No More US Airways Off Peak Awards to South America

US Airways offers some of the best off peak awards in the world. During select dates each year, you can fly:

Between the United States and Europe for 35,000 miles roundtrip in economy
Between the United States and the Caribbean for 25,000 miles roundtrip in economy and 50,000 in business

Plus, US Airways® Premier World MasterCard® cardholders get an extra 5,000 mile discount on off peak awards, so they can fly to Europe for 30,000 miles roundtrip or the Caribbean for 20,000 miles roundtrip.

You Can Still Get the 50,000 Mile United Offer

Earlier this month, the 50,000 mile bonus offer on the United Explorer Card publicly ended.

American Airlines Still Allows Stopovers on Awards

My sister asked me a few weeks ago: "Didn't you say there are no stopovers allowed on American Airlines awards?"

"Yes," I replied. "In April, American removed the ability to add a free stopover to awards under all circumstances.

Review: Great Wall Hiking Company

Last week, I did a 2 day/1 night hike on the Great Wall of China near Beijing that included 10 miles of hiking on the Wall, several meals, transportation, lodging, and a massage. My brother and I paid $370 per person.

Hiking the Great Wall was one of my best travel experiences ever. The history, the scenery, the outdoor exercise, and spending time with my brother were a potent combination.

I went with Great Wall Hiking (which gave me no discount and doesn't know I'm writing this review), and I enjoyed the tour immensely.

Buy IHG Rewards Points for 0.575 Cents Each, $30 Hotel Rooms

Through Monday September 22, 2014, you can buy 100,000+ IHG Rewards points for 0.575 cents each.

Buying IHG points for under 0.6 cents each means you can book certain IHG hotel rooms for less than $30 per night.

This sale virtually ties the cheapest I've ever seen the points for sale.

Trip Report: Seoul to Los Angeles in Asiana First Class A380

I just arrived in Los Angeles after 10 hours flying Asiana First Class on its brand new A380. I booked my seat last month for 70,000 United miles (at pre-devaluation prices using this trick.)

This is a really important trip report because Asiana First Class is a true luxury product that is extremely easy to book with miles!

Champagne wishes & caviar realities in Asiana First

Award space on the Asiana A380 is wide open in Business Class and First Class between Los Angeles and Seoul, especially at the last minute.

50 Free Award Wallet Upgrade Codes

Enjoy one of these 50 free upgrade codes to six months of Award Wallet Plus. Award Wallet is the free way I track my 35 miles and points balances and store my login information for those programs.

Read more about Award Wallet.

Sign up for Award Wallet.

Click "Continue Reading" to see the codes.

How Rich Would I Need to Be to Buy First Class

I'm sitting in the Asiana First Class Lounge in Seoul, about to fly one of the newest and hopefully best First Class products in the world on the Asiana A380.

First Class Suite on Asiana A380

I booked the ticket for 70,000 United miles and around $150 all in because you can still book awards at the old pre-devaluation United award prices.

On a whim, I checked the cash price for the ticket.

New Virgin Atlantic Routes, Best Use SkyMiles?

I recently received an email about changes to the Virgin Atlantic route network.

Virgin Atlantic is a London-based carrier that is not a member of any of the three major alliances, but does have a partnership with Delta.

Using 125,000 Delta miles for a roundtrip in Upper Class from anywhere in the United States to anywhere in Europe is a fantastic use of SkyMiles.

Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Marketing

I checked a few of the Virgin Atlantic routes for award space for May 2015 and found award space nearly every day on one route

Using IHG Rewards Into the Night Promotion for Free Luxury Hotel Nights

IHG Rewards has a fantastic promotion called Into the Nights in which you can turn a few cheap stays into free stays at top tier hotels worldwide.

Everyone is given several tasks to complete that vary in difficulty. Each task has an associated amount of bonus points.