Whether you qualified for elite status in 2014 or fell short, the new year presents an opportunity to assess just how much that status means to you, and whether to pursue it again this year. Today, TPG Contributor Nick Ewen evaluates each level of Starwood Preferred Guest elite status to help you decide. Hotel status can be quite valuable, but that value…
Today, TPG Contributor Nick Ewen offers insight into how (and where) to use the 2 free night certificates that come with the Chase Hyatt Visa card, as well as the anniversary free night at category 1-4 properties. Last July, I wrote a detailed post about the free nights that you can earn on the Citi Hilton Reserve card (both…
I recently took an around-the-world trip from NYC (with a stay at the new Park Hyatt New York) and then on to Tokyo for 62,500 AA miles and $5.60, with award seats on American’s A321 first class JFK-San Francisco (SFO) and JAL’s Boeing 777-300ER first class SFO-Tokyo Haneda (HND). I hadn’t visited Tokyo for a long time, but it took me no time at…
One of the things I love most about being The Points Guy is getting to hear stories from readers about how award travel has affected their lives: the exotic vacations they’ve planned, the trips they’ve made to be with family and friends, the premium seats and suites they’ve experienced, and so much more, all made possible by points and…
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has chastised Marriott and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) for its August 2014 petition seeking the FCC’s permission to block guests’ use of outside WiFi networks at Marriott properties. The petition specifically mentions that Wi-Fi blocking at meetings and conventions—where WiFi is rarely offered for free by the hotel chain—would be required to protect…
In October Barclaycard announced the release of the AAdvantage Aviator Silver card and AAdvantage Aviator Red card, which will soon replace the US Airways Premier World MasterCard, and are only being offered to existing cardholders. I accepted the invitation to upgrade my card, and I’m excited to now officially be one of the first Aviator Silver cardholders! The Aviator cards are a brilliant…
The last time British Airways changed its Executive Club program was about 3 years ago when the airline made redemptions based on individual sectors, but today marks the next big changes to the British Airways Executive Club program. If you’re thinking of taking advantage of the American Express to British Airways 40% transfer bonus, you may want…
Anyone who lives in an American Airlines hub with a lot of non-stop flights (NYC, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Charlotte, LA) should be best friends with British Airways Avios. Even if you never fly on a British Airways plane, knowing how to leverage the Executive Club program can easily save you thousands of dollars annually on…
Today TPG Senior Points & Miles Correspondent Jason Steele explains the unexpected challenge of locating a commercial airliner, and the technologies that could aid search efforts the next time a plane goes missing. One of the most frustrating aspects of the loss of Malaysia Airlines flight 370 has been the complete lack of answers as to where it crashed and…
At an event last night in Los Angeles’ Nokia Plaza, Marriott announced the impending U.S. arrival of their new budget hotel brand, Moxy—and TPG Travel Editor Melanie Wynne shares more details. Following the successful September 2014 launch of a single property in Milan, Marriott has just announced plans to bring its boutique Moxy Hotels brand to the U.S. in 2016. Targeted at millennials, this…
