Hello from Romania! Tiffany and I are currently on a road trip through Transylvania, which has been a lot of fun. We’re working on keeping the trip report as close to “live” as possible, so stay tuned for lots more updates. I’ll be reviewing hotels shortly, and Tiffany will be writing about our time on the ground otherwise.
On the points & travel front, this week we saw huge new Capital One Spark bonuses, Amex introduced new transfer bonuses, new sanctions were placed on flights to Cuba, IHG Rewards Club launched an awesome new promotion, Norwegian reported record third quarter profits, and more.
With that out of the way, here’s a recap of this week on the blog:
Featured Stories
Turkish Airlines 787 Business Class
I’ve long been a huge fan of Turkish Airlines’ incredible business class soft product. Previously their flagship aircraft was the 777, which featured fully flat business class seats in a 2-3-2 configuration.
That’s why I was really excited to try Turkish Airlines’ new 787-9 business class. They didn’t choose an especially common seat for the 787, as they selected a product that’s so far otherwise only found in Singapore Airlines’ 787-10 business class (used primarily for regional flights). These seats will be available on all future Turkish 787 and A350 deliveries, though existing planes aren’t expected to get these seats.
So, just how much better are these seats? First let me share how we booked this trip, and then I’ll get into the flight review.
Which Transferable Points Are Most Valuable?
The best way to maximize your credit card rewards for travel is to earn transferable points currencies. However, the value propositions and specifics of the currencies are constantly changing. So a couple of times per year I like to take a big-picture look at the state of transferable points currencies.
In this post I wanted to share my general thoughts on the four major transferable points currencies — Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Rewards.
This includes sharing what I like, what I don’t like, and how I generally like redeeming each of these points currencies.
TIPS: Earning Miles & Promos
Hilton’s Biggest Ever Bonus On Purchased Points (Last Chance)
When Should You Buy Hilton Points?
Transfer Amex Points To JetBlue With 25% Bonus
Transfer Amex Points To Flying Blue With 25% Bonus
Citi AAdvantage Executive Card Review (2019)
HUGE New Spark Business Card Bonuses: 200K Miles Or $2,000
Big Delta Amex Card Bonuses Ending In One Week
Capital One Spark Miles Business Card Review (With 200K Bonus!)
Great Targeted Bank Of America Spending Offer
Incredible New Amex Green Card Offers 3x Points On Dining, Travel, And More
Capital One Spark Cash Business Card Review (With $2,000 Bonus!)
Awesome: IHG Launches 4x Points Promotion
Best Capital One Credit Cards For Rewards (2019)
What Are The Best Credit Cards For Dining? (2019)
Save On Silvercar Rentals With Amex Offers
Best Credit Cards For Uber Rides (2019)
TRICKS: Redeeming Miles
Aeromexico Added As Citi ThankYou Transfer Partner
Which Transferable Points Are Most Valuable?
TRAVEL With Ben (Lucky)
The 25 Credit Cards In My Wallet Right Now
Planning A California Points Hotel Adventure
What I Like Least About American, Delta, And United
10 Airlines I Still Want To Review In 2019
When Does Passenger Shaming Cross The Line?
Getting An International Driving Permit
REVIEWS & Trip Reports
Review: Qatar Airways Qsuites A350-1000
Review: W Hotel Aspen
Introduction: Transylvania Unknown
Review: Four Seasons Denver
Review: The Club At ATL
Review: Turkish Airlines 787 Business Class
Review: IGA Lounge Istanbul Airport
NEWS & Updates
JetBlue Cancels All Flights To Mexico City
PF Chang’s LAX Leaving Priority Pass
Cute Video: British Airways Families Fly Together
Delta’s Surprising A330-900neo Leases
Save 15% At Sheraton With Chase Offers
Qsuites Delays Qatar Airways’ New 787-9s
Doha Airport Expansion: Tropical Garden, Massive New Lounge, And More
LOT Polish Shifts Budapest Flights, Cuts Chicago, Boosts New York
Detroit Airport Now Lets Non-Passengers Clear Security
Caution: British Airways’ JFK Aircraft Swap
WOW: Air New Zealand Will Fly Nonstop To New York
Finally: Boeing Fires CEO Of Commercial Airplanes
WestJet’s Awesome New Ad Features… Cattle?!
Czech Airlines Orders A321XLR & A220-300
Singapore Airlines Adds Third Champagne To First Class Rotation
Boeing Delays 777X Deliveries Until 2021
SpiceJet Setting Up Hub In Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
Hong Kong’s Silly Plan To Boost Tourism
Spirit Airlines Placing Huge Airbus Aircraft Order
United Airlines Starts Reconfiguring 787s With New Polaris Seats
Norwegian Reports Record Third Quarter Profits
First Look: United’s Quirky New CRJ-550
United Airlines’ New Star Wars Safety Video
US Bans Flights To All Cuban Airports Except Havana
I hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend!
Hope you have fun ;)
Lovely picture of Bran Castle on the header. Bit of a tourist trap but a must tick box on the itinerary.
@ Azamaraal -- Actually one of the fortified churches of Transylvania, with hardly any other visitors! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biertan_fortified_church
Are you going to visit Bran Castle and Dracula on Halloween?
@ Phil-- Hmmm, I'm a little hesitant about the whole Dracula Tourism thing. It seems a little cheesy? Open to trying it out if recommended though!
If I was a blogger and I went on a vacation with my family to Romania, they would kill me if I worked along the way! Big respect for you, and even bigger respect for Tiffany! I remember being little and I hated my dad taking work calls 24/7.
@ Paul -- Hah, our families fortunately understand that part of the gig means no real vacations, but we also left them home on this trip. ;)