Southwest Airlines Checked Bag Fees: What You’ll Pay — and How to Avoid Them by Tyler Glatt May 28, 2025 2 You’ve probably heard the saying "nobody rides for free." That sentiment used to go against everything Southwest stood for when it came to checked bags, but those days are long gone. Here’s what you can expect to pay the next time you check bags with Southwest and how to avoid those fees altogether.
Here’s When You Will and Won’t Pay Resort Fees on Award Stays by Toni Southam and Ben Nickel-D'Andrea May 27, 2025 3 Resort fees are never fun to pay, but they are even more frustrating when they are implemented on your free nights and award stays. Here are all of the hotel brands that waive resort fees on award nights — as well as the ones that don't. This should help you know what to expect during your next hotel stay.
Can You Transfer Miles Between Frequent Flyer Programs? by Sam Helmy May 25, 2025 66 Can you transfer points and miles between frequent flyer programs? Sadly, the answer is "no" in most cases. However, there are a few options for moving points from one program to another. Besides, you may not need to transfer points between programs after all! Here's everything you need to know about transferring points between programs.
A Beginner’s Guide to Building a Credit Card Application Strategy by Erik Paquet and Mark Jackson May 25, 2025 14 U.S banks play a huge role in the travel rewards ecosystem. Learning about credit card application rules won’t be the most exciting part of your points-and-miles education, but it’s hard to overstate the importance of building a healthy relationship with the banks for your credit card application strategy. In this post, we explain how to build a sustainable, long-term strategy.
How To Check Your Chase 5/24 Status for Free by Brie Bash and Ryan Smith May 24, 2025 73 Chase's 5/24 rule is one of the strictest — and one of the more (in)famous — credit card application rules. However, Chase doesn't publicize this rule or tell you what your 5/24 status is. Here are the best free methods for checking your 5/24 status.
Spirit Just Increased Its Online Booking Fee — Here’s How You Can Avoid It by JT Genter May 22, 2025 1 Spirit Airlines just increased the fee it charges for booking flights online — a cost that now adds up to $27.99 per segment. Here's why Spirit is making this move — and how you can still avoid the fee (if you're willing to make the effort).
American Airlines Slashes Award Ticket Hold Window — Here’s Why That Matters by Tyler Glatt April 30, 2025 1 American Airlines is reining in the amount of time you can hold an AAdvantage award ticket. And for anyone who’s relied on this feature in the past, it’s a frustrating change. Here’s what to know and why it matters.
American Airlines to Launch Free Inflight Wi-Fi in 2026 — Here’s How to Get It for Free Now by Tyler Glatt April 15, 2025 2 American Airlines will offer free in-flight Wi-Fi for AAdvantage members starting in January 2026. Here's what you need to know about this exciting announcement — and how to get online without paying for it before the changes take effect.
Qatar Airways Promises a Qsuite Guarantee — Here’s When It Applies (and Doesn’t) by Ben Nickel-D'Andrea April 8, 2025 0 Not many airlines offer a guarantee to protect your bookings against aircraft changes, but Qatar Airways does whether it is a revenue or award booking for flights with their exceptional Qsuite business class product. This is how the Qatar Qsuite Guarantee works.
SkyTeam Lounge Access Changes: New 3-Hour Restriction, Amended Guest Policies, and More by Skye Class April 8, 2025 0 SkyTeam just made some significant updates to its lounge access rules. Effective April 1, 2025, new policies affect who can access SkyTeam lounges, how long you can stay, and whether your guest can join you. Here's what to know about these changes.
United Overhauls Card Portfolio to Add Perks, Increase Annual Fees by JT Genter March 24, 2025 3 Chase and United have decided to take a page out of the American Express playbook with a massive overhaul of the United card portfolio, adding a long list of new statement credits and perks in exchange for higher fees. Here's a breakdown of the changes.
Alaska Airlines’ 20-Minute Baggage Guarantee: How to Claim 2,500 Miles or a $25 Credit by Tyler Glatt and Brie Bash March 21, 2025 0 Alaska Airlines’ baggage guarantee promises checked bags at the carousel within 20 minutes of arrival. If not, you’ll get 2,500 Mileage Plan miles or a $25 discount code for a future flight. Here's how to claim your compensation if your bags are delayed.
Fly All Summer for $399? What to Know About Frontier’s Just-Launched Summer GoWild! Pass by Tyler Glatt February 20, 2025 3 The Frontier Airlines GoWild! Pass can be very valuable, but it's not for every traveler. For travelers who don't need checked bags, seats, or other perks — and can be flexible enough to take a trip on a moment's notice — this pass might be for you. But there might be a better way to save on Frontier flights for most travelers.
The Ultimate Guide to Delta Sky Club Access: What’s Changed & How to Get In Now by Jenna Hansen and Andrew Kunesh February 8, 2025 2 Want to access Delta Sky Club before or after your next flight? You have options! From credit cards to elite status and from flying in the right seat to buying a membership, this post has all of the info you need for getting inside these lounges after new restrictions went into effect.
The Cost of an Alaska Airlines Lounge Membership is Going Up Soon — Here’s How To Save Now by Tyler Glatt February 14, 2025 0 Alaska Airlines will raise the prices for Alaska Lounge and Lounge+ memberships on February 12, 2025. Here's what Alaska Airlines (and Oneworld) frequent flyers need to know about this price adjustment — and how you can save on the cost of membership before the prices increase.
Marriott Elite Status Made Easy: Earn up to a 40 Elite Night Credits Boost With Credit Cards by Miguel Rueda and Tyler Glatt January 7, 2025 41 One of the more valuable benefits of carrying a Marriott co-branded credit card is that it comes with Elite Night Credits that can boost you to that next status tier faster. Even better, the right credit card pairing can award up to 40 Elite Night Credits! Here's all you need to know about earning Elite Night Credits from Marriott cards.
Bad Flight or Subpar Stay? Here’s How To Get Fair Compensation From Airlines and Hotels by Skye Class and Jess Farley December 27, 2024 26 Exploring the beauty of a foreign country, flying to exotic locales in luxury, sampling outlandish foods, and opening yourself up to new experiences are the best parts of travel. However, reality can sometimes fall short of our expectations, and there are valid situations when travelers need reimbursement. If you've wondered how to get fair compensation for a bad hotel stay or a problematic flight, follow these nine steps.
Family Points Pooling: Combine Miles for Faster Free Travel by Jenna Hansen and Kennedy Miller December 26, 2024 1 Family pooling lets you combine miles into one account, making it easier for families (and sometimes friends) to reach award redemptions faster. Many airlines and hotel programs offer this for free, helping groups travel together using shared points. Here’s how pooling miles can bring your family closer to their next trip.
How Far in Advance Can You Book Airline Award Tickets? Our Full Guide With Data Points for 50 Airlines. by Ian Snyder December 23, 2024 54 Finding award availability can be a challenge on its own, but knowing how far in advance award space becomes available and which miles can book at what time can make things even more confusing. We address all that here, including strategies to maximize the likelihood of snagging the seat you want. We provide the booking window for all major carriers' loyalty programs as a great reference.
My Experience Using the Ethiopian Airlines Stopover Program for a Free Hotel and Meals by Lauren Wynn November 23, 2024 2 Ethiopian Airlines currently offers the only stopover program in Africa. Travelers with a layover between eight and 24 hours can get a free hotel and meals. Here's an overview of the Ethiopian Airlines stopover program and my experience utilizing it.
The Unwritten Restriction on American Airlines Companion Upgrades to Beware Of by JT Genter November 22, 2024 1 American Airlines AAdvantage elite status members are eligible for first-class upgrades on domestic and certain short-haul international flights. And each status member can nominate one companion to upgrade with them. At least that's how it's supposed to work. Here's what to know about American Airlines companion upgrades -- and one unwritten restriction on these upgrades that I found from experience.
No-Annual-Fee Cards Are Not No-Fee Cards. Here’s Why. by Ryan Smith and Scott Sikes October 13, 2024 1 No one likes paying extra fees; it feels like extra fees are everywhere. That means many people try to avoid them. And maybe you don't want to pay annual fees on credit cards. Here's why you should be careful of discussions about "no fee" credit cards.
Airline Award Ticket Change and Cancellation Policies by Ian Snyder October 21, 2024 44 It’s often necessary to book award flights months in advance to secure your seat. With such a long period between the date you book and the date you fly, it’s easy for your plans to change. In case you need to adjust your ticket, here's a list of award ticket change and cancellation policies and the fees you can expect to pay.
The U.S. DOT Announces Investigation Into Frequent Flyer Programs. Here’s What That Means for You. by Tyler Glatt September 9, 2024 0 The U.S. Department of Transportation is investigating some of the most prominent U.S.-based frequent flyer programs. The goal? To uncover whether or not practices behind dynamic pricing, devaluations, and management borders on being unfair, anticompetitive, or deceptive. Here's what we know so far and what this means for you.
JetBlue’s Blue Basic Just Got a Bit Less Restrictive — Is It Worth the Savings Now? by Sam Helmy September 8, 2024 0 Sometimes, you just need to get from Point A to Point B and don't require anything beyond a seat on a flight. That is where basic economy fares can be very useful and economical. Like several other airlines, JetBlue offers a low-cost fare bucket for those simply looking for a seat and a bare minimum level of service. But before you book a JetBlue Blue Basic fare, there are some things you'll want to know. Here's our guide to JetBlue's cheapest fare.
Fly Without the Fees: Airline Programs That Don’t Add Fuel Surcharges to Award Flights by Mark Jackson August 10, 2024 1 The last thing you want is to pay a ton of cash on top of the miles and points you're using to book award flights, but some programs add heavy fees and surcharges when trying to book a "free flight." Here's a look at the programs that don't add these fees so you can save money on your upcoming reservations.
Save Your Wallet by Booking Flights From These Countries That Limit Fuel Surcharges by Mark Jackson and Ian Snyder August 8, 2024 0 Many air carriers like to levy "carrier-imposed surcharges," often referred to as "fuel surcharges" or "YQ" as a shorthand. These are extra fees that add up quickly when you book a flight using your miles. However, a handful of countries limit fuel surcharges on flights, and you can use this to your advantage.
United Slightly Improves Basic Economy. Here’s How the Still-Punitive Fare Works. by Tyler Glatt April 18, 2025 1 For the instances when you just need to book a seat from A to B, United's basic economy option is usually available at a compelling price point. But one thing is for sure: United basic economy is "basic" for a reason. Here's everything you need to know about United Airlines basic economy, how to navigate the restrictions, and a change this week that makes United basic economy slightly less punitive.
How To Share Capital One Venture and Spark Miles with Anyone by Ashley Onadele and Jenna Hansen July 31, 2024 45 Capital One is changing the transferrable points status quo by allowing cardholders to share their points with anyone that has a miles-earning Capital One card. This no-limit, no-fee sharing creates new ways to collaborate with your travel companions to earn the miles needed for your next big trip.
Hotel Programs That Allow You to Gift an Award Stay by Jenna Hansen November 24, 2024 0 Free hotel nights are a perk that everyone loves to enjoy. Even better, most large hotels brands allow you to gift this to a friend or family member. In this post, we'll go over the policies for each hotel and how you can gift an award stay to a friend or loved one.
