Category: Booking Travel

Why I’m So Excited About Flexible Point Currencies Right Now

November 9, 2020 23

Low cash prices and increased earning opportunities are making flexible points more valuable than ever before. With these points, you have a choice between transferring to airline and hotel partners or redeeming for a fixed, cash value. The conventional wisdom is to transfer points for higher value. Today, I’ll explain why that advice might not be true right now—and how to make the right choice on your next redemption.

Joe Petrovic

Why Now is a Great Time to Book a Dream Trip to French Polynesia

October 15, 2020 18

While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to make traveling difficult, one dream destination has already re-opened its borders to all travelers. If you've ever heard of Tahiti, Bora Bora, of French Polynesia, chances are you've dreamed of vacationing there. Thanks to significant safety precautions and generous award availability, now could be the perfect time to make that dream a reality. We will show you how to do so in this post.

Patrick Stouffer

The Best Ways to Book United's New Routes to Africa, India, And Hawaii

October 27, 2022 14

United has announced 7 exciting new routes for 2021 to Hawaii, Africa and India. Although details are slim on some routes, others are already on sale. So, we at AwardWallet dug into the best ways to book these new routes with miles and points. Here's how to book United business class to Hawaii from 15,000 miles each way, Africa starting at 52,000 miles each way, and India for as little as 52,500 miles each way.

Ross Denkin

The Best Ways to Book Delta’s New Cape Town Route With Miles

June 21, 2020 16

Staring in October 2020, Delta will begin flying to Cape Town, South Africa! This route was announced in mid-May, but it was just put on sale today. So, we took a look at the cheapest mileage options to fly between the U.S. and South Africa on this newly-modified route — without having to pay 465,000 SkyMiles for business class.

Ross Denkin

Using ExpertFlyer to Search Saver Award Space

May 3, 2020 18

ExpertFlyer is an incredibly useful tool for finding award availability, seat maps, flight schedules, and more. In this article, we show you the basics of searching for award availability—along with tips for how you can use this information to save miles on your next award booking.

Joe Petrovic

Air France, KLM, and Virgin Atlantic Launch New Award Partnership

February 26, 2020 26

Air France and KLM recently launched a new partnership with Virgin Atlantic, making both Flying Club and Flying Blue miles even more valuable. You'll now have the ability to book partner awards on either airline using the other's currency. In this article, we're digging into the new partner award options to highlight the best values.

Patrick Stouffer

How We Booked Five Nights, Flights, and a Premium Car Rental for Under $300

February 23, 2020 31

Traveling doesn't have to break the bank! Learn exactly how we used points, airline travel vouchers, and credit card perks to save thousands of dollars on a family vacation.

Joe Petrovic

Hyatt vs. Marriott: A House Divided

February 9, 2020 101

Our family has long been loyal to Marriott, too long as far as I'm concerned. I've decided that it is time for us to move our loyalty over to Hyatt – but this requires my reluctant husband to switch over his business travel. I'm outlining my case for making the move here, are you convinced?

Michelle Molloy

KLM Business Class Review - Boeing 747-400 Combi

August 23, 2019 46

What makes a great business class experience? I think a smooth check-in, nice lounge, great seats, tasty food, plenty of entertainment options and great wine! Check out my review of the KLM new business-class experience from Amsterdam to New York on the Boeing 747-400 Combi.

Elina Geller

Google is Now Offering Price Protection on Flights

August 18, 2019 67

On August 13th, Google Flights launched a price guarantee on selected flights booked on its platform. In a nutshell, if Google is confident that they're offering the cheapest tickets, they'll pay you the difference if they're wrong.

Skye Class

5 Reasons to Choose a Walt Disney World Resort

April 4, 2019 86

When it comes to selecting accommodation for your Walt Disney World vacation, there is a seemingly endless range of options. Here are five reasons to stay at a Walt Disney World Resort.

Mary Helen Law

Five Unspoken Tips for Flying Spirit Airlines

February 26, 2019 111

Spirit Airlines provides an affordable price point for anyone to travel in exchange for a no-frills experience. Today we focus on five tips that, up until this point, haven't been spoken which will teach you to maximize your time and experience on your next Spirit flight.

Richard Kerr

5 Tips To Find Cheap Fares, Mistake Fares, and Error Fares

October 15, 2018 55

Searching and finding cheap flights is more than an art than science. It can take hours and hours if you really want to do your due diligence. With time at a premium, consider using services like Dollar Flight Club when you’re looking to book flights; just don't forget to add the appropriate frequent flier account to the ticket and then leverage AwardWallet to manage the points you accrue.

AwardWallet

24-Hour Cancellation Policies for Major U.S. Airlines

November 2, 2023 36

The Department of Transportation (DOT) requires US airlines to allow travelers the opportunity to hold, change, or cancel an airline ticket during the 24-hour period immediately following the booking of a flight without penalty. Kristina covers the major US airlines and a couple of our favorite OTAs on their policies.

Kristina Caetano

How to Avoid Close-in Booking Fees on American & United

June 19, 2018 43

Last minute award booking fees are a penalty assessed by airlines, purely because they can. That said, there are some strategies to avoid these with a little bit of thinking outside the box.

Jess Farley

AARP Member Discount with British Airways (Updated Feb 2018)

October 27, 2022 40

You do not need to be 50+ to become a member of AARP and enjoy all of its discounts! One of the biggest perks of being an AARP member is the numerous travel-related discounts for which you get access. The $16 annual membership fee can quickly be turned into hundreds of dollars in savings.

AwardWallet

JetBlue Award Chart for Flight Redemptions on Hawaiian Airlines

December 25, 2017 29

JetBlue has published economy, and business class award charts for redeeming TrueBlue points on Hawaiian Airlines operated flights. While you've been able to redeem TrueBlue points for Hawaiian flights, the price was correlated to the cash cost of the ticket, much like how a JetBlue award is priced, and you'd need to call up get the exact price.

Howie Rappaport

Beginners Guide To Credit Card Rewards: Transferable vs Fixed-Value Points

March 3, 2023 39

The fundamentals of award travel are simple. Earn points and miles - redeem those points and miles for amazing travel experiences. Anyone can do it. Right? In theory, yes. But when first starting out, it can be a confusing hobby to be involved in. There are hundreds of different rewards earning credit cards on the market, each advertising its unique advantage over the competition, and it can be hard to weigh the value of various options without a firm understanding of each rewards currency.

Jess Farley

Asia-Pacific Airline Award Ticket Change and Cancellation Policies

March 13, 2023 19

The Asia Pacific region includes some of our favorite carriers. Airlines such as Qantas, Singapore, ANA, Korean, Asiana, and Cathay Pacific offer a hard product and level of service well above the legacy carriers in the US. There's also differences in the change and cancellation fees when comparing US and Asia Pacific programs, which tend to be priced in miles rather than cash.

Jess Farley

11 Travel Redemptions You'll Be Angry You Haven't Booked

August 30, 2017 94

Some points and miles redemptions are just better than others. While a last-minute must book redemption can certainly happen, where you might not get the best value, a little planning and knowledge can help you take advantage of some of the best redemption opportunities available. We've covered 11 of them.

Howie Rappaport

Europe and Middle East Airline Award Ticket Change and Cancellation Policies

March 9, 2023 21

When compared to the US (except for Southwest, which has possibly the best change policy on the planet), European and Middle East Airlines share a common theme of relatively small fees and a simple, easy to understand set of rules covering change policies.

Jess Farley

Which Card You Should Use to Purchase Airline Tickets? [2021]

October 27, 2022 80

You might think the best credit card to use when purchasing airfare is one that has your airline's logo; unfortunately, in many cases, you'd be wrong. Remember, flexible/transferable points currencies provide great value and often times their associated cards earn more per dollar than airline co-branded credit cards.

Jess Farley

Best Airline Frequent Flyer Programs

February 3, 2017 99

AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners when you visit our site, click on a link, when you are approved for a credit card, or when an account is opened. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not […]

Howie Rappaport

Success in 2017 With Points & Miles

October 27, 2022 60

Certain times of the year are of particular importance with points and miles. The beginning/end of the year, whenever you approach the renewal of a credit card account and the day you reach or elevate any elite status are just a few important days that occur throughout the year. The beginning of the year is particularly important, especially if you want to maximize the value across all of your programs.

Howie Rappaport

Book Virgin America flights directly with Google Flights

December 22, 2016 20

AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners when you visit our site, click on a link, when you are approved for a credit card, or when an account is opened. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not […]

Sam Helmy

The Cheapest Award Flights to Europe in Economy Class

October 10, 2016 9

We love redeeming points and miles for international business and first class travel, but that doesn't mean economy is a waste. Check out how you can get great value from your miles when traveling to Europe.

Miguel R. Quiñones

Hotel Award Search Tools - Hotel Hustle vs. AwardMapper vs. PEX+

September 18, 2016 0

AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners when you visit our site, click on a link, when you are approved for a credit card, or when an account is opened. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not […]

Jess Farley

Get Discounts on Flights You've Already Booked Using Yapta + FareIQ™

September 16, 2016 0

AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners when you visit our site, click on a link, when you are approved for a credit card, or when an account is opened. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not […]

Jess Farley

When to Book Awards at Levels Above Saver Levels

August 31, 2016 0

AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners when you visit our site, click on a link, when you are approved for a credit card, or when an account is opened. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not […]

Miguel R. Quiñones

The Capital of Fifth Freedom Routes in South America - Buenos Aires

August 29, 2016 7

AwardWallet receives compensation from advertising partners when you visit our site, click on a link, when you are approved for a credit card, or when an account is opened. Terms Apply to the offers listed on this page. Enrollment is required for select Amex benefits. The opinions expressed here are our own and have not […]

Miguel R. Quiñones