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Airline and Hotel Invitation-Only Elite Status

On April 17, 2014 · 6 comments

in Elite Status

Stanley Bing from "Up in the Air" was obsessed with his AA Concierge status - and we don't blame him

We’ve covered elite status at various airlines and hotels, including series on American, Delta, United and US Airways, as well as hotel-program comparisons, and the ways in which airlines try to one-up each other’s elite strategies, but have you ever wondered if there’s something more elite than… Read More

Hotel Review: W Verbier, Switzerland

On April 17, 2014 · 2 comments

in Hotel Reviews, Starwood, TPG Contributors

The W has easy ski in/ski out access.

One of our picks for the top hotels to check out in 2014 was W hotel brand’s first foray into the ski resort world opened in Verbier, Switzerland, in December. TPG Contributor Casey Hatfield-Chiotti recently visited the town in the Swiss Alps known for some of the best off-piste (backcountry)… Read More

Amex Virgin America 30% Transfer Bonus Through April 30, 2014

On April 16, 2014 · 3 comments

in American Express, Virgin America

Virgin

It’s been a little while since we’ve seen an Amex transfer bonus, but  through April 30, American Express is offering a 30% bonus on transfers to Virgin America Elevate points.
Normally points transfer at the lackluster ratio of 2 Amex points to 1 Elevate point, but with this promo, you can… Read More

Hanging at the Best Beach In the World on Fernando De Noronha and Touring the Rest of the Island

On April 16, 2014 · 1 comment

in Brazil, Trip Reports

Fernando de Noronha's Praia de Sancho, recently named best beach in the world by Trip Advisor

I recently returned from a short trip to Fernando De Noronha, an archipelago of 21 islands about 220 miles off the coast of mainland Brazil, and found this far-flung natural paradise (and UNESCO World Heritage site) a perfect spot for scuba diving and quiet relaxation. I’ve so far shared the… Read More

25% Starwood Points Discount and 30% United Miles Discount – Should You Buy Points and Miles?

April 16, 2014

There are two buy miles/points promos out there at the moment – one from Starwood and one from United – so I thought I’d cover in case you are thinking of using them to top up your accounts at a discount. Starwood 25% Discount Now through May 31, 2014, you can buy Starpoints at up […]

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Newark Airport AirTrain to Close May-July: Schedule Even More Time When Taking Public Transit

April 16, 2014

Over the past couple of decades, Newark has become one of the main hubs on the east coast, for better and for much, much worse. It does have a few things going for it – it’s easy to get there from New York City in a taxi for about the same price as heading to […]

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What Is A Bitcoin and Might They Be Useful For Travelers?

April 16, 2014

TPG Assistant Editor Melanie Wynne takes us through a quick history of the bitcoin and analyzes the future of this digital currency and whether travelers could take advantage of it in the future.  In the four-year history of the digital currency known as bitcoin, I’ve referred to it as the “LaserDisc of money” more than once, […]

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Buying Amex Membership Rewards Points from American Express – Worth It?

April 16, 2014

Today I was reading through the updated Membership Rewards terms and conditions that came with my Premier Rewards Gold card to see if anything new caught my eye and thought it would be good to do a refresher post on how you can actually buy Membership Rewards points and if it’s really worth it at […]

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Deal Alert: New York to Oslo from $407 Roundtrip and Other Scandinavia Cheap Flight Deals From Los Angeles

April 15, 2014

I’m a fan of travel disrupters (like Uber) and now Norwegian Air. The scrappy carrier is driving down fares with new cheap flights to locations throughout Europe to the US. It is shaking up the airline industry and has even prompted lawsuits from jealous competitors. Just this morning I saw a sidebar ad showcasing Ft. Lauderdale […]

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Will Alaska Airlines Adopt A Revenue-Based Mileage Plan Frequent Flyer Program?

April 15, 2014

The past year has brought some major changes to the frequent flyer program landscape, and most notably on how elite status will be earned from now on. Both Delta and United instituted new revenue requirements to qualify for elite status starting in 2014. While American and US Airways haven’t followed suit yet, probably thanks to […]

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Hotel Review: Ecohotel Teju Açu in Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

April 15, 2014

During my recent trip to Brazil’s Fernando de Noronha with my friend Sergio, I stayed at the eco-friendly Ecopousada Teju Açu, which was recommended to me by some of our Brazilian friends. This independently owned boutique hotel is surrounded by vegetationBlueMile with a killer view of the island’s highest peak, the 1,142-foot Morro do Pico. It feels remote, […]

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BarclayCard Makes Changes To How Participation Miles Are Earned In The Travel Community

April 15, 2014

About a month ago I reminded readers to check out the BarclayCard Arrival Travel Community where Arrival cardholders and non-cardholders can earn bonus miles for sharing their travel stories, photos and advice with other users. While the miles that non-cardholders earn are not as valuable as those earned by cardholders since they cannot be redeemed for […]

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Paying Taxes With Credit Cards: 10 Scenarios That Might Make Sense

April 15, 2014

It’s Tax Day, and one of the questions I’m asked the most at this time of year is whether paying taxes with a credit card is a good way to rack up points and miles and if so, what credit card to use to maximize your taxes. It would seem like paying your taxes using […]

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Italian Court Cancels Emirates New York-Milan Route – Are Freedom of the Air Routes in Danger?

April 15, 2014

The airline industry is pretty competitive and there are a lot of routes that have seen increased competition in the past few years, including New York and Milan Malpensa. Last year, Emirates muscled in on it with a flight of its own and entered into direct competition with incumbents Delta and Alitalia (both of whom I […]

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Good Business Class Fares to Europe on SkyTeam ~ $2,000

April 14, 2014

Thanks to a thread on Flyertalk, we’ve found some good transatlantic business class deals on Skyteam partners with prices between $1700 and $2100, which are more common prices for coach seats (and in some cases lower than coach fares on the same routes!). These deals are pricing out on the ITA Matrix for itineraries of 7-10 days […]

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When Airline Social Media Account Goes Awfully Awry: US Airways Tweets Porn

April 14, 2014

Some airlines are better than others when it comes to social media, but American and Delta have really proven themselves to be leaders in helpfulness and customer response. Some airlines, however, are not so good. I recently needed help on a US Airways award to Australia, and when trying to get in contact with them, their phone lines were […]

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My Experience Using TripIt Pro to Organize My Travel

April 14, 2014

I recently signed up and was approved for the Barclaycard Arrival World MasterCard which comes with a sign up bonus of 40,000 miles after $3,000 in spend within the first 90 days and a complimentary subscription for TripIt Pro, worth $49 annually. Having never really used TripIt’s services before, I wanted to give it a […]

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Maximizing Points and Miles With Cruises

April 14, 2014

With the summer cruising season almost upon us, a lot of readers have been writing in with questions about how to maximize their points with cruises – both on the earning and redemption side – so I thought I’d write up a few strategies to help them make the most of their next voyage. Earning […]

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Flight Review: Azul Airlines Embraer 195 REC-FEN

April 14, 2014

During my recent trip to Brazil, I flew American Airlines from Miami to the northeastern coastal city of Recife (REC), then caught a connecting flight to one of my dream scuba destinations, the volcanic island chain of Fernando de Noronha (FEN), on low-cost domestic Brazilian carrier, Azul Airlines. This was my first flight on Azul, and I was […]

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What Credit Card Should I Use To Pay My Taxes Off With?

April 13, 2014

Tax time is upon us this week and TPG reader Vick tweeted me asking me what credit card I would recommend to use to pay my taxes. Here is his question: “@thepointsguy If I’m going to pay my taxes is it better to pay with Amex Premier Rewards Gold, Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase United Presidential […]

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Is the Current US Airways Share Miles 100% Bonus Promotion Worth It?

April 13, 2014

This past week saw the sudden announcement of some big changes from American Airlines’ frequent flyer program and a few smaller ones from US Airways. With this news in mind,  TPG reader Paul tweeted me to ask: “@thepointsguy Given the recent unannounced changes from US Airways, would you still recommend taking advantage of its 100% bonus on shared miles?”  […]

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Is it Better to Focus on Collecting Hotel Points or Airline Miles?

April 13, 2014

Joining Delta, United, Southwest and Air Canada‘s recent devaluations of their mileage programs, this past week saw big, sudden changes from American Airlines, including new fees and the raising of several different award levels. With the current mileage landscape in mind, TPG reader Katrina tweeted me the following timely question: “@thepointsguy In light of recent airline mileage program devaluations, does it make […]

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Can I Still Book A Round The World Ticket Using American Miles?

April 13, 2014

Earlier this week, American Airlines announced some big changes to its mileage program including the fact that you can no longer book round-the-world Explorer Awards. TPG reader Matthew had been planning on booking two of these for himself and his wife and wants to know whether he can still put his American miles to use. […]

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Delta SkyBonus Double Points on Select Routes

April 12, 2014

Business frequent flyer programs allow businesses to earn points on the itineraries their employees travel while employees still earn miles and points as individuals. In addition, these programs provide often offer mileage bonuses for which individuals aren’t eligible, like the current Delta SkyBonus offer of double points for each non-stop Delta-marketed ticket purchased and flown from now until June 30, 2014 on […]

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