About Gary Leff

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 »

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In Ohio, a police

In Ohio, a police chase ends as the suspect’s leg falls off. It gets me thinking — shouldn’t the police make a reasonable accomodation for the suspect’s disability? It hardly seems fair that this man should be hindered by his disability, especially when there’s nothing inherent in the job of being a criminal that says a disabled man can’t do it . . .

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A deal to

A deal to pardon murderers in Pakistan in exchange for cash and young women has unraveled. Pakistan allows a victim’s family to pardon a convict in exchange for financial compensation. I actually think this makes alot of sense. Here in the U.S., we think of crimes such as murder as “crimes against the state.” The state prosecutes and the state punishes — as though it was the state that was harmed. This practice, which strikes me as more advanced than in the West, allows the people who are truly harmed — the families — to be compensated instead. The problem with this particular deal is that the parties agreed to something that was not permitted — including young brides in addition to the cash. Pakistani elders declared that it was simply “unethical” for a 77-year…

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So I found out how

So I found out how that Puerta Vallarte fare happened… they meant to enter a 10% discount: TC10 (tour code, 10%). Instead they entered 10TC (10% of tour fare). Whoops. They got it backwards.

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You’re darn skippy that I

You’re darn skippy that I picked up a couple of tickets for a weekend getaway to Puerta Vallarta. Turns out that the fare was good from Chicago, Newark, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Not bad, since when you back out tax you’re really getting first class travel to Mexico for less than $50 roundtrip. Coach tickets run > $500. Too bad they wised up to their mistake. The window has closed. Lesson: check this website frequently for the best deals in travel.

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Not free miles… free rib

Not free miles… free rib sauce. Answer five trivia questions and get rib sauce. Apparently the contest is run frequently. This’ll be a rib sauce annuity for those of us with obscure knowledge. Oh, and if you’re having trouble with any of the questions, e-mail me.

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Fare glitch alert. Chicago (ORD)

Fare glitch alert. Chicago (ORD) to Puerta Vallarta (PVR) in business class for $145 roundtrip on Mexicana. I just found the fare on Orbitz. You can earn miles on United airlines via travel with Mexicana. Not in Chicago? Buy the ticket anyway and buy yourself a cheap ticket to Chicago. I plugged in outbound December 6th and return December 8th… haven’t had time to test with other dates.. Nab this one quick — it’s clearly a mistake.

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Savings bonds for miles. Purchases

Savings bonds for miles. Purchases of savings bonds are treated as just that — purchases, and not cash advances. Buy savings bonds directly from the government with your mileage earning credit cards (especially with Double Miles from the Delta Amex or the United Visa). Then cash them back in when they mature. It ties your cash up for a few months — but it also earns a return and miles.

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