United Increases Elite Status Requirements, Adds Elite Earnings on Awards Starting in 2023 by Max Prosperi November 10, 2022 9 United MileagePlus announced some major program changes for next year. Beginning in 2023, United will implement changes to the MileagePlus program including significant increases to what's required for elite status, adding elite earnings on award flights, and removing award redeposit fees. Here's what members need to know about changes to the United MileagePlus program.
British Airways & Iberia Move To Revenue-Based Avios Earning by Sam Helmy November 3, 2022 5 In an email to its members and a press release, Iberia announced that it is moving to a revenue-based system of Avios earnings effective immediately. In the same announcement, Iberia's partner British Airways also announced that it will move to revenue-based Avios earnings in 2023.
Details of the Massive Devaluation of Radisson Rewards Worldwide by Skye Class October 26, 2022 6 Earlier this year, Radisson Rewards split in two. Now the Radisson Rewards Worldwide program (for hotels located outside the Americas) has devaluated several parts of the program. Members earn fewer points, points are worth less, etc. Here's a summary of changes, and what you can do about them.
Southwest Raises Requirements for Companion Pass, Program Changes by Skye Class October 23, 2022 4 Southwest Airlines has implemented changes to the Rapid Rewards program, including increasing the requirements for Companion Pass, a Rapid Rewards cardholder bonus, etc. Here are the changes that took effect on January 1, 2023.
Marriott Bonvoy Ends Conversion Bonus to Four Airline Partners by Sam Helmy October 18, 2022 2 Marriott Bonvoy sent out an email this week to select members notifying them that, effective October 31, 2022, the standing points conversion bonus will be ending. For now, the change only affects four of the more than 40 airlines you can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points. But it could be a bad sign of things to come.
Hilton Honors Drops ‘Weekend’ Requirement From Free Night Rewards by Skye Class October 14, 2022 0 Great news Hilton Amex cardholders! Hilton Honors "Weekend Free Night Rewards" can now be used any night of the week. Going forward, these certificates will simply be called Hilton Free Night Rewards. Here's how to earn these valuable free night certificates.
Air France/KLM Flying Blue Lowers Mileage Requirements for Transatlantic Economy Awards by Ross Denkin September 18, 2022 2 Air France/KLM Flying Blue recently adjusted its award rates between North America and Europe. But surprisingly this is actually good news. Standard transatlantic economy class award rates now begin at just 15,000 miles. These new, lower redemption rates vary by city. Here's a chart of the cheapest award prices we are finding on Flying Blue's 39 transatlantic nonstop routes.
Aeroplan to Update Some Award Pricing Effective September 1, 2022 by Sam Helmy August 12, 2022 0 Air Canada's Aeroplan award program has announced a series of tweaks to its award chart. Rather than overhauling the entire chart, pricing changes are affecting some routes between North and South America, North America and Europe/Africa, as well as some routes that don't touch North America. Here's what you need to know so you can lock in the cheapest rates.
IHG Hotels and Resorts Introduces New IHG One Rewards Program by Sam Helmy April 27, 2022 4 IHG is finally launching its new IHG One Rewards program. The new program sees significant changes - including a new elite tier - while some tiers have been renamed and qualifying requirements have been tweaked. Also, there are brand new benefits for some tiers, and IHG has announced the upcoming introduction of its Milestone Rewards.
Details Released of Which 200+ Marriott Hotels are Moving to Dynamic Pricing March 29, 2022 by Ryan Smith February 26, 2022 0 Marriott Bonvoy just released the details on 200+ hotels that are moving to dynamic pricing on March 29, 2022. Here's the list of the hotels that will increase in price, plus how many extra points you will need. Other news includes what we can expect for 2023 and when you will be able to add points to free night awards for high-priced bookings. There's a lot to digest in here, so grab a drink and dive in with us.
Qatar Airways Will Adopt Avios, the Points of British Airways, Iberia & Aer Lingus by Ryan Smith February 22, 2022 5 Major news out of Qatar Airways is that the airline has adopted Avios as its mileage currency. Avios is the points currency of British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus. There can be some major implications for travelers with this shift. Here is what we know so far and what remains to be clarified in the coming weeks.
Changes to Expedia Rewards Starting on February 1, 2022 by Ryan Smith January 26, 2022 5 Expedia is relaunching its rewards program on February 1, 2022. Expedia's elite status will soon require earning "Trip Elements" and the earning rate for these elite status credits depend on what type of booking you make (flight, car, hotel, cruise). Here’s a quick briefer of the new rewards program, how you earn points, and the other details you should know about.
MGM Overhauls M Life Rewards Program, Changes Coming February 1, 2022 by Ryan Smith August 31, 2023 4 MGM is making big changes to its M Life rewards program, and these will launch on February 1, 2022. The new program will be called MGM Rewards. Changes for gamblers and non-gamblers are coming, so let’s dive into all of the details.
IHG Rewards Changes Coming in March 2022: New Elite Status Tiers & Higher Requirements by Ryan Smith January 19, 2022 6 IHG Rewards just announced changes to its loyalty program, coming in March 2022. Elite status will have more tiers, and earning this status just got more complicated. Additionally, IHG's announcement means the info you see online/in the app is no longer correct. But, IHG promises "more fun" and "enhanced benefits" coming soon. Let's dig in to what we know so far.
Citi ThankYou® Rewards Adds Wyndham as Second New Hotel Transfer Partner in Under a Month by JT Genter November 14, 2021 13 Citi ThankYou® Rewards just added Wyndham Rewards as its second new hotel transfer partner in under a month. Wyndham Rewards offers a fixed-redemption-rate program, making it a great choice for times when cash rates (and points rates with other hotel brands) are high. Here's how to take advantage of this new partnership.
American Airlines Simplifies Elite Status Requirements and Makes Changes to AAdvantage® Program by Toni Southam October 26, 2021 37 American Airlines just announced that it is revamping its loyalty program and simplifying the way AAdvantage® members can achieve elite status. Beginning in 2022, AA will replace its current elite status requirements and use the all-new AAdvantage® Loyalty Points system.
Marriott Introduces Dynamic Award Pricing, Says Goodbye to Award Chart by Ryan Smith October 26, 2021 36 Big news from Marriott this morning. Over the next few months, Marriott is introducing dynamic award pricing. This will see the end of award charts and standardized pricing. Instead, award prices will mirror demand and cash prices at hotels. Here is what we know about this huge change.
Hyatt Introduces Peak and Off-Peak Pricing Model by Toni Southam October 21, 2021 24 Back in December 2019, Hyatt announced it would be changing the way award nights are priced. Those plans were temporarily put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But as of October 26, 2021, Hyatt implemented these changes for all nights stayed on March 1, 2022 or after. Here's what you need to know about the new pricing.
Citi Adds Choice Hotels As Its Newest Transfer Partner by Toni Southam October 19, 2021 16 Citi ThankYou® Points just got a bit more flexible to use. As of Monday, Citi ThankYou® Points are now transferable to Choice Privilege points. That makes Choice the only hotel transfer partner for Citi. You'll get 2 Choice points for every 1 ThankYou Points® you convert.
You Can Now Transfer Capital One Miles to 6 More Airlines at a 1:1 Ratio by Ryan Smith October 7, 2021 10 You can now transfer Capital One miles to 6 more airline mileage programs at a 1:1 ratio. These improvements now mean you can transfer Capital One miles to 13 airlines at a 1:1 transfer ratio, putting it well on par with other major transfer currencies. This is a big improvement in redemption options. It should make Capital One miles much more valuable going forward.
Chase Announces New Sapphire Benefits, Improved Earning Rates by Toni Southam August 10, 2021 51 From August 16, 2021, Chase is enhancing both the Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve credit cards. Both cards are getting improved earning rates on a wide variety of categories along with other features and improvements. Even better, there's no increase in the annual fee.
You Can Now Book Etihad Awards Using Aeroplan Points — Including ‘The Apartment’ by Patrick Stouffer April 24, 2021 39 In June 2020, Air Canada Aeroplan partnered with Etihad Guest, allowing reciprocal earning and redeeming opportunities. Now that Aeroplan has relaunched as a new program, we are revisiting this partnership. While both programs can offer solid value, we're particularly excited about how this partnership makes booking Etihad's premium-class cabins a little more accessible for award travelers.
Capital One Ups Its Game: New Transfer Partners, Better Transfer Rates, New Airport Lounges by Toni Southam April 20, 2021 28 Capital One just announced a bunch of great enhancements to the Capital One Miles program, including 4 new transfer partners and better transfer rates for 7 existing partners. Capital One has also announced plans to open 2 new airport lounges, with the first opening in late summer 2021.
Southwest Devalues Rapid Rewards Program, More Points Now Needed for Award Flights by Max Prosperi April 15, 2021 23 Southwest Airlines just made some very unwelcomed changes to the airline's Rapid Rewards program. Without notice, Southwest reduced the value of Rapid Rewards points. You'll now need more Rapid Rewards points to make the same award travel redemptions.
You Can Now Fly ANA Business Class to Japan for Just 45,000 Virgin Points One-Way by Patrick Stouffer April 7, 2021 17 One of the sweetest sweet spots just got even sweeter! Flying Club members can now redeem Virgin points for one-way ANA awards in any class of service. Combined with this partnership's unbelievable award pricing, this opens incredible opportunities for flights to/from Japan. But don't delay — deals this good don't tend to last forever.
JetBlue Changes Carry-On Bag Policy and Drops Change Fees by Max Prosperi February 22, 2021 28 JetBlue announced significant changes to the airline's carry-on and change/cancellation policies. This announcement is a mixed bag (pun intended) with some good changes to change fees and some bad news for those flying on the cheapest fares. Here's what passengers need to know about these changes.
Delta SkyMiles Further Devalues Partner Awards to Europe and Asia by Patrick Stouffer February 12, 2021 37 Delta Air Lines has done it again. For reasons unknown, it's just raised partner award prices to Europe and Asia for the second time in four months. To make matters worse, these aren't small, forgettable price hikes. These are significant, balance-busting increases that make certain partner awards laughably expensive. Let's go over this and see if there's anything salvageable.
Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Devalues Many Delta Awards by Ross Denkin February 9, 2021 9 Just as the calendar turned over in 2021, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club very quietly changed its redemption scheme for flights operated by Delta. Long-haul and premium cabin travelers will be disappointed to find out their points won’t take them nearly as far anymore. However, there's a silver lining in these changes for domestic and other short-haul flyers.
Chase and Air Canada Announce New Credit Card and Point Transfers Starting in 2021 by Patrick Stouffer December 17, 2020 4 Air Canada Aeroplan announced an exciting new partnership with Chase and Mastercard set to debut in late 2021. This includes a new Chase-issued Aeroplan co-branded credit card for U.S. customers and (even better) the ability to convert Ultimate Rewards points to Aeroplan points! Translation: your Ultimate Rewards points will become a whole lot more valuable!
