Chase has a huge bonus on the IHG One Rewards Premier Card: 175,000 points after $5,000 in spend in three months. The $99 card is also a long-term keeper thanks to the annual free night (with top-off), 4th night free on award stays and Platinum status.
Southwest’s Companion Pass is still the best domestic perk: your companion flies for just taxes (from $5.60 each way), even on award tickets, as long as there’s an open seat. Last week my family used two passes on one trip. And right now you can get Companion Pass through Feb. 2027 via a credit card initial bonus.
A United Airlines passenger is suing after her 4-year-old daughter was burned by 200-degree tea during a flight from Newark to Tel Aviv. The bigger story is that even when a young child is seriously hurt onboard, airline liability on international flights is often capped.
A Marriott guest says they found crack pipes in a Dallas hotel room and received 10,000 points plus an apology from the property. Also X to launch a 6% interest account and 3% rebate debit card, American will serve Smash Kitchen condiments with its sliders, and one flight attendants tombstone joke is getting the reaction it deserves.
American Express, Chase, Capital One, and Citi have all overhauled the premium card market, and the right answer is no longer obvious. The best card now depends less on marketing claims and more on which lounges, credits, transfer partners, and spending bonuses actually match how you travel.
A Frontier Airlines flight from San Juan to Atlanta diverted to Miami after a passenger waiting for the lavatory leaned on another traveler, touched his wife, and then fought a third woman who stepped in. The bizarre chain of escalation turned a minor cabin confrontation into a diversion, an arrest, and yet another viral reminder of how fast inflight disorder can spiral.
United Airlines is teaming up with Netflix’s Chef’s Table to launch 10 new long haul Polaris meals on August 1, curated by a roster of chefs from the airline’s hubs and international gateways. That is more than a menu refresh. It is a public signal that United knows its business class food has been underwhelming and now wants customers to expect something better.
Bilt says cardholders will be refunded after reports that some foreign transactions were posting about 0.2% higher on statements than they first appeared in the app, despite the card being marketed with no foreign transaction fee.
I was about to place a GrubHub order when I realized something that does not get enough attention about Bilt Cash.
Used the right way, it can be worth a full dollar on the dollar toward something you were already going to buy anyway. That is far better than stretching for a redemption that feels more exciting but delivers less real value. And because this works through a GrubHub gift card, it can stack with monthly card credits and be saved for later use.
Marriott just made its free night certificates easier to use by letting Bonvoy members add up to 25,000 points instead of 15,000. That sounds like a win — and it is more flexible — but it also says something less flattering: hotel redemption prices have climbed so much that you now need extra points to book many of the same stays these certificates used to cover on their own.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
