Weekly Review: November 17, 2018

Hello from St. Kitts! We’re spending the weekend at the Park Hyatt St. Kitts (thanks to an amazing deal earlier this year), and are having a great time. I’ll have another post soon with my initial thoughts on the hotel, but overall I’m impressed, and highly recommend the hotel.

On the points and travel front, this week we learned that Capital One is introducing a transferable points currency, several loyalty programs introduced new bonuses on purchased points, the details of Uber’s new loyalty program were revealed, China Southern announced they’re leaving SkyTeam, and more.

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

Featured Stories

Capital One Announces Game-Changing Mileage Transfer Program

When it comes to collecting points through credit card spend, I’ve long recommend earning a transferable points currency, which gives you the flexibility to transfer points to a variety of airline partners.

As of now, Amex Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou are the “big three” currencies. Barclays has also tried to introduce a transferable points currency with the new Barclay Arrival Premier, but that hasn’t been very popular, and it seems like they’re regrouping, as the card isn’t open to new members at the moment.

Well, this week Capital One has announced that they’re introducing a transferable points currency, and the details are super exciting.

Norwegian 787 Premium In 10 Pictures

Hello from New York! Norwegian has been an incredibly disruptive airline when it comes to both short-haul and longhaul flying, and there’s no denying that they’ve altered the airfare landscape on transatlantic flights. So I figured it’s about time that I try them.

Yesterday I took Norwegian’s 7hr30min flight from London Gatwick to New York JFK, and wanted to share my initial thoughts in this post, with a full trip report to follow. The total cost of my ticket was $650 one-way, though only $492 of that was actually airfare — the rest was government taxes, including the UK’s high air passenger duty.

I was on what I think is the earliest transatlantic flight there is, as it left London at 6AM and arrived in New York at 9AM.

How To Pick The Best Credit Card For Your Small Business

It used to be that for the most part business credit cards weren’t competitive with personal credit cards. However, over the past few years I’d say that trend has changed significantly. Presumably this is because card issuers finally see the amount of potential in this space, especially since a lot of businesses put a lot of spend on credit cards.

For those new to business cards, though, picking a card can be a daunting task. So in this post I wanted to look at the thought process I recommend going through in deciding which business credit card to get.

There are quite a few factors to consider, so let’s go through some of those individually.

TIPS: Earning Miles & Promos

What To Do When You Receive Your Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
The 7 Best Business Credit Cards 2018
IHG Offering 100% Bonus On Purchased Points
Save On Delta Flights With New Amex Offer (Targeted)
New Capital One Venture Card 75K Bonus
HUGE: 200K Miles Or $2,000 Cash-Back With Spark Business Cards
Southwest Personal Cards Get Bonus Increase (Plus A Hefty Spend Requirement)
Amex Business Gold Vs Chase Ink Preferred: Battle Of The Heavyweights
Chase May Have Just Expanded The 5/24 Rule
New: 50k Welcome Bonus On Amex Business Gold When Referred By A Friend
IHG Extends And Improves Double Points Promotion
Awesome: $1,200 Roundtrip Tickets In La Compagnie’s New Business Class
How To Pick The Best Credit Card For Your Small Business
United Explorer Card Bonus Bumped To 65,000 Miles (Big Spend Required)
Choice Privileges Offering 1,000 Bonus Points Per Stay

TRICKS: Redeeming Miles

My Bad Luck Redeeming Miles For Qatar Airways Economy
Easiest Way To Prevent Aeroplan Miles From Expiring
Capital One Announces Game-Changing Mileage Transfer Program
Have You Redeemed Your Promotional Iberia Avios Yet?
3 Days Only: Flying Blue “Special Edition” Promo Awards
Delta Flash Sale: 98,000 SkyMiles Roundtrip For Business Class To Europe
Last Day: 40% Bonus On Amex Transfers To Avios
British Airways Releases TONS Of Business Class Award Seats
Transfer Citi Points To LifeMiles With A 25% Bonus
First Thoughts On The New Capital One Transfer Partners

TRAVEL With Ben (Lucky)

Putting American Airlines’ New First Class Meals To The Test
Must See: The Adorable Heathrow Bears Are Back This Year!
Two Surprisingly Easy And Pleasant Experiences At Cairo Airport
Have I Been Wrong About Business Class Seats All Along?
My Favorite Meal On American Airlines, Ever

REVIEWS & Trip Reports

Review: Plaza Premium Lounge Ahmedabad Airport
Review: Hyatt Ahmedabad
Review: Etihad First Class 787 Washington To Abu Dhabi
RwandAir A330 Business Class In 10 Pictures
Review: Etihad VIP Room Abu Dhabi Airport
Norwegian 787 Premium In 10 Pictures
Review: Etihad Business Class A320 Abu Dhabi To Ahmedabad

NEWS & Updates

Air Astana Plane Lands Safely Following Terrifying Flight Path
Saudia Installing Flat Beds In A320 Business Class
NUTS: Air India Captain Who Oversees Flight Safety Allegedly Fails Breathalyzer
Changes To The Chase Sapphire Reserve Silvercar Discount
Another LAX Restaurant Leaves Priority Pass
Garuda Indonesia Adjusts London Route… Again
UK Pilot Fired After Developing Fear Of Flying
Outrageous: Burundi Blocks New Flight Because It Doesn’t Have Business Class
Delta To Launch Service Between Atlanta And Burbank
Video: “International Criminal Lawyer” And “Barrister” Abuses Air India Crew
Update On Qantas Nonstop Flights From Sydney To London & New York
Hawaiian Airlines Raises Checked Bag Fees
Why Virgin Atlantic Went To Court In Cyprus To Keep Cobalt Alive
Russian Hackers Selling Stolen British Airways Customer Data
Official: China Southern Leaving SkyTeam
Uber Rewards Program: What You Need To Know
Alaska Airlines Begins Selling Tickets From Paine Field
Why You Should Never Take A Sleeping Pill Prior To Take Off
Airlines Offering Travel Waivers This Week
Delta Raising Sky Club Membership Prices And Eliminating Single Visit Passes
Kenya Airways Already Canceling Some New York Flights
Emirates Profits Plunge 86% — What Caused It, And What It Says About The Future
My Take: Will China Southern Join Oneworld, Will Cathay Pacific Join Star Alliance?
Qantas CEO Encourages Qatar Airways To Leave Oneworld
JetBlue Wants Regulators To Review Transatlantic Joint Ventures
Stranded In Siberia: Air France’s Nightmare Flight To Shanghai

I hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend!