Smart fares

Officer Yes, so in terms of upfront fares, we're very pleased with the roll out of upfront fares in the US and a number of other markets. And I'll remind our investors to that, we actually originally rolled out upfront fares on the delivery side of the business. So delivery was built out upfront fares in terms of couriers, knowing where they're picking-up, dropping off, or what the fair was going to be, based on the knowledge there and kind of working on that product, we've determined that this is a product that could work for mobility as well, because the No. 1 issue that drivers were asking for is, I want to know where my destination is which wasn't available. So it's just an example of the power of the platform there, which is something that we do on the delivery side and innovate on the delivery side, finds its way on the mobility side. And again, we were the first in the US to debut upfront fares. And drivers absolutely love that, the destination information that they're getting. I'd say on upfront fares, actually we're less focused on launching it globally as we are on tuning the product itself. What you observe in terms of upfront fares, now that drivers know where they're going, and whether they're accepting some trips or not accepting some trips, is understanding that drivers are quite idiosyncratic in terms of their desire, there are some drivers who want long-trip, some that want short

Free checked bags.If you hold the relevant status, consider these restricted business-class fares to maximize your travel.BEN SMITHSON/THE POINTS GUYHow can I avoid business-lite fares?Only a handful of major airlines offer these business-lite fares. So, if you are flying on a route with multiple carriers competing for your business, you may find a regular fare with all the luxuries you would expect from international business class.While a restricted business-lite fare should be significantly cheaper than competitors' regular business-class fares, in my many searches over the years, I have found them to only be marginally cheaper than competitors' regular tickets. In fact, prices for "full" business class on the airline offering these restricted fares are usually higher than competitors' — though this is limited to a handful of airlines, like Finnair and Qatar Airways.Fortunately, points and miles redemptions typically include everything you would expect with a standard business-class fare.If you are looking to redeem your points and miles for, say, Qatar Airways' award-winning Qsuite business-class seat, you won't be turned away from the airline lounges nor restricted from selecting the perfect seat whether you are traveling alone, with a partner or with the whole family.Bottom lineIn theory, business-lite fares make great sense. On a short overnight flight like from New York to London, I only want a flat bed and a decent pillow to try and nab some sleep. I would happily give up lounge access, seat selection, onboard meals and amenity kits for a much cheaper price.The issue with these

Make travel plans months in advance, are these deals for me?While we do sometimes find last minute deals, most of the deal alerts we send out are for fares 2-11 months out, so you’ll have plenty of time to get your ducks in a row before your trip comes around! Will I see domestic fare alerts too?Definitely! We find deals for flights with flight times of 3 hours or less so you can take as many weekend trips and short-haul vacations as possible throughout the year! As a Premium member, you'll get about one of these special domestic fare alerts per week to various destinations across the US ;) Do you cover Business Class deals too?We do when we see a really good one! While the majority of our deals are in economy, we do also keep an eye out on Premium Economy and Business Class fares. When we spot an excellent value deal in business class, we’ll alert you! Do these fares get honoured?The vast majority of the fares we find are just really, really good deals and honoured 100% of the time. On the occasion that we spot an error fare, we’ll let you know that there is a chance the airline may choose to refund your ticket within a few days of booking, should they decide to not honour the fare. However, from our experience most error fares get honored as well!

Some items you would expect to receive as a cash-paying business-class passenger that aren't included with this fare class — or only available for an additional fee.Related: A terrible business-class trend is spreading in Europe. Let's hope it doesn't come to the USZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUYThese unbundled items differ from airline to airline but can exclude:Advance seat selectionLounge accessThe ability to upgrade to first class using milesChauffeured drives at the origin or destinationComparable earning ratesChecked baggageDaily NewsletterReward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletterJoin over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s expertsBy signing up, you will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.As an example, Qatar Airways offers a "Lite" option in its slate of business-class fares, and the chart below details how it differs from others.Qatar Airways fare classes explained. QATARAIRWAYS.COMAs you can see, you'd need to pay for lounge access, would earn fewer Avios and miss out on a complimentary change to your ticket.Which airlines sell business-lite fares?Major airlines currently offering these types of fares include:Air FranceEmiratesFinnairKLMQatar AirwaysZipairEMIRATES.COMDon't regular business-class fares come with restrictions, too?As you might expect, these business-lite fares also carry refund restrictions and fees for date or route changes. This is similar to regular business-class tickets, where you will be encouraged to buy up to a more flexible fare that will be significantly more expensive but should provide refunds