Six weeks ago I asked, Will This Be One of the Biggest Stories of the Year: The End of Europe’s Passport-Free Travel?
The free movement of people and goods is a fundamental idea of the European Union, and one that’s driven tremendous economic benefit to the region (not to mention the individual benefit from unburdening travel). It’s embodied in the Schengen Agreement and in other agreements.
American Express is offering a 50% bonus on transfers from Membership Rewards to Virgin America Elevate through March 10. American Express hasn’t offered a 50% transfer bonus since November 2012.
My rule of thumb is that Virgin America’s points are deflated, that one Virgin America point is worth about 2 points in a European airline frequent flyer program. You can use the points for about 2.2 cents apiece towards travel on Virgin America, or for fixed-point redemptions on their partners. Their points are reasonably good for redeeming on partners (with fuel surcharges).
The Wall Street Journal reports that Chase has re-signed Amazon.com as a co-brand partner.
Chase has issued the Amazon Visa since 2002. I believe it’s Chase’s largest co-brand card portfolio. Amazon is bigger product for Chase than United Explorer — even though in my view it’s not in my view a top rewards product with 3% cash back at Amazon, 2% at gas stations, drugstores and restaurants, and 1% everywhere else.
While the Journal reports that at least one other card issuer was interested in a deal with Amazon, the re-signing is a good reminder that big co-brand relationships are very very hard to dislodge.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
Things can get super awkward in the sky when we’re all trapped inside a metal tube together — whether it’s Qantas offering on demand sex ed through its entertainment system, a celebrity’s child peeing on a brand new Vietnam Airlines Airbus A350, a child forced to pee on her seat on JetBlue (the airline apologized) or passengers urinating on each other inflight (also on JetBlue).
Nonetheless…
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
American Airlines has partnered with Uber as well. It provides for integration with the American mobile app and ride reminders. Which in and of itself is ‘meh’.
There are two worthwhile promotions as part of this new partnership, however. Although both are limited-time.
The AAdvantage shopping portal is offering $1 trial subscriptions to both Barron’s and the Wall Street Journal each of which offer 1300 miles for signing up.
You’ll just need to set reminders to cancel your subscriptions before the introductory period ends.
Back in November, a Southwest Airlines flight proved why you shouldn’t try to bring your own alcohol onboard.
You can bring mini-bottles of alcohol through security. But you cannot open them and drink them on a plane. You can buy alcohol post-security, such as at duty free. But you cannot open the bottles and drink them on a plane.
It is a violation of federal law to drink alcoholic beverage onboard an an aircraft unless served by the airline. Airlines have the option of serving you the alcohol you bring onboard yourself, but that’s entirely at their discretion (and the discretion of the flight attendants on any given flight).
American has been making award space especially in premium cabins much more available and this is a new intentional approach on their part.
I’ve covered American loosening up availability on the Sydney route. And I covered the floodgates opening for award space on London routes. And how they opened up China flying. That was just the start.
American Airlines Boeing 787 Business Class
Improved availability hasn’t spread to domestic routes in the same way, although there are some predictable patterns such as with American’s New York JFK – Los Angeles and New York JFK – San Francisco routes. American has the most premium product on that route, with the only three-cabin service on all flights between those cities.
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 »
