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☆ 5 cheaper alternatives to popular high-annual fee cards
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Ariana Arghandewal | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

It has a $150 annual fee, which can be offset by a $200 annual cash bonus when you spend $200,000 or more per year. With a steep annual fee and high spending requirements, the Spark 2% Cash Plus Card can be a tough sell for some business owners. Hilton Honors American Express Card instead of the Hilton Honors SurpassHilton's no annual fee card still provides generous perks. It has offers a $300 annual travel credit to partially offset the $550 annual fee, along with a Priority Pass membership. The card’s $395 annual fee is mostly offset by a $300 annual travel credit (valid on Capital One Travel bookings) and 10,000 anniversary miles (worth $100).

☆ GE to slash stake in aircraft lessor AerCap
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 7 (Reuters) - AerCap Holdings NV (AER.N) said on Tuesday a unit of General Electric Co (GE.N) is selling 18 million shares, worth $1.12 billion, of the aircraft lessor through an underwritten public offering. In addition, AerCap agreed to repurchase $500 million worth of its shares from GE, its largest shareholder. The Boston-based conglomerate currently has a 45.3% stake in AerCap, according to Refinitiv data. The conglomerate, through its unit GE Capital US Holdings Inc, expects to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 2.7 million additional ordinary shares. GE said in March 2021 it will "over time" sell its stake after AerCap bought its aircraft leasing unit in a $30 billion deal.

LONDON, Feb 24 (Reuters) - British Airways-owner IAG (ICAG.L) forecast 2023 profit could jump almost 90% after its financial performance improved substantially last year and it agreed a deal to buy all of Spain-based Air Europa. For 2023, the airline group, which also owns Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus, forecast operating profit in the range of 1.8 billion euros ($1.91 billion) to 2.3 billion euros, compared to the 1.22 billion euros it made last year. That result came in ahead of analyst expectations and represented an improvement of 4 billion euros from the previous year when COVID-19 travel restrictions made airlines across the world loss-making. IAG agreed on Thursday to pay 400 million euros ($423.84 million) to Spain's Globalia for the remaining 80% of Air Europa it did not already own, a deal aimed at expanding its position in the Latin American market. Looking ahead, chief executive Luis Gallego said IAG was seeing robust forward bookings, although it remained conscious of the global macro-economic uncertainties.

☆ IAG takeoff weighed down by debt dilemma
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Its $11 billion net debt pile, a legacy of an epic collapse in revenue during the pandemic, is tangibly more than its $9.4 billion market capitalisation. While Friday’s 2022 results showed operating profit of only 1.22 billion euros, well below the 3.3 billion euros it delivered in 2019, the last few years have seen big operating losses. Operating profit could be as high as 2.3 billion euros in 2023, according to company forecasts. More holidaymakers mean revenue last year was over 23 billion euros, compared to less than 8.5 billon euros in 2021. IAG announced an operating profit of 1.22 billion euros for 2022 and forecast 2023 operating profit in the range of 1.8 billion euros to 2.3 billion euros.

Get 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com, and 1X points for each dollar you spend on eligible purchases. Limited benefits beyond earning Hilton points Highlights Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Details Rewards Earn 12x Hilton Honors Points at Hilton per dollar for purchases made directly with hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio. Keep in mind that transferable credit card points — like Chase Ultimate Rewards®, Amex Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Capital One miles — are generally more valuable than hotel points or airline miles. That's worth around $500 in stays, according to Insider's valuation of Hilton points.

☆ Canada's Imperial ordered to fix seepage from oil sands tailing ponds
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 8 (Reuters) - Canada's Imperial Oil (IMO.TO) on Wednesday said it is working with the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) to fix industrial wastewater seepage from tailings ponds at its Kearl oil sands project that has been ongoing for months. The order steps up regulatory enforcement from the AER, which previously issued Imperial with two non-compliance notices and conducted site inspections. Kearl is a 240,000-barrel-per-day bitumen mine in northern Alberta, and the wastewater, or tailings, from its industrial processes include dissolved iron and arsenic. However, Imperial on Saturday also reported a separate leak of more than 5,000 cubic metres of tailings water from one of its holding ponds. Schmidt said the cause of that release is still being determined and Imperial has notified local communities.

You can get many thousands of dollars in value from Aeroplan points even if you never step foot on an Air Canada plane. Earn Aeroplan points with credit cards and points transfersThe Aeroplan® Credit Card is the only US credit card that earns Aeroplan points directly. So if you transferred 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, you'd end up with 20,000 Aeroplan points, plus a 5,000-point bonus for a total of 25,000 Aeroplan points. Earn Aeroplan points flying Air CanadaThe next easiest way to rack up Aeroplan points is by actually flying Air Canada, but the earning formula is going to change later this year. As far as we know, it will look like this:Basic fares: Earn 2x points per (Canadian) dollarStandard fares: Earn 3x points per (Canadian) dollarFlex/Comfort fares: Earn 3x points per (Canadian) dollarLatitude fares: Earn 3x points per (Canadian) dollarPremium economy fares: Earn 3x points per (Canadian) dollarBusiness fares: Earn 3x points per (Canadian) dollarEssentially, everything but basic economy fares will earn 3x per dollar.

If everyone in the world expertly utilized credit card rewards to travel for free, there wouldn't be such amazing travel opportunities out there. Identify your travel goalsBefore you begin collecting credit card rewards, you should first identify your travel goals. Amex Membership Rewards points Capital One miles Chase Ultimate Rewards points Choice Privileges points Citi ThankYou points Hilton Honors points Hyatt points IHG Rewards points Marriott Bonvoy points Wyndham Rewards pointsYou travel with a large family Chevron icon It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Recommended credit card strategies for beginnersThe best practice for anyone new to credit card rewards is to invest in flexible points. You'll need: An annual fee-incurring Hilton credit card One of the greatest deals in credit card rewards is the free night certificate that comes with select American Express Hilton credit cards.

The Point.me feature in the Bilt Rewards app can help you book lie-flat business class seats to Europe with your Bilt points. $0 Annual Fee View Full Details Apply nowBilt Mastercard® 4.5 /5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star 4.5 out of 5 Stars Intro offer N/A Rewards Earn 3X point on dining. But if you'd prefer an automated answer to your question, you can now find it inside the Bilt Rewards app thanks to its integration of the Point.me award booking service. $0 Annual Fee View Full Details Apply nowBilt Mastercard® 4.5 /5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star 4.5 out of 5 Stars Intro offer N/A Rewards Earn 3X point on dining. With the power of Point.me now living inside the Bilt Rewards app, Bilt's value proposition continues to rise.

"Our industry is still climbing out of - call it a 100-year event, call it a macro shock of epic proportions. "We are bullish and these are the reasons why I suspect there's a disconnect between the Davos in Switzerland and the Davos in Dublin," Cronin told Reuters. "It's a good time to be a lessor," said Tony Diaz, chairman of the smaller Zephyrus Aviation Capital. It's probably easy to take that second one too," Robert Korn, president and co-founder of fast growing Carlyle Aviation Partners, added. Additional reporting by Tim Hepher and Joanna Plucinska Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

DUBLIN, Jan 18 (Reuters) - A battle for compensation is brewing over delays in the delivery of commercial jets, with a Dublin aviation summit descending into a blame game over the worst industrial disruption in years. Aircraft contracts contain dense descriptions of adverse factors which excuse manufacturers for multiple types of delay, meaning they can avoid paying penalties or "liquidated damages". Excusable delays include "acts of God", natural disasters, fire, flood, earthquakes and epidemics, among other examples, according to extracts of past contracts filed with regulators. Non-excusable delays include anything that falls outside this catalogue, but are rare, experts say. 'OVER-OPTIMISTIC'"They are not excusable at all," Aengus Kelly, chief executive of lease giant AerCap (AER.N) told the Airfinance Journal conference when asked about the delays.

☆ Boeing, Airbus hit back over criticism of delivery delays
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Padraic Halpin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A woman walks past a Boeing logo at the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, or Airshow China, in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, China September 28, 2021. REUTERS/Aly SongDUBLIN, Jan 17 (Reuters) - The world's two largest planemakers defended themselves on Tuesday following criticism over delivery delays, with a Boeing (BA.N) executive saying increasing production after COVID-19 lockdowns was "not as easy as an on/off switch." Aircraft leasing firms have used a major industry conference to hammer manufacturers over delays. Air Lease (AL.N) executive chairman Steven Udvar-Hazy said they had "grossly misjudged" output, while one of Airbus' largest customers, AerCap (AER.N), called the European firm's production targets "very ambitious". To help remove the bottlenecks, Airbus has placed over 100 procurement specialists into its indirect suppliers to help them achieve the rates in the supply chain that the jetmaker requires to ramp up production, Pearman-Wright added.

The International Air Transport Association, which represents global airlines, is predicting full recovery in 2024. The crippling impact of COVID-19 saw dozens of airlines go out of business and wiped billions of dollars off balance sheets. In public, airlines and leasing firms have deplored delivery delays and are seen likely to press aircraft makers for compensation. Inflation is driving up aircraft parts and prices, while raising questions over the resilience of travel demand. Overall, more than half of the world's airline fleet is controlled by global leasing companies rather than owned directly by airlines.

What are credit card and bank rewards points worth? One great feature of the program is that all points are equal, so any account that earns Membership Rewards points has access to transfer partners. If you're a Bank of America Preferred Rewards customer, you'll earn 25% to 75% more points, depending on how much you have on deposit, but your rewards points are still worth 1 cent apiece. You can transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, and Citi ThankYou to JetBlue, but the ratio varies depending on the rewards program. However, those miles expire after 36 months regardless of your account activity, so only transfer miles when you have immediate plans to redeem them.

How to earn Alaska Airlines milesThere are two types of Alaska miles: Elite-qualifying miles and redeemable miles. Earn Alaska miles for car rentalsYou can opt-in to earn Alaska miles when you rent cars through Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National, or Thrifty. Redeem Alaska miles for domestic flightsOne of the most popular ways to redeem Alaska miles is for domestic award flights on Alaska and its partner American Airlines. Redeem Alaska miles for flights on partner airlinesUsing Alaska Airlines miles for award flights on partner airlines is perhaps the best way to use your Alaska miles. Donate Alaska Airlines miles to charityYou can donate your Alaska miles to over a dozen different charities, in 1,000-mile increments, and with no maximums or fees.

Airline credit cards tout many flashy perks in order to entice new customers and maintain existing ones. However, one of the most underrated airline credit card benefits might just be a companion ticket. First, only a handful of airline credit cards actually offer them, which means consumers might not even be aware they exist. Let's look at the best credit card companion certificates by airline. What to know about airline credit card companion certificatesCompanion tickets offered by airline credit cards are amazing benefits that can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars each year — if you know how to maximize them.

Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S., and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). Rewards Earn 2x Membership Rewards® Points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1X). Rewards Earn 2x Membership Rewards® Points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000 per year in purchases, then 1X). *More Rewards: Get 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 select categories where your business spent the most each month. The Amex Travel Portal allows you to book flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, and more with your Membership Rewards points.

☆ The best ways to book domestic flights using Amex Membership Rewards points
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Jason Stauffer | Benji Stawski | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +18 min

Below, CNBC Select details the best ways to redeem Amex points to fly for free (or nearly free) across the U.S. Best Amex cards for earning Membership Rewards pointsAmerican Express has a strong lineup of both personal and business cards that earn transferrable Membership Rewards points. How to use Amex points for domestic flightsYou can only transfer Amex points to two U.S.-based airline programs: Delta SkyMiles and JetBlue TrueBlue. Booking United flights with Amex points Amex Membership Rewards points don't transfer to United MileagePlus, but you can book United award flights through United's Star Alliance partners, such as Avianca LifeMiles and Air Canada Aeroplan. By strategically transferring Amex points to partner airlines, you can use Amex points to book flights with United Airlines, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, and others.

David Slotnick/Business InsiderAmerican Express Membership Rewards points are among the most valuable card rewards you can earn. You'll usually get the most value from Amex points by transferring them to airline and hotel partners. In fact, the Amex Membership Rewards program debuted way back in 1991 with just seven US airline partners. More Information Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. What to know about transferring Amex points to partnersAmerican Express Membership Rewards points are among the most valuable and versatile travel rewards out there.

Russian airlines continue to operate many of the jets, but some have struggled to secure replacement parts. AerCap (AER.N), SMBC Aviation Capital and Avolon, the world's largest lessors, declined to comment on whether they were involved in talks on payment for jets from Russian airlines or their insurers. RUSSIAN STATE FUNDSRussian state backing for the talks was demonstrated in an Aug. 30 letter from its Transport Ministry to 23 airlines. That was "considerably less than the aggregate Agreed Values" for the aircraft, SMBC said in the letter. But one Western finance official said any deal would face major legal and diplomatic hurdles and talks may be premature.

☆ Neobanks battle to lure UK savers with juicy yields as interest rates rocket to a 14-year high
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"We've re-entered the era where banks use better savings rates to acquire customers," Simon Taylor, head of strategy at fintech startup Sardine.ai, told CNBC. The Bank of England on Thursday hiked its main interest rate by 50 basis points, to 3.5%, its highest level in 14 years. They mean savers can get higher rates of returns on their deposits. However, those with mortgages, credit cards and personal loans to pay are charged higher interest. It is not the first time an internet-based bank in the U.K. has bumped up rates on savings to higher levels.

In this guide, we'll give you a crash course on how to quickly earn credit card rewards and book free travel. If everyone in the world expertly utilized credit card rewards to travel for free, there wouldn't be such amazing travel opportunities out there. Identify your travel goalsBefore you begin collecting credit card rewards, you should first identify your travel goals. Recommended credit card strategies for beginnersThe best practice for anyone new to credit card rewards is to invest in flexible points. You'll need: An annual fee-incurring Hilton credit card One of the greatest deals in credit card rewards is the free night certificate that comes with select American Express Hilton credit cards.

You can use British Airways Avios points for much more than just flights on British Airways. EQRoy/Shutterstock.comBritish Airways Avios is the rewards currency of British Airways, the UK's flag carrier. British Airways Avios points are extremely easy to collect, with an impressive seven transfer partners. $95 Apply now On Wells Fargo's website Apply now On Citi's website Apply now On Chase's websiteThankfully, British Airways now gives you the option to pay dramatically less in fuel surcharges — but there's a catch. British Airways introduces 'Reward Flight Saver' option for all flightsBefore this change, it wouldn't be uncommon to find round-trip transatlantic award flights on British Airways with between $550 and $1,900 in taxes and fees attached (depending on the cabin).

☆ An airline told a couple's teenagers to fly from Ireland to Florida alone after it overbooked a flight, reports say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A family traveling from Belfast to Florida via London was reportedly split up after an airline oversold a flight. They were due to fly to London and then onwards to Orlando, but check-in staff told them their Aer Lingus flight from Belfast to London was overbooked. Kitchen told "On Your Behalf" that airport staff told her there was no room for two of the children. We had no say in this decision and that upset me," she told the radio show. They weren't given any flight details – they were just told to go to an Aer Lingus desk," she said.

For small-business owners, the United℠ Business Card is an excellent pick. Receive a 5,000-mile "better together" bonus each anniversary when you have both the UnitedSM Business Card and a personal Chase United® credit card. United Business Card benefitsAlong with a sky-high welcome bonus offer, the United℠ Business Card comes with perks that can save you money when you fly United, including:A free first checked bag (worth $35 each way) for the cardholder and one companion on the same reservation (you must use the card to pay for your ticket, or the taxes and fees on an award ticket)Two United Club one-time passes each card anniversaryPriority boarding25% back as a statement credit on United inflight purchases$100 United credit after making seven or more United flight purchases of $100 or more each card anniversary yearIn addition, cardholders receive a "better together" bonus of 5,000 bonus miles each card anniversary when they have the United℠ Business Card and a personal United credit card like the United℠ Explorer Card, United Gateway℠ Card, United Club℠ Infinite Card, or United Quest℠ Card. If you're working toward elite status with United, the United℠ Business Card can give you a boost toward your goal. The United℠ Business Card has the highest welcome bonus of any United card right now, but that doesn't mean it's the best deal for everyone — especially considering the minimum spending requirement is so high.

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