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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.From now until March 25th, US Airways and American Airlines are offering discounts of up to 30% when you transfer miles to someone else. Unlike many promotions that give you a bonus for buying or transferring miles, this tiered offer allows you to save either 20% or 30% depending on how many miles you transfer. Check your miles balance on either US Airways or American to see how many miles you have available to send....

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.Numerous TPG readers have emailed me about the American Express shopping portal no longer working. For those unaware, the portal gives extra American Express Membership Rewards points for online shopping with lots of different retailers. Sadly, I’ve also tried to access the portal at americanexpress....

There’s something strange going on with Avianca’s Lifemiles award pricing. We’re finding award flights from the US to Europe on Star Alliance carriers for much less than Avianca’s published rates.Normally, Lifemiles charges 30,000 miles one-way for flights between the US and Europe. However, we are seeing prices as low as 17,500 miles one-way. As far as we know, there’s no published sale on these routes and it also only appears to be affecting flights to London Heathrow....

Tokyo will be the center of the sports universe this July and August, as it plays host to the 2020 Summer Olympics. Award availability during the games — for both flights and hotel rooms — is very scarce at this point. However, if you’ve been eyeing a trip to Tokyo either before or after the games, you may be in luck. We’re seeing a plethora of two or more premium-class award seats from a major U....

British Airways is canceling flights ahead of a planned strike action by the pilots union BALPA set for Sept. 9-10 and telling passengers “Do not go to the airport.” If you are flying with BA over these days, it’s likely your flight has been cancelled.BA is offering full refunds to ticketed passengers and giving them the option to rebook to a different travel date, as well as working with customers to rebook their travel on partner airlines....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG reader Ryan sent me a message on Facebook to ask about redeeming Citi ThankYou points:“I was planning to redeem 40,000 bonus points from my Citigold account to book a flight on Singapore Suites, but I was told points from checking don’t transfer to airline partners. What are my options?”Many credit card issuers also provide incentives for other banking relationships....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.This holiday season, Chase is offering VIP lounges for United MileagePlus cardholders at two major US shopping malls, one in San Francisco, and the other in Short Hills, NJ. These lounges will be accessible to primary cardholders of any Chase United card (including the United MileagePlus Explorer Card, the United MileagePlus Club Card card, and business versions), along with up to three guests....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Want to see the latest travel 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.Every so often Amtrak offers a “flash sale,” such as Northeast regional routes from $19 one-way. Amtrak is back with another one of these sales, this time, dubbed the “Amtrak Across America” sale....

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.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....

We recently wrote about how Best Western is offering 750 Aeroplan miles per stay this fall when you opt to earn Aeroplan miles instead of Best Western Rewards points. Now, Choice Hotels is topping this promotion by offering 1,250 Aeroplan miles per stay when you earn Aeroplan miles instead of Choice Privileges points. This is five times the Aeroplan miles you’d normally earn per stay; TPG’s latest valuations peg this haul of Aeroplan miles at $18....

Airplane seats that become bunk beds, a wheelchair that goes from check-in to in-flight and meal trays made from biodegradable and edible materials are among 24 ideas and inventions on the shortlist for this year’s Crystal Cabin Awards, which celebrate innovations for the inside of aircraft cabins.A few of these ideas, including “The Loft,” a social space for Upper Class passengers on Virgin Atlantic’s new A350-1000s that doubles as a mood-lit entryway, are already flying....

Road tripping around Europe has landed a top spot on many bucket lists, but finding the means to do so and figuring out the most efficient plan can make the trip more difficult than imaginable. However, University of Michigan professor Randy Olsen calculated the fastest way to circle all of Europe — and still hit the major tourist spots.The entire trip hits 41 cities, takes two weeks of nonstop driving and some ferrying to compete and covers 16,287 miles....

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 Waldorf Astoria represents a special place in the history of New York. Over the course of almost 90 years, the venerable hotel has played host to kings and queens, presidents, foreign dignitaries and celebrities. Countless people have jostled for space to enjoy a drink at the Bull and Bear or brunch at Peacock Alley....

Although still just a disorganized cluster of storms, a storm system in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to develop into a tropical storm late Wednesday or early Thursday. Prediction models vary on the strength and landfall of the soon-to-be Tropical Storm Barry, but it is expected to cause significant flooding across the Gulf Coast this week and into the weekend. And the effects are already beginning. On Wednesday morning, New Orleans residents faced a flash flood emergency, and the Mississippi River is expected to crest near the top of the city’s levee system....

When I first signed up for a United Mileage Plus account. I filled out a piece of paper at the gate before flying to Buenos Aires to study abroad in the summer of 2003. 15 years and 996,370 flight miles later, I found myself on the cusp of the prestigious United Million Miler status and the accompanying lifetime Premier Gold status. This was especially notable for me, since I’ve been without airline status the past few years....

Souvenir shopping at the airport can be the pits.Beyond lame shot glasses, T-shirts, over-priced regional food items and sports-team memorabilia, there’s often not much that’s truly new and gift-worthy in stock.Or that won’t give you away as a last-minute shopper.That’s where SouveNEAR’s vending machines really come to the rescue.Like the Best Buy vending units found now in about 50 airports nationwide, SouveNEAR’s vending machines are open 24/7.But that’s where the similarity ends....

After more than 200 mishaps with guns in the last three years and controversy around following ordinary passengers, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is making some changes to air marshal policies. But, these changes won’t keep air marshals from swarming an aircraft after a misunderstanding with a FA or curb the “rampant” alcohol abuse among air marshals.Instead, air marshals are “going to be assigned regularly to seats toward the back” of the plane, according to ABC News sources briefed on the matter....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Virgin America is offering a sale on flights to Hawaii and Mexico for travel this spring. The airline currently has service to Honolulu (HNL) and Maui (OGG), as well as Cancun (CUN), Los Cabos (SJD) and Puerto Vallarta (PVR). Apply promo code VACAY25 to your itinerary during booking to take advantage of the discount.The best deals seem to be on travel originating in San Francisco and heading to Maui or Cancun, but you may be able to find worthwhile deals on other routes as well....

Tim Clark, who has led Emirates for more than 30 years, will retire from his position as president in 2020.The move was first reported by The National, an English-language publication based in the United Arab Emirates.Under Clark’s leadership, Emirates transformed from a regional airline that primarily served Middle East destinations to the biggest airline in the world by international passengers carried. It’s also the largest operator of the Airbus A380, with more than 100 in its fleet....