American’s Checked Baggage Fees are Spreading to More International Flights

by Gary Leff

Jul 26 2016

Back in March American tightened its free checked bag allowance for premium cabin customers eliminating the 3rd free checked bag from domestic first class and international business class.

Over the past 8 years checked bag fees have become a huge part of airline revenue. Crucially, while domestic airfares are taxed at 7.5% off the top, checked bag fees aren’t subject to this excise tax, making them an especially attractive tax arbitrage play. While politicians complain about checked bag fees, those fees are encouraged through the tax code.

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99 More Free Upgrades to AwardWallet’s Premium Service

by Gary Leff

Jul 25 2016

Last week I gave away 86 upgrades to AwardWalet Plus. I’ve updated this post on the first 2 things you should do when you’re new to the frequent flyer hobby with 99 more new free upgrade codes.

The first two things anyone interested in frequent flyer miles and travel should do is sign up for Award Wallet to track your points and get a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card to earn the most points in a highly flexible, valuable currency, quickly.

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The Absolute Best Hotel Redemption Deal Got Refreshed Today

by Gary Leff

Jul 25 2016

IHG Rewards Club has released its new set of PointBreaks — hotel rewards at just 5000 points per night. The new list has about 140 properties, but doesn’t hit the biggest cities most people are traveling to or the most desirable resorts.

Although it’s notable that there are two Intercontinental hotels on the list — Mendoza (perfect for wine tasting) and Phnom Penh (where you should stop before or after the amazing temples of Siem Reap).

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Man Who Collected All Pokémon Monsters in North America Teams With Marriott to Conquer the World

by Gary Leff

Jul 25 2016

Is it crazy to think that Pokémon GO is less than 3 weeks old? Marriott’s social media has been all-in with the craze from putting Pokémon monsters in pools knowing that guests will photograph them and possibly go viral, to surprising guests in rooms with Pokémons on their beds when they check in.

So when the first person in North America collecting all of the known Pokémon monsters in the region, Marriott agreed to sponsor his travel to Japan, Australia, and Europe to catch more Pokémon only available abroad.

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Fare Alert: Less than $460 Roundtrip to Zurich from Los Angeles or Miami

by Gary Leff

Jul 24 2016

You can fly non-stop from Los Angeles or Miami to Zurich for as little as $459 roundtrip.

Fares are available for Sunday through Thursday travel for trips starting October 25 through December 15, or December 24 through March 17.

There’s a 7 day minimum stay and a $300 fee applies to changes. Fare rules require ticketing by July 25, but this fare may not last through tomorrow.

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Supermodel Has Sex Inflight, Complains to Flight Attendant About Passenger Watching

by Gary Leff

Jul 24 2016

The Mile High Club turns 100 in November. Apparently the inventory of the auto-pilot claimed to be the first member in 1916.

The mile high club traditionally involves excusing oneself to the airplane lavatory. If you’re going to have sex in your seat, you can’t really complain when other passengers watch. That’s a lesson model-actress Cara Delevingne apparently needs to learn.

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Financial Analysts Frequently Misunderstand Rewards and That’s a Problem (For Them)

by Gary Leff

Jul 24 2016

Moshe Orenbuch of Credit Suisse appeared on CNBC’s Power Lunch midweek addressing American Express. His claim is that biggest problem Amex faces is the value of their rewards. He says that they give less cash back, and that Membership Rewards has introduced lower cost options for redemption and so expenses on average have fallen.

Customers see those options and think the rewards have less value. Although the claim that a couple hundred thousand Membership Rewards points gets you a toaster sadly goes unchallenged.

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