January 27, 2015
Korean Air A380 featured

Korean Air Returns as Ultimate Rewards Transfer Partner

After a short hiatus, Chase has reinstated SkyTeam member Korean Air as a travel transfer partner. In November, the airline disappeared from the Ultimate Rewards Travel Center, but as of Sunday, Chase Sapphire Preferred and Ink Plus cardholders can once again transfer points to Korean Air SkyPass for award flights. Chase Ultimate Rewards is currently one of the most valuable points…
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January 27, 2015
Airbus_A350-900

Flying on the Airbus A350: Which Airlines and Miles to Use

Today, TPG Special Contributor Eric Rosen looks at which major airlines have ordered the new Airbus A350, and how you can use miles to test it out. Earlier this month, Qatar Airways became the launch customer of the newest Airbus jet, the A350XWB (XWB stands for extra wide-body). Meant to compete with Boeing’s next-generation 787 Dreamliner, the A350…
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January 27, 2015
You can use points to book directly into a club room at the Grand Hyatt Dubai, giving you sweeping views of the city from the lounge.

How to Upgrade Hotel Rooms With Points

Your hotel experience can vary widely, not only across brands and categories, but also between rooms in the same property. Today TPG Contributor Nick Ewen looks at upgrade awards to help you make the most of your stay, and discusses which of these options offer the best value. Whether you’re new to The Points Guy or a long-time reader, you’ve probably…
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January 26, 2015
etihad-airways

Etihad and Orbitz Make Unwelcome Changes to Mistake-Fare Flights

Turns out that those magically cheap Etihad fares that we shared back in December may not be so magical, after all. I’ve been hearing from readers that although Etihad has agreed to honor these cheap mistake fares, the airline is now making changes to some their itineraries—and not for the better. In case this happens to…
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January 26, 2015
A view of the pool

Hotel Review: Hotel Occidental Miramar in Havana, Cuba

My recent weekend in Cuba was absolutely amazing! If you haven’t done so already, check out my recent posts on Who Can Go to Cuba?, Tips For Traveling to Cuba, How to Get to Cuba (and Back): Flight and Award Options, Where and How to Book Hotels in Havana, Cuba and What to Do and See in Havana. Keep an eye out…
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January 26, 2015
W fll

SPG Accounts Hacked: Always Monitor Your Accounts

Per this Flyertalk thread, several Starwood Preferred Guest accounts have been hacked, with their points redeemed for gift cards. If you notice that your SPG account shows that points have been redeemed for unauthorized transactions, contact Starwood Preferred Guest, who will be able to help recover your points. It seems as Starwood is also trying to be proactive,…
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January 26, 2015
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Winter Storm Juno: Travel Advisories by Airline

With massive Winter Storm Juno bearing down on the East Coast, I wanted to provide you with a handy consolidated resource of the current travel advisories and flight change/refund policies of the major airlines so that you don’t get stranded this week. If you have upcoming travel anywhere in the affected zone (from Downeast Maine to the Jersey shore,…
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January 26, 2015
There are ways to avoid British Airways' outrageous fuel surcharges

Best Ways To Redeem British Airways Avios

Since American Express is offering a 40% transfer bonus to British Airways through January 31, we asked TPG Special Contributor Eric Rosen to round up some of the best ways to redeem them. British Airways Avios sometimes get a bad rap thanks to high fuel surcharges flying to/from London on BA itself. However, Avios are…
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January 26, 2015
757 Transcon EC seat

5 Award Flights that Don’t Exist at Saver Level

The best thing about earning points and miles is getting to use them, but too often airlines make redeeming for award travel more difficult and costly than it should be. Today TPG Senior Points & Miles Correspondent Jason Steele calls out several routes where low-level awards are scarce, if they’re available at all. Have you ever felt like airline…
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January 25, 2015
Getting 50,000 miles after the first purchase is a great bonus opportunity. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

What’s the Most Lucrative Current Credit Card Sign-up Bonus?

TPG reader Chris emailed me to ask: “What is the most lucrative credit card sign-up bonus offer available right now?”  There are some incredibly valuable targeted offers out there right now, but to answer this question I’m going to focus only on bonuses available to everyone. I think that right now the most lucrative sign-up bonus is the US Airways…
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