Category Archives: Blog

You’re about to buy a flight, and you have a credit card with that airline’s name stamped on the front. That’s the best card to use for this purchase, right? Or, would you be better served if you used some other credit card? You have options for earning extra points and miles when you pay. […]

Delta Air Lines has received a lot of criticism for chipping away at the value of Delta SkyMiles, but there remain occasional ways to get outsize value from the program. Most of the time, I tell people to save their SkyMiles for upgrades or to book last-minute tickets when prices are high. Even then, however, […]

United Airlines isn’t afraid to take some gambles with its route network. Sometimes these splashy new long-haul routes turn into big wins, like the carrier’s nonstop service to Cape Town. Other routes, however, aren’t as successful. The latest example is United’s routes from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands. This […]

Amazing trips with French flair. That could be the tagline for Ponant, the small-ship cruise specialist known for upscale voyages to some of the world’s most off-the-beaten-path places. Founded by a group of French merchant mariners in 1988 with a single small sailing vessel, Ponant has grown into one of the world leaders in what […]

Whether you’re a die-hard Alaska Mileage Plan member or occasionally use the program to book award flights, Alaska Airlines’ partners can provide excellent value. These partners unlock opportunities to earn and redeem Alaska miles without taking a flight or making a purchase with a cobranded Alaska credit card. Plus, since Alaska is a member of […]

Following the news that Citi ThankYou Rewards will be devaluing point transfers to Emirates Skywards by 20% beginning July 27, Chase and American Express have announced that point transfers to the international airline loyalty program will be “temporarily” unavailable. Keep reading to find out more about the temporary Emirates partner suspension and when point transfers […]

It seems almost every airline, hotel chain and credit card issuer has launched its own premium credit card, enticing customers with luxury travel perks paired with hefty annual fees. Many of these cards offer solid value, especially if you’re loyal to the underlying brand. There are two long-standing titans of the premium card market: The […]

There are many ways to redeem points for hotel stays, and I usually choose to redeem them for good-value properties that I can book for relatively few points. Occasionally, though, I splurge on stays at spectacular properties that I couldn’t — or, at least, wouldn’t — have booked without points. I’ve stayed at many wonderful […]

We often say that the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (see rates and fees) is the best first credit card for those learning about the points and miles hobby. That’s not because the card is a “beginner” card — quite the opposite. Many of us at TPG still have the Sapphire Preferred because it’s integral to […]

JetBlue is clear on what it wants from a new airline partner: more dots on its map. “The most important thing, number one, is a significantly higher network opportunity for earn and burn of TrueBlue points,” Marty St. George, president of JetBlue, said during the airline’s first-quarter earnings call on Tuesday. St. George went on […]