A $105 Flight From Europe, Basic Economy Invasion, World's Longest 787 Route 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.
Flight Review: LEVEL (A330-200) Economy From Barcelona to Los Angeles
TPG Associate Editor Emily McNutt had the chance to fly LEVEL's inaugural flight from Barcelona (BCN) to Los Angeles (LAX). Does this brand-new airline have what it takes to compete with established low-cost carriers like Norwegian?
United's Infuriating Basic Economy Strategy
Basic Economy is an epidemic that's rapidly spreading across the commercial aviation industry, and United is by far the worst offender of the three legacy US airlines. Find out why its Basic Economy product is particularly maddening.
United Launching Nonstop Dreamliner Flights From Los Angeles to Singapore
The recent trend of airlines adding ultra-long-haul flights to their route maps continues with United's announcement of a new nonstop between Los Angeles (LAX) and Singapore (SIN). The flight will be operated by the carrier's Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner and begins on October 27, 2017.
2017 Credit Card Inventory: Associate Editor Emily McNutt
Credit cards are the thing here at TPG. So, in response to TPG's own 2017 credit card inventory post, we wanted the rest of the Editorial Team to weigh in with their own inventory. Check out which cards Assistant Editor Emily McNutt carries in her wallet.
Earn 60,000 Bonus Points With These Limited-Time Southwest Card Bonuses
If you've been pursuing the Southwest Companion Pass, now's the time to act. Chase and Southwest are offering elevated sign-up bonuses with the Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card and the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card, which both offer 60,000 bonus points after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first three months.
American Airlines to Launch Premium Economy on 777s in December
AA is beginning to revamp its fleet of Boeing 777-200s this month to include its new premium economy product. Though the seats themselves may be installed on the aircraft before, it's going to begin selling premium economy as a separate class of service on these aircraft as of December 15, 2017.
Starwood Preferred Guest Introducing Mobile Check-In
SPG has rolled out mobile check-in at 23 properties in the US, with more hotels (including international locations) scheduled to be included later this summer.
In other news...
Flying Blue Promo Awards for June
Flying Blue has released this month's promo awards, which allows you to book award tickets at a discounted mileage rate. You must book by June 30, 2017 for travel in August. This month's awards are limited, but if you're based in Boston or Chicago, you can find some good deals.
Southwest Testing a Speedier Deplaning Process in California
After testing a dual-door deplaning process at Burbank Airport (BUR), Southwest is expanding this trial process to two northern California airports — San Jose (SJC) and Sacramento (SMF).
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
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