Posts

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.If you’ve been wanting to test out what it’s like to fly in Emirates first class, the carrier is offering some discounted fares out of Canada to select worldwide destinations. If you’re able to take advantage, you’ll earn valuable Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan redeemable miles in return — as well as a premier in-flight experience.On the surface, more than $3,800 round-trip for a flight might seem excessive....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.We often get emails at TPG asking about using points and miles for things other than travel. If you don’t plan on using your points for flights or hotels, donating them is a great way to pay it forward. To help you narrow down some options, TPG Contributor Lori Zaino has mapped out some information for donating by airline, hotel or charity....

Have you ever wondered how a commercial aircraft gets refueled? I recently visited JFK and saw the refueling of a large commercial twinjet unfold, from the plane’s arrival to when it left again for a transatlantic flight.Jet fuel is essentially diesel. It’s also known as kerosene, one of two types of diesel fuel. The fuel used in the U.S. and Canada is Jet-A, and the rest of the world, Jet A-1....

Over the weekend, during the height of the Australian summer, a swarm of bluebottle jellyfish stung thousands of beachgoers in Queensland, on Australia’s east coast. According to The New York Times, more than 3,500 stings were reported last weekend.Though it’s not uncommon to find jellyfish in warm waters, there have been more than three times the number of reported stings between now and Dec. 1, the start of summer in Australia, than there were for the same period last year....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Citi is a TPG advertising partnerFor a few months, the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard has been offering an elevated sign-up bonus of 50,000 miles, but that’s about to end. The last day for this increased offer will be Tuesday, Oct. 16, so you only have a few days left to apply and snag the 50,000 miles....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Over the course of this week, I’ll be going through ideas on how you can score some last-minute elite-qualifying miles on the US legacy carriers to put you over the edge for elite status qualification before the end of the year. Posts so far include Last-Minute Elite Status Qualification Ideas for American Flyers, Last-Minute United Premier Status Qualification Ideas, Last-Minute US Airways Preferred Status Qualification Ideas, Last-Minute Virgin America Elevate Elite Status Qualification Ideas....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here: Citi PrestigeAs anyone who’s ever traveled to the Maldives or Bora Bora knows, staying in an overwater bungalow can really make the trip special. After all, few things are more luxurious than stepping directly from your private accommodations into the warm, tropical water.While overwater rooms are typically found in these far-flung destinations, you’ll soon be able to book similar digs in two much more reachable locales: the Caribbean and Mexico....

The scene at LaGuardia Airport’s (LGA) Terminal B on Wednesday afternoon was seemingly business as usual. Passengers disembarked American Airlines Flight 1556, crowded the baggage claim, and waited for the conveyor belt to jolt into action.Yet, most of them didn’t know that the aircraft they’d arrived on — the Boeing 737 MAX 8 — had been grounded in the US by order of the Federal Aviation Administration just less than an hour earlier....

After a 20-hour flight that takes you across 10 time zones, the last thing you want to talk about is science. But science may be the very thing that saves you from impending jet lag.Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, recently discovered REV-ERBα, a protein that they describe as a “key player” in helping to control circadian rhythms, a fancy term for the physical, emotional and behavioral processes that affect our bodies in a 24-hour period — disruptions to which, according to the Salk Institute, “are why jet lag or a bad night’s sleep can alter your appetite and sleep patterns for days — and even contribute to conditions like heart disease, sleep disorders and cancers....

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.As 2012 comes to an end, I wanted to take stock of what turned out to be another exciting, challenging and ultimately rewarding year both on ThePointsGuy.com and personally. I visited over 20 countries, flew dozens of airlines, flew about 200,000 miles the good old-fashioned way and spent nearly 160 nights in hotels - and I loved every second of it (more or less)....

Do you love travel? Do you also love animals? Then you’re in luck, because today we’re diving into one of my absolute favorite travel services. I’m talking about Trusted Housesitters, a free program that matches people needing house and pet-sitters with people looking for a place to stay while traveling.Of course, it isn’t totally free. The service costs $118/year for those looking simply to housesit or find sitters, or $148/year if you’d like to have both options....

After teetering on the brink of financial collapse for several months now, stock for the British travel conglomerate Thomas Cook has ceased trading on the London Stock Exchange, leaving the company insolvent. All bookings, including flights and vacation packages, have been canceled effective immediately.While the company had many subsidiaries including tour operators and hotel companies, perhaps the most chaotic effect of this bankruptcy will be the cancellation of Thomas Cook Airlines flights....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Though many think the golden age of air travel is behind us, I think the skies are looking more luxurious than ever thanks to some amazing new first class products from airlines all over the world. I asked TPG Special Contributor Eric Rosen to round up some of the best, along with strategies for finding award space and booking that premium service....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.American Express Membership Rewards are some of the most valuable points, allowing you to transfer to 20 different travel partners.Now American Express is upping the value even more with a fantastic bonus when transferring Membership Rewards points to Flying Blue, Air France and KLM’s mileage program. Now through Apr. 29, 2019 you’ll receive a 25% bonus when transferring MR points to Flying Blue....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Shopping portals are a great way to double-dip with travel rewards, since you’ll earn bonus points or miles both for going through the portal and for paying with a travel rewards credit card. If you’re shopping online, your first stop should be a shopping portal — and tools like EVReward.com can help you find the best option for a given e-tailer....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available – View the current offers hereTPG Reader Jonathan asks:“I was wondering if you had any tips on trading Membership Rewards points for either Chase Ultimate Rewards or United miles in particular. I have 75,000 American Express Membership Rewards points but I would like to score three upgrades on a United BOS-SFO flight in a couple months. My only other hope was trying to find the United MileagePlus Explorer Card with a 55,000-mile targeted offer, but even after getting some miles in my United account, that offer doesn’t appear....

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.We’ll keep this short and sweet: If getting the kids to Legoland is on your to-do list in 2019, and they aren’t a Legoland reporter just yet, this deal could save you some money on your next Legoland adventure....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.There’s no denying that travel rewards cards offer some pretty amazing benefits — from annual travel fee credits and luxurious airport lounge access to cell phone protection and primary rental car insurance. While some of these perks are incredibly lucrative, at the end of the day issuers are running businesses, and these fancy extras are meant to secure your business as a cardholder rather than to gift you with tons of freebies “just because....

View this post on Instagram U.S. airlines parked more than 3,000 aircraft during the depths of the coronavirus pandemic, including these @united widebodies at Washington Dulles. #avgeek A post shared by Ned Russell (@airbus777) on Jun 4, 2020 at 7:10am PDT View this post on Instagram View this post on Instagram U.S. airlines parked more than 3,000 aircraft during the depths of the coronavirus pandemic, including these @united widebodies at Washington Dulles....