As airline and hotel loyalty programs change constantly, having a coherent, powerful credit card strategy is more important than ever. Factors to consider include sign-up bonuses, earning bonuses and structures, and the host of other benefits that cardholders stand to gain — like free checked bags, elite status and more. By maximizing these benefits and using the right…
One complaint you won’t hear from award travel enthusiasts is that there aren’t enough places we want to go. Today, TPG Senior Points & Miles Correspondent Nick Ewen stretches that list even further as he shares his favorite Hyatt properties for award redemptions. To borrow from a well-known phrase, value is in the eye of the beholder. This is especially…
When talking about award travel, it’s easy to focus on earning points and miles, and lose sight of the actual traveling. Today, however, TPG Contributor Richard Kerr offers a detailed analysis of how you can use your travel rewards to explore East Asia. Over the last few months, TPG Senor Points & Miles Correspondent Jason Steele has presented some…
Flying Blue, the mileage program of SkyTeam partners Air France, KLM and Air Europa, offers Promo Awards each month that enable you to book award flights for as little as half of the miles normally needed on some routes and in certain cabins. The list of awards you can book between now and March 31, 2015 for travel May 1 to…
Free WiFi is fast becoming less of a benefit and more of a given for hotel guests around the world. Whereas even a year ago many of the major chains charged everyone but elites for using WiFi while smaller hotels enticed business travelers with the promise of free internet access, the larger hotel brands finally seem…
Earlier this year, TPG Special Contributor Eric Rosen shared the most exciting hotel openings planned for 2015. However, since that list of 15 properties barely scratched the surface of new hotels we’ll see open across the world this year, he’ll now share a list on a regular basis. This first installment covers openings from January through March, but look out for new entries…
An important part of maximizing your travel is minimizing your costs. Today, TPG Senior Points & Miles Correspondent Jason Steele explains how you can trim your car rental budget by avoiding excess toll charges. Toll roads are becoming increasingly common in many major cities. Sometimes these tolls are imposed to fund new construction, while other times…
TPG reader Cindy tweeted me to ask: @thepointsguy– “What is the best credit card to use for gas purchases that allows you to transfer points to airlines?” Even though gas prices have been coming down, you should still be maximizing and earning on gas purchases. There are plenty of credit cards out there that will…
TPG reader Daniel emailed me to ask: “I have US Airways Dividend Miles, and I was wondering if I could use them to book a one-way award ticket on American Airlines?” Strictly speaking, the answer is yes — you can book a one-way award, but unfortunately, it will cost you the same as a round-trip…
TPG reader Dan emailed me to ask: “In several blog posts, you mention that you get more value from Ultimate Rewards points if you use them with Hyatt, but it seems like points transfer 1:1. Can you please explain?” I don’t mean to say that you actually get more points by transferring to Hyatt then…
