Educational Posts on Loyalty Programs

Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) points  are easy to transfer for flights. As an added incentive they offer 5,000 bonus miles for every 20,000 you transfer. They have 32 airline partners including several international carriers.

If you are planning on a taking a trip in 2016, plan on booking it now or soon. If you haven’t yet started planning a trip to take this year, start now. Why? Because a plethora of airlines are offering flights at rock bottom rates.

We discussed how to use Aeroplan‘s stopover rules to visit more places in South America. Aeroplan (Air Canada’s program) allows two stopovers or one stopover and one open jaw on a roundtrip award ticket.

Qatar Airways is well known for their luxury amenities, and has been called by some a four-star carrier, especially those who have passed through the Al Mourjan Business Lounge lounge in Doha, their hub, which features multiple restaurants and a rather amazing design.

Elite Skyteam members looking to unwind at Hong Kong International Airport can now head on over to the new SkyTeam Exclusive Lounge, where they can eat, drink and be merry, whether they are on a short layover or an all-nighter.

Expedia has developed some new tools designed to shed light on hidden fees. The new technology also lets Expedia quickly relay peoples frequent flyer account information directly to the airline before the sale is complete.

Citi ThankYou points are easy to redeem for flights. The program has 12 airline transfer partners to choose from.

El Al is the flag carrier of Israel. It flies to Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Matmid, El Al’s loyalty program, has two award redemption charts. One is for the those who live in Israel and have the airline’s co-branded credit card, as well as Executive Circle elite status holders living outside of Israel. The other chart is for everyone else.

Air Canada is one of the world’s largest airlines and a member of the Star Alliance. Aeroplan, Air Canada’s loyalty program, has generous routing rules on award flights. A round-trip ticket can include two stopovers or one stopover and one open jaw.

Hawaiian Airlines is making the premium cabin aboard its A330 aircraft more luxurious. The carrier has teaming up with designers PaulWylde and Optimares to create a comfortable and modern business class cabin that includes lie-flat seats.

Most travelers will tell you that trip insurance is a must-have whenever you’ve got an expensive or extensive vacation planned. There are a host of circumstances—mostly unexpected—that can crop up and force you to cancel a long-planned vacation or even a last-minute getaway.

While traveling can be fun, it can also be frustrating. It’s not just delays, lost luggage and bad weather that can ruin your flight, but also etiquette-challenged passengers. In a new study by Expedia, seat kickers, screaming kids and passengers that smell bad top the list of in-flight annoyances.

American Airlines AAdvantage miles expire 24 months after you earn them unless there’s some activity in your account. Luckily, you can reset the expiration date by either earning or redeeming miles, which means that there are dozens of ways to keep your miles fresh for your next award flight.

You might be surprised to find that you can use Alaska Airlines miles to fly to South America. And Alaska’s flexible stopover policy makes its loyalty program, Mileage Plan, a great option for booking that itinerary.

If your delayed or have a layover in Orlando, you might want to check out the airport’s new lounge, The Club at MCO. It comes with all the travel musts, including space to relax, dinner, cocktails, WiFi and a place for the kids play.

Boredom will not be an issue for travelers flying on Virgin America’s new ViaSat WiFi-equipped aircraft. The carrier will also offer Spotify and The New York Times on board for free through March 2, 2016.

Transferring American Express Membership Rewards points to an airline loyalty program is simple. Amex has 16 different transfer partners to choose from.

Article update: United got rid of miles expiration and United miles now never expire (provided your United account is open and in good standing).

If you take the time to earn miles, you need to be aware of the rules for keeping those miles. Some airlines will claw back your miles if there isn’t any account activity within a certain number of months. In the case of United Airlines, you will forfeit your miles if you do not earn or redeem miles for 18 consecutive months. Let’s talk about what you can do to keep your miles.

Alaska Airlines allows you to make a free stopover on one-way award flights, even if they’re booked on one of the carrier’s partners. This flexible policy makes it possible to go to multiple destinations without spending more miles. In this post, we’ll look at several possible itineraries that include Fiji, Australia and New Zealand.

Looking for better food options when flying? United Airlines is rolling out new premium cabin and economy menu options this season. Flavor and presentation are getting an upgrade with chef-inspired options, such as peppered goat cheese with pumpernickel bread and seafood cioppino.