Vail, Beaver Creek and Aspen. This is especially true if you have some points, miles and award night certificates to rely upon to help with the cost.Last year, we took a five night family ski trip to Whistler without breaking the bank, here’s what we did....

I’ve made no secret of my feelings about Irish budget airline Ryanair, from my own horrible experience flying Ryanair last year to TPG Contributor Lori Zaino’s tongue-firmly-in-cheek post on 10 Ways to Survive a Ryanair Flight. However, if I’m going to criticize, then in fairness I have to praise when the low-cost carrier does something right. Rather than being charged for the privilege of printing out a boarding pass at the airport, Ryanair passengers can now use a free electronic boarding pass generated by the airline’s new smartphone app for iPhone and Android....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Amex Offers are opt-in, limited-time and generally targeted deals for American Express cardholders. If you’ve ever looked through the list of Amex Offers, you know how overwhelming it can be. Digging through all of the discounts and other mediocre deals to find the ones actually worth considering is a daunting task.,We’ll continue to post separately about excellent Amex Offers like $50 back when spending $250+ at Westin Hotels, $200 back when spending $1,000+ with Virgin Atlantic and $200 back when spending $1,000+ with Delta....

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:I got food poisoning on a flight. Here’s what happened.Photo by martin-dm/Getty ImagesA TPG staffer got violently ill on a long-haul flight from Cape Town to Paris. Here’s what happened, and what precautions you can take if you ever find yourself in the same situation....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.I love Global Entry. There, I said it. I’ve had it for about a year now and it’s saved me hours of time having to wait in immigration lines upon returning to the United States from my foreign trips.The American Express Platinum card currently reimburses the $100 Global Entry enrollment fee as part of their benefits and United just announced they’d be footing the bill for their 1k and Platinum members....

Icelandic ultra-low-cost carrier WOW air announced Thursday that it has ceased operations, with any remaining flights canceled immediately. The airline issued a statement from the Icelandic Transport Authority recommending that passengers affected by the airline’s collapse begin exploring the possibility of flights with another carrier.WOW air’s collapse follows months of financial difficulties and strategic indecision, including two failed takeovers.[Find more of our ongoing coverage of WOW Air’s collapse, and what affected passengers can do about it, here....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Our “Your Layover Guide” series features airports and destinations around the world where you’re likely to be stuck between flights, offering tips on navigating and spending time in the airport, as well as some things to do if you find yourself with time to explore the nearby city. Today, TPG Contributor (and longtime Portland resident) Jessica Spiegel guides us through the award-winning Portland International Airport....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.The British resort town of Brighton is an intriguing city by the sea that’s often described as being a destination with real personality. I’d heard various conflicting opinions about the area so was eager to see for myself whether this town is as gritty as they say, or if it was more cultured, a mix of both or something entirely different....

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.The Russian flagship airline Aeroflot has officially registered its very own breed of dog with the Russian Cynological Federation. While this might sound unusual for an airline, Aeroflot is no newcomer to the area of working dogs. The company is well known for its sniffer dog program that is used by the airline as well as at airports....

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.Who doesn’t love a good giveaway? This week, TPG offered up four free badges ($1,095 value) to TRAVERSE 19, the travel + tech festival hosted by TripActions. We chose our four winners at random, and they are:Dennis DayanBrooke HeinichenJeremy ChesneyCorey BobakTPG founder and CEO Brian Kelly will be at TRAVERSE 19 on Oct....

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.We recently asked our TPG Lounge readers about the one perk they wish credit cards would ditch and what they’d like to see in its place. Here’s a look at some of our favorite answers. (Some responses have been lightly edited for style and clarity).General Credit Card PerksIt’s always good to get an idea of what customers think is important, especially when it comes to the kinds of special perks they look forward to using....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.If you want to get from Colombia to Japan, which are not connected by direct flights, the obvious choice would be to go the quickest route, connecting through the US or Canada or even Mexico. But I’m an aviation geek, and I often fly for the pleasure of trying out new aircraft and routes. So you know where this is going....

Ever since American Airlines invested $200 million in China Southern in March 2017, the two airlines have been steadily building their relationship. And that connection is quickly accelerating with the two airlines announcing a major step forward in their growing partnership on Wednesday.It started with a codeshare partnership agreed to as part of AA’s minority investment in early 2017. However, the number of codeshare flights that the new partners could agree to was limited by SkyTeam regulations....

A devastating fire ripped through the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Monday evening, burning down the landmark’s roof and sending thick smoke across the city’s skyline. The flames took more than 12 hours to completely extinguish, and more than 400 firefighters were part of the effort that eventually contained the blaze.Arson has been officially ruled out, and the fire’s cause is thought to be linked to a restoration project taking place in the roughly 850-year-old church....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG reader Jeff writes:“I have points on gazillions of airlines - probably enough for free flights on many - but am wondering if there is a good way to consolidate? Just moved to silver status on US Airways - but no status on others. I registered on points.com but seems like there are high fees for transferring from one program to another …“In an ideal world, you would be able to freely and instantly combine all of your frequent flyer accounts with ease....