Katie Genter is a digital nomad who has traveled full time since June 2017. She writes and edits stories about points and miles, and loyalty programs, often letting her personal experiences color these stories.
January 1, 2020 • 13 min read
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By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
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Quick summary
The article highlights a selection of the author's favorite travel and points-and-miles posts from 2019, including personal experiences and practical guides.
Topics range from maximizing airline status and hotel benefits to finding value in loyalty programs and unique travel experiences like cross-country train journeys.
Several guides help readers optimize hotel points, understand elite status perks, and compare booking strategies for added value.
Some offers referenced in the article are no longer available.
What to consider
Certain promotions and booking strategies discussed may be expired or subject to change.
Eligibility for some benefits depends on specific loyalty program status or cardholder requirements.
Comparisons between booking methods emphasize the importance of checking multiple options before finalizing travel plans.
What you'll miss from the article
A curated list of in-depth guides, reviews and personal travel stories that illustrate advanced strategies for maximizing points, elite status and unique travel experiences.
Generated by AI with support from our editorial team.
Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.
When I think about my favorite TPG posts, I think of two types of posts. First, I think of the posts I reference frequently, so I've included some of those below. Second, I think of posts I wrote. Some of these took a lot of effort, such as The ultimate guide to the best cards for each bonus category, or got a lot of traffic, like My first class seat was taken by an emotional support animal. But the posts that come to mind quickest are the ones that I really loved writing or that had a personal angle, so I've included some of those below as well. Here are my favorite posts from 2019:
I grew very accustomed to watching the Malaysia Airlines safety video during my 18 flights in 16 days. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
As an American Airlines Executive Platinum elite, I don't get lounge access domestically when flying American Airlines. So when Malaysia Airlines announced a Triple Everything promotion in fall 2018, I used the promotion to earn Enrich Gold (Oneworld Sapphire) status for more than two years for less than $500. Although I'm proud of how I maximized the promotion, I also had an excellent time visiting five Malaysian cities once and Medan, Indonesia, five times over the course of 16 days. Now I get to enjoy Admirals Club access and Flagship Lounge access when flying domestically on American Airlines due to my Malaysia Airlines status.
Our dinner at the ETA Restaurant in the Loews Chicago Hotel. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
The American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts (FHR) program provides elite-like benefits at select hotels to American Express card members with a Platinum or Centurion-branded card, including The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express. When you book through the FHR program, you get various benefits including daily breakfast for two people, guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout and a unique property amenity valued at $100 or more.
Last March I was able to book a one-night stay at the Loews Chicago Hotel for just $153, including taxes and fees, through FHR. This was a great deal to start with, but I was able to maximize the breakfast benefit, $100 property credit, happy hour and a $10 dining coupon in my room to get food and drink during my stay that had a retail price of more than I paid for my stay.
The Westin Snowmass Resort has a very convenient slope-side location. (Photo courtesy of The Westin Snowmass Resort)
Hotels can be an expensive part of a ski vacation, so knowing which brands have properties near each Ikon resort and how much these properties cost in points and cash can be extremely helpful. I created this guide shortly after purchasing my first Ikon ski pass earlier this year and I've already used it to plan a few ski trips for myself this winter. If you're looking to use hotel points from a particular brand, try searching the brand name in this guide.
Use reduced mileage awards to travel for fewer miles. (Photo by JT Genter/The Points Guy)
Select American Airlines cobranded credit cards, including the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® and the CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® Mastercard®, offer a perk that allows you to book reduced mileage awards. If you have an eligible credit card, can find saver award availability and are flying to or from an eligible airport, you can book a domestic round-trip for just 17,500 AAdvantage miles. If your flight is less than 500 miles nonstop, the cost is just 6,500 miles one-way or 13,000 round-trip.
The most useful aspects of JT's article are the maps showing which airports are eligible each month and the table showing the discount codes that you'll need to provide the phone agent while booking.
The information for the CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
I recommend reading the two guides to determine whether the fourth-night-free benefit can provide value to you. In short, although the benefit can still be useful on some bookings, you shouldn't assume that you'll save money by using it. Instead, you should price out multiple booking options before deciding to use one of your two annual fourth-night-free benefits.
The information for the Citi Prestige has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
How to get up to 25 award nights from 100k Marriott points
The Protea Hotel Cape Town Mowbray's garden overlooks Table Mountain. (Photo courtesy of Marriott)
This guide started what quickly became my favorite series of 2019: stretch your points. The guides in this series present the most appealing low-category hotels for each hotel brand, so that you can maximize the number of nights you get from your points. In these guides, I show that there are some great hotels bookable for very few points per night, such as the Hyatt Regency Kuantan Resort in Malaysia for 5,000 Hyatt points per night or the Marriott Category 1 Protea Hotel Cape Town Mowbray.
Want to stretch your points? Check out all of my posts in the series so far:
The observation car on the Amtrak Empire Builder is a great place to watch the scenery. (Photo by JT Genter/The Points Guy)
Riding a train across the United States is a bucket list item, and something I'd considered doing for years. So, when Amtrak ran a roomette sale in December 2018 I decided to book. JT and I paid $448 for both of us to travel in a roomette from Portland, Oregon to Chicago, Illinois with all meals and access to a shower included. Although our trip had some issues, it was an experience I'd certainly do again.
Wind power is a popular and generally high-quality type of carbon offset. (Photo by simonlong/GettyImages)
I fly a lot, so carbon offsetting was a topic I wanted to research for myself. In particular, I wanted to find a trustworthy, high-quality method for offsetting my own flights. My own research turned into this article in which I explain carbon offsetting, discuss some airline offsetting programs and describe some other offsetting options. After writing the article, I offset the 236,601 miles that OpenFlights shows I flew in 2018 by donating $260 toward a wind power project on the Gold Standard website.
Breakfast at the Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
Marriott has 32 different brands, so it can be difficult to remember what type of breakfast benefits are provided to Platinum and Titanium elites when staying at each one. Luckily, Ethan Steinberg created this one-stop resource for determining your breakfast benefits when staying at each Marriott type. I use this guide frequently when researching hotels, and highly recommend that you bookmark it if you are a Marriott Platinum or Titanium elite.
The Andaz Capital Gate hotel in Abu Dhabi is a great Category 2 Hyatt property. (Photo by Katie Genter/The Points Guy)
In 2019, I published 30 reviews of 13 hotels, seven airlines and 10 lounges. Every one of my hotel reviews, and most of my flight reviews, could have been included as one of my favorite posts from 2019. So, here are my flight reviews published in 2019:
By commenting, you agree to our Community Guidelines to help create a positive space for conversation. The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, our partners, or The Points Guy (“TPG”). They have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of these parties. All responses are submitted by individual contributors, and neither the bank advertiser, our partners, nor TPG are responsible for ensuring that all posts and/or questions are answered.
