The Virgin Atlantic World Elite MasterCard® is offering up to 90,000 bonus miles but there are quite a few strings attached.

The bottom line is that you earn 127,5

In May, I visited the Sala VIP Pau Casals at Barcelona Airport. In August, I visited the very similar Sala VIP Miro. Here's what you can expect from these Priority Pass lounges that you can enter for free with a Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Citi Prestige, or American Express Platinum Card.

The Sala VIP Pau Casals is available to passengers flying within the Schengen Area, and the Sala VIP Miro is after passport control for passengers leaving the Schengen Area.

Both offer a comfortable place to sit, free wifi, enough food for a meal, and free alcohol.

In July, I jumped around the Balkans, seeing:

Kotor, Montenegro
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Mostar & Sarajevo, Bosnia

The Route
I've spent all summer in ex-Yugoslavia other than a quick trip to Spain. The plan has been to learn the Serbo-Croatian language. I wanted to switch bases from Belgrade to Zagreb via an efficient route that would let me see more of ex-Yugoslavia.

Eventually I settled on flying from Belgrade to Tivat, Montenegro and bussing the rest of the way to Zagreb with stops every few hours along the route.

For the next 11 months, you can fly from the Eastern United States to London for 13,000 Membership Rewards, Ultimate Rewards, or ThankYou Points plus $135. Or you can fly in Premium Economy that looks a lot like domestic First Class for 20,000 points and $265. From other parts of the country, you’ll pay only a few more miles.

On some routes, award space is WIDE OPEN year round, including the heart of summer. Here is the award space for July 2017 from New York to London.

You have less than two weeks left to take advantage of this transfer bonus! 

Until September 14, 2016, you can transfer 20,000 SPG Starpoints to 30,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles.

The Citi Prestige® Card comes with 40,000 bonus ThankYou Points after $4,000 in purchases made with your card in the first 3 months the account is open.
Quick Facts

Sign Up Bonus: 40,000 ThankYou Points after $4,000 in spending
Category Bonuses: 3x on air travel and hotels, 2x on restaurants and entertainment
Air Travel Credit:  $250 statement credit per calendar year ($500 during first year of cardmembership)
Global Entry: $100 application fee credit
Lounge access: Priority Pass lounges worldwide for you and two guests
Free hotel nights: Get your 4th night free (including taxes) on all

This contest is closed. We picked the winners and have emailed them requesting addresses, so if you entered check your inbox. Thanks to everyone for participating!

Generous reader Lien is donating four pairs of United Club passes that expire September 30, 2016–in one month–to four lucky winners (one pair to each winner.)

If you have a use for the passes between September 8th (to allow time for them to be mailed to you) and 30th of this month, comment on this post for a chance to win the passes.

Delta has devalued its miles with no notice (again.)

Effective immediately, awards for travel from January 1, 2017 on are going up in price from the United States to Europe in Business Class.
USA to Europe
Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania;

All these offers have expired.

With the proliferation of transferable points like Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points, and Starwood Preferred Guest Starpoints, Americans have access to cheap awards through tons of foreign programs.

Here are five underpriced awards on foreign award charts and how to get the miles needed to book the awards.
1. Singapore Awards Between Hawaii and the Americas
Singapore Airlines puts Hawaii and Central America--you know, those two places that are thousands of miles apart--into one region.