Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Every so often, Aeroplan (the loyalty program of Air Canada) offers bonuses when you convert points from the program’s partners into Aeroplan miles, and now through November 24, when you transfer points from select partners, you can earn up to 25,000 bonus miles. As with past promotions, the bonus is tiered based on how many points you convert....
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.One of the best parts of summer is getting away with your friends. For New York-based young professionals, weekend jaunts to the Hamptons and Nantucket are seemingly the norm. But one of the worst parts of those trips?...
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here: Citi PrestigeWhen the electronics ban forced nine foreign airlines operating nonstop flights to the US from 10 Middle Eastern and African airports to implement new restrictions within 96 hours, JT Genter and I took a last-minute trip to the Middle East to see for ourselves how the changes would be implemented. Both of us observed Qatar Airways’ gate-side security and boarding for US-bound flights before I experienced the electronics ban on Etihad and JT saw how it all played out on Emirates....
Last fall, my friend and I decided to visit Portugal, a country with a phenomenal wine scene, gorgeous natural scenery and fascinating things to do in both Lisbon and Porto. The only question was, how were we going to get there?BookingFor several years, my main US frequent-flyer program has been American Airlines AAdvantage, so I first looked into how I could use my AAdvantage miles for an award ticket from my home base in Los Angeles....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.You watch them on TV, you cheer for them from the stands and you might even get to meet them if you splurge on the right seats. But getting to train with them one-on-one? For super fans, that kind of VIP experience with a professional athlete is the stuff of Gatorade-fueled dreams.Fortunately, hotels around the world are changing the game for fans by giving them access to their favorite pros....
Global air passenger traffic may have hit rock bottom and be on the way to recovery, even if it’s an incredibly modest one.That’s according to new data from flight-data firm Cirium, which reported that the number of schedule passenger flights operating on Wednesday, April 28, was 4% higher than the previous Wednesday (April 21).If 4% sounds like a small bounce, it is. But it marks the first time that Cirium has tracked a daily week-over-week increase in scheduled passenger flights since March 5, a span of more than eight weeks....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Last month, I traveled from New York to Barcelona and spent a few days exploring the city before boarding the inaugural flight of IAG’s new low-cost carrier, LEVEL, from Barcelona (BCN) to Los Angeles (LAX). After looking into several hotel options, I eventually decided it was best for me to book my two-night stay at the Hotel Arts Barcelona, a Ritz-Carlton property, through the American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts program....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here: The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, The Platinum Card® from American Express, Citi PrestigeI usually will roll my eyes whenever I see those “best of” travel lists, but Travel and Leisure’s World’s Best Awards are generally well-vetted. So when Nihi Sumba Island was named the #1 hotel of 2016, I knew I had to check it out and see what all the buzz was about — and if the resort could live up to all the hype....
The Concorde anniversaries are many: We’ve just had the 50th anniversary of the first flight of the Franco-British supersonic aircraft, for example. But for me, a former British Airways Concorde pilot, the most significant was Jan. 21, 1976, the day of the airplane’s first-ever commercial flights. That day BA operated from Heathrow to Bahrain, and simultaneously Air France flew from Paris to Rio de Janeiro via Dakar, Senegal.On Jan. 20, I warned the boring, lifeless teachers at my London grammar school that I would not be in attendance the next day because I would be at Heathrow airport to witness what, to me, was the most significant event in commercial aviation history....
Which tier you’ll earn in your favorite frequent flyer program is hardly the most significant issue any of us are dealing with at the moment. Yet many readers have reached out to ask how airlines will be handling elite status qualification this year, given that the vast majority of us are grounded right now, and likely will be for some time.I understand the concern. I’ve been a United Premier 1K member since before I joined TPG five years ago....
The British royal family is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons this week, following news that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took four private jet flights in 11 days while at the same time publicly campaigning against climate change.https://www.instagram.com/p/BzWbKn1lW9h/?utm_source=ig_embedThe couple took return flights to both Nice, France, and Ibiza, Spain. Sir Elton John has leapt to the defense of the couple, explaining that he had paid to help carbon-offset one of the return journeys, which was to his home in France....
The weather plays a big part in how smooth your flight experience is. It has an effect on how bumpy it is and also how likely it is to depart and arrive on time. I already discussed how the earth’s atmosphere and the wind can impact your journey — but those aren’t the only things that can alter a flight.Thunderstorms are probably the most dramatic weather phenomena going. They can turn day into night and dump more rain and hail in a few minutes than you might expect to see in a week....
As tropical storm winds reach the Florida coast, hurricane and storm surge warnings have been extended up the Florida coast. Mandatory evacuations are in place from South Florida to coastal South Carolina. Meanwhile, Hurricane Dorian has all but stalled over Great Bahama island with 150 mph sustained wind speeds.Hurricane Dorian is currently not forecast to make landfall on the Florida coast. However, the National Hurricane Center still gives a 99% probability of tropical storm-force winds reaching Fort Pierce and Cocoa Beach, Florida....
A crisis is looming over the international aviation industry, a top airline organization said Wednesday. It’s not pilot shortages or gas prices that have these experts concerned – it’s airport infrastructure.“We are approaching an infrastructure crisis,” Alexandre de Juniac, president of the International Aviation Transportation Association, said at the organization’s annual media day. In some places, de Juniac added, the crisis has already begun and is on track to only get worse as the amount of global air travelers increase exponentially in the next two decades....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Lyft is expanding its monthly subscription plans by targeting some of its most frequent riders to secure a spot on the waitlist for one of the “All-Access Plan” passes.The ride-hailing service first began testing its All-Access Plan in March with a variety of plans, and now, Lyft is more widely opening up the option for frequent users to put their name on the waitlist for a pass....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Just in time for summer, Royal Caribbean rolled out a $120 million revamp one of its older ships, the Mariner of the Seas, to reach a market that wasn’t originally interested in cruises: millennials. The (sorta) new ship is now photogenic from bow to stern, and it’s complete with an escape room, a virtual-reality trampoline experience, Italian dining by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, an ice-skating rink and so much more....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.If you’re a fan of Southwest’s co-branded credit cards with Chase, you better brace yourself. The issuer has just announced changes to the personal versions of these cards that may make it harder to earn the airline’s coveted Companion Pass moving forward.Specifically, starting Thursday, April 5, you’re now no longer eligible to open a Southwest consumer credit card if either of the following conditions apply:You are a current Southwest consumer credit cardholder; orYou have earned a new cardmember bonus on a Southwest consumer credit card in the last 24 months....
Joshua Tree National Park in California receives under six inches of rainfall per year on average, which isn’t surprising given that it’s in the desert, and becomes one of the hottest places on Earth during the summer. Snow is exceedingly rare — in fact, the stated average for this part of the world is zero.Rarely do you see the entry to Joshua Tree National Park blanketed in whiteYet, a rare snowstorm settled over the park last night and dumped several inches....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.In this hobby, any announcement of impending changes to a program or credit card tends to breed panic. Ideally we’re given notice before a devaluation (like the upcoming changes to the Aeroplan program), but as Delta continually demonstrates, that isn’t always the case! Today, TPG Senior Points & Miles Correspondent Nick Ewen takes a look at some of the most recent changes — both good and bad....
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TO THE POINT: Our four-night stay at the Andaz San Diego was a great opportunity to use Citi Prestige’s 4th night free benefit, as well as a leftover Hyatt Diamond Suite Upgrade. The pros: a great location at the edge of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, a real front desk at check-in and an overall great Andaz experience. The cons: none, we loved staying here!...
