✈ Top Stories of the Week, Cashing In on Airfare Price Drops & More News From TPG ✈

February 23, 2025

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Top stories of the week

by Augusta Stone, Credit cards writer

I’m credit cards writer Augusta Stone, excited to land in your inbox for the first time to wrap up what was a cold and busy week for many of us. Here’s a recap of the big stories you may have missed.

Last week, we ran the numbers on the award rates for dozens of Marriott Bonvoy properties and reported that, for many of those properties, the value you get when redeeming Marriott Bonvoy points has dropped by more than 15%. This analysis also prompted us to call for updates to the point thresholds of the program’s free night certificates, which have become harder to use in light of the higher award rates.

On the brighter side, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card brought back its best welcome offer in years. For a limited time, you can earn 75,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in the first three months after account opening. Plus, you’ll get a $250 Capital One Travel credit valid for your first cardholder year. At face value alone, that offer’s worth up to an impressive $1,000 in travel.

We also saw some exciting news in the airport lounge space, with the openings of both Capital One’s new Las Vegas lounge and a new Sapphire Lounge by Chase in Philadelphia. Both lounges are highly impressive and are worth checking out.

Good news for those crossing the pond on American Airlines: If you’re planning to make a connection through London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR), you may now be eligible to skip security recheck depending on which U.S. airport you flew in from. Also exciting from this airline: American is the final Big Three airline to incorporate AirTag tracking for your luggage.

And here’s one thing to watch out for: Uber will debut Preferred Currency Pricing this month, which will charge users in select locations a fee when they pay in their preferred currency instead of the local currency. But don’t worry, we show you how you can opt out of this feature once it goes live.

Here are a few more stories that resonated with our readers last week:

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Today’s top stories

Airlines that offer you a credit if the price of airfare drops

If the price drops after you book, you may have some options to get a credit or a refund.

8 must-visit North American resorts for spring skiing in 2025

Plenty of North American ski areas stay open late into spring. From British Columbia to Vermont, here’s where to go in 2025.

London could see new direct trains to Germany, Switzerland and beyond

Travelers from London could one day disembark at destinations deep into the continent.

One of Panama’s most exciting Hyatts just opened a new charming countryside spa retreat

Hotel La Compania del Valle is a rustic retreat from Panama City with fine dining, a spa and plenty of room to explore in nature.

Stormy skies ruin your vacation? JetBlue has a refund for that

JetBlue Vacations will offer rain protection for trips booked through the airline's vacation portal.

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The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don’t cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.

Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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