Tag: Using Points

Flying Blue Adds Two New First Class Partner Awards Options

October 20, 2023 0

Air France–KLM Flying Blue has added the ability to book first-class awards with two Sky Team partners. You can now book Garuda and China Eastern first-class awards. Let's take a closer look.

Sam Helmy

How I Booked a Father-Son Trip of 3 Days, 3 Nights, and 3 Flights for $54

October 16, 2023 1

Good things came in threes on this trip, as I took my son to California. This trip included three days, three hotels, and three flights. Here's how I used points and miles to make this happen for just $54.05 out of pocket.

Joe Petrovic

ExpertFlyer and Seats.aero Issues: The Latest on Award Search Tool Woes

October 7, 2023 0

Tools like ExpertFlyer and Seats.aero simplify the award search process by letting you search "home to vacation spot" across multiple frequent flyer programs at once. But recent issues are creating problems for travelers who have enjoyed using these tools to simplify the search process.

Ryan Smith

PointsYeah Adds Multi-Day Search, More Award Programs, New Filters

December 15, 2023 1

PointsYeah already cemented itself as a premier award search tool months ago when it first came onto the scene. Even better, steady and continued additions to the site create more and more value for users. Plus, for those looking to get the most from the site, a paid premium membership option now exists.

Ross Denkin

Using Amex Upgrade with Points on Flight Bookings

October 3, 2025 0

One little-known feature of American Express Membership Rewards is its Upgrade with Points option. Rather than deal with airline miles, you can book a ticket and make an upgrade offer directly through Amex. Although this might sound great, the value you get isn't as good as many other uses of Amex points. Here's how the feature works.

Ian Snyder

7 Days Left To Book Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Sweet Spots Before Award Chart Changes

October 2, 2023 0

Cathay Pacific announced changes to its award chart earlier this year, effectively devaluing the Asia Miles program. Thankfully, they provided a heads-up. With October 1, 2023 looming, it's as good a time as any to dig into Cathay's sweet spots and see which Asia Miles awards you should book before the changes take effect. If you're interested in booking any of these, you've got a week to make it happen.

Tyler Glatt

New Flying Blue Award Sale: Business Class to Europe From 33K Points

September 19, 2023 0

This new award sale from Flying Blue allows members to fly to Europe for as little as 33,000 points each way in business class. With options to either Paris or Amsterdam and a wide variety of dates available, this promotion will be an excellent deal for many. Combine with a point transfer promo to save on costs.

Carissa Rawson

Point.Me Launches 'QuickLook' Tool To Preview Award Availability in Seconds

September 14, 2023 0

Starting today, Point.Me users will start seeing the option to "QuickLook" at award availability on select routes. Instead of waiting to search for live award pricing, this new feature shows data from recent searches performed on the same route and dates. And you'll see those results in a matter of seconds rather than waiting for minutes. Here's how it works.

JT Genter

U.S. Bank Will Match Certain Charity & Nonprofit Donations From Altitude Go Cardholders

September 13, 2023 0

Good news for those with the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® Card: U.S. Bank says it will match donations to eligible charities and nonprofit organizations. This is a new benefit for cardholders starting September 13, 2023.

Ryan Smith

Get a Discount if You Book Avianca LifeMiles Awards in Advance

September 10, 2023 2

Avianca now offers an early mileage discount on Avianca-operated award flights. Flights booked more than 30 days in advance qualify for this discount, which is a helpful way to conserve LifeMiles. This once-temporary promotion is now permanent. Here's all you need to know.

Tyler Glatt

Best Aeromexico Rewards Sweet Spots

September 10, 2023 37

Since its devaluation, Aeromexico Rewards has eliminated most of the outstanding award sweet spots from its program. However, there are still some excellent choices for awards between the U.S. and Mexico and on routes to South America.

Sam Helmy

How To Use Chase Ultimate Rewards in 2025

June 24, 2025 66

Chase Sapphire Points, known as Ultimate Rewards, can be used in a variety of ways. You can book travel with them through UltimateRewards.com or transfer points at a 1:1 ratio to a number of partners, including Marriott, Hyatt and United. These are the ways to use your points, including which are best.

Ashley Onadele

Virgin Atlantic Adds LATAM Award Bookings. Here's the New Award Chart.

August 17, 2023 0

Virgin Atlantic just added award redemptions on LATAM-operated flights. That means travelers now have even more options for booking award flights to South America and even more uses for their Virgin points. Here are the details we know so far about this expanded partnership.

JT Genter

1,850 United Award Routes We Found That You Can Book for Just 14,000 Points

August 5, 2023 2

United Airlines has repeatedly devalued its award chart in recent months. So, we are peering into United's partner network in search of value. Enter the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer program. As long as there's saver award availability, you can fly any United domestic flight and routes to and from Canada using just 14,000 Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles. Here are 534 nonstop and 1,316 connecting United itineraries available at that rate.

Tyler Glatt

Aeroplan Introduces Easy-To-Use Online Award Changes

August 2, 2023 0

Air Canada Aeroplan now lets you change your awards bookings online. You can change the route, date, and class of travel without the need to cancel and start the booking process from scratch. Here's how it works and something you should consider before changing.

Sam Helmy

Crazy Good Availability for Starlux Flights Using Alaska Miles

July 26, 2023 9

Alaska Airlines and Starlux (the Taiwan-based airline) launched a partnership earlier this year, and mileage redemptions with Alaska Mileage Plan miles are now live. That means you can book Starlux awards. And I'm not just saying, "In theory, you can book awards." You really can book awards...pretty much any day you want. Let's show you how to take advantage of this award availability for a dream trip to Taiwan or onward to other points in Asia.

Ryan Smith

Wide-Open Etihad Apartments Award Availability!

July 26, 2023 7

The Etihad Airbus A380 finally returned to the skies this month. And that means the return of the beloved Etihad Apartments. If you want to fly the fabled, once-thought-to-be-extinct product for yourself, we have some great news. We are seeing wide-open award availability for up to two passengers per flight. Here's why you should consider splurging for Etihad Apartments, and the best ways to book.

JT Genter

Air France–KLM Flying Blue Awards Now Permit Free Stopovers on Partner Redemptions

July 21, 2023 6

Great news points and miles travelers: You now can book free stopovers on Air France–KLM Flying Blue award tickets even when traveling on partner airlines. This can unlock incredible value by adding a free second destination to your trip, but there are some important quirks to know about.

Ryan Smith

You Can Now Book ITA Airways Flights With Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Points

January 6, 2026 1

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club joined SkyTeam on March 2, 2023, and it's now possible to book awards for SkyTeam partner ITA Airways using your Virgin points. Best of all, you can do this online. ITA Airways, for those unfamiliar, is an Italian airline and is the successor to now-defunct Alitalia. Here's what you should know about using your Virgin Atlantic points for ITA Airways flights — and the wide-open availability we're seeing.

Ryan Smith

Virgin Australia Moves to a 3-Tier Domestic Award Chart

July 20, 2023 0

Virgin Australia has shifted its domestic award chart into a three-tier model as of July 5, 2023. The new pricing reflects demand and availability for any given flight. In the long run, you'll likely pay more for award reservations.

Sam Helmy

IHG Award Nights Can Now Set You Back Up to 250,000 Points

July 19, 2023 3

Without any announcement, IHG has upped the award pricing on some of its properties to a massive 250,000 points per night. Here's what we're seeing at some of IHG's top luxury properties.

Sam Helmy

How To Maximize the Citi Strata Premier® Card 60k Bonus for Flights Within North America

July 8, 2023 13

Citi ThankYou Points aren't as well-known as Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Rewards, but there's a ton of value to be found using ThankYou Points. Let's take a look at some of the best redemption options for domestic and short-haul international flights using Citi transfer partners. Here's how to book JetBlue, United, Delta, and American Airlines award flights for 8,000 ThankYou points or less.

JT Genter

Cathay Pacific Asia Miles Devaluation Coming October 1. Here's What You Should Book Now.

October 2, 2023 0

Cathay Pacific's Asia Miles program may have easily-earned miles, but its award chart change is bad news. Book now to lock in current prices before both the multi-carrier and Cathay Pacific-operated charts change on October 1, 2023. Here are our recommendations of what to book.

Carissa Rawson

World of Hyatt and Small Luxury Hotels Partnership

July 5, 2023 12

Hyatt's partnership with Small Luxury Hotels (SLH) has given World of Hyatt members access to hundreds of SLH properties where members can earn and use their Hyatt points. Here's what you need to know.

Michelle Molloy & Toni Southam

Why You Should Never Redeem Capital One Miles Through Capital One Travel

June 2, 2023 2

Capital One offers a plethora of transfer partners, similar to many of its credit card issuer counterparts. However, some cardmembers prefer to redeem their miles against travel purchases at a fixed value. Two options exist for this kind of redemption, but here's why one is vastly superior.

Ross Denkin

Opinion: New IHG Terms Are Part of Anti-Consumer Trends With Award Bookings

May 18, 2023 4

Few people pay attention to the minutiae of changes in award program terms and conditions. A snippet added here. A deleted phrase there. These often don't matter much. One recent change, however, deserves attention. Here's the growing problem in award travel that I think is unfair to travelers.

Ryan Smith

United Makes Major Award Chart Devaluation. Here's What We Know So Far.

May 17, 2023 6

Overnight and without an announcement, it seems United MileagePlus made massive changes to its (unpublished) award chart. We haven’t yet had time to examine every route and every possibility, so expect that there will be changes and updates to this story. Here’s what we know so far.

Ryan Smith

American Airlines Now Offering Mileage Discount When Booking Round-Trip Awards

May 11, 2023 3

You can now save AAdvantage miles by booking a round-trip! American Airlines is pricing round-trip awards at significantly fewer miles than two one-way awards. On flights to Europe, a round-trip costs as much as 26,000 fewer miles than two one-way bookings. Here's everything we know so far about this new development and how you can take advantage of it.

JT Genter

Wide-Open Availability: Book Etihad First Online From 62.5K AA Miles

May 4, 2023 2

Etihad's business and first class award flights are in high demand and often impossible to find. Now, book these sought-after awards online via American Airlines with routes from the U.S. and worldwide. Costs start at 62,500 miles and range up to 115,000 miles for the longest flights.

Carissa Rawson

Alaska Airlines Partners with Starlux: Mileage Earning is Live, Redemptions Coming Soon

April 27, 2023 1

Fans of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan will be happy to hear about another partner for earning and redeeming their miles. Though the program has undergone some negative changes recently, the ability to earn and redeem miles with a new airline is welcome news. Here's a look at the new Alaska partnership with Starlux.

Ryan Smith