Tag: Travel Planner

Looking for business-class flights to Europe from just 50,000 points each way?

British Airways is the largest full-service airline in the United Kingdom and flies to more destinations in the U.S. than any other European carrier.

The airline’s loyalty program is called the Executive Club, and its currency is Avios. With a huge route network and an easily earned and redeemed loyalty currency, it is a program that should be on your radar, even if you aren’t traveling to the U.K.

Rather than dynamic pricing, which can lead to 350,000-plus-point flight redemptions from the U.S. to Europe, British Airways retains an unpublished distance-based award chart that allows you to travel to some of the world’s most expensive markets for reasonable rates. However, you may be on the hook for significant carrier-imposed surcharges. Knowing how to use it can go a long way toward getting maximum value for your Avios.

In this guide, we’ll examine how this works so you can redeem British Airways Avios for your next trip.

How to earn Avios

There are many ways to earn Avios for your next trip, even if you aren’t planning any British Airways (or other Oneworld carrier) flights soon.

Credit cards

Applying for the British Airways Visa Signature® Card is one of the easiest ways to earn a meaningful number of Avios for everyday spending.

This card — issued by Chase and, therefore, subject to the 5/24 rule — is currently offering new applicants 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. TPG values Avios at 1.4 cents each in our August 2024 valuations, making the full bonus worth $1,050.

The British Airways Visa Signature has a $95 annual fee and earns 3 Avios per $1 spent on purchases with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and Level. Plus, you can earn 2 Avios per $1 spent on hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel. All other purchases earn 1 Avios per $1 spent.

Transferable rewards cards

Savvy TPG readers know that we usually recommend sticking with cards that earn transferable points because of their added flexibility. This strategy still applies if you’re trying to accrue Avios. British Airways is a transfer partner of Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Wells Fargo Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy, making Avios one of the easiest currencies to earn.

Points transfer from Capital One, Chase, Bilt, Wells Fargo and Amex at a 1:1 ratio (in addition to occasional transfer bonuses), while Marriott points transfer to Avios at a 3:1 ratio. Plus, you’ll get a 5,000-Avios bonus for every 60,000 Marriott points transferred.

The following cards all currently offer strong welcome bonuses that you could easily convert to Avios:

• American Express® Gold Card: Earn 60,000 points after spending $6,000 on purchases in the first six months of card membership. Plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible restaurant purchases (up to $100) within the first six months of card membership.
• The Platinum Card® from American Express: Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $8,000 on purchases within the first six months of card membership. Check to see if you’re targeted for a 175,000-point welcome offer through CardMatch (offer subject to change at any time).
• Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening, plus a $250 Capital One Travel credit in the first cardholder year.
• Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card: Earn 120,000 bonus points after spending $8,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.

If you don’t have enough Avios, you can also purchase Avios.

The basics

As noted above, British Airways uses an unpublished distance-based formula to calculate the number of Avios needed for a given flight. To maximize value with this chart type, you must take a different approach than zone-based charts or dynamic pricing.

British Airways Avios are typically most valuable on short, nonstop routes where cash fares are expensive. A resource like Great Circle Mapper can calculate the distance of each flight segment to determine its zone.

British Airways’ sweet spots are different compared to other programs. Instead of focusing on specific countries or even entire continents, distance-based sweet spots tend to be individual city pairs close enough to avoid bumping into the next pricing tier — especially if cash tickets are usually pricey on those routes.

Related: Is British Airways premium economy worth it on the Boeing 777-300ER?

British Airways Avios award charts

With this in mind, let’s dive into specific award charts. We’ll start with the one used for flights operated by British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus, though carrier-imposed surcharges often complicate these redemptions. Each price is in Avios and applies to one-way flights.

Zone (distance in miles)	Economy (off-peak)	Economy (peak)	Premium economy (off-peak)	Premium economy (peak)	Business class (off-peak)	Business class (peak)	First class (off-peak)	First class (peak)
Zone 1 (1 to 650)	4,750	5,250	—	—	8,500	9,750	—	—
Zone 2 (651 to 1,151)	7,250	8,250	—	—	13,500	15,750	—	—
Zone 3 (1,152 to 2,000)	9,250	10,750	—	—	17,750	18,350	—	—
Zone 4 (2,001 to 3,000)	10,000	12,500	—	—	31,250	37,500	—	—
Zone 5 (3,001 to 4,000)	13,000	20,000	26,000	40,000	50,000	60,000	68,000	80,000
Zone 6 (4,001 to 5,500)	16,250	25,000	32,500	50,000	62,500	75,000	85,000	100,000
Zone 7 (5,501 to 6,500)	19,500	30,000	39,000	60,000	75,000	90,000	102,000	120,000
Zone 8 (6,501 to 7,000)	22,750	35,000	45,500	70,000	87,500	105,000	119,000	140,000
Zone 9 (7,001 and up)	32,500	50,000	65,000	100,000	125,000	150,000	170,000	200,000

Note that there are different prices for peak and off-peak dates. Peak dates are generally during the summer and school holidays, while off-peak pricing usually applies during the fall and winter months.

You will also be given the option to redeem more Avios toward fees, taxes and carrier-imposed surcharges thanks to the Reward Flight Saver offer.

Next, look at the award chart for flights operated by a single partner airline (other than Aer Lingus and Iberia, who use the chart above, and American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, who we will discuss below):

Zone (distance in miles)	Economy	Premium economy	Business	First
Zone 1 (1 to 650)	6,000	6,750	12,500	24,000
Zone 2 (651 to 1,151)	9,000	11,250	16,500	33,000
Zone 3 (1,152 to 2,000)	11,000	15,000	22,000	44,000
Zone 4 (2,001 to 3,000)	13,000	25,000	38,750	51,500
Zone 5 (3,001 to 4,000)	20,750	40,000	62,000	82,500
Zone 6 (4,001 to 5,500)	25,750	50,000	77,250	103,000
Zone 7 (5,501 to 6,500)	31,000	62,000	92,750	123,750
Zone 8 (6,501 to 7,000)	36,250	72,250	108,250	144,250
Zone 9 (7,001 and up)	51,500	100,000	154,500	206,000

For flights in zones 1-4 operated by American and Alaska, Executive Club prices are as follows:

Zone (distance in miles)	Main cabin economy	Domestic first class
Zone 1 (1 to 650)	12,000	24,000
Zone 2 (651 to 1,151)	16,000	32,000
Zone 3 (1,152 to 2,000)	18,000	40,000
Zone 4 (2,001 to 3,000)	20,000	50,000

Follow the regular partner chart above for flights over 3,000 miles operated by American Airlines and Alaska Airlines.

For both of the above award charts, pricing applies to each flight in an itinerary. The distance isn’t cumulative across the entire trip. British Airways prices every segment individually, so you’ll want to stick to nonstop routings whenever possible.

Related: 5 versions of Avios: When to use Aer Lingus, Qatar Airways, Finnair, Iberia and British Airways

For example, say you wanted to fly from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). This flight covers 992 miles and would require 16,000 Avios per the chart above. However, suppose you could only find award availability on a connecting flight through Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). In that case, you’d fly 89 more miles but pay 50% more Avios for your trip.

Here’s how the pricing works:

• Fort Lauderdale to Charlotte: Covers 632 miles (12,000 Avios)
• Charlotte to Philadelphia: Covers 449 miles (12,000 Avios)
• Total cost: 24,000 Avios

As such, the best value tends to come from nonstop flights.

Redeeming Avios within the US

While short-haul domestic flights are not as good a value as they used to be following several devaluations, you could find good value in short-haul international flights.

For example, you could fly American Main Cabin for just 12,000 Avios from Miami International Airport (MIA) to the following destinations:

• Providenciales International Airport (PLS) in Turks and Caicos
• Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (STX) in St. Croix
• Cozumel International Airport (CZM) in Mexico

Read more: Why Avios are my favorite type of rewards as a South Florida resident

Domestic lie-flat business class

American routinely flies internationally configured, wide-body jets on domestic routes.

For instance, some daily routes between Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and Miami are often operated by a 777-200. This plane features one of American’s best international business-class products. You can book that flight in business class for only 32,000 Avios.

West Coast to Hawaii

Just because we’re talking about flights within the U.S. doesn’t mean you can’t have a tropical vacation. Hawaii is close to several West Coast cities (less than 3,000 miles), and you can book economy awards for only 20,000 Avios each way.

American Airlines serves several Hawaiian destinations from its Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) hubs. In addition to Los Angeles, Alaska Airlines also flies nonstop to multiple Hawaiian airports from San Diego International Airport (SAN), San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Portland International Airport (PDX) — among others.

Redeeming Avios outside the US

British Airways’ international partners span the globe, so some of the best British Airways redemptions are bound to come from international travel.

6,000-Avios awards

These low-priced awards are especially useful in pricey markets, such as European or Asian travel. Generally, you want to look for a Oneworld hub airport like Iberia’s home in Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) or Japan Airlines’ hubs in Narita International Airport (NRT) and Haneda Airport (HND).

Air Lingus sweet spots

The British Airways award chart has peak and off-peak pricing, which also applies to flights on Iberia and Aer Lingus. As a result, nonstop flights between the East Coast and Chicago to Ireland have become incredibly attractive, with transatlantic economy awards starting at just 13,000 Avios each way on off-peak dates.

You can book a round-trip, nonstop flight from multiple U.S. cities to Ireland starting at 26,000 Avios, which is phenomenal.

Multicity trips using Avios

As highlighted above, British Airways charges separately for every segment. More stops require more Avios, even if your origin and final destination are the same. However, this pricing approach allows you to book unlimited stopovers or open jaws on your award tickets.

Multicarrier awards exception

It’s important to note that British Airways has yet another award chart that only applies to award tickets with two or more Oneworld airlines. Unlike the standard award prices above, these multicarrier reward flights use cumulative distance to determine how many Avios you need.

While this typically offers a poor value proposition for simple itineraries, there are times when you should use it — like if you’re booking a round-the-world ticket.

Bottom line

When people think of British Airways’ loyalty program, many assume you’d want to use Avios for premium-cabin transatlantic trips to Europe. But that’s not necessarily the best way to use them.

Long-haul flights cost increasingly more under the distance-based Avios chart. Plus, British Airways tacks on large surcharges to those transatlantic flights.

By employing the above tips, you can maximize your Avios and the British Airways chart without spending a lot of cash.

The luxury and lifestyle hotel sector continues to be the bread and butter for Hyatt.

On Tuesday, the Chicago-based hotel giant announced plans to acquire New York City-based Standard International and most of its affiliates for a base price of $150 million. Standard International’s acquired portfolio, which includes The Standard and Bunkhouse Hotels brands, encompasses 21 open hotels.

More than 30 properties are in various stages of development, and Hyatt’s takeover could cost an additional $185 million as more of these hotels open. Standard’s orbit also includes the new StandardX brand and The Manner, an upcoming luxury hotel in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood.

On the loyalty front, all Standard International properties included in the deal will be integrated into the World of Hyatt network.

“The team behind Standard International has created a unique and award-winning portfolio of brands and properties that turn the status quo on its head and have attracted a loyal following among the most discerning lifestyle guests for the past 25 years,” Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian said in a statement. “These properties truly drive the zeitgeist, creating destinations unto themselves with celebrated and talked-about programming and events, such as the Met Gala afterparty. We are thrilled to welcome Standard International’s properties and team to the Hyatt family with the newly created lifestyle group and draw on their brilliance, creativity, culture and innovation.”

Rumors of the potential acquisition emerged late last month. Some of Standard’s best-known properties include The Standard, High Line, in New York City and The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon. The Standard takeover gives Hyatt’s robust lifestyle hotel push a significant shot in the arm, as Hyatt’s current lifestyle brand lineup includes Dream Hotels, Thompson Hotels, Andaz and Alila. Hyatt’s lifestyle hotel room count already quintupled between 2017 and 2023, and the company acquired the Mr & Mrs Smith luxury and lifestyle hotel booking platform last year.

The Standard takeover is expected to close later this year, and the plan is to create a dedicated lifestyle group based in New York City. Amar Lalvani, executive chairman of Standard International, will be the new head of Hyatt’s lifestyle division — a similar structure to how Hilton made Kevin Osterhaus, the president of Graduate Hotels, its president of global lifestyle brands following the Graduate acquisition.

“We waited a long time to find the right company with whom to join forces,” Lalvani said in a statement. “In choosing Hyatt, we tap into a powerful global infrastructure and loyal guest base. I am very proud that our team has delivered on the potential we saw with The Standard and Bunkhouse Hotels and am honored that Hyatt appreciates how special our brands, properties, and — most importantly — our people are. We have a shared vision for the enormous potential that still lies ahead.”

This structure signals big hotel conglomerates like Hyatt appear to recognize the best approach to navigating the lifestyle hotel scene is by leaving creative forces largely intact. Brands like Marriott’s W seemed to stumble once they strayed far from the original design and creative teams, and recent big brand acquisitions signal an industry push to avoid similar mishaps.

For example, Accor’s Ennismore acquisition largely keeps brand leaders in charge of operating their offerings, such as Gleneagles, Delano and SLS. Hyatt’s announcement Tuesday afternoon indicates the new lifestyle group will be made up of “the talented Standard International team as well as Hyatt colleagues.”

However, the announcement didn’t mention Amber Asher, the current CEO of Standard International — raising eyebrows that this might signal her departure from the company. Asher and Standard are among the few examples in the hotel industry of a woman holding the top job at a hotel brand.

“After 13 years with the company, including the last three years as CEO driving its growth, Amber Asher has decided to pursue new opportunities after staying on for a transitional period to support the team and ensure a smooth transition,” a Standard International spokesperson told TPG following initial publication of this story.

Related reading:

• Everything you need to know about World of Hyatt
• The best credit cards to reach elite status
• What is World of Hyatt elite status worth?
• Which credit cards offer the most lucrative rewards for hotel stays?
• The best hotel rewards programs in the world
• Best hotel credit cards

Editor’s note: This post was updated with new information.

Full-size liquids are among the items travelers most frequently forget to remove from their belongings before passing through U.S. airport security — the Transportation Security Administration’s 3-1-1 liquid rule prohibits travelers from carrying liquids, specifically gels, aerosols and spreadables larger than 3.4 ounces.

Of course, you can bring an empty water bottle to the airport to refill at a fountain once you pass through security, but if you want to bring a beverage from home to enjoy on the plane, there’s one more solution.

Per the TSA rules, travelers can bring frozen liquids through security, specifically those that are “frozen solid when presented for screening.”

Items that are “partially melted, slushy or have any liquid at the bottom of the container” must meet the standard 3-1-1 liquids requirements.

An exception to this rule is breast milk, which is allowed in carry-on baggage in quantities greater than 3.4 ounces. This can be helpful for nursing mothers, as the TSA permits milk, formula and pumped breast milk through security without set limits because it treats them as “medically necessary liquids.”

According to the TSA, “Formula, breast milk, toddler drinks and baby/toddler food (to include puree pouches) in quantities greater than 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters are allowed in carry-on baggage and do not need to fit within a quart-sized bag. This also applies to breast milk and formula cooling accessories, such as ice packs, freezer packs and gel packs (regardless of presence of breast milk). Your child or infant does not need to be present or traveling with you to bring breast milk, formula and/or related supplies.”

Regarding how much you can bring, the TSA specifies “reasonable quantities.” Summer Hull, a director of content at TPG, notes that this leaves some discretion up to the individual officer.

In her experience, there’s an unwritten cutoff when your kids appear to be 2 or 3 years old. At that point, the TSA tends to stop allowing families to bring other liquids through security, even if it’s a drink for a kid in your group. To avoid any liquid for your child getting tossed, she suggests the frozen method as a workaround.

“While the TSA rules permit frozen liquids going through security, and I can vouch that it does usually work in practice, some TSA agents simply interpret things differently from most, so be prepared with the rules if you don’t want to toss your drink,” she said. “I also wouldn’t [bring] a dozen different frozen drinks unless you are looking to land yourself in some secondary screening.”

Related reading:

• What not to pack in your carry-on bag
• Your guide to flying with kids of every age
• 42 real-world family travel tips that actually work
• TSA to pilot self-service security screening in Las Vegas

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.

If you frequently use the JetBlue TrueBlue loyalty program and value earning JetBlue points, you should know how to use JetBlue TrueBlue Shopping.

In short, using JetBlue TrueBlue Shopping lets you earn bonus JetBlue points on some everyday purchases you’re already making. You’ll find two ways to earn bonus points through JetBlue TrueBlue Shopping: an online shopping portal and card-linked offers. So, here’s what you need to know.

JetBlue TrueBlue Shopping portal

Savvy consumers know many major loyalty programs offer online shopping portals that let you earn bonus points or miles when shopping online. Using an online shopping portal like JetBlue TrueBlue Shopping doesn’t take much time or effort, so the bonus rewards usually make it worth adding the extra step to your online shopping routine.

For example, let’s assume you want to buy a new garbage can from Bed Bath & Beyond. If you click through the JetBlue TrueBlue Shopping portal before you purchase, you can earn a specific number of JetBlue points per dollar spent. Better yet, these points come in addition to the rewards you earn by paying for your purchase with a rewards credit card.

Best of all, you’ll still purchase on the Bed Bath & Beyond website for the same price as if you hadn’t clicked through the online shopping portal.

How to use JetBlue TrueBlue Shopping

To use JetBlue TrueBlue Shopping, navigate to the website, and sign in using the same username and password you use when signing in on the JetBlue website. Select the merchant you want to use, click through the TrueBlue Shopping portal to that merchant and then shop normally with that merchant. It’s that easy.

Here’s a step-by-step example of what using the JetBlue TrueBlue Shopping portal looks like in practice. Start by clicking “Sign In” in the upper right-hand corner of the TrueBlue Shopping website, and enter your standard JetBlue login information on the next page.

Once you log in, search for your store or brand in the search bar. For example, I typed “home” and then could click on “Home Depot.”

Once on the Home Depot landing page in the shopping portal, I can see the earning rate — which is a rather low 0.5 points per dollar — and other important details. For example, I can see that some purchases earn at a higher rate and that I should get my bonus points within 31 days of a qualifying purchase.

If I want to purchase with Home Depot, I could click the “Shop Now” button and then shop as usual on the Home Depot website. Any eligible purchases during that shopping session should automatically earn bonus JetBlue points. You don’t have to use a JetBlue credit card when paying, although we recommend using a rewards card to earn even more points or miles on your purchase.

Pitfalls to avoid when using JetBlue TrueBlue Shopping

It’s easy to use JetBlue TrueBlue Shopping to earn bonus points when shopping online. However, you’ll want to be careful with how you interact with the TrueBlue Shopping site to ensure you earn your bonus points as expected. Here are some tips:

• If you leave the merchant’s website after clicking through the TrueBlue Shopping portal, go back to the portal and click through to the merchant’s website again before adding items to your cart and making a purchase.
• If you’ve been browsing on the merchant’s site without clicking through the portal, clear the items from your cart and close that browser window before clicking through from TrueBlue Shopping to start a new shopping session.
• You must enable internet browser cookies for TrueBlue Shopping to track your purchase with the merchant correctly.
• Avoid using promotional codes you didn’t obtain via the TrueBlue Shopping portal, as using other codes may keep you from earning rewards.
• Read the purchase conditions for your merchant to ensure your purchase is eligible.

In short, the key aspects to remember are to enable browser cookies and ensure you click through from TrueBlue Shopping immediately before you add items to your cart and check out with a participating merchant. If you do so, you’ll likely earn points through the JetBlue TrueBlue Shopping portal without any issues.

JetBlue TrueBlue Shopping card-linked offers

JetBlue TrueBlue Shopping also has card-linked offers. These offers are similar to American AAdvantage SimplyMiles offers in that you enroll payment cards in the program, enroll in offers for specific merchants, and then earn rewards when you use an enrolled card to make an eligible purchase at a merchant for which you’d enrolled in an offer.

To get started with card-linked offers, go to the JetBlue TrueBlue Shopping website, log in and click on the “Card Linked Offers” tab near the top of the page. Then, click “My Cards.”

You’ll see the following message if you don’t have any cards registered to your account yet.

You can check the box and click “Register New Card” to add a card to your account. You can add up to 10 cards to your account, all of which must be Visa, Mastercard or American Express cards issued in the U.S.

You’ll find a variety of card-linked offers through TrueBlue Shopping. You can choose to see the offers alphabetically or sort them by the number of points you’ll earn, the most popular offers or the latest offers.

Once you find an offer you like, click on it, read through the purchase conditions and then click “Register Card.” Then, use an enrolled card when you make an eligible purchase with the merchant.

It’s best to wait 24 hours after registering for an offer to make a purchase; otherwise, your purchase might not be tracked properly. If you use a debit card for a purchase, ensure the merchant processes the transaction as credit (meaning you’ll need to sign for the purchase).

Related: Earn JetBlue points at your favorite local restaurants with TrueBlue Dining

Bottom line

Before making any purchases online, I use a shopping portal aggregator to compare earning rates across multiple online shopping portals. But if you are primarily interested in earning JetBlue points, the TrueBlue Shopping portal can provide many compelling opportunities. It’s also worth checking the card-linked offers periodically for any offers from merchants you frequently purchase from.

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.

Six Senses hotels and resorts offer a unique style of friendly, wellness-focused luxury. The two Six Senses resorts I’ve stayed at — Six Senses Laamu in the Maldives and Six Senses Yao Noi in Thailand — easily sit within my top five stays ever due to their rustic, approachable luxury in beautiful, remote settings. However, as Six Senses opens more urban properties, even those who are used to city living may enjoy the brand.

Stays at the best Six Senses resorts usually cost upward of $600 per night. But you can earn IHG points at select Six Senses properties. And even if a paid stay is outside your budget, you can redeem IHG points to stay at select Six Senses hotels and resorts. After all, InterContinental Hotels Group acquired Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas in 2019 and added the first Six Senses properties to its IHG One Rewards program in March 2021.

Unfortunately, IHG still hasn’t integrated every Six Senses property into IHG One Rewards. So, here’s what you need to know about the Six Senses hotels and resorts that participate in IHG One Rewards.

How to determine participating Six Senses hotels and resorts

IHG doesn’t publish a list of the Six Senses properties participating in IHG One Rewards. However, you can find a list of all the hotels and resorts on the Six Senses website.

To determine whether a specific Six Senses property participates in IHG One Rewards, you’ll need to enter dates and search for rates on that property’s Six Senses landing page. Only at this point will you see whether the property participates.

For example, when I search for a stay at Six Senses Krabey Island, I see “IHG® One Rewards is not applicable at this Six Senses hotel at this time” in a box on the right-hand side of my screen.

But when I search for a stay at Six Senses Laamu, I see the option to sign in and redeem IHG points for some room types.

Related: How to maximize redemptions with the IHG One Rewards program

20 Six Senses properties that participate in IHG One Rewards

I checked each of the 26 properties listed on the Six Senses website when I wrote this story. Here are the Six Senses hotels and resorts that participate in IHG One Rewards:

• Six Senses Bhutan (Bhutan)
• Six Senses Con Dao (Vietnam)
• Six Senses Crans-Montana (Switzerland)
• Six Senses Fiji (Fiji)
• Six Senses Fort Barwara (India)
• Six Senses Ibiza (Spain)
• Six Senses Kanuhura (Maldives)
• Six Senses Kaplankaya (Turkey)
• Six Senses Kyoto (Japan)
• Six Senses Laamu (Maldives)
• Six Senses La Sagesse (Grenada)
• Six Senses Ninh Van Bay (Vietnam)
• Six Senses Rome (Italy)
• Six Senses Shaharut (Israel)
• Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea (Saudi Arabia)
• Six Senses Uluwatu, Bali (Indonesia)
• Six Senses Vana (India)
• Six Senses Yao Noi (Thailand)
• Six Senses Zil Pasyon (Seychelles)
• Six Senses Residences Courchevel (France)

Since these hotels and resorts participate in IHG One Rewards, you can earn and redeem IHG points for stays at these properties. You’ll also enjoy certain benefits if you have IHG elite status or select other memberships, which I’ll discuss in a subsequent section.

Related: Six Senses is opening a 3-island resort in South Carolina — and the journey starts on Hilton Head

6 Six Senses properties that don’t participate in IHG One Rewards

Unfortunately, the following Six Senses hotels and resorts don’t participate in IHG One Rewards:

• Six Senses Douro Valley (Portugal)
• Six Senses Kocatas Mansions, Istanbul (Turkey)
• Six Senses Krabey Island (Cambodia)
• Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain (China)
• Six Senses Samui (Thailand)
• Six Senses Zighy Bay (Oman)

You can’t book these properties with IHG points, you won’t earn IHG points or elite night credits on stays, and you won’t get any perks as an IHG member at these Six Senses hotels and resorts.

Related: IHG’s new CEO on the next chapter for Six Senses, InterContinental, all-inclusive resorts and beyond

What to know about redeeming IHG points for Six Senses stays

As discussed above, you can redeem IHG points for stays at participating Six Senses properties. As at other IHG One Rewards properties, award nights at these participating Six Senses hotels and resorts utilize dynamic pricing.

Some Six Senses properties have minimum stay requirements on select dates. However, members with select IHG One Rewards credit cards can get every fourth reward night free at Six Senses properties when redeeming IHG points for stays of four nights or longer. This perk of a free fourth reward night can help you get more value from your IHG points.

Note that many Six Senses hotels and resorts offer special packages that can provide much more value than redeeming IHG points. For example, for a four-night stay at Six Senses Laamu next month, I could redeem 570,000 points after getting the fourth reward night free as a perk of my IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card. But, I could alternatively book an extended-stay half-board rate for $3,528, which includes daily breakfast and dinner for two people and 25% off round-trip seaplane flights. Redeeming points would give me a redemption value of 0.62 cents per point, but the extended-stay half-board rate provides additional value via daily dinner and 25% off seaplane transfers.

So, check paid rates before assuming redeeming IHG points will provide the best value.

Related: Why you should get (and keep) the IHG One Rewards Premier card

IHG perks at Six Senses properties

Six Senses properties are often relatively small. And many offer nontraditional service delivery methods. As such, some IHG One Rewards benefits may differ or not be available even at participating Six Senses properties. For example, member rates aren’t available at Six Senses hotels and resorts.

InterContinental Ambassador, InterContinental Royal Ambassador and Kimpton Inner Circle members get extra benefits when staying at participating Six Senses properties. In particular, these members can expect:

• Daily complimentary breakfast for two in the main restaurant (not applicable at Six Senses Residences)
• A signature amenity of a complimentary 50-minute Six Senses Spa massage for two or a local experience once per stay (varies by resort; subject to availability and confirmed on arrival; not applicable with corporate or negotiated rates)
• Complimentary one-category room upgrade (subject to availability; excludes residences and two-bedroom or greater suites and villas)
• Extended checkout time of 4 p.m. (subject to availability for Ambassador members and all members at Six Senses Residences)
• 10 a.m. early check-in (subject to availability for Ambassador members and all members at Six Senses Residences)
• Complimentary internet access
• Wellness platter welcome amenity (subject to availability at Six Senses Residences)

However, these benefits are only available to eligible members when booking directly or via an authorized travel agent.

Related: How much value does IHG One Rewards status provide when you book directly?

Bottom line

I love that IHG has added most Six Senses properties to its program. However, despite the program starting to add more hotels over three years ago, six Six Senses still don’t participate in IHG One Rewards. It’s unclear whether these Six Senses properties will ever join IHG One Rewards.

Getting a fourth reward night free can be a compelling reason to redeem IHG points for your stay. But if you have the travel budget to pay for a Six Senses stay, double-check paid rates to see whether any packages provide better value than redeeming points.

It’s easy to see why Cancun is Mexico’s most popular destination. It’s home to beautiful beaches, jaw-dropping Mayan ruins, and a busy nightlife scene … getting people to visit this sun-soaked jewel on the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula is not a hard sell.

But we’ve been tipped off to a new fare sale that can get you to Cancun at a steal.

Carriers such as American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines are currently offering flights for as low as $261 round-trip. We found several nonstop routes in this sale from departure cities like Boston, Chicago, Dallas and New York City. Now that Southwest fares can be viewed in searches on Google Flights, it also saves us the trouble of heading to their website to see what a trip costs.

The travel window for this sale is from September through February 2025, but the best availability we saw was in November and December. If you live in the Northeast or Midwest, that’s the perfect time to plan a winter escape to the beaches of Mexico. Best of all, some routes do include the Thanksgiving holiday.

Please note that some of the lowest prices must be booked through an online travel agency.

This sale involves economy fares. You can bring a free carry-on bag with every airline in this deal except for United Airlines. Southwest tickets also allow for two free checked bags, so you can load up on swimwear and sandals. Checked luggage on the other airlines will cost between $35 and $40 each way.

Related: Dreams Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa: High-energy and all-inclusive family fun

Deal basics

Airlines: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines

Routes: From Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, and New York City to Cancun, Mexico

How to book: Browse Google Flights, then book directly with the airline

Travel dates: From September through February for economy fares

This deal was originally sent out by the deal alert company Going. Sign up for Going to get up to 90% off select flights via its Premium membership, which users can try for free for 14 days and then $69 per year. You can also upgrade to the Elite tier for $199 per year for access to all the Premium deals, plus premium economy, business-class and first-class alerts.

You can also sign up for a free trial through this link.

Sample flights

We found nonstop flights from Chicago to Cancun on Southwest for just $266 round-trip. This itinerary takes off from Chicago’s Midway International Airport (MDW) to Cancun International Airport (CUN) in late September.

There are also good discounts to Mexico available out of Boston. JetBlue has nonstop flights from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Cancun in November starting at $284 round-trip.

According to Google Flights, this route usually costs almost double this price in the fall.

JetBlue also has nonstop flights from New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Cancun in December — they’re priced at only $283 round-trip.

We also dug up some good availability for nonstop flights out of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Mexico from $261 in the fall on American.

Related: Transportation from Cancun International Airport to your hotel: How to avoid scams, overpaying and more

Maximize your purchase

When you book this deal or any flights, be sure to use a credit card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, such as:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 2 points per dollar spent on travel
• American Express® Gold Card: 3 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through amextravel.com
• The Platinum Card® from American Express: 5 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 of these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: 3 points per dollar spent on travel

Bottom line

In the examples above, we focused on nonstop flights, but some routes have layovers. If you’re only interested in nonstop itineraries, click the drop-down Stops tab and select the “nonstop only” option.

Related reading:

• • Here are the best credit card welcome offers for June
    
  • 7 things to understand about credit before applying for a new card
  • How to apply for a credit card
  • What is APR on a credit card?
  • How to check your credit score for free

Is a Royal Caribbean cruise on your bucket list? You’ll find no shortage of options when it comes time to pick an itinerary.

The world’s biggest cruise line by passenger capacity offers voyages in almost every corner of the world, from its home base in North America to the far-off waters of Australia and New Zealand.

Royal Caribbean operates more cruise ships than any other major line — 28 in all. This allows it to deploy vessels on all the classic cruise itineraries in places like the Caribbean, Europe and Alaska while still having ships left over for more off-the-beaten-path routes.

For more cruise guides, tips and news, sign up for TPG’s cruise newsletter.

That said, Royal Caribbean has a distinct focus on the Caribbean and Europe — the most popular destinations for its regular customers. In a typical summer, the line will deploy about half its ships on sailings to the Caribbean, Bahamas and Bermuda while sending another seven or eight vessels to Europe. The line typically sends four ships to Alaska every summer.

During the winter, the line will move even more of its ships to the Caribbean, and send a few to Asia and Australia.

In all, Royal Caribbean’s ships visit more than 300 different ports around the world. Here are five of the top destinations you can reach on a Royal Caribbean ship.

The Caribbean and the Bahamas

There’s a reason the word “Caribbean” is in Royal Caribbean’s name. The line got its start operating cruises to the Caribbean way back in 1968, and the region still accounts for a big part of its business.

In fact, the line typically deploys well more than half its fleet to the Caribbean and the Bahamas for at least part of the year. During the winter, the line will have most of its ships in the region. For the coming winter of 2024-2025, for instance, 23 of its 28 vessels are sailing in the Caribbean and Bahamas, including all of the line’s biggest ships. These include the line’s much-ballyhooed new vessel Icon of the Seas — the biggest cruise ship in the world — and its just unveiled Utopia of the Seas.

Utopia of the Seas, notably, has debuted on short sailings to the Bahamas — an unusual deployment for a brand-new ship.

Related: The best Caribbean cruise for every type of traveler 

Royal Caribbean offers a broad range of Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries from over half a dozen home ports. If you’re looking for something short, the line has you covered in the form of lots of quick, three- and four-night trips from Florida ports to the Bahamas (including those Utopia of the Seas sailings). It also offers an abundance of seven-night sailings to Caribbean and Bahamas ports and a handful of longer trips in the region that range from nine to 14 nights.

At the core of the line’s Caribbean and Bahamas program are its seven-night sailings, which break down into three broad categories:

• Eastern Caribbean voyages
• Western Caribbean voyages
• Southern Caribbean voyages

A typical seven-night Royal Caribbean sailing in the Eastern Caribbean will include stops at St. Martin, St. Thomas and Perfect Day at CocoCay, the line’s private island in the Bahamas. But the line sometimes swaps in stops at other islands such as Puerto Rico or St. Kitts. There are typically three and sometimes four calls on an Eastern Caribbean cruise.

Related: The ultimate guide to Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean’s seven-night Western Caribbean voyages typically include three or four stops at some mix of the following destinations: Mexico (Cozumel or Costa Maya), Honduras, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Belize. Some include a stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay and Labadee, Royal Caribbean’s private beach destination in Haiti.

The line’s seven-night Southern Caribbean itineraries are more destination-heavy, with five or even six separate calls. They sometimes include a couple of stops at relatively northward islands such as St. Thomas and St. Martin but focus heavily on southerly islands such as Tobago, Trinidad, Grenada, St. Vincent, Dominica, St. Lucia, Bonaire, Aruba and Curacao.

Related: The 7 classes of Royal Caribbean ships, explained

When sailing to the Caribbean, Royal Caribbean ships generally sail out of PortMiami, Port Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades and Tampa in Florida; San Juan, Puerto Rico; New Orleans; Galveston, Texas; Bayonne, New Jersey (one of the ports for New York City); and Baltimore.

The line also recently offered its first-ever Caribbean sailings out of Barbados, though no other voyages from the island are currently on the line’s schedule.

Australia and New Zealand

Royal Caribbean has been sending at least one ship — and sometimes several — to Australia every winter for many years. It offers a wide range of itineraries out of Sydney and Brisbane that make calls not just around Australia but also in New Zealand.

While the itineraries the line offers in the region vary in length — from just two nights to 15 nights — the shorter voyages are primarily aimed at a local Australian crowd looking for a quick getaway. Among North Americans, the most popular itineraries are the longer ones, which are often heavily skewed to stops in New Zealand.

Related: Everything you need to know about Royal Caribbean’s loyalty program

Among several New Zealand itineraries are 12-night voyages from Sydney that feature an all-New Zealand lineup of calls: Bay of Islands, Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch and Picton.

A 15-night New Zealand itinerary out of Sydney features cruising in New Zealand’s famed Milford Sound as well as Doubtful Sound and Dusky Sound. The ship also stops in Dunedin, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga, Auckland and the Bay of Islands.

Alaska

Royal Caribbean isn’t the biggest player in Alaska cruises. The giants of cruising to Alaska are Princess Cruises and Holland America, which are sister lines to each other that control a large percentage of the market. Still, Royal Caribbean has a significant presence in Alaska, and its big, activity-filled ships are popular with families looking to visit the destination.

The Alaska cruise season is a short one, lasting roughly from May to September. This year, Royal Caribbean has four ships in the region — all operating seven-night sailings.

• Ovation of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas: These 4,180-passenger sister vessels are Royal Caribbean’s newest and largest ships scheduled to visit Alaska. They’re sailing to Alaska round-trip from Seattle with calls at Alaskan ports such as Sitka, Juneau and Skagway; and Victoria, British Columbia. On many departures, they’re also visiting Endicott Arm for glacier viewing.
• Brilliance of the Seas: The 2,142-passenger ship sails to Alaska round-trip from Vancouver with a visit to Tracy Arm Fjord and calls at three or four of the following Alaska destinations: Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Haines, Icy Strait Point and Sitka.
• Radiance of the Seas: The 2,143-passenger Radiance of the Seas mostly sails one-way Alaska voyages between Vancouver and Seward, Alaska. Calls include Hubbard Glacier and four of the following Alaska destinations: Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Skagway and Sitka.

For the 2025 season, Royal Caribbean will replace Ovation of the Seas with Anthem of the Seas (the two ships are similar) and substitute Serenade of the Seas for Radiance of the Seas (also similar ships).

The appeal of the one-way sailings on Radiance of the Seas in 2024 and Serenade of the Seas in 2025 is that you can combine them with Royal Caribbean-organized land tours of Alaska. Land tours can last from two to five days in addition to the seven nights on the ship. So, all in all, you will have created a nine- to 12-night “cruise tour” as such trips are called in the cruise world.

The land tour portion of such trips brings visits to such well-known interior Alaska locations as Denali National Park and the town of Fairbanks.

Related: Everything you want to know about Royal Caribbean cabins and suites

Europe

Royal Caribbean is a major player in Europe, with a wide range of itineraries in the Mediterranean and across Northern Europe.

Some of the line’s signature Mediterranean routings offer the chance to see iconic destinations such as Barcelona, Spain, and the Italian cities of Florence, Rome and Naples in a single cruise. Or, you can sign up for a Mediterranean cruise focusing on the Greek Islands.

In Northern Europe, Royal Caribbean will take you to such famed Baltic cities as Stockholm; Tallinn, Estonia; Helsinki; and St. Petersburg, Russia, in a single sailing (although, for now, St. Petersburg has been removed from Royal Caribbean itineraries due to the war between Russia and Ukraine). Itineraries that zero in on the Norwegian fjords also are available.

Until recently, the line has deployed as many as 10 vessels to the region each year on a seasonal basis, with the ships staying from spring until fall. But Royal Caribbean has been cutting back on Europe sailings a bit in the wake of the wars in Ukraine and Israel, and it only plans to send six ships to Europe for the 2025 season.

Royal Caribbean’s Europe voyages range in length from three to 16 nights.

Among the longest sailings that Royal Caribbean offers in Europe is a 16-night voyage from Barcelona to Southampton, England, that brings stops in Valencia, Cartagena and Malaga, Spain; Casablanca and Agadir, Morocco; Lisbon and Porto, Portugal; Cork, Ireland; and Cherbourg and Le Havre, France.

In Northern Europe, Royal Caribbean ships mostly sail out of Southampton, England; Amsterdam; and Copenhagen, Denmark.

In the Mediterranean, the line’s hubs are Piraeus, Greece (the port for Athens); Istanbul, Turkey; Barcelona; and Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) and Ravenna in Italy. The latter port recently replaced Venice as a home port.

Asia

In recent years, Royal Caribbean has built up a big business selling cruises out of China ports such as Shanghai and Tianjin (the port for Beijing) that are aimed squarely at the Chinese market. They offer Chinese-language programming, and Chinese-centric food and activities. However, Royal Caribbean also markets some Asia voyages to North Americans.

Among the itineraries meant for a Western crowd are nine-night Thailand and Vietnam cruises out of Singapore that include stops at Bintan Island, Indonesia; Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Bangkok.

There are also 10-night Japan Explorer sailings that take in Aomori, Hakodate, Akita, Kanazawa, Sakaiminato and Kagoshima, Japan; and Busan, South Korea.

For 2025, Royal Caribean will have three of its 28 ships visiting Asia for at least part of the year: Anthem of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas.

The line’s main home ports in Asia for cruises aimed at North American travelers are Singapore; Yokohama, Japan (the port for Tokyo); and Hong Kong.

Bottom line

Royal Caribbean has one of the biggest fleets of oceangoing cruise ships worldwide, allowing it to offer a wide range of itineraries. If you’re thinking of a Royal Caribbean cruise, you’ll be spoiled for choice. The line is perhaps best known for its Caribbean sailings — at certain times of the year, it deploys almost all its ships to the region. You’ll also find wonderful Royal Caribbean itineraries everywhere, from Alaska and Australia to Europe and Asia.

Planning a cruise? Start with these stories:

• A beginners guide to picking a cruise line
• The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship
• The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship
• A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines
• 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly
• 15 ways cruisers waste money
• What to pack for your first cruise

 

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

While Singapore Airlines has a reputation for offering an exceptional product, booking long-haul, premium-cabin awards with the airline isn’t easy. You can sometimes find award availability using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan or Air Canada Aeroplan, but you’ll usually find more availability through Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer.

KrisFlyer generally charges more miles than other loyalty programs, even on dates with Saver award availability. However, the program offers discounts on select award flights each month through its KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes promotion.

Currently, you can book select promo award flights with a 30% discount if you reserve by Aug. 31 and travel between Sept. 1 and 30. This month, you’ll find discounts on Saver award tickets to select destinations in the Singapore Airlines network.

Here’s how you can maximize this iteration of Singapore KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes.

Deal basics

Airline: Singapore Airlines
Routes: Between Frankfurt and New York City, Singapore and Los Angeles, and Singapore and San Francisco; and from Singapore to New York City and from Newark to Singapore.
Cost: Starts at 17,500 miles in economy, 36,400 miles in premium economy and 56,700 miles in business class from Frankfurt to New York City
Travel dates: Sept. 1 to 30 (with some blackout dates)
Book by: Aug. 31

Related: Is Singapore Airlines premium economy worth it on the Airbus A350?

Sample KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes itineraries

Singapore KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes offers discounted award flights on select routes Singapore Airlines operates. However, only select flight numbers are discounted each month, so you’ll often only get the discount for travel in one direction.

Discounted flights are between Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and SIN and San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and from SIN to JFK and from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to SIN.

Here’s a look at the Spontaneous Escapes pricing this month on U.S. routes:

Origin	Destination	Discounted award rate	Blackout dates
Frankfurt	New York City	Economy: 17,500 miles Premium economy: 36,400 miles Business: 56,700 miles *Available on Flight SQ26	Economy: Sept. 1-5, 19-21, 27-30 Premium economy: None Business: Sept. 2, 3, 27-30
New York City	Frankfurt	Economy: 17,500 miles Premium economy: 36,400 miles Business: 56,700 miles *Available on Flight SQ25	Economy: None Premium economy: Sept. 20-23 Business: None
Singapore	Los Angeles	Economy: 29,400 miles (SQ38) Premium economy: 52,500 miles (SQ36)	Economy: Sept. 1-13 Premium economy: None
Los Angeles	Singapore	Premium economy: 52,500 miles (SQ35)	None
Singapore	San Francisco	Economy: 29,400 miles (SQ32, SQ34)	Sept. 1-3, 6-8, 13-16
San Francisco	Singapore	Economy: 29,400 miles (SQ31, SQ33)	None
Singapore	New York City	Premium economy: 56,350 miles (SQ24)	Sept. 1-8
Newark	Singapore	Premium economy: 56,350 miles (SQ21)	None

*Award redemption is only available on the specific flight(s) noted.

Remember, you must still find award availability on the KrisFlyer website. Promo awards may not be available on select dates — even ones not listed as blackout dates. When you search, you’ll see the discounted awards listed as “promo” if available.

Additionally, all the flights on your itinerary must qualify for the promotion to access the discounted pricing. So, if there’s a promo reward available for just one direction of your flight, it might be best to book two one-way flights.

Be aware that flights departing Europe are subject to higher taxes and fees than flights leaving the U.S. Plan to spend about 125 euros (about $137) per person in one-way taxes and fees on westbound transatlantic flights.

Check the Spontaneous Escapes homepage for more details.

Earning miles to book this award

It’s easy to earn Singapore KrisFlyer miles. The program is a 1:1 transfer partner with American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards. KrisFlyer is also a 3:1 transfer partner with Marriott Bonvoy, with 5,000 bonus miles offered for every 60,000 points you transfer.

Note that it may take up to 24 hours for the transferred rewards to hit your KrisFlyer account. If they don’t immediately appear, consider calling KrisFlyer to hold award seats until the miles post. Doing so will lock in your award seats, so you won’t have to worry about the availability disappearing. KrisFlyer generally charges a service fee of $25 or 2,500 miles to hold award seats.

Related: How to book Singapore Airlines first-class Suites with points and miles

How to pay taxes and fees

Use The Platinum Card® from American Express to earn 5 points per dollar spent on airfare booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 spent per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar); the Chase Sapphire Reserve® for 3 points per dollar spent on travel; the American Express® Gold Card for 3 points per dollar spent on airfare booked directly with the airline or on amextravel.com; or the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card for 2 points per dollar spent on travel.

Bottom line

Singapore Airlines is offering a transatlantic economy-class award for just 17,500 miles. Or, you can book flights between Frankfurt and New York City for as few as 56,700 miles in business class.

These flights can be a great use of transferable credit card points.

Qatar Airways has devalued some Avios sweet spots for award flights on partner airlines including American Airlines and Alaska Airlines, as first reported earlier today by DansDeals.

Historically, Qatar Airways Privilege Club has been a popular, if somewhat niche, loyalty program for U.S. flyers thanks in part to the bargain redemption levels of short-haul flights on Qatar’s U.S. airline partners. Unfortunately, that’s no longer the case. And what’s more, Qatar Airways made this devaluation with no notice to its Privilege Club members. It’s just one more reason that travelers should always consider diversifying the types of points and miles they earn and redeem because devaluations like this come all too often.

Here are the details on this latest blow, what flyers can expect, and how you might still be able to get some value from Qatar Airways Avios on short-haul American Airlines and Alaska Airlines flights.

Related: 5 versions of Avios: When to use Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair, Iberia and Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways devalues American Airlines and Alaska Airlines short-haul awards

Qatar Airways uses multiple (unpublished) award charts for flights on various airlines.

Although the airline made no announcement that it was changing the chart it uses for American Airlines and Alaska Airlines awards, flight searches reveal that the redemption rates for short-haul American and Alaska routes have indeed gone up. The cost of these flights in Avios has increased by up to 64%, with the shortest routes seeing the most dramatic price hikes. Here is what we have been able to piece together.

Flight distance	Sample flights	Cost before (in Avios)	Cost now (in Avios)	Change
Up to 650 miles	Charlotte to New York City on American Seattle to Portland, Oregon on Alaska	6,000 economy 12,500 business	9,500 economy 20,000 business	+58% +60%
651 to 1,151 miles	Miami to New York City on American Seattle to Los Angeles on Alaska	9,000 economy 16,500 business	13,000 economy 27,000 business	+44% +64%
1,152 to 2,000 miles	Miami to Chicago on American Seattle to Minneapolis-St. Paul on Alaska	11,000 economy 22,000 business	14,500 economy 34,000 business	+32% +53%
2,001 to 3,000 miles	Miami to Seattle on American Los Angeles to Newark on Alaska	13,000 economy 38,750 business	16,000 economy 43,000 business	+23% +11%

This means that even the shortest routes, like a 129-mile flight from Seattle to Portland, Oregon, will set you back at least 9,500 Avios each way.

The good news is that longer-haul flight awards on American and Alaska, as well as redemption requirements for JetBlue flights appear to be unaffected … for the moment. Since this devaluation came with no warning, there’s no telling whether the Qatar Airways Privilege Club intends to make more changes to its award levels in the coming days. So if you were planning to book something using Qatar Airways Avios, do so sooner rather than later.

For now, the Qatar Airways award charts for flights on other partner airlines remains unchanged as well.

Related: Airlines you can book using Avios: How to maximize your points

What’s the best use of Avios?

Although Qatar Airways award rates for these flights have jumped significantly, in the grand scheme of points and miles, they’re still relatively affordable.

British Airways Executive Club, which also uses Avios as its currency, recently underwent a similar devaluation. The British Airways award chart for Alaska and American partner flights is structured much like Qatar’s, except that each price tier costs a few thousand more Avios.

Flight distance	Qatar Airways cost (in Avios)	British Airways cost (in Avios)
Up to 650 miles	9,500 economy 20,000 business	12,000 economy 24,000 business
651 to 1,151 miles	13,000 economy 27,000 business	16,000 economy 32,000 business
1,151 to 2,000 miles	14,500 economy 34,000 business	18,000 economy 40,000 business
2,001 to 3,000 miles	16,000 economy 43,000 business	20,000 economy 50,000 business

If you plan to use Avios to book award flights on American or Alaska, you’ll still get the best prices if you book through Qatar Airways. However, depending on what rewards currencies you have, there may be better options.

For instance, if you wanted to fly from Miami to Chicago, a one-way ticket on American booked through Qatar would cost 14,500 Avios in economy or 34,000 in business class.

Or you could book the same flight through American for only 8,500 AAdvantage miles in economy or 26,500 miles in business class.

However, since American uses dynamic pricing, using AAdvantage miles may not always be the cheapest option. You’ll need to double check in each case.

AAdvantage miles are also some of the hardest frequent-flyer miles to earn because the program has very few transfer partners (the same is true for Alaska Mileage Plan miles). You may find it easier to book award flights with Avios since you can transfer them from:

• American Express Membership Rewards
• Bilt Rewards
• Capital One miles
• Chase Ultimate Rewards 

As mentioned, Qatar Airways has not, at time of publication, changed its award chart for JetBlue flights, so may still be able to get great value from your Avios by booking short-haul flights on JetBlue. Here’s the current award chart Qatar uses for JetBlue flights:

Flight distance	Cost in Avios
Up to 1,100 miles	8,500 economy 17,000 business
1,101 to 2,000 miles	13,000 economy 26,000 business
2,001 to 2,800 miles	18,500 economy 74,000 business
2,801 to 3,700 miles	25,000 economy 78,000 business

So, you could fly from Fort Lauderdale to New York (a 1,070-mile route) on JetBlue for only 8,500 Avios each way in economy.

A comparable route on American or Alaska would cost 13,000 Avios through Qatar Airways or 16,000 through British Airways.

When searching for routes to or from cities that Qatar Airways doesn’t serve, the city or airport may not appear in the destination drop-down menu. That’s okay — just enter the airport code into the destination box and click “Search,” and flight options should appear.

Related: The best Avios-earning credit cards: Which is the one for you?

Bottom line

Despite this devaluation, Qatar Airways Avios are still the cheapest type of Avios to book Alaska Airlines and American Airlines award flights.

British Airways’ award chart is pricier than Qatar’s for these partner flights, and it’s much more difficult to book partner award flights on the other airlines that use Avios (Finnair, Iberia and Aer Lingus). You should also always double-check awards on American and Alaska’s own sites if you have their miles to see if you can get a better deal that way.

For now, Avios collectors should keep their eyes peeled, as more devaluations could be in store.

Portland International Airport (PDX) in Portland, Oregon, is undergoing a much-needed $2.15 billion makeover.

While construction has been underway since at least 2020, visitors will likely feel it was all worth the wait when the airport’s temporary walls come down Aug. 14 to reveal the next (and best) part of the project.

Soon, visitors will experience an expansive and reimagined main terminal with a soaring timber roof, the latest in check-in and checkpoint technology, live trees and plants, and plenty of art, shops, restaurants and inviting places to hang out.

Wondering what you can expect? Here’s a first look at what passengers and the public will see at PDX.

This is an airport?

As you walk into the new main terminal, right past the check-in area, you’ll notice a forestlike giant hall with more than 70 live trees, 5,000-plus plants, almost 50 skylights and a soaring 9-acre roof made entirely of Douglas fir wood harvested from all kinds of sustainably managed farms in Oregon and Washington.

The check-in experience

Airline check-in counters are clustered in four carpeted islands perpendicular to the entrance. Passengers flying Alaska Airlines with bags to check will find the newest iteration of the carrier’s automatic bag drop system here. The self-service system encourages passengers to scan their boarding passes, print out and attach bag tags, weigh their bags, pay a checked bag fee (if necessary) and send the bags on their way.

Shops, restaurants and public spaces

On the main floor, you’ll find about a dozen presecurity shops and restaurants (some in pop-up form for now). Current options include Hello From Portland, Steven Smith Teamaker, Orox Leather Co., Paper Epiphanies, The Country Cat and Powell’s Books.

This main terminal area sports two banks of stadium seating with solid wood benches perfect for hanging out before a flight. This space has a stage area for live performances as well. During our visit, we spotted a grand piano ready to be put in place.

The return of the PDX carpet

At the top of each bank of stadium seats are lounges with seating areas. Underfoot, you’ll spot carpeting that brings back the much-loved teal-and-purple pattern that inspired thousands, perhaps millions, of shoe selfies.

The pattern and colors of the original carpet, which was installed across the airport in 1988 and replaced in 2015, were carefully recreated for installation in these lounges and for several other spots in the new main terminal area.

Mezzanine restaurant with views

Loyal Legion, a popular local beer hall, will occupy the mezzanine level of the presecurity main terminal area. In addition to serving more than 90 Oregon beers on tap, this venue will offer great views of the surrounding landscape, including the airfield, as well as a perch to watch the bustling activity in the main hall.

New and improved security checkpoints

The new main hall at PDX has two identical Transportation Security Administration checkpoints equipped with the latest security screening technology. Above each checkpoint is a 120-foot-long video wall displaying shorts about some of the airport art, as well as images inspired by Oregon landscapes. The content on the screens is designed to offer “positive distractions” and changes according to the time of day, the weather and, somehow, the number of people currently in the terminal.

At the carpeted checkpoints, travelers will find TSA officers using Credential Authentication Technology to review travel documents. This means passengers will only need to show a photo ID, not their boarding pass, when passing through.

At six Automated Screening Lanes for general (non-TSA PreCheck) travelers, three passengers at a time will be able to load their belongings into trays. That should speed things up, as will the fact that liquids and electronics will not be removed from bags.

As for the passenger screening process, each checkpoint has five of the newest Advanced Imaging Technology body scanners, which use millimeter wave technology. These machines are wider than previous models and allow passengers to keep their hands at their side, instead of over their heads. According to the TSA, these machines can be used for people who have metal hips, knee replacements or metal pins in their bodies since they are not metal detectors.

An intriguing round, wood “hut” at each checkpoint at PDX serves as a private screening room for travelers who might need additional screening and request that it be done in private.

Bottom line

Passengers at Portland International Airport are about to experience a gleaming new airport terminal, a much-anticipated development for this Alaska Airlines hub and one of the busiest airports in the Pacific Northwest.

From local touches to refreshed public spaces, the terminal overhaul brings a mix of technological advances and aesthetic improvements.

Even classic details like PDX’s iconic carpet are part of the reimagined space. Lovers of the original feature will notice a new version of it linking the old terminal to the updated one.

As airports around the U.S. unveil long-awaited new terminals and face-lifts, PDX can join the ranks of airports you actually want to spend time at.

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