American launches new AAdvantage Pass for $5,000 with intriguing possibilities for status and bonus miles

American Airlines AAdvantage members now have a brand-new shortcut tool to earn status and a boatload miles — but it will cost you a big chunk of cash. The Fort Worth-based carrier has launched a new “AAdvantage Pass™” that comes with a slew of benefits, including: Instant AAdvantage Gold status 100,000 bonus AAdvantage miles And,…

How to book a holiday trip to Germany on points and miles

After spending last Christmas in Europe, my husband and I decided to get a special gift for our mothers this year: a festive trip to Germany’s legendary Christmas markets. What better way to spend quality family time than by eating our way through stall after stall of traditional German treats, like marzipan and stollen, while…

Grand Canyon South Rim hotels to close temporarily

The National Park Service ordered all hotels on the Grand Canyon National Park’s South Rim to close this weekend following “significant breaks” in the area’s Transcanyon Waterline. The closure will go into effect Dec. 6 and remain for the “foreseeable future,” according to the NPS. The order affects hotels within the park, including those operated…

Cathay Pacific’s Aria Suite set for US debut in January

It’s one of the most alluring new airline seats in the world — and it’s set for its U.S. debut next month. Beginning in January, Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific will begin flying its brand-new Aria Suites to the U.S. The spiffy lie-flat business-class cabin — currently rolling out on the airline’s Boeing 777-300ER fleet —…

Capital One will devalue Emirates Skywards transfers Jan. 13

Capital One will reduce the value of its transfers to the Emirates Skywards program in January. This decision follows similar transfer devaluations from the American Express Membership Rewards and Citi ThankYou Rewards programs for Emirates Skywards earlier this year. Here’s what you need to know and how to get ahead of this news. Related: Just…

Rosewood Amsterdam review – The Points Guy

No two Amsterdam hotels are alike, but even so, the Rosewood Amsterdam still manages to wow with its singularity. The monumental brick building it now occupies was once a 17th-century orphanage before becoming the city’s Palace of Justice, complete with former courtrooms and even holding cells … so yeah, it’s probably haunted (though we didn’t…