Swap Your Expiring Elite Perks, Reviewing Business Class on Singapore's New A350, Ultimate Rewards to the Rescue and More
Each Saturday, we round up news stories that you may have missed from the week before, including several that already appeared on The Points Guy, and some more that we haven't covered yet. If you're an avid TPG reader, scroll down for the new stuff. Here's the top miles, points and travel news you may have missed this week:
Expiring Elite Upgrade and Perks Exchange for Winter 2016
The end of 2016 is approaching, which means it's time to take advantage of your remaining airline perks before they expire. If you have elite benefits or upgrades that you're not going to use, consider posting them in this post to swap with fellow readers.
Flight Review: Singapore Airlines (A350-900) Business Class from San Francisco to Singapore
Read all about TPG Senior Editor Kaeli Conforti's experience flying 15+ hours in business class on board the inaugural flight between San Francisco (SFO) and Singapore (SIN) on Singapore Airlines' brand-new Airbus A350.
How Ultimate Rewards Points Saved the Day to Get Me Home in Style
See how Chase Ultimate Rewards made an outrageously priced last-minute ticket affordable when TPG had to get home in a pinch.
5 Ways the Airline Industry Could Improve — According to Teens
Here's one 17-year-old's advice to airlines on how they could improve service and comfort for teenagers.
Malaysia Airlines Is Rearranging Its A380s to Carry 700 Passengers
Malaysia Airlines has plans to retrofit its superjumbo A380s with up to 700 seats in an all-economy configuration. The carrier intends to operate the aircraft on special charter flights for religious pilgrimages.
In Other News...
Chinese Firm to Make Major Investment in Hilton
China's HNA Group is poised to buy a 25% stake in Hilton. The deal's expected to close in the first quarter of 2017.
Virgin America First Class Sneakers Sell for Almost $100,000
Remember those over-the-top Virgin America first class shoes we told you about a little while ago? Well, they've been sold on eBay, and the winning bid was an absolutely ridiculous $97,878. Congrats (?) to the lucky winner!
Earn a Quick, Easy and Free 500 La Quinta Points
Here's a way to earn some free points with barely any effort. Simply link your La Quinta Returns account with your social media accounts, and follow @LQ_Returns on Twitter and Instagram. Your 500 bonus points will post instantly.
Get Six Months of Free Boingo Wi-Fi on Your Android Device
Traveling a lot over the holidays? You'll want to check out this promo that will get you six months of free Wi-Fi if you sign register before December 31. All you have to do is download the Amazon Underground app to your Android device, install the Boingo Wi-Finder app from within Amazon Underground and then create a Boingo account.
Get a $50 Amazon Gift Card When You Book a Stay With TripAdvisor
You can earn a $50 Amazon gift card if you book a hotel stay of $150 or more through TripAdvisor's mobile app. Note that you must have booked a previous stay with TripAdvisor, and you have to leave a review of the hotel by November 30.
TPG featured card
Rewards
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
- Top rated mobile app
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
- Top rated mobile app