Do seductive frequent flier programs hurt competition?

from Elliott http://elliott.org/blog/do-seductive-frequent-flier-programs-hurt-competition/

At Least 21 Killed After Myanmar Ferry Capsizes

The government-owned Aung Tagun 3, carrying more than 200 people, went down after it ran into high seas late Friday.



from Travel Feedly http://www.ibtimes.com/myanmar-ferry-capsizes-least-21-dead-search-operation-underway-dozens-missing-1847078

80% Bonus When You Buy Virgin America Points (Good for Partner Awards)

Virgin America is offering up to an 80% bonus on purchased miles. (You have to log in to see the details, though I produce them below.) I’ve seen them run this offer a couple of times before — though in the fall it was only for 8 hours. This time it’s valid through April 4. […]

The post 80% Bonus When You Buy Virgin America Points (Good for Partner Awards) appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/03/13/80-bonus-when-you-buy-virgin-america-points-good-for-partner-awards/

Redeem Points or Pay Cash? Do the Math to Decrease Your Spend

Up until a few weeks ago, it had been over a year since my last Hyatt points redemption. It’s not that I haven’t stayed at Hyatt hotels or that I didn’t have enough points for an award, but redeeming Hyatt points hasn’t been a good value as of late. After getting my Barclay Arrival Plus […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2015/03/redeem-points-or-pay-cash-do-the-math-to-decrease-your-spend.html

I Heart My Island: Rarotonga

Pa Teuruaa was born on Rarotonga, the largest and most populous island in the sprawling South Pacific archipelago known as the Cook Islands. Despite spending time in (relatively) nearby New Zealand, he couldn't resist the pull of his ancestral home. Upon his return, Pa was able to parlay his twin passions for exploring the island's rugged interior and the healing power of plants into a career as a guide, leading his first nature trek in 1985. Here's a look at the jewel of "the Cooks" through Pa's unique lens.



from Intelligent Travel http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/13/i-heart-my-island-rarotonga/

In Transit Blog: A Site Finds the Fastest (and Slowest) Flights

The site FiveThirtyEight.com has introduced an interactive graphic to help users identify the fastest flight from one city to another.

















from NYT > Travel http://rss.nytimes.com/c/34625/f/642561/s/445f3c5d/sc/4/l/0Lintransit0Bblogs0Bnytimes0N0C20A150C0A30C130Ca0Esite0Efinds0Ethe0Efastest0Eand0Eslowest0Eflights0C0Dpartner0Frss0Gemc0Frss/story01.htm

What Should You Do With Your US Airways Credit Card?

With the integration of AAdvantage and Dividend Miles right around the corner, there are tons of questions about the future of the two airlines' co-branded credit cards.

Reader Rich asked the following question on the "Ask Lucky" page of the blog, which is pretty indicative of a lot of the questions I've received on the topic lately:

"Don’t you think it might make more sense to cancel the US Airways card rather than accept the new AA card? My thinking is that if you do that, there will be better incentives to sign up for it down the road. Usually when companies convert you to a new card the bonuses are minimal."

The post What Should You Do With Your US Airways Credit Card? appeared first on One Mile at a Time.

from One Mile at a Time http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.com/2015/03/13/what-should-you-do-with-your-us-airways-credit-card/

Pro-Tip: How to Keep Your Flight Reservations from Getting Screwed Up

On Sunday I flew home from San Diego. I same-day confirmed onto an earlier flight. American AAdvantage has been unique in charging even elites, and top tier elites, the regular $75 to do this … but that changed at the beginning of 2015 and now it’s complimentary. Even changing my flights same morning, I managed […]

The post Pro-Tip: How to Keep Your Flight Reservations from Getting Screwed Up appeared first on View from the Wing.

from View from the Wing http://viewfromthewing.boardingarea.com/2015/03/13/pro-tip-how-to-keep-your-flight-reservations-from-getting-screwed-up/

15 signs you're from Utah

You vehemently deny having a ‘Utah accent’, and swear you sound like the people on TV. So what’s the big ‘dill?’



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/notebook/15-signs-born-raised-utah/

Earn Miles by Paying Your Taxes with a Credit Card

Link: Discover Card 3% BonusSpeaking of paying taxes, for years people have asked me about earning Frequent Flyer miles or points by paying your taxes with a credit card. Wouldn’t it be great if you could receive a travel bonus for all that money you have to pay? Generally speaking, this isn’t usually a great idea, because the companies that process tax payments are smart. They charge a fee, typically 1.87%, in exchange for passing along your money. At 1.87%, you’re paying $467 for every $25,000 in tax payments. Fortunately, there's a new opportunity that greatly improves this calculation.



from The Art of Non-Conformity http://chrisguillebeau.com/earn-miles-by-paying-your-taxes-with-a-credit-card/

Golfer's Land in Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Bill Clinton, Michael Jordan, your beer-bellied uncle — they all gamble on golf. It’s as essential to the game as the 19th hole. The tradition stretches back to a 1681 bet between kings and commoners in Scotland, and it may still be golf’s most historic haul.

Outside of a generic Royal Mile pub in Edinburgh is a plaque commemorating Golfer’s Land. It’s what’s left of a house owned by John Paterson, a cobbler by trade and a golfer by talent. Paterson’s swing was so well-known that the Duke of Albany at Holyroodhouse summoned him in 1681 to settle a dispute with two English noblemen who claimed that golf was an English game.

Though Scottish Parliamentary edicts dating to 1457 make mention of golf, there was only one true way to settle this. The good duke, who would later take his confrontational ways to the throne as James VII of Scotland / II of England, paired up with Paterson at Leith Links to take down the cocky Englishmen. The showdown is now known as the first international golf match (with the first recorded use of a caddy also, as the duke couldn’t be expected to carry his own clubs during such a round).

The royal skin in the game yielded a substantial winner’s purse, which the duke generously split with his cobbler ringer. Paterson promptly put his share into the house at 77 Canongate, calling it Golfer’s Land, and the duke had an escutcheon added to the outside with heraldic touches befitting the achievement. Its Latin inscription read:

"In the year when Paterson won the prize in golfing, a game peculiar to the Scots (in which his ancestors had nine times won the same honor), he then raised this mansion, a victory more honorable than all the rest."

Though Paterson’s original house was demolished in 1960, one can still idle on this quiet stretch of the Royal Mile and observe the plaque, crest, and the inscription in the back courtyard. Golfers can envision taking a Paterson-esque swing, holing out in the fountain of what’s now Holyrood Palace down the road, and collecting bets.

from Atlas Obscura http://atlasobscura.com.feedsportal.com/c/35387/f/665719/s/445e82fd/sc/13/l/0L0Satlasobscura0N0Cplaces0Cgolfer0Es0Eland/story01.htm

Applying for New Credit: Which Credit Reporting Agency Will An Issuer Check?

There are three major credit reporting agencies (CRAs) in the United States: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. When a credit card issuer checks your credit report as part of the decision to extend a new or additional line of credit to you, they will send an inquiry to one or multiple of these agencies. Typically a […]



from Frugal Travel Guy http://www.frugaltravelguy.com/2015/03/applying-for-new-credit-which-credit-reporting-agency-will-an-issuer-check.html

Biggest lie about moving abroad

"But one of the greatest lies we abroaders tell is that you'll get used to it, that we all get used to it. Lies. All lies."



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/biggest-lie-tell-live-abroad/

An amazing tour of Greece by air

Beautiful aerial footage of a country I clearly need to explore more.



from Matador Network » Matador Network http://matadornetwork.com/trips/go-amazing-tour-greece-air/

AAdvantage and Dividend Miles Merger- What You Need To Know

When the American Airlines and US Airways merger was approved in late 2013, we knew it would only be a matter of time before the frequent flyer programs would merge into one unified program. Last October we got the news of what the program would look like, but only that the frequent flyer programs would...



from The Points Guy http://thepointsguy.com/2015/03/aadvantage-and-dividend-miles-merger-what-you-need-to-know/