Author Archive: DEVGRU

Nobody knows how many miles Delta charges for international FIRST CLASS award … until NOW!

Delta SkyMiles, the most shadowy program of all times Delta Airlines is not famous for its transparency when it comes to mileage award. After all, once you see Delta charges 300,000 miles for a one-way award on its own metal between the United States and Asia, it should be pretty clear that they can do whatever they want … because…
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It’s Back! Cathay Pacific’s Business Class Award Again Bookable With Partners Miles

The award chart of AsiaMiles, Cathay Pacific’s loyalty program, underwent a drastic change in last month and the new chart went into effect on June 22nd. Since then, there have been lots of “glitches” in the system. For example, one major concern is that partners (e.g. AA, AS, and etc) cannot access Cathay’s saver-level business class award. Below is a screenshot…
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“Suite” Dreams Are Made of This: St. Regis Suites, The St. Regis Changsha

We now have an Instagram account: instagram.com/uscreditcardguide , follow us if you like our trip reports! Changsha is an “under-the-radar” city in central China. You may have never heard of it, but it is actually the powerhouse of China’s domestic TV entertainment industry. In recent years Changsha, like other cities in China, saw a rapid expansion of the tourism industry. China…
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Review: Asiana Business Class (Smartium), New York to Seoul OZ221 JFK-ICN

Asiana is a Star Alliance airline that is known for releasing many award seats to its partners. Currently Asiana serves Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York (JFK), San Francisco, and Seattle and offers great connectivity beyond Seoul to South Asia. Among those destinations, LAX and JFK are served by A380 since there are only four of those in Asiana’s fleet….
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Why I DON’T think Marriott is giving (virtually) everyone Platinum Status this year

Disclaimer: The following passage is the author’s sole interpretations of Marriott’s policy and may not reflect the opinions held by US Credit Card Guide or Marriott International and its affiliates.  The author bears no responsibility for the inaccuracies/inconsistencies of such interpretations and any consequences arising from such inaccuracies/inconsistencies. Everyone in the game of points-and-miles by now should have probably heard…
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Qsuite coming to Shanghai in May, with award space up to 4 passengers

Qatar Airways currently holds the “best all-around business class” distinction thanks to the innovative Qsuite. It is the first business class seat in the industry with a sliding door, and the ability to convert into a double-bed for center seat. No wonder Lucky at One Mile at a Time proclaims Qsuite is the best business class seat in the world….
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[Rumor] SPG & Marriott merger update: no more free breakfast for Gold member?

Well this was developing FAST! A couple of days ago we shared the news that the SPG website will go down on August 1st. Back then we were wondering why Marriott and SPG had not made any official announcement, particularly given how close we were to the purported deadline. Now, two pieces of new information just emerged and may shed…
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SURPRISE! Delta SkyMile Increases in Value Overnight!

No matter who your favorite airline is, one thing is for sure: Delta SkyMile kinda sucks. For years bloggers have been bashing Delta for (1) removing award chart, (2) inflating their redemption rate without notice, (3) charging a leg and an arm to redeem Delta’s long-haul business product, and most recently (4) putting restrictions on ticketing within 72 hours of departure….
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My AA Executive Platinum Status Expired, and I’m Happy

Since American Airlines decided go revenue-based and introduced Elite Qualifying Miles last year, many AA loyalists feel betrayed and don’t bother re-qualifying anymore (well, unless your corporate contract forces you to fly AA). As an half academic flyer/half leisure traveler, I don’t necessarily feel betrayed. Nonetheless, AA no longer appears appealing to me. In addition to changes in Elite Qualification,…
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Hotel Review: Senior Suite at Tambo del Inka, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Valle Sagrado

Upon finishing up our stay on Easter Island, we flew to Lima via Santiago de Chile. The next morning we flew to Cusco on LATAM (previously known as LAN Peru) for our upcoming trip to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. Since LIM-CUZ is wholly in Peru, I used only 4,500 Avios(per person) for a one-way redemption. Since the one-way…
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SWISS Canceled All First Class Award Tickets and Aeroplan Can Do Nothing

So by now you’ve probably heard that SWISS opened the floodgates of First Class award space last Thursday. SWISS does not USUALLY release its F space to partners, so this is a truly rare occurrence. However, I underscore “usually” because things like this happened in the past. When in June 2016 SWISS temporarily allowed such partner redemptions, all ticketed reservations…
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