Crack the code of airline and hotel loyalty programs to earn enough points and miles for award airfare and accommodation.
When you want a good seat at a restaurant, schmooze with the maître d'. When you want a great seat at a concert, it helps to know the performer. When you want a seat on a plane, however, no amount of schmoozing or name dropping works. Moreover, no amount of points or miles can get you on a flight without available award seats.
Nestled among seven hills, it almost feels like Medellin, the second largest city in Colombia, was built especially for tourists. That wasn't always the case. In the 1980s and 1990s, it was home to drug cartels and intense violence. But city planners have transformed the area into an international tourist destination.
Whether you're in the mood for native bratwurst and sauerkraut, or Oktoberfest just isn't coming soon enough, it might be time for a trip to Germany. There are many ways to earn bonus miles while you're there, so you'll be that much closer to your next excursion by the time you get home. So don your lederhosen and say danke schön for bonus miles.
Etihad Airways is the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates. It flies to over 120 destinations around the world, and it's growing rapidly. In 2014, the airline carried almost 15 million passengers, which is roughly a 22 percent increase from the year before.
China Airlines, Taiwan's flag carrier, began operating charter flights in 1959 with fewer than 40 employees. Today's China Airlines, which employs about 11,000 people and serves more than 100 destinations across Asia, Europe, North America and Australia, has come a long way from its humble beginnings. It flies to 10 cities in the continental U.S.: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Seattle. China Airlines also serves Anchorage, Honolulu and Guam.
Anyone who flies regularly between the United States and Mexico or South America, will benefit from this credit card. Aeromexico has a strong network in those regions, but it is also a SkyTeam member and has some partners of its own. Its global network and partnerships make the airline's Club Premier kilometers very valuable, especially since its award chart is quite reasonable and generally offers a better value than partner Delta Air Lines.
