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Only the latest slick travel news
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card review: Quality perks for a reasonable fee
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/hilton-amex-surpass-review/
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card overview The Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card provides solid earnings at Hilton properties and automatic Hilton Gold elite status, which offers complimentary breakfast, increased earnings and space-available upgrades when you stay at Hilton properties. …
Wells Fargo Rewards transfer partners: How to redeem your points
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/wells-fargo-transfer-partners/
The Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card (see rates and fees) is available with a welcome offer of 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 in the first three months. This card is the mid-tier version of the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card (see rates and fees), which comes with additional perks like a $50 annual statement credit …
Wyndham Rewards promotions: How you can earn a free night this fall
https://thepointsguy.com/news/wyndham-rewards-free-night-promotion/
Wyndham Rewards is welcoming fall with not one but two promotions. And they’re stackable, so you can potentially save money and earn bonus points on your next paid stay. If you’re dreaming of a fall getaway — whether that means college visits, national park vacations or leaf-peeping road trips — these promotions are worth considering …
Carnival reveals how to get 1 free meal at its newest private beach destination
https://thepointsguy.com/news/carnival-celebration-key-dining/
Carnival Cruise Line fans, get ready to eat! Carnival just released the extensive lineup of dining outlets that it will offer on Celebration Key, the line’s new private beach area on Grand Bahama Island, set to open in July 2025. Even better, it’s offering guests a way to get one meal at a discount or …
Hilton’s largest hotel affected as US hotel strikes return to Hawaii
https://thepointsguy.com/news/hilton-hawaiian-village-strike/
An ongoing hotel labor strike in the U.S. is once again underway in Hawaii, where roughly 2,000 workers at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort began an indefinite walk-off this week. Thousands of hotel workers who are members of various Unite Here labor union chapters have gone on strike intermittently since Labor Day, amid …
5 things you need to know about Delta SkyMiles
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/5-things-to-know-delta-skymiles/
Using Delta Air Lines SkyMiles can be complex and frustrating due to frequent changes and a lack of award charts. However, once you accumulate enough miles and gain the necessary knowledge to navigate the program, you can extract significant value from them. Historically, Delta has offered flash sales, with round-trip tickets to Mexico and the …
Cathay Pacific’s new longest route: Dallas Fort Worth-Hong Kong flights begin in April
https://thepointsguy.com/news/cathay-pacific-dallas-fort-worth-dfw-nonstop-flights/
Cathay Pacific will launch a new route from Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), the airline said on Tuesday. The Hong Kong-based airline will fly between its home hub and DFW beginning April 24, 2025, with four flights in each direction per week. Flight CX897 will depart from DFW …
Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit Card review: A luxury card from a luxury brand
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/ritz-carlton-rewards-card-review/
The Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit Card overview The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® Credit Card is a premium card offering from Marriott that is unavailable to new applicants. It has a laundry list of benefits and perks, including automatic Gold Elite status, an annual free night award, an annual $300 travel credit and a Priority Pass Select membership. Card …
9 best river cruises in Europe
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/best-europe-river-cruises/
River cruising in Europe is one of those delightfully slow and easy modes of travel. You’re in a small floating hotel, gliding past castles, vineyards and scenery that changes by the hour as you explore calm inland waters. Daily guided walking tours and other excursions provided by the river line take you to key UNESCO …
Check your account: Earn American Airlines Loyalty Points on award flights (targeted)
https://thepointsguy.com/news/earn-american-airlines-loyalty-points-award-flights/
Attention, American Airlines members: If you’re chasing elite status with the carrier, you should check your American Airlines AAdvantage account, as you may be targeted for an end-of-the-year promotion. A few TPG staff members were targeted with a new American Airlines promotion to earn Loyalty Points on award flights. The offers: Earn 100 Loyalty Points …
No more Blade helicopter rides: JetBlue scraps unique Mosaic elite status perk
https://thepointsguy.com/news/jetblue-mosaic-perks-changes/
JetBlue made a major splash last week when it revealed that it will open its first-ever airport lounges in New York and Boston, a move that will bolster the allure of top-tier elite status in its TrueBlue loyalty program. But there are also a couple of cutbacks coming to Mosaic status, JetBlue revealed, including the …
Holland America cruise ships ranked by size from biggest to smallest — the complete list
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/holland-america-cruise-ships-biggest-smallest/
Are you looking for the most activity-packed Holland America cruise ships at sea? If so, you’ll want to get on one of the biggest Holland America cruise ships. The biggest Holland America cruise ships are, as you might expect, the Holland America ships with the most onboard restaurants, bars and showrooms, as well as the …
The 6 best starter cards for building your credit
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/best-credit-cards-building-credit/
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Starting from scratch with credit cards can be a daunting task. At TPG, we want to give you the confidence to take control of your financial journey — wherever you might happen to be. Remember that everyone was a beginner at …
Cunard Queen Anne cruise review: A lovely new ship that’s still coming into its own
https://thepointsguy.com/reviews/cunard-queen-anne-cruise-ship/
Editor’s note: TPG’s Gene Sloan accepted a free trip from Cunard to get an early look at Queen Anne. The opinions expressed below are entirely his and weren’t subject to review by the line. Are you thinking of a cruise on Cunard‘s new Queen Anne? Be warned: It’s not like any Cunard ship you’ve seen …
How to get Hilton Honors lifetime Diamond status
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/hilton-honors-lifetime-elite-status/
If you frequently stay at Hilton hotels and resorts, you might wonder what it takes to earn lifetime status. Interestingly, Hilton Honors only offers lifetime status at the Diamond tier. And since Diamond is the top Hilton elite status tier, it’s not easy to earn lifetime Diamond status, as you can imagine. However, it is …
The 10 best places to visit in November 2024
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/best-places-travel-in-november/
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, updated with new information. November can feel like the forgotten middle child of the holiday season. Halloween’s sugar rush is fading, and the hustle and bustle of the holiday season hasn’t quite started (at least not until Thanksgiving, which falls on Nov. 28 in the U.S. this year). …
Andaz is heading Down Under in 2025
https://thepointsguy.com/news/andaz-gold-coast-australia/
The Australian city of Gold Coast is about to shine even brighter — at least, for World of Hyatt fanatics — when the first Andaz opens in the coastal city next year. Scheduled for a mid-2025 opening, the Andaz Gold Coast will be set in a $1.3 billion mixed-use development called The Star Gold Coast, …
The Westin Bora Bora is now open — and you can book from 69,000 Marriott Bonvoy points
https://thepointsguy.com/news/westin-bora-bora-open/
The highly anticipated Westin Bora Bora Resort & Spa is now open in French Polynesia, one of the dreamiest destinations on earth. Tucked away under Mount Otemanu, this Westin property is a remodeled and rebranded resort that’s been given a new life across its public spaces, with accommodations ranging from beach bungalows to overwater villas. …
Premium credit cards vs. mid-tier credit cards: Which should you get?
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/premium-vs-mid-tier-credit-cards/
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Broadly speaking, there are three types of credit cards: entry-level (often with low or no annual fees), mid-tier (annual fees around the $100-$300 mark) and premium (annual fees of $400 or more). A lot of focus is put on the two …
Southwest is there for you with this ‘Friends’-themed 30% off deal
https://thepointsguy.com/deals/southwest-friends-promo/
If you didn’t watch “Friends,” this deal means far less to you. But luckily, Southwest Airlines deals don’t discriminate. “This ‘Friends’-themed fare sale is for everyone,” Jennifer Bridie, vice president of marketing at Southwest Airlines, said in a statement. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of some of TV’s greatest one-liners (“pivot” and “I’m fine,” among …
JetBlue deal alert: Fly nonstop to New York City, Grand Cayman and Paris from 9,200 TrueBlue points
https://thepointsguy.com/deals/jetblue-points-paris-caribbean/
If you live in Boston, JetBlue has some excellent fall flight deals available right now using JetBlue TrueBlue points. Some offerings include trips from Boston to destinations like New York City, Miami and Seattle for as little as 9,200 points plus taxes and fees. Great redemptions to Caribbean hot spots like Grand Cayman in the Cayman …
A luxe new St. Regis is opening near Punta Cana — and reservations are now open for April
https://thepointsguy.com/news/st-regis-cap-cana/
The Dominican Republic is already an incredible vacation destination, full of pristine beaches, picture-perfect palm trees and a long list of incredible resorts, including some of our favorite all-inclusive resorts in the world. But next year, it’ll get even better when St. Regis, one of the foremost luxury brands, opens up in Cap Cana, a …
Android users can upload a digital passport for travel
https://thepointsguy.com/news/google-digital-passport/
As Apple and Google respectively expand their digital ID technologies to house state mobile driver’s licenses in Apple and Google Wallet, Google has added an international travel feature to its wallet. In a recent announcement, we learned U.S. passport holders will now be able to store a digital passport in Google Wallet for use at …
Earn MQDs on hotel stays and rental cars when you book through Delta by the end of September
https://thepointsguy.com/news/delta-mqd-on-hotels-and-rental-cars/
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. For the last time this year, Delta Air Lines is offering Delta SkyMiles members another path to earn Medallion Qualification Dollars toward elite status with its Stays and Cars promotion. Specifically, you can earn 1 MQD per base dollar spent on …
Kimpton’s first all-inclusive resort is taking reservations — and it’s a great deal on points
https://thepointsguy.com/news/kimpton-tres-rios-all-inclusive-reservations/
For the last few years, TPG has been shouting from the rooftops that an all-inclusive resort renaissance was slowly starting and that, before long, we’d see more and more brands we love jump off into the space. That time has finally arrived. At least it has for IHG, which is now taking reservations for the …
5 under-the-radar ways to maximize the Amex Gold’s dining credits
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/unique-ways-maximize-american-express-gold-dining-credits/
As someone who spends a lot on food every month, I really value my American Express® Gold Card. I was apprehensive about the changes made to the card in July, but after discovering some under-the-radar ways to maximize my card’s new and adjusted perks, I feel more confident about keeping it in my wallet. Whether …
Inside Janu Tokyo, the first hotel from Aman’s new brand
https://thepointsguy.com/reviews/janu-tokyo/
[circuit type=review circuit_id=”20420184865″] Editor’s note: Janu Tokyo provided TPG with a complimentary two-night stay so that we could get an inside look at the hotel and its amenities shortly after it opened. The opinions expressed below are entirely those of the author and weren’t subject to review by the hotel or any external entity. Considered …
How to redeem your Delta SkyMiles for maximum value
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/how-to-redeem-delta-skymiles/
Since Delta Air Lines eliminated its award charts in 2015, the SkyMiles program has become notably more unpredictable and, at times, outrageously expensive. With business-class flights on long-haul routes often priced at over 450,000 SkyMiles, it’s understandable to feel like your SkyMiles balance holds little value. But if you have a stockpile of Delta miles, …
Costco Anywhere Visa Business Card review: A solid option for business owners loyal to Costco
https://thepointsguy.com/guide/costco-anywhere-visa-business-review/
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers. Citi is a TPG advertising partner. Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card by Citi Overview The Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card by Citi (see rates and fees) is a reasonable option for small businesses that prefer cash-back rewards and have a Costco …
A review of Rome Cavalieri, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel: Resort living in the Eternal City
https://thepointsguy.com/reviews/rome-cavalieri-a-waldorf-astoria-hotel/
[circuit type=review circuit_id=”20420183338″] During a recent return to Rome, one of my favorite cities, I was determined not to pay through the teeth for a few nights in luxury. The Rome Cavalieri, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel had been on my Roman bucket list for some time, and during my summer stay, I was able to …