IHG Rewards (formerly Priority Club) used to be one of the absolutely most generous programs for free nights because you could sign up for tons of promotions, earn them all on the same stays, and wind up with a windfall of points. Basically IHG Rewards would send out different kinds of offers, and anyone who wished could register for them. See, for instance, this list from early in the year. You might earn points on your next stay, for your next stay within 90 days, for a weekend stay, and for being an elite member. And you might earn them all on a single stay! Then again, you might not, and if they didn’t automatically post you couldn’t usually go chase after them. This year the program started cracking down on members who were doing…
Here’s How Travel Insurance Works With Award Tickets
I’m not generally a fan of travel insurance. I do think it is advisable: To be certain that your health coverage is adequate. Many robust private insurance plans in the US will cover medically necessary coverage abroad, but this is not universally true or always the case for citizens of other countries. If traveling to remote areas or places without advanced medical care, that ‘medical evacuation coverage’ be considered. More generally, you insure against really big (and generally low probability) costs which if incurred would be catastrophic to absorb. This is in stark contrast to the sorts of tickets you buy online, where Orbitz or your airline may offer you travel insurance. You’re insuring a relatively small amount of money most of the time. There’s lots of fine print, you may not be as ‘covered’…
See Who Travelers Really Owe Our Appreciation To (And Those We Don’t)
Today we honor the flight crews that died 13 years ago today. Reader Alan H. is a one-man clipping service and today he passes along several articles, which I take as being along the theme of people who take care of us during our travels… and those who don’t. There are people who truly add value to our travels every single say. Pilots are super cool. And while flight attendants shouldn’t be there strictly or even primarily for our safety, goodness knows they’ve saved travelers’ bacon many times. It’s genuinely striking to me how many people we rely on when we travel — to move us on our way, to comfort and feed us, and to get us ready to do business or just relax and enjoy a break from everyday reality. We mostly take…
A Simple Lesson on How Not to Get Taken When Making Big Purchases
This isn’t a post about the best value for a cell phone, and in fact I’m not suggesting that the cell phone I just upgraded to (a Samsung Galaxy S5 replacing my S3 that after more than two years stopped charging properly and unfortunately it wasn’t the battery). Instead, it’s a post about how to think about and compare deals and how to approach making a financial decision. It’s one simple lesson: give yourself the time you need to think and compare and don’t be pressured to act in the moment even if you think you understand a deal’s terms. Dealing with this cell phone my mind was working slowly and somehow I realized this. I wasn’t making calculations clearly enough in my mind. It’s always ok to walk away. Don’t feel pressure to agree…
The End of Amazon Payments: No More Sending Other People Money Effective October 13
I got notice of updated terms from Amazon Payments by email today. Amazon Payments will stop allowing person-to-person transfers after October 12. The email said, Additionally, we have updated the terms and conditions of our User Agreement (https://payments.amazon.com/help/Personal-Accounts/User-Agreement-Policies/User-Agreement) that apply to your use of the products and services provided by Amazon Payments. Our updated User Agreement revises certain terms (including, among other things, the elimination of person-to-person payments). Our new User Agreement will become effective on October 13, 2014, which is more than 30 days from when we first posted our updated User Agreement. By continuing to use our services after October 13, 2014, you are agreeing to be bound by the terms and conditions of our new User Agreement. (Emphasis mine.) The great thing about Amazon payments is that nobody had ever heard of…
Today’s Frequent Flyer News You Need to Know: Another Free Night Promo, Marriott to Grow by the Size of Starwood, and Signup Bonuses
News and notes from around the interweb: 1000 free Lufthansa Miles&More miles. This is from a Best Western promotion, in German, use Google Chrome to translate. Offer comes via Doctor of Credit and appears targeted to me so unclear if the miles – registered for very quickly and painlessly – will post. Chime and fuel rewards signup bonuses. Choice Hotels is offering stay twice and get a free night which is really just bonus points enough for a free night, and Choice points at that so not something I get especially excited over. But better than a hole in the head if you’re staying at one of their properties. Sadly it’s not as generous as the IHG Rewards great promo that is sadly limited to two free nights but not capped in terms of what…
Man Denied Boarding in New York Because of His Israeli Passport. Here’s How He Should Play It.
Reader David H. passes along a scenario from a post on Flyertalk – Customer, who holds an Israeli passport, books a ticket between New York and London on Priceline. He’s given an Air India ticket, with Air India flight numbers, operated by Kuwait Aiways He’d denied boarding by Kuwait Airways. Even though an Israeli passport is valid for travel to the U.K., the airline’s home country does not recognize Israel.
Treasure Map Revealed: Making the Most of American (and BA) Miles for Business Class to Europe!
American’s primary transatlantic partner is British Airways, but American adds fuel surcharges to awards on BA. Fuel surcharges can run $828 roundtrip for a simple New York – London roundtrip, pushing total taxes and fees up close to $1200! (Although there’s a trick to shave some money off this.) This is especially frustrating because it’s not like you will often find any business class award space to Europe on American’s own flights. So how do you get to Europe using American Airlines miles? Air Berlin, of course, which doesn’t add fuel surcharges to their paid tickets even which means you can also book these flights with British Airways without paying extortionate fuel surcharges. Finnair via Helsinki but business class award space is quite limited. US Airways, which has a fantastic business class seat and an…
Learn the Lessons from Visiting Every Country in the World!
Chris Guillebeau, a speaker at Frequent Traveler University last spring and organizer of The World Domination Summit — and whose book R100 Startup profiles my award booking service) — visited every country in the world. Auditorium for World Domination Summit in 2012 His new book, The Happiness of Pursuit about meaning and quests is now out and his book tour begins today. This book represents the culmination of a ten-year odyssey to every country in the world—but it doesn’t end there. As I approached the end of the journey, I spent two additional years researching and interviewing other people who have undertaken a quest. My goal was to tell the stories of those who have done amazing things, extracting their lessons and seeking to understand how the rest of us can apply them. I received…
American’s First 787 is in Final Assembly — Here’s What to Expect
American’s first 787 is in final assembly. According to AirlinePilotForums, the first delivery is scheduled for November 28. Airlines usually start new aircraft types flying domestically while they work out any kinks. This one is rumored to begin flying New York JFK – Los Angeles for a month after delivery (presumably before it starts flying New York JFK – Paris), which strikes me as odd because American’s 787 will not have a first class cabin and American otherwise flies 3-cabin (A321T) aircraft on the route. Over at TravelingBetter.com, JonNYC reports that the plane will be configured with 28 business class, 48 main cabin extra, and 150 economy seats. (The 787-9s that come later will substantially grow the economy seciton — 28 business class, 51 main cabin extra, and 210 coach seats). Forum member IceTrojan mocks…
