When it comes to redeeming your hard earned miles for flights, conventional wisdom is that you will get the most value for your points by booking flights in premium international class. This is true in most cases when redeeming miles for saver award tickets, because you can get anywhere from 2 to 10+ cents in value for each mile you redeem. … [Read more...] about When is it Appropriate to Use Miles for a Domestic Award?
Airlines
Delta / SPG Crossover Rewards – A Nice Little Bonus for Doing Next to Nothing
If you are enrolled in the Delta and SPG crossover rewards program, you are probably aware of the benefits that are offered as part of the program. I wrote about the benefits of crossover rewards last year, so for now I will just mention that one of the big benefits of the program is that you have the opportunity to receive incremental miles from Delta and points from SPG based … [Read more...] about Delta / SPG Crossover Rewards – A Nice Little Bonus for Doing Next to Nothing
Things I’ll Never Use: Delta’s New “Upgrade with Miles” Option
While I have been living under a rock the past few weeks preparing to put my house of 10 years on the market, Delta came out with a new feature announcement last week that may be of interest to frequent Delta flyers. The announcement is that you can now upgrade your flights at the time of booking using your frequent flyer miles. Previously you were only able to do this using … [Read more...] about Things I’ll Never Use: Delta’s New “Upgrade with Miles” Option
A Not So Luxurious Travel Day… or Why Can’t Airlines Just Be Honest?
Today was supposed to be a leisurely travel day. A midday flight from one polis to another (Minneapolis to Indianapolis), 90 minutes in a plane, a time zone shift and a wonderful dinner at St. Elmo steakhouse before heading to the Kentucky Derby tomorrow. Then I got to the airport and realized that I was missing something: Tickets to the Kentucky Derby. Sure, I had … [Read more...] about A Not So Luxurious Travel Day… or Why Can’t Airlines Just Be Honest?
South Africa for a Week – An Introduction
In early April of 2014, I took a trip to South Africa with my father. While the trip was only for a week (far too short of a time to spend in such a beautiful country), it took a fair amount of planning over the course of 6 months to get things right. Here is an introduction to how I planned for the trip, how much things cost in cash or points/miles, and other observations on … [Read more...] about South Africa for a Week – An Introduction
Virgin America Hooking the Next Generation of Travelers? Sorry United!
This morning as I was checking my email, I came across a tweet that talks about a hand-written note from an 8 year old girl talking about how much she enjoys flying Virgin America over United. Here is that tweet: An 8 yr old lets @united know why she enjoys the flying experience better on @VirginAmerica pic.twitter.com/5su85b28UR — Laura Evans (@lauraevansfox5) April 16, … [Read more...] about Virgin America Hooking the Next Generation of Travelers? Sorry United!
Australia Someday: Enter To Win a Free Trip to Australia from Delta
A few weeks ago, I received an email from Delta announcing a contest called “Australia Someday” in which you could enter a daily drawing to win a free trip from Delta. While I didn’t expect much from the promotion, I always click through to see if there is anything that might be of interest to myself and readers of this blog. So I clicked through on this ad as soon as I … [Read more...] about Australia Someday: Enter To Win a Free Trip to Australia from Delta
US Airways Social Media Screwup: When My Work and Hobbies Collide
I have been light in blogging while on Safari in South Africa (the Internet has been slow and you know, I was on a safari), but this one is too good to pass up. Last night I was checking my Facebook feed and saw references to the “Epic US Airways Social Media Fail” and “Biggest social media fail ever!" Since just about every article on social media talks about this type of … [Read more...] about US Airways Social Media Screwup: When My Work and Hobbies Collide
Trying to Justify the Incredible Star Alliance Business Class Fares to Europe This Summer
Update: 5 Minutes after pushing this post live, I cannot recreate the prices I saw in the screenshot below anymore. This deal may no longer be available. … [Read more...] about Trying to Justify the Incredible Star Alliance Business Class Fares to Europe This Summer
When is the Best Time to Book a Flight?
Since I started travel blogging, “When is the best time to book a flight?" is probably the most common question asked of me by friends and family who are casual travelers (the second is "what is the best travel credit card if I could only choose one?"). … [Read more...] about When is the Best Time to Book a Flight?