Hello from Sardinia! Ford and I are just wrapping up a week in Italy, which has been so fun. I’ll have a trip report about our experience coming shortly, though overall I was so impressed. For whatever reason I haven’t visited the city of Rome in about 15 years, and I loved it. Sardinia was incredible as well. I can’t wait to revisit much of Italy over the coming years, as it was even more fun to spend time in than I remember.
On the miles & points front this week, we’ve seen some great new credit card offers, some great opportunities to redeem miles, and some great discounted premium cabin fares.
Now here’s a recap of this week’s stories:
Featured Stories
Barclaycard Arrival Plus Card Offering Best Sign-Up Bonus Ever!
One of the best travel cashback credit cards out there is the Barclaycard Arrival® Plus World Elite Mastercard®. The card is compelling in general, though at the moment it has the best sign-up bonus I’ve ever seen on the card. The card’s annual fee is waived the first year, and is $89 per year thereafter.
With this new offer you can earn 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 90 days. In the past the bonus has been 40,000 bonus miles upon completing minimum spend, so this bonus is 25% better than usual.
Now Is A Great Time To Redeem Your United Miles!
Right now is a fantastic time to redeem United miles or Ultimate Rewards points, especially if you’re planning travel to Europe or Asia for next summer.
Star Alliance has more carriers than the other main alliances, so it’s generally a bit easier to find award space than with SkyTeam or oneworld carriers.
Right now, however, there is an abundance of space on a few routes, even over peak travel dates!
Everything You Need To Know About Clearing US Airport Immigration
Reader Newbietomiles asked a question in the Ask Lucky forum regarding immigration procedures on an upcoming trip from Dubai to Los Angeles to Seattle.
I figured I’d address that in general terms in this post, since I assume it’s a question many people have, particularly those who aren’t familiar with US immigration procedures.
TIPS: Earning Miles & Promos
The Cheapest Domestic First Class Fare I’ve Ever Seen
8 Reasons To Apply For The Amex Business Gold Rewards Card
Not Surprising: Visa Luxury Hotel Collection Pulls Free Night Offer Early
Barclays Arrival Plus Card Offering Best Sign-Up Bonus Ever!
The Barclays 50K Bonus Is Now “Officially” Live!
Earn ANOTHER 500 Free Virgin America Elevate Points!
Quick Reminder: Sign Up For Alaska Mileage Plan
Fly Delta Business Class To China For Under $1,700 Roundtrip!
Register Now: Earn 5x Points At Department Stores, Drugstores, And Wholesale Clubs
Tweaks To What Qualifies As “Dining” On Some Popular Credit Cards
Awesome Deal: 50K Bonus Points On Business Amex!
Hotel Promo Of The Year: BOGO At Conrad, Waldorf Astoria, And Curio
Maximizing The Visa Luxury Hotel Collection Buy One Get One Free Offer
Approved: 3 Complimentary Ritz-Carlton Nights!
Save $20 On A Lyft Premier Ride (Including For Existing Users)
Last Chance: Register To Earn 5x Points On Dining
GREAT Singapore Airlines Premium Economy Fares From The US To Asia!
Incredible Deal: Oman Air Business Class From Asia To Europe For $1,000 Roundtrip
Earn 500 Bonus Points On Your Next Hyatt Stay
Registration Now Open For Starwood’s “More For You” Promotion
Great Hainan Business Class Tickets From Los Angeles To China
American Offering Up To 30,000 Bonus Miles For Travel To Europe
Delta Is Giving Seattle Residents Free Miles
TRICKS: Redeeming Miles
Austrian Will Fly To Los Angeles, And Has TONS Of Business Class Award Seats!
Now Is A Great Time To Redeem Your United Miles!
Last Chance: Convert Starpoints Into American Miles With A 50% Bonus
6 Unique Ritz-Carlton Hotels For Redeeming Your Complimentary Nights
Citi Adds Restrictions On Sharing ThankYou Points With Others
Why Is Alaska Blocking Cathay Pacific Award Space?
TRAVEL With Ben (Lucky)
It’s 2016: Is A Hotel’s Email Address Too Much To Ask For?
My Most Expensive Cocktail Ever Was… At A Sheraton?!?
What To Do When You Witness Bad Guest Behavior At A Hotel?
Coming Out Of The Closet At A Hotel… Literally
One Of The Best Etihad A380 First Class Apartment Fares I’ve Seen
The Funniest Reason I’ve Been Given To Not Take Pictures At A Hotel
Why I Didn’t Request Miles For My British Airways Flights
REVIEWS & Trip Reports
Norwegian 787-9 Premium Class In 10 Pictures!
Returning To The Westin New York Times Square
Attending The 2016 SPG Amex US Open Card Member Event
Review: Lufthansa Business Class A340 Dubai To Munich
First Interior Pictures Of American’s New 787-9
Hotel Cala Di Volpe (Starwood Luxury Collection) In 10 Pictures
Review: Andaz 5th Avenue New York
Review: Ritz-Carlton Westchester
NEWS & Updates
Man Goes To Jail For Using Too Many Priority Pass Lounges
Four Seasons Introduces Invitation Only Guest Recognition Program
Emirates Will Start Charging For Advance Seat Assignments On Many Fares
Airberlin’s New Intra-Europe Business Class Is Now On Sale
Delta Is Introducing Slippers In Economy On Flights To Japan
Delta Elites Will No Longer Get Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Access At London Heathrow
Singapore Airlines Is Getting Rid Of Their First A380
SAA Is Getting A New Business Class Product… If They Don’t Liquidate
Which Planes Feature Korean Air’s New Business Class?
Everything You Need To Know About Clearing US Airport Immigration
Immigration At UK Airports May Soon Be Quicker… If You’re Willing To Pay
Hotel Threatens To Charge Guests For Negative Online Reviews
What’s The Best International Travel Adapter?
Is Global Warming Causing Increased Clear Air Turbulence?
Airberlin May Soon Be Operating Flights On Behalf Of Lufthansa
China’s First Airplane Restaurant Looks Awesome!
Cathay Pacific Is Retiring The 747 In A Few Weeks
I hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend!
You should have a green checklist for every weekly review and tell us how you did on your trips for that week;:
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/04/24/travel/ecotourism-green-travel-tips.html
Will Ford be posting any reviews from the trip?
Ben I live in Europe myself (Glasgow)...I've seen most places but Rome has always slipped past me...not sure why.
You post many reviews about your dining experiences at 38,000 feet...but...any restaurants, romantic places etc you and Ford visited and recommend?
Might be taking the hubby there as a surprise ;)
What about next week? Are´nt you going to Kazakhstan?
Ben, from an Italian it's always nice to read that my country is still so much appreciated by well-traveled foreigners like yourself and Ford.
For your next Italian trip, try the Danieli in Venice and the Donnafugata in Ragusa, Sicily. Maybe combining it alla by trying AZ's new J class (with Wi-Fi)...