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.
100% Bonus: Buy IHG Points for $0.00575 Each: Today and Tomorrow Only
IHG Rewards Club – the loyalty program for Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and related brands — is offering a 100% bonus on purchased points through February 26 only.
This means you can buy points at just $0.00575 apiece which is a lower price than what they’re worth.
How the Airline Industry Uses Congress to Stack the Deck Against Consumers
Congressman Bill Shuster is Chairman of the House Transportation Committee. He’s the son of former Congressman and House Transportation Committee Chair Bud Shuster, who resigned his seat amidst a scandal with a lobbyist.
The current Congressman Shuster dates the Vice President for Global Government Affairs for airline industry lobbying group Airlines for America. Once his divorce was final and he openly acknowledged this relationship she stopped lobbying him, and only lobbies his congressional committee.
New Lounge Option for Elites at LAX, New Award Option to Asia, and Erin Andrews Seeks Justice from Nashville Marriott
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.
Ivanka Trump’s Tips for Scoring an Upgrade
Ivanka Trump is a hotelier. But she clearly knows the ins and outs of aviation, too: Her father used to own an airline, she has flown in her father’s 757, and there’s even a navigation waypoint named for her: IVNKA ONE.
So I couldn’t wait to see what she could teach me about scoring upgrades.
The Truth Behind the Germanwings Crash and Free Miles for Referring Friends to Virgin America
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.
Finally! American Opens Up Premium Cabin Awards Between the US and South America
American’s revenue management has been notoriously stingy about releasing seats for premium cabin international travel over the past three years.
However American has been going to lengths to improve their premium cabin award availability. We’ve seen that with transatlantic space, with Asia flights, and even with Auckland, New Zealand.
And now we’re starting to see much better award availability with South America.
Ranking Hotel Elite Program Breakfast Benefits
One hotel loyalty program executive relayed the common refrain she got from hotels in the chain when they first began rolling out a breakfast benefit for their top tier elites — “you mean we have to feed them, too?”
And yes – they do — because breakfast is a common benefit of hotel elite programs, at least at the time tier, and it’s something that the better programs need to offer in order to remain competitive.
The most coveted hotel elite perk is upgrades, especially to suites. But perhaps the second most coveted hotel elite status perk is breakfast.
Does Visa Shortchange You 1% on Foreign Currency Conversion?
A few commenters have argued that Visa charges more for foreign currency conversion than MasterCard — that a Visa with ‘no foreign currency conversion fees’ isn’t really because Visa marks up their exchange rate by 1%.
I’m testing this out on a few trips. I mentioned in the comments that I’m experimenting with comparisons, and I’ve had a couple of folks ask about the status of this in the comments and also by email, so I thought I’d provide an update.
TSA Confiscates Bitcoins and the Madness of Elite Status
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.