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Planning a Family Vacation to Italy: Agriturismos

On August 1, 2014 · 1 comment

in Europe, Family Travel, Hotel Industry, TPG Contributors

This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page. There is no substitute for the beautiful countryside of Italy. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Today TPG Contributor Jason Steele shares his experiences 
Italy is a very rich destination for travelers. Certainly, there’s the ruins of the ancient Roman empire to see, and the art of the Renaissance to appreciate, but a trip to Italy is also about experiencing the people, culture, and cuisine… Read More

Chase Sapphire Preferred First Friday – 3x Points on Dining

On August 1, 2014 · 2 comments

in Chase, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Dining Programs, OpenTable, Ultimate Rewards

This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page. Dining out Table

The First Friday of the month is here, which means you can earn 3x Ultimate Rewards points on dining purchases with the Chase Sapphire or Sapphire Preferred cards. No registration is necessary, Chase will award the bonus points automatically for any qualifying purchases made by 11:59 pm… Read More

Chase Sapphire Preferred Announces More Benefit Changes

On July 31, 2014 · 23 comments

in Chase, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Ultimate Rewards

This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page. Chase-Ultimate-Rewards

Chase recently announced upcoming changes to benefits for the Sapphire Preferred card, including the demise of the  7% annual points dividend and the addition of primary auto rental insurance. Chase has now released a complete list of the upcoming changes, and while they aren’t as newsworthy… Read More

Air France/KLM 50% Off Flying Blue Promo Awards for Oct-Nov

On July 31, 2014 · 6 comments

in Air France, Flying Blue, KLM, Membership Rewards, Starwood

This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page. Screen shot 2014-07-31 at 9.07.42 AM

Flying Blue, the mileage program of SkyTeam partners Air France, KLM and Air Europa, offers Promo Awards each month, through which you can book award flights for as little as 50% of the miles normally needed on certain routes and in specific cabins. While these awards used to be released every… Read More

My AA Payday for a Canceled Flight and Broken Seat

July 31, 2014

US airlines are pretty stingy with regard to compensation when things go wrong. Compared to strict EU regulations, US airlines are responsible just for getting you to your destination at some point, and they can use “weather” and “air traffic control” to weasel out of situations where compensation is warranted. Nonetheless, even though airlines aren’t legally […]

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Thursday Giveaway: $500 Marriott Gift Card

July 31, 2014

Marriott Hotels is currently promoting their #WIN3NYC contest on their social media channels, which gives one winner the opportunity to experience the “Best of NYC” by winning a three night trip to New York City including three nights at the participating Marriott hotel of your choice, 200,000 American AAdvantage miles, and two Smart Destinations Explorer Passes to visit your choice […]

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Count Change Fees as MQDs/PQDs – the Weekly Wish

July 31, 2014

Today TPG Contributor Nick Ewen continues his series The Weekly Wish, looking at flaws, shortcomings, and room for improvement in the world of travel and loyalty programs. Today’s wish: count change fees towards elite qualification on United and Delta. It sure seems like 2014 has been the year of the “$” in the frequent flyer world. Delta started the […]

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Promotions Ending Today: Starwood Transfer Bonuses & More

July 31, 2014

The following travel-related promotions are ending today, Thursday, July 31. Get ‘em while you still can! Starwood Offering Up to a 5o% Bonus for Transferring Starpoints to US Airways Dividend Miles: This promotion (for which no registration is necessary) specifies a 20% bonus, but as this doesn’t include the built in 25% bonus that Starwood offers when transferring […]

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Hotel Review: W Bangkok

July 30, 2014

TPG Foreign Correspondent Lori Zaino is off on a whirlwind trip to Southeast Asia. She recently stayed at the W Bangkok. Here’s her review of the hotel Bangkok, Thailand is a city of six million. For my two day stopover en route to other destinations in Asia, I simply wanted a hotel where I could escape […]

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Delta to Offer Free Entertainment on Domestic Flights

July 30, 2014

America’s number 3 airline is making a ratings grab. Starting this Friday, August 1, Delta Airlines will roll out Delta Studio, the carrier’s own branding of a Gogo wireless in-flight entertainment (IFE) system called Gogo Vision, and will begin offering free access to movies, TV shows, music and video games on all of its domestic flights that last 90 minutes or more. Delta passengers can access […]

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Which Are The Best Hotel Credit Cards For Free Nights?

July 30, 2014

Today, TPG Contributor Jason Steele analyzes current credit card offers to see which ones can get you free hotel nights fastest among the top brands. Hotel awards can can be underrated. Unlike most airline frequent flier programs, many hotel loyalty programs offer awards with no blackout dates or capacity controls. Furthermore, most hotel award nights are truly free, with no taxes […]

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Five Countries You Can Only Visit Through Government Sanctioned Tours

July 29, 2014

 Steve Gempeler and Peter Gulas of Allied Passport & Visa are back with their expert knowledge of all things visa and passports. Today, they’re tackling the complicated topic of traveling to countries that only allow Americans through government sanctioned tours. Read on for everything you need to know about traveling to these countries and obtaining the appropriate visa. […]

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Up to $1,050 in Statement Credit with Amex Plum Card

July 29, 2014

One of the key tenets of maximizing miles and points is that you should try to get something back for every dollar you spend- whether that be miles, points or cash.  Personally, I like racking up miles and points because I know how to maximize redemptions and get more than 2% back for every dollar I […]

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Useful Tips For Traveling To Myanmar

July 29, 2014

TPG Special Contributor Eric Rosen recently returned from a round-the-world trip where one of his stops was a week-long journey around Myanmar. Here are his tips for traveling to and around this fascinating Southeast Asian destination. Check out Eric’s other posts from his Asia adventure: Flying a Round the World Award Using US Airways Miles, What To Do […]

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Which Hilton HHonors Credit Card Is Best For You?

July 29, 2014

Today TPG Contributor Nick Ewen compares the benefits of all four credit cards in the Hilton HHonors family, and analyzes which ones should be in your wallet. Last week I highlighted one of the key benefits of the Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve card: the free night certificates that come with the initial sign-up bonus and after spending […]

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What To Do On A Visit To Luang Prabang, Laos

July 28, 2014

On his recent round-the-world trip, TPG Special Contributor Eric Rosen traveled to Luang Prabang in Laos for several days. Here are his picks on where to stay and what to do. Check out Eric’s other posts from his Asia adventure: Flying a Round the World Award Using US Airways Miles, Norwegian Air Intra-European 737-800 OSL-ARN, […]

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Amazon Payments – Send and Receive Money with a Credit Card

July 28, 2014

Today TPG Contributor Jason Steele offers insights into using Amazon Payments, a program for sending and receiving payments online with the option of using a credit card. Perhaps you’ve heard of Amazon Payments from Amazon.com, the retailing giant’s web-based payments platform. Amazon recently issued a high profile announcement that it would offer a smartphone integrated with Amazon Payments to allow […]

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IHG Rewards PointBreaks List For July 28-September 30

July 28, 2014

IHG Rewards, the points program of chains including Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Hotel Indigo and more, has released its latest list of PointBreaks hotels for July 28 – September 30 and they are now bookable. Simply search for eligible properties and 5,000 point award nights will show if they are still available. Book quickly because […]

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Credit Cards That Offer Free Credit Scores

July 28, 2014

Earlier this year, I shared how credit scores are calculated and which credit cards offer cardmembers a free look at their credit scores. In late February, though, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced that it’s urging major credit card issuers to provide free credit scores and related information to their customers. Several more cards and issuers have since hopped […]

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Maximizing Garuda Miles – Earning, Redeeming and Transfers

July 28, 2014

Garuda, the national carrier of Indonesia, has been in the news a lot lately. It joined the SkyTeam alliance back in March, entered into a mileage partnership with ANA in April, and earlier this week, Citi announced that Garuda would be one of eight new ThankYou points transfer partners. With so many more possibilities, I thought […]

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How Do I Use Points And Miles from a Rewards Credit Card?

July 27, 2014

I received our “super-newbie question of the week” from TPG reader Jessica, via Facebook: “I’m interested in getting a credit card for miles and points, but I’m not sure which one to choose. My main question is, how do you use the miles and points? Do they automatically come off your account when you pay, or do you […]

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Should I Reduce My High Credit Limit If I Don’t Use It?

July 27, 2014

There are a lot of different factors that influence your credit score, the biggest ones being paying your bills on time, and the amount of credit that you’re utilizing. For example, if you’ve got $20,000 of available credit between all your accounts, and you’re running a combined balance of $17,000, that represents a high credit utilization, and […]

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Should I Pay a Fee to Meet Credit Card Spend Requirement?

July 27, 2014

‪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 […]

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Flight Review: Singapore Economy Class HKG-SIN

July 26, 2014

On his recent round-the-world trip, TPG Special Contributor Eric Rosen made a quick stop in Bali. To get there from Hong Kong, he flew Singapore Airlines economy via Singapore. Here’s his review of the experience. Until my recent trip around the world, the last time I flew Singapore Airlines was back in 1992 when I […]

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