Stay at World's Best Hotel, Big United Changes, a Top New Card and More
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
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:
Hotel Review: The Marangga Villa at Nihiwatu, Indonesia
Nihiwatu was rated the world's top hotel by Travel + Leisure, so TPG decided to do a full review and see whether or not it lives up to the hype.
Another Side to the #BumpGate Story: One Officer's Account of What Happened
Although it’s been more than two weeks since the #Bumpgate incident involving Dr. David Dao on United Airlines Flight 3411, few details outside of the original video have been released. However, the officer who was seen in the video dragging Dao down the aisle, James Long, has now shared his point of view of the incident — find out what he has to say about what happened on that infamous flight.
Questions and Answers About the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Card
The U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Card launches on Monday (May 1). Find out all you need to know about the hot new card before you apply.
Big Changes Coming to How This Credit Score Is Calculated
This fall, credit bureaus Experian, TransUnion and Equifax will be rolling out changes to their scoring system called VantageScore. The new model will place a higher emphasis on trends in someone’s credit history, like timely payments or how much debt they hold.
Earn 60k Miles With the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Cards
After several years of maintaining Executive Platinum status with American Airlines, TPG has decided that he's de-prioritizing chasing Exec Plat in 2017 for a number of reasons — find out why he's not all that concerned about chasing AA's highest status level this year.
United Details Policy Changes Following Bumpgate Incident
This week, United unveiled several policy changes meant to reaffirm it's commitment to providing better customer service and to ensure that a similar incident doesn't happen again in the future.
Uber Is Changing up Its Passenger and Driver Rating System
We all know someone who is obsessed with checking their Uber rating constantly, but it used to be sort of a complicated process. Now, however, the app is making it a whole lot easier for you to know your score at all times.
In other news...
Etihad's Now Allowing Customers to Purchase Miles
You can now purchase Etihad Guest miles at a cost of two cents per mile. If you want to purchase Guest miles, you can buy them in increments of 1,000, with a maximum of 60,000 miles.
Alaska and Virgin America are Moving to Terminal 7 at JFK
Last week, Alaska and Virgin America shared that they'll be moving terminals at LAX, and now they've shared that they're making a move at JFK as well, to be completed by October 2017. The combined airline will make its home at Terminal 7. Currently, Alaska operates from Terminal 8 and Virgin from Terminal 4.
Top offers from our partners
How we chose these cards
TPG featured card
Rewards
10X | Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
5X | 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. |
2X | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day |
Intro offer
Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X card is one of the best all-round travel credit cards ever launched. Not only is it offering a tremendous welcome bonus, but cardholders can earn tons of miles on everyday spending and receive a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus to boot. Its annual fee is $395, but cardholders can count on up to $300 in statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One Travel each year and other valuable benefits like access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One’s own growing family of airport lounges.Pros
- Excellent welcome offer worth 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
- Up to $300 in annual travel statement credits toward bookings make through Capital One Travel.
- 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 toward travel) each account anniversary.
Cons
- The $395 annual fee might be expensive for some, but this card’s benefits provide much more value than that.
- If you don’t travel frequently, this might not be the best card for you.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Named editors' choice for "Best New Credit Card of 2021" by The Points Guy
- Earn 10 miles per dollar when you book on Turo, the world's largest car sharing marketplace, through May 16, 2023
Rewards Rate
10X | Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
5X | 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel. |
2X | 2 Miles per dollar on every purchase, every day |
Intro Offer
Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel75,000 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 card is one of the best all-round travel credit cards ever launched. Not only is it offering a tremendous welcome bonus, but cardholders can earn tons of miles on everyday spending and receive a 10,000-mile anniversary bonus to boot. Its annual fee is $395, but cardholders can count on up to $300 in statement credits toward travel booked through Capital One Travel each year and other valuable benefits like access to Priority Pass lounges and Capital One’s own growing family of airport lounges.Pros
- Excellent welcome offer worth 75,000 miles after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
- Up to $300 in annual travel statement credits toward bookings make through Capital One Travel.
- 10,000 bonus miles (worth $100 toward travel) each account anniversary.
Cons
- The $395 annual fee might be expensive for some, but this card’s benefits provide much more value than that.
- If you don’t travel frequently, this might not be the best card for you.
- Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Receive up to $300 back annually as statement credits for bookings through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of options
- Get 10,000 bonus miles (equal to $100 towards travel) every year, starting on your first anniversary
- Earn unlimited 10X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 5X miles on flights booked through Capital One Travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on all other purchases
- Unlimited complimentary access for you and two guests to 1,300+ lounges, including Capital One Lounges and the Partner Lounge Network
- Receive up to a $100 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your Venture X miles to easily cover travel expenses, including flights, hotels, rental cars and more—you can even transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Named editors' choice for "Best New Credit Card of 2021" by The Points Guy
- Earn 10 miles per dollar when you book on Turo, the world's largest car sharing marketplace, through May 16, 2023