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This post is part five of a series about how to maximize value when transferring your Chase Ultimate Rewards to loyalty program partners.  Maximizing Your Ultimate Rewards Series Index Maximizing…

The United shopping portal is offering 15 miles per dollar today only (until 11:59 PM ET on 1/22/17) at a number of stores that normally offer only 2-5 miles per dollar. I value United miles at 1.6…

Taking no-frills, short distance flights on low cost carriers is a great way to fill in the hole on an open jaw award and to hop around Europe if you're traveling light. You often cannot redeem…

An interesting post on Reddit caught my eye called "The Economics of Churning: who pays for the rewards?" ("Churning" is the milesphere's term for opening cards, getting their bonuses, closing the…

Avianca LifeMiles are easier to earn than ever thanks to the Avianca Vuela Visa that was introduced at the end of 2016.  In light of that fact, today I'm going to go over strategies for maximizing…

I am updating and re-posting this series on redeeming American Airlines miles in light of the fact that right now it’s super easy to earn 146,000 American Airlines miles. For a limited time, the Citi…

Update 1/18/17: A reader reports that he tried to book San Francisco to Boston Virgin America First Class award space with Alaska miles--he tried various summer dates--and every time received an…

This post is part four of a series about how to maximize value when transferring your Chase Ultimate Rewards to loyalty program partners.  Maximizing Your Ultimate Rewards Series Index Maximizing…

The Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Citi Prestige, and all American Express Platinum cards offer free Priority Pass Select membership, emphasis on "Select." Last month I got this email from a vexed reader:…

Arrival miles never expire as long as you hold your Barclaycard Arrival PlusTM World Elite MasterCard®. They do disappear the second you cancel the card though. Other than canceling the card, the…

Beginning October 5, 2017, LATAM will fly a Boeing 787-9 three times a week on its first non-stop route to Australia, between Santiago, Chile and Melbourne, Australia.

The Business Platinum Card from American Express is offering 100,000 total bonus points through January 25, 2017 (which is just a couple weeks from now): 50,000 bonus points after spending $5,000…

UPDATE 1/10/17: If you have a Virgin America Elevate account and an Alaska Mileage Plan account that were both opened prior to December 5, 2016, you should have gotten/be getting the 10k Alaska mile…

“Redeeming American Airlines Miles” Series Index Part 1 — 5 Ways to Stretch American Airlines Miles on Economy Redemptions Part 2 — 6 Ultra-Luxurious First Classes to Book with American Airlines…

This post is part three of a series about how to maximize value when transferring your Chase Ultimate Rewards to loyalty program partners.  Maximizing Your Ultimate Rewards Series Index Maximizing…

In addition to my written trip report of my recent trip to the Lufthansa First Class Terminal, here is a video I shot, which shows the tarmac Porsche ride and the inside of the terminal.

Last week, I flew from Buenos Aires to Rio Gallegos, Argentina with no intention of going to Rio Gallegos, Argentina. Instead, my plan was to walk out of the airport, stick my thumb out, and try to…

This post is part two of a series about how to maximize value when transferring your Chase Ultimate Rewards to loyalty program partners.  Maximizing Your Ultimate Rewards Series Index Maximizing…

What are your New Year's resolutions this year? If you've managed to stumble upon this blog, chances are somewhere in your list of goals for 2017 you've got some dream trips lined up. If you don't,…

Greetings from Patagonia! With 2016 in the books, and my rundown of last year’s travel here, I thought I’d share my upcoming travel plans. I pretty much know exactly where I’ll be in January and half…

2016 was a great year of travel for me, and hopefully for you too. The year started on the tarmac in Nagoya, Japan, about to take off in Thai Business Class on a Dreamliner to Bangkok. The year will…

Until today (December 31, 2016), you can buy up to 30,000 Starpoints with up to a 50% discount on the normal purchase price. The discounts are targeted. To see your discount, sign into your SPG…

Until today (December 31, 2016), you can buy Alaska Airlines miles with up to a 40% bonus. Log in to your account at this link to see your offer. The sale is structured as a bonus on the normal…

Starwood Preferred Guest and Virgin America Elevate are ending their partnership on January 6, 2017, making that the last day that you can transfer SPG points to Virgin America Points. Why does this…