Weekly Review: June 29, 2019

I spent this week in Miami, Los Angeles, and now Kentucky. I really enjoyed the meetup we had at LAX Monday night — thanks to everyone who attended, and I hope to have more in the future.

On the points & travel front, this week we saw new bonuses on purchased points with Alaska, Hilton, and IHG, Alila started to join World of Hyatt, British Airways added a new option for booking transatlantic awards, I finally solved my luggage situation, Waldorf Astoria announced a new property in Mexico, and more.

With that out of the way, here’s a recap of this week on the blog:

Featured Stories

Earning Delta Status With Credit Card Spending

Through July 2, 2019, we’re seeing some best-ever bonuses on the Delta American Express cards. We’re seeing these increased offers on both the business and personal versions of the Gold, Platinum, and Reserve cards.

One of the things that makes Delta credit cards unique is how they can be used to earn status. Delta lets you spend your way towards status, and in theory you could even earn top tier status with Delta exclusively through credit card spending.

There’s no US airline I’d rather fly consistently than Delta, and I’ve often considered trying to spend my way towards status with Delta. So in this post I wanted to look at how that works, and if it’s worth it.

Dear Tumi: It’s Not You, It’s Me (I Guess)

Several days ago I wrote about how I was desperately in need of a luggage makeover. You guys had a lot of amazing suggestions, which I really appreciated. As I explained, I needed to make a decision by this past weekend, not just because both my bags needed to be sent for repair, and I have too much upcoming travel to be bagless, but also because I’ve spent the past year complaining endlessly to Ford and Tiffany about my luggage trying to decide how to fix my luggage situation.

I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent looking at options, getting frustrated, and then giving up.

British Airways’ New Transatlantic Business Class Award Option

While my favorite use of British Airways Avios is for travel on partner airlines, there are also circumstances where it can make sense to redeem for travel on British Airways.

Unfortunately the airline charges steep carrier imposed surcharges on most award tickets, which sting. On the plus side, there are some positive aspects about redeeming for travel on British Airways

TIPS: Earning Miles & Promos

Earning Delta Status With Credit Card Spending
New Amex Offer For Fairmont & Sofitel Stays
New Promo: Buy Alaska Miles For 30% Off
Double Elite Nights At Hyatt Ziva & Hyatt Zilara
Bank Of America Premium Rewards Credit Card: Up To 2.625% Cash Back On All Your Spending
Today Only: Earn Up To 8x Miles On Apple Purchases
Limited Time: Buy Hilton Points With A 100% Bonus
Great Deal: Easy 20% Off Amazon Purchase
Marriott Offering Awesome Targeted Promotions
Buy IHG Points With Mystery Bonus
$1,435 American Business Class Fares To Cordoba, Argentina
80K+ SkyMiles With Biggest Ever Delta Amex Bonuses (Last Chance)
Amex’s 30% Virgin Atlantic Transfer Bonus (Last Chance)

TRICKS: Redeeming Miles

Transfer Citi Points To Flying Blue With 25% Bonus
Rare: Lots Of Air New Zealand Business Class Awards
Two Days Only: Transfer Citi Points To LifeMiles With 30% Bonus
Flying Club Awards On Delta Get Even Better
British Airways’ New Transatlantic Business Class Award Option
American’s Convoluted Companion Upgrade Policy

TRAVEL With Ben (Lucky)

Last Minute: Mini Meetup At LAX
Update: Mini-LAX Meetup Tonight
Dear Tumi: It’s Not You, It’s Me (I Guess)
Why I Made The Switch To Briggs & Riley
It’s My Favorite American Employee’s Last Day
Tumi’s Disappointing Customer Service

REVIEWS & Trip Reports

My Spectacular American Airlines Flight
American Helps Make Our Anniversary… Memorable?

NEWS & Updates

Cathay Pacific Adds Mattress Pads & Business Class Slippers
Oops: Brussels Airlines’ Nine Hour Flight To Nowhere
Delta’s First 767-400 With New Business Class Seats
Cool: Surinam Airways Replacing A340 With 777
YAY: Alila Hotels Joining World of Hyatt
St. Vincent Struggling To Certify Strange 747
Citi Ending Price Rewind Benefit
Guy Turned Down $1,500 To Switch Economy Seats
Ouch: Citi Drops Car Rental Coverage, Travel Protection, And More
Lufthansa Discontinuing Long Haul, Low Cost Airline
American Cuts Premium Flights To Boston
Air India Launching Flights To Toronto
Russia To Introduce Electronic Visas By 2021
Why Lufthansa Is Wrong About The A321XLR
Air France’s Incredible New Brand Video
Resort At Pedregal Becoming Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos
Official: American MD-80 Retirement Date
Qatar Airways Raises First Class Lounge Access Cost
Revealed: Lufthansa’s New Premium Economy Seat
British Airways’ New Premium Economy Amenities
American’s New Caribbean & Latin America Routes
JetBlue Suing Walmart Over Jetblack Name
Air France Discontinues Low Cost Airline Today
Real Photos: British Airways’ New A350 Business Class
FAA Discovers New Boeing 737 MAX Safety Issues
Alaska Airlines Opening New SeaTac Flagship Lounge
I’m Jealous Of How The Red Sox Flew To London
Air Peace Launching Flights To Sharjah (With First Class!)
Air Canada Acquiring Air Transat, But…
United Adds Second Daily SFO To HKG Flight
New Delayed Timeline For 737 MAX Flights
Why United Isn’t Happy About The Sapphire Reserve
HUH: Bamboo Airways Wants To Fly A380s To The US
American Permanently Cuts Chicago To China Flights

I hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend!