Chase has the biggest-ever Marriott Boundless bonus: 5 Free Night Awards after $3,000 in 3 months, valid up to 50,000 points per night (and you can top off each with 15,000 points). There is also a 2026 airline statement credit up to $100, and the no-fee Marriott Bold now offers 2 Free Night Awards after $1,000 in spend.
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.
American Airlines’ London business class is now serving wine from a box, a detail that would be unthinkable in a premium cabin when everything is running normally. It’s the latest visible symptom of the Heathrow catering breakdown that has forced this airline into bare-minimum service levels.
Hyatt Place properties are usually boring but functional — not this one where a recent guest review describes widespread black mold, broken basics, and a hotel that won’t even let you charge purchases to your room—then reports that a front desk employee explained the incidental deposit is “in case you poop on the floor or rub poop on the walls.”
Iranian drones struck Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan International Airport on Thursday, with one drone hitting the terminal, forcing flight suspensions and a temporary closure of Azerbaijan’s southern airspace. As European carriers avoid Russian airspace, routes to Asia are already being squeezed into narrower corridors—and disrupting Azerbaijan’s airspace would push flights onto longer, costlier detours and strain the remaining Europe–Asia pathways.
Robinhood just unveiled a $695 “platinum-plated” credit card aimed at premium spenders, but the headline benefit is the metal, not the earning. Outside of portal rebates and limited categories, it’s just 1% back, and the real value is locked behind a long list of monthly credits with restrictions, minimums, and timing rules. In other words: it’s an expensive coupon book that only works if you want to manage it like one.
“Vegas At Par” taking Canadian dollars 1:1 to pay U.S. prices is bringing back visitors to participating properties. Also, Southwest gets dragged again for blocking seat changes even with empty rows, plus a 100,000-point business card offer from a regional bank and new Air Tahiti Nui Sydney service.
American Airlines abruptly stopped taking local catering at London Heathrow and began flying in minimal meals from the U.S., leaving premium cabins with a stripped-down service both directions because the galleys can’t hold two flights worth of food. The airline hasn’t explained the reason, but a photo that’s circulating showing mice nested in bread on an American Airlines 777 offers a clue for why Heathrow catering was shut off overnight.
Southwest is experimenting with bringing cleaners on board between flights — but only to clean the premium extra-legroom section, leaving the rest of the cabin to the usual quick flight-attendant “tidy.” A flight attendants union leader says the trial creates a two-tier experience, likening it to Titanic class service, and warns passengers will notice fast when the front looks freshly cleaned and the back doesn’t.
A change to U.K. inheritance tax taking effect April 6 could push the family behind Priority Pass into a control shift — and that matters far beyond Britain. If Collinson is forced toward a sale, private equity is the obvious buyer, and its playbook is obvious: charge more for airport lounge access, underinvest in the experience, and monetize what used to be included.
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 »
