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I’ve had some memorable experiences flying in premium cabins, but not all first or business-class seats are created equal. Today, TPG Senior Points & Miles Correspondent Nick Ewen explains why flying up front within Europe might not be worth the extra cost.One of the best aspects of award travel is that you can travel not only at a discount (or for free), but also in greater comfort. There’s something special about flying in first or business class and arriving at your destination refreshed, well-fed and ready to hit the ground running....

I just graduated from college — and I can vouch that in my four years, I never learned how to manage my personal finances. For lack of a better word, you’re expected to “adult” as soon as you enter the workforce.(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)If you’re still in college, this is actually the perfect time to get a jump start on building credit. Owning your first credit card can be stressful, as you’re granted this newfound purchasing power....

Not all business-class products were created equal. It’s disappointing to shell out business-class prices — or award rates — and end up with a sub-par premium experience. Here, TPG Contributor JT Genter offers some tips to help you avoid this particular predicament.Just recently, a former co-worker excitedly emailed me about a “great” fare he’d gotten — a business-class flight to Dublin, Ireland (DUB) for just $2,500 round-trip. He had seen biz fares over $4,000 to other places in Europe, so this was indeed an awesome deal to Europe… right?...

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Would you sleep in a room sculpted entirely out of ice and snow? In a remote corner of Swedish Lapland, high up in the Arctic Circle, the Icehotel just unveiled the 29th annual incarnation of its artist-designed rooms.Photo by Asaf KligerThough there is a permanent part of the property that stays open year-round, every year, 15 to 20 suites are designed and built out of snow and ice from the Torne River, which then melt back into the river in April....

Denmark’s Camp Forest Adventure Park in Gisselfield Castle Forest just opened a new observation deck to the public.Sitting at a hulking 135 feet tall, the tower has a striking, spiral-shaped appearance and is made up of weathered steel, locally sourced wooden slats and glass. According to Arup, this is to help the building “blend in” to its forest surroundings. It’s appearance also offers visitors a more one-with-nature feel as they make their way up the coiled, 710-foot pathway to the top deck....

Beginning in October 2020, Air New Zealand will fly nonstop three times a week between New York’s Newark airport and Auckland. It will be the first-ever nonstop flight between New York and New Zealand.The flights to Auckland from Newark will take around 17 hours and 40 minutes, according to the airline. At almost 9,000 miles, this will be the longest flight in Air New Zealand’s network and the fifth-longest in the world by distance....

Over the past two years, American Airlines’ management has been obsessed with fleet simplification – from retiring older aircraft types (like the MD-80) to ditching smaller aircraft types (Embraer E190s) and “harmonizing” aircraft seat arrangements on all of its other aircraft.Indeed, simplification was a significant reason behind American Airlines cancelling its Airbus A350 order and doubling-down on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner in its place. AA’s goal is to reduce its aircraft types and unique seating arrangements from 52 different sub-fleets to just 30 sub-fleets by 2022....

For weeks, customers have been unable to redeem United miles for award flights operated by Singapore Airlines, TAP or Thai, and now UA’s adding one more IT-related casualty to the mix: ANA.United’s statement sums up the current issues:“We’ve been in contact with our partners at ANA who have confirmed that there is an issue with ability to send us award availability. We anticipate this issue being fixed in the coming days....

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 that 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.A few weeks ago, we highlighted some great fares from Los Angeles to Copenhagen on American Airlines which at the time were starting at under $700 roundtrip. Not only are those sale fares still available, other airlines have also jumped in and are offering comparable fares on the route.The best way to search for dates is to head over to Google Flights where you can get a calendar view....

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 that 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....

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.The World of Hyatt program has undergone some significant changes this year, from the addition of Small Luxury Hotels as a partner to the devaluation of Points & Cash awards. Today it’s announcing yet another update and the news is almost entirely positive. Starting Mar 1, 2019, the program is adding new milestone bonuses and adjusting the timing of when you’ll earn upgrade and club lounge awards....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.One of the biggest reasons people hesitate to get the Amex Platinum, Business Platinum and Mercedes-Benz Platinum cards is the hefty $450 annual fee…which is generally not waived the first year. However, if you plan to take advantage of many of the perks the card has to offer, you can reap much more from the card than the annual fee- especially if you get the card now and can max out the $200 airline credit, which runs on a calendar year, which means you’ll get an additional $200 starting January 1, 2013....

Today, I want to share a story from TPG reader Zac, who didn’t get the rewards payday he expected on a recent trip:I don’t often stay at Marriott hotels, and it had been a few years since I checked my Marriott Rewards account (now Bonvoy). However, I recently took a work trip to China for a few weeks, and we were booked to stay in a Marriott property. I was pretty excited to rack up points from a longer stay, so I made sure the hotel had my membership number at check-in and checkout, and assumed everything would be okay....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.I value Starpoints at 2.4 cents apiece, and I can get even more than that when I redeem for high-end hotels and premium award flights. However, I routinely get emails from readers who aren’t sure how to maximize their points, so today, TPG Contributor Richard Kerr offers examples of some of the best (and worst) redemption options.TPG’s most recent monthly valuations list Starwood Preferred Guest Starpoints as the single most valuable loyalty currency....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.While American Express Membership Rewards points - the points you earn on cards like the Premier Rewards Gold, Business Gold Rewards and Platinum cards - usually transfer to Hilton HHonors points at a ratio of 1 Amex point to 1.5 Hilton points, but now through January 31, 2014, there is a 33% transfer bonus, which means the ratio is 1 Amex : 2 Hilton....

Lately, selfie-takers determined to “do it for the ‘gram” have been going to outrageous measures to get the best shot. Now, farmers in the Netherlands are feeling the negative effects of this trend, causing them several thousand euros worth of damage to their tulip fields.According to several tulip farmers in the Netherlands, young millennial travelers are flocking to the farmers’ fields in droves – which would not normally be a problem – except that over the past two years, tourists have been trampling the tulips and stunting growth....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG reader Carla tweeted this week:"@thepointsguy do you think it makes sense to pay my expensive NYC rent on a credit card to meet min CC spend if there’s a $50 fee to do so?“In an ideal world we would be able to pay any bill with a credit card with no fee at all. When it comes to mortgages and paying rent, nowadays you can use a service to pay those bills with a credit card, but you’ll probably be hit with a fee of around 3%....