New, Secret Delta Devaluation: Israel/Middle East Goes Up in Price November 1

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

Effective immediately, awards for travel from November 1, 2016 on are going up in price from the United States to the Middle East in Business Class.
USA to Middle East
Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Yemen

Is: 40k/70k each way in economy/Business
For Travel October 1 to October 31: 35k/70k
For Travel November 1 on: 35k/85k
Change: 5,000 fewer Delta miles each way in economy to the Middle East starting October 1, 15,000 more miles

Sweet Spots on New Devalued American Airlines Award Chart

In November 2015, American Airlines announced a massive devaluation of its award chart effective for bookings made March 22, 2016 or later. See my original post for a side-by-side comparison of the current and future charts.

You should try to lock in your travel through February 15, 2017 at current prices by booking by March 21, 2016.

Beat the Delta Devaluation: Travel to Asia, Australia, or Africa Before October 1

Back in January I wrote about Delta's devaluation of awards to Australia, Asia, Africa, and South America effective October 1, 2016.

To give a two sentence summary, a few regions in economy are going down in price, and three regions in Business Class are going up in price.

Awards for travel from October 1, 2016 on are going up in price to:

North Asia in Business Class
Southwest Pacific in Business Class
Africa and South Africa in Business Class

(Did you notice that this is very different than American Airlines' devaluation where the price is determined by the day you

Last Post and FAQ: Last Week to Get Full Value on AA 50k Offers

Some credit card offers in this post have expired, but they might come back.

6 American Airlines Awards to Book NOW before the DevaluAAtion

This week I have been writing every day about how you have until March 21, 2016 to earn and burn American Airlines miles on its positively cheap award chart before the airline devalues many of its best award prices.

How to Lock in Pre-Devaluation American Airlines Award Prices for Awards Booked in 2017 (Maybe)

Some credit card offers in this post have expired, but they might come back. If they do they will appear –> Click here for the top current credit card sign up bonuses.

This week I am urging people to get full value from the 50,000 bonus mile offers on both the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® MasterCard® and CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World MasterCard® by getting and using their bonus miles by March 21.

Unless you live under a rock, you know that American Airlines is devaluing its award chart March 22, 2016.

Reminder: Elimination of 4,500 Avios Awards within United States on February 2

This change takes effect for bookings made February 2 at 5 AM ET or later.

British Avios are great for short, direct, economy awards on flights with no fuel surcharges--but they are getting less great.

The price of an award flight booked with British Airways Avios is determined by only two things: the distance of the flight and the cabin you book. The price of an Avios award is the sum of the prices of each flight segment.

Book These Four Awards Before the DevAAluation

The American Airlines devAAluation is coming. For awards booked March 22, 2016 or later, you will need a lot more miles. This affects all awards from First Class all the way down to off peak economy.

If you book an award by March 21, though, your award is locked in, and will not be affected by the devAAluation. On March 21, you can book through February 16, 2017.

What are great awards you can book at the last minute to take travel in February 2017?

Australia
Argentina
Southeast Asia
Japan

The first two are in the middle of summer.

Changes to American Airlines Off Peak Awards Coming March 22, 2016

In November, American Airlines announced a massive devAAluation of its award chart for awards booked on or after March 22, 2016,  negative changes to status, and revenue-based award mile-earning on paid flights.

Let's take a close look at the changes coming to off peak awards.
What are Off Peak Awards?
American Airlines offers discounted economy Saver awards to many regions of the world during seasons of low demand.

American Airlines does not offer discounted awards in premium cabins or discounts on "AAnytime" (non-capacity controlled) awards.
What Changes Are Coming?
Here is a chart of the changes.

Changes to American Airlines Off Peak Awards Coming March 22, 2016

In November, American Airlines announced a massive devAAluation of its award chart for awards booked on or after March 22, 2016,  negative changes to status, and revenue-based award mile-earning on paid flights.

Let's take a close look at the changes coming to off peak awards.
What are Off Peak Awards?
American Airlines offers discounted economy Saver awards to many regions of the world during seasons of low demand.

American Airlines does not offer discounted awards in premium cabins or discounts on "AAnytime" (non-capacity controlled) awards.
What Changes Are Coming?
Here is a chart of the changes.