Awards tips

Alaska Airlines is planning a major overhaul to its Mileage Plan program for 2025.

Adding to its already lengthy portfolio of hotel transfer partners, Citi ThankYou Rewards is now a transfer partner of Preferred Hotels & Resorts. Preferred Hotels & Resorts offers a collection of over 650 luxury boutique properties in more than 80 countries.

If you hold elite status with Delta Air Lines, United Airlines or Southwest Airlines, American Airlines is offering to match your status for at least four months so you can earn status in a different loyalty program without having to start from scratch.

If you're struggling to find award availability for your next flight redemption, here's a trick to solve this issue.

This week, Alaska Airlines announced sweeping changes to its Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan program. The overhaul will make it easier for customers to earn elite status and loyalty perks in 2025. Plus, the carrier revealed that customers should soon be able to book international itineraries aboard multiple Alaska partners through its website.

Since earning AAdvantage Executive Platinum status with American Airlines AAdvantage in 2016, I've continued to qualify for AAdvantage Platinum Pro or higher status with the program each year. After all, I enjoy selecting Main Cabin Extra seating at booking, believe American miles still hold excellent value, appreciate earning miles through Bask Bank and love having Oneworld Emerald status. I also occasionally get a complimentary upgrade when flying within North America, although these have dwindled in frequency over the years.

While loyalty program changes are often synonymous with devaluations, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan plans to reward its most loyal members in the new year by adding more ways to earn perks than ever before. 

Last month, Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club loyalty program teased huge changes, specifically a shift to dynamic pricing and more redemption and points-earning opportunities. These changes will commence Oct. 30, but the specifics are still to be announced.

While Virgin Atlantic is on the verge of what could be a pretty steep devaluation, there is a potentially pretty terrific deal right now that might still make sense for some travelers.

It’s good to be king for a day, and it’s even better if it’s onboard the Palace on Wheels, India’s first luxury and heritage train which continues to charm travelers since its launch in 1982. The luxe locomotive, decked in imperial finery, has long been a time portal back to a world of maharajas wearing bejeweled aigrettes and drinking out of crystal goblets. This train is so beloved that it came in first place in a ranking of Condé Nast Traveler readers’ favorite rail journeys in the world for this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards.

Even if you travel on many different airlines, it makes sense to focus on just one loyalty program in each of the Big Three airline alliances: Oneworld, Star Alliance and SkyTeam.

When my fiance and I started planning our honeymoon, we knew we wanted an outdoor adventure with plenty of hiking and wildlife, as well as some time to relax on a beach. We also knew we wanted to splurge and get there in lie-flat seats, which was only financially feasible if we could buy our tickets using points and miles.

American Airlines AAdvantage and World of Hyatt launched a partnership in 2019, offering reciprocal benefits for elite members in each program. Since then, we've seen a number of limited-time promotions for members, including the ability to pick up instant status (the most recent offer ended in September).

Delta Air Lines is offering a major flash sale on international awards trips for travel through next spring.

Planning a winter getaway just got easier with JetBlue’s latest award sale, with dozens of one-way flights bookable for under 10,000 points.

Calling all travel advisors!

Hotel elite status provides plenty of benefits to make your next stay more comfortable, including room upgrades, early check-in and late checkout, bonus points and complimentary breakfast. These can be valuable, especially for top-tier elite members who receive far more perks than nonmembers in most loyalty programs.

The global economic juggernaut that is Taylor Swift's "The Eras Tour" is finally coming to an end later this year after a final leg that features stops in Miami, New Orleans and Indianapolis before concluding in Canada with performances in Toronto and, finally, Vancouver, British Columbia.

The holidays are an expensive time of year — especially if you're hoping to travel to visit loved ones or head out on a peak-season vacation.

After a four year hiatus, the DJ Awards returned to Ibiza. The “Oscars of dance music” took place at Club Chinois, a first for the awards after spending the last two decades at Pacha. Fisher, Camelphat, Chase & Status took home genre awards, while local legends like Luciano won from a selection of new industry awards.

Read more about the winners for the best airports in the US here.