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In case you missed it here’s a roundup of some of the more popular/important posts that appeared on Traveling For Miles this week.
Over the past seven days we’ve seen numerous good/great/fantastic Business Class fares posted for flights between UK/Europe and the US/Asia (including a great First Class fare), we’ve seen IHG Rewards devalued, free wi-fi being rolled out across the Atlantic, Qatar Airways opening up a very exclusive lounge to paying guests and United opening its Polaris Business Class lounge in LA.
I’ve made a few predictions for the year ahead, discussed how I plan to use the rejuvenated Citi Prestige card this year, discussed what I think the best hotel loyalty/rewards strategy is for most people and thanked Award Wallet for saving me money and embarrassment.
It’s been a full week….and this selection was only part of it! 🙂
Click on the headlines to read more
Monday
IHG Is Devaluing Its Award Chart Again – This Is Getting Tiresome!
Over the weekend a sharp-eyed Flyertalker noticed that IHG has published a webpage showing that 696 of its properties are changing the number of points they will be charging for an award night as of 14 January.
British Airways Offers 19 Reasons To Fly With It In 2019 – Does It Have A Point?
British Airways has published a list of 19 reasons it believes travelers should be booking with it over the coming year so, as BA is a major player in oneworld and in the transatlantic market, I thought I’d take a look at why BA thinks we should choose it in 2019 and check out if it has a point.
Do You Know About Kimpton’s Last Minute Deals?
One of the things I love most about writing this blog is that the research I have to do means that I’m constantly learning new things about the travel industry and constantly discovering ways I can save cash when I travel.
Tuesday
5 Excellent Qatar Airways Business Class Fares From Europe To Asia (Book Qsuites Cheaply)
It has been a while since we’ve seen a set of good Qatar Airways Business Class fares for travel between Europe and Asia and I was beginning to wonder if the days of cheap(er) oneworld status were over. Fortunately the answer to that question is no.
There’s No One Right Way To Use Your Airline Miles
I love the miles and points hobby because it has allowed me to visit places I may not have otherwise visited, allowed me to stay at properties I would not otherwise have been able to afford and to travel around the world in a level of comfort I could only have dreamed about just a decade ago…but there are negative aspects to the hobby as well.
Norwegian Begins To Roll Out Wi-Fi On Long-Haul Flights…And It’s Free!
Norwegian already offers free wi-fi on the majority of its short-haul routes and now the airline has announced that it has commenced the roll out of its wi-fi service on its 787-9 Dreamliners and on its Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
Temporary Changes Coming To Delta’s Complimentary Comfort+ Upgrades (Select Routes Only)
Delta has posted a Medallion Member update in which it has announced that automatic upgrades from its Main Cabin to Delta Comfort+ will not be available on select routes from later this year.
Chase Is Offering Bonus Marriott Points Through 31 March 2019
Chase is sending out emails to Marriott Rewards credit card holders inviting them to register for a promotion which earns them bonus points for spending through 31 March 2019.
Wednesday
My Predictions For 2019 – There’s Good and Bad News Heading Our Way
It’s the beginning of another year in travel and as a lot of people seem to be making predictions on what we may see happen over the next 12 months I’ve decided to jump on the bandwagon and play at Nostradamus (only I’ll try to be more specific so it will be obvious if I’m right or wrong).
British Airways Adds First Class To Another US Route – Fares From £1,782!
British Airways has been offering a non-stop service between London Heathrow and Nashville since May 2018 and up until now the route has been operated by one of the airline’s 787-8 Dreamliners.
The BA 787-8 Dreamliner offers Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class cabins but, notably, doesn’t offer a First Class cabin – historically, if you wanted to fly First Class between London and Nashville, you could only to do to a connecting city before being downgraded to a short-haul premium cabin.
Not for much longer.
Qatar Airways Is Selling Access To Its Exclusive Al Safwa First Class Lounge
The Al Safwa First Class lounge is one of the few oneworld First Class lounges where a top-tier Emerald status card won’t get you in. Up until now travelers wanting to access the exclusive First Class facility have had to present a boarding pass for a First Class Qatar Airways flight at the reception desk or settle for the Al Mourjan Business Class lounge….but apparently not any more.
The Etihad UK Sale Is On Now – Roundtrip Business Class Fares From £1,719
Etihad has launched an Economy & Business Class sale for departures out of London and Manchester and if you don’t like having to take positioning flights into Europe (to catch the excellent Qatar Airways Business Class deals) then this sale appears to offer the next best set of Business Class deals between the UK and Asia.
Award Wallet Saved Me $250…And Quite A Bit Of Embarrassment
As you have probably noticed, I write about miles & points quite a bit and, despite the fact that I have a large number of credit cards and loyalty program accounts (31 at the last count), I like to think that I’m good at keeping on top of my accounts, tracking spending and earnings and generally knowing where I stand at any given moment in time.
Thursday
DEAL: Roundtrip Business Class Sweden – US West Coast From $1,659 (Oneworld)
American Airlines/British Airways/Finnair have put together some pretty good Business Class fares for travel between Sweden and Los Angeles/San Francisco/Seattle for the second half of 2019 and with availability looking pretty good you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding dates that work for you.
Earn Over 8,000 Hyatt Points Through Exhale Spa/Fitness
With the new year now well underway Hyatt and Exhale have launched a promotion which is offering World of Hyatt members the opportunity to earn up to 8,384 Hyatt points through the Exhale brand and, as 5,000 of those points come just from taking out an annual membership, you don’t have to be a spa devotee and a Hyatt Globalist member to earn a nice cache of points.
How I’m Incorporating The Citi Prestige Card Into My Spending
I’m a very big fan of transferable currencies and that’s one of the reasons why I currently hold the three best known premium credit cards which between them cost me over $1,500 in annual fees.
The Platinum Card from American Express, the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the Citi Prestige card don’t actually cost me over $1,500 between them as they all offer me travel rebates that I use every year (although sometimes I come close to forgetting to use them!) and they all offer me benefits to which I can easily assign a monetary value….but I still have to justify holding three such expensive cards.
Friday
Fare War 1: Milan – New York Business Class From $1,701 Roundtrip (SkyTeam)
Right now SkyTeam, Star Alliance and Air Italy are all offering roundtrip Businesses Class fares between Milan and New York from ~$1,700 and, as each alliance/carrier offers something a little different, I’m writing about them separately rather than in one gargantuan post.
Fare War 2: Milan – New York Business Class From $1,736 Roundtrip (Star Alliance)
In the previous post I wrote about the fares that SkyTeam is offering between Milan and New York (details of the Air Italy fare are coming up) so in this post I’m going to focus on the roundtrip Business Class Star Alliance fares between Milan and New York that start at around $1,700.
Fare War 3: Milan – New York Business Class From $1,701 Roundtrip (Air Italy)
Over the past two posts I’ve written about the fares that SkyTeam is offering between Milan and New York as well as the fares on offer if you’re looking to book with a Star Alliance airlines. In this post I look at the roundtrip Business Class Air Italy fare that’s currently on offer for travel between Milan and New York.
United Unveils Its New Polaris Business Class Lounge In Los Angeles
United Airlines opened the doors to its new Polaris Business Class lounge in Los Angeles on 12 January 2019 (Friday) and the airline has unveiled the first images of what the facility looks like inside.
Fantastic KLM Long-Haul Business Class Sale Ex-London (From £1,150/$1,470)
KLM is back with another set of its “Dream Deals” for long-haul departures out of the UK and some of the sale fares are pretty fantastic considering where they’re originating – the UK is not known as a hub for great long-haul Business Class fares but some of the fares in this sale come close to the fares we see offered out of continental Europe and Scandinavia.
What’s The Best Hotel Loyalty/Rewards Strategy For Most People?
There’s no doubt that some of the benefits that come with hotel loyalty programs can be very enticing. Free breakfasts, room upgrades, guaranteed late check-outs, bonus points and easier access to suites are just some of the many benefits that hotel loyalty programs dangle to tempt us into directing our spending in their direction….but in which hotel loyalty program should most people be trying to earn status?
