Posts

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.While giving to charity is something you should do out of the goodness of your heart, many organizations offer perks when donating — including the opportunity to earn bonus points and miles.As part of the Annual Disaster Giving Program, American Airlines is offering bonus miles to anyone who donates $25 or more to Red Cross Disaster Relief. You can also direct the tax-deductible donation to your local Red Cross or those who were recently affected by Hurricane Lane....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Last Tuesday I applied for both the personal and business versions of the Starwood American Express card since they are running 30,000 point sign-up promotions on both cards, which is 20% more than what they usually offer. I immediately got approved for the personal card, though my business application (which I had submitted second) was automatically flagged as a duplicate application and put into a 4-day holding queue....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.As anyone who’s flown into or out of an airport that’s way out of town, that limbo between deplaning and hotel check-in can be a travel buzz-crushing drag—especially after an already long flight. If you’ve got the cash (or in some cases, the points), you can have a helicopter whisk you directly to your destination, then back to the airport on your return....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.‘Tis the season for co-branded credit card revamps and releases, as today Chase and Hyatt are announcing a new World of Hyatt Credit Card. This is not a refresh of the existing Hyatt credit card’s benefits, but instead it is a brand new card with an improved bonus, some perks Hyatt loyalists are going to love, and a fun new bonus category that I have been just waiting for some credit card to offer....

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.Earlier today, one of our eagle-eyed senior writers noticed a slight change to the Marriott Bonvoy terms & conditions that — at face value — could be taken as a concerning development. Here was the added language:“Select properties may have redemption rates in excess of the Category 8 Redemption Rates....

If you’re hoping to try out Qatar Qsuite — the winner of the 2018 TPG Awards Best International Business Class of the Year — you’re in luck! Qatar just quietly added its fifth US destination with the award-winning product, and there’s currently excellent award availability.As a quick recap, there are four US routes currently served by Qsuite-installed aircraft with two more coming soon:Chicago (ORD): QR Flights 725 and 726Houston (IAH): QR Flights 713 and 714New York (JFK): QR Flights 701/703 and 702/704Washington Dulles (IAD): QR Flights 707 and 708Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW): QR Flights 729 and 730 – starting January 16, 2019Los Angeles (LAX): QR Flights 739 and 740 – starting February 2, 2019Starting March 31, 2019, Qatar will run a daily Boeing 777-300ER between Doha (DOH) and Boston (BOS) on the following schedule:QR 743 — Doha (DOH) 8:15am Departure ⇒ Boston (BOS) 2:10pm ArrivalQR 744 — Boston (BOS) 10:59pm Departure ⇒ Doha (DOH) 5:45pm (+1) ArrivalAs we find on ExpertFlyer, Qatar is already running a Boeing 777-300ER on this route....

“If we fail our children, we are bound to fail our present, our future, faith, cultures, and civilizations as well.” - Kailash SatyarthiPeaceJam and The Points GuyOver the past five years TPG has worked closely with an incredible nonprofit, PeaceJam. PeaceJam connects Nobel Peace Prize laureates and young people from countries across the globe. The organization creates educational programming for youth globally and hosts once-in-a-lifetime leadership conferences. PeaceJam conferences help teens to develop management skills and to learn to take on leadership roles in their schools and local communities....

TPG Contributor Nicholas du Pont recently flew on Turkish Airlines’ A330-300 from Singapore to Istanbul, then on to New York. Read on for his impressions of the business-class experience. (All photos are by the author).My goal was to book a round-trip ticket from the US to Asia with a stopover in Europe — what better way to do it than by booking Turkish Airlines for my trip from Singapore to Istanbul and New York onboard the A330-300!...

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Late last year, Singapore Airlines shared the news that it would re-launch nonstop service from the US — in 2018. Then, just a couple months later, United made headlines with an entirely unexpected new route announcement of its own, beating its Star Alliance partner to the punch. United’s nonstop flight from San Francisco to Singapore launched Wednesday night, and I had an opportunity to join the very first flight....

Travelers from every single state in the US have booked a sailing with forthcoming Virgin Voyages. Except, that is, South Dakota.South Dakota counts Mount Rushmore, Michael Jordan and Tom Brokaw amongst its bragging rights. Residents of the state, however, do not take a lot of vacation time: The average full-time employee in South Dakota only uses 26% of his or her vacation days for travel.The Best Credit Cards for Booking CruisesIn one of the most hilarious PR stunts we’ve witnessed in a long time, Sir Richard Branson took out an ad in today’s edition of The New York Times with an open letter to South Dakotans inviting them to cruise with his very own cruise line, Virgin Voyages....

On Sunday, Pope Francis landed in Abu Dhabi to a glamorous reception by the Emirati royals, stepping off the plane into what may be the world’s most luxurious jetway. The notoriously frugal Francis, known for flying coach when he was Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, may not have liked the opulence. But when popes fly, they travel as befits a head of state, which they are. And so, therefore, does Francis....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG reader Thomas messaged me to ask for my help choosing between two travel rewards cards:“I currently have the Amex Platinum card for access to Delta and Centurion lounges, but am not getting the most value from my spending. I was thinking of getting either the SPG Amex or Chase Sapphire Preferred; which would you recommend?“First of all, the Platinum Card® from American Express is great for perks like lounge access, but you’ll only earn one Membership Rewards point per dollar spent....

Wheels up! Southwest Airlines began flying a number of new routes Sunday, Nov. 4, and returned an additional roster of seasonal routes to its fall and winter schedule.The expansion includes a number of additions for LaGuardia, Washington, DC’s Reagan National as well as for San Jose. The East Coast additions come courtesy of Virgin America’s demise (RIP): Southwest was able to secure slots at LaGuardia (LGA) and Washington Reagan National (DCA) from Alaska Airlines, which is downsizing its presence in the two northeast airports....

Southwest Airlines will take a massive step toward its much-anticipated Hawaii service on Tuesday.The budget carrier has confirmed it will operate its first test flight to Hawaii on Tuesday, the next step it must take in order to get certified to fly over the ocean to the islands.An airline flying twinjets, like Southwest does, needs to go through an Extended Range Twin-engine Operational Performance Standards certification process with the Federal Aviation Administration to launch flights over oceans....

We’re nearing on the last day to donate to our Prizeo campaign, benefitting Make-A-Wish, as well as your chance to win 1,000,000 United MileagePlus Miles and the Trip That Transforms. While the last day to donate to the Prizeo campaign is on Nov. 30, for today only, you’ll also be entered to win $5,000 in Lyft credits just for donating a minimum of $10.As part of this flash sweeps, any donations made to the TPG Make-A-Wish Prizeo campaign on Nov....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.We’ve compared the perks and protections across premium credit cards to attempt to see which comes out on top, but really the best pick for you depends on what benefits you value the most. If you’re going to pay $450 (or more) a year for a card, it better be giving you bonus points where you spend the most and deliver you valuable extras like annual travel credits you can use and access to a chain of airport lounges that you frequent....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Last year, there was some speculation that Virgin America was considering flying to Hawaii — just a few months later it was formally announced and the carrier launched nonstop service from San Francisco (SFO) to Honolulu (HNL). In December, Virgin America also launched a route from San Francisco (SFO) to Maui (OGG), and kicked off the service by offering discounted fares on flights to Honolulu (HNL) for $169 one-way....

An American couple staying in an Airbnb in Mexico died recently after there was an undetected carbon monoxide leak in the rental home.Edward Winders and Barbara Moller died last month after a broken heater filled their Airbnb in San Miguel de Allende with the toxic gas, the prosecutor’s office of Guanajuato told Mexico News Daily. It seems that the rental did not have a working detector for the poisonous gas, which is colorless and odorless....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.It seems hard to believe that I am now firmly into my second decade of playing the points and miles game. When I graduated college back in 2005 and opened my first credit card (as the primary cardholder… my parents had wisely added me as an authorized user on their cards to build up a positive credit history), I absolutely refused to pay an annual fee....

Imagine sending your precious passport in for a renewal and getting it back with someone else’s face on it. Unbelievably, that’s what happened to TPG Intern Raven Brunson. Here’s her incredible story.I was planning an amazing trip to Paris with one of my friends and as we were going through our pre-departure check list, I realized my passport had expired. Millions of passports are issued every year, so I figured this wouldn’t be a problem and headed off to the post office to send in my renewal info....