Connect with us

Technology

Thrifty Traveler unveils upgraded online dashboard to help travelers track valuable credit card benefits for free

Published

on

MINNEAPOLIS, June 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Thrifty Traveler, a leading flight deal and travel news website, today unveiled a free, comprehensive online tool to help travelers stay organized and maximize the benefits on over 120 popular travel credit cards.

As more and more banks increase annual fees on their flagship travel credit cards while adding use-them-or-lose-them benefits, coming out ahead on even moderately priced credit cards is getting harder and more time-consuming. Thrifty Traveler’s Credit Card Benefit Tracker gives travelers an intuitive way to track their progress each year, whether they have one credit card, a dozen, or more in one easy-to-use online dashboard.

This tool builds on the massive success of a downloadable spreadsheet first introduced by Thrifty Traveler last fall, adding more than twice as many cards and powerful new features like the ability to track cards for a full household of four and a new option to log and monitor current points balances as well. Despite all those additions, it remains free to use.

“Banks, airlines and hotel chains just keep raising annual fees while adding additional benefits that only matter if you remember to use them. Keeping track of everything can easily feel like a full-time job,” said Nick Serati, co-founder of Thrifty Traveler. “We’ve developed this one-of-a-kind tool to make maximizing all those perks a cinch: an easy way for travelers to keep tabs on all their travel credit cards in one place so they use them before they go to waste.”

Thrifty Traveler’s card-tracking dashboard offers a handful of features you won’t find elsewhere, including:

No sensitive or personal information required: Just pick your cards, start marking benefits as used and add your points. There’s no need to share any login credentials or any other personal information like Social Security numbers, credit card numbers or even credit scores.Pick and track your cards in one place: Cardholders can select from an extensive list of travel credit cards, which will appear individually as tabs in an easy-to-navigate online interface.Visual warnings when a credit or benefit is about to expire: Unused perks will automatically turn orange when they’re set to expire within the next 30 days – or red, when there are just two weeks remaining.An automatic tally of used benefits: Each card dashboard automatically adds up the value of each benefit marked as used and clearly shows whether a cardholder has recouped their annual fee.Factor in other perks like lounge access and free baggage benefits: Cardholders can easily customize and track other perks like lounge access or free luggage.Track cards for the whole family: A primary user can separately add and track cards for up to three additional travelers.Monitor your points, too: Users can separately add current balances in all major credit card, airline and hotel programs in order to monitor their current stashes of points and miles across dozens of accounts in one place.Seamless updates: Any subsequent updates with additional cards or new features will automatically push live in each user’s dashboard with no action necessary. Travelers can also easily restart tracking a card after it comes up for renewal.

This tool now includes more than 120 popular travel credit cards from banks like American Express, Capital One, Chase and others, as well as all the major co-branded airline and hotel credit card portfolios. Future updates in the pipeline will include expanding to include even more cards while adding more helpful features like tracking duplicates of the same card, as well as authorized user cards.

No personal data or sensitive user information is required to use this tool, so there’s no need to worry about data privacy. Travelers can access it by creating a free account. New users will also be added to Thrifty Traveler’s daily points and miles newsletter, “The Extra Mile.” Existing Thrifty Traveler subscribers can simply log in with their credentials to get started.

For the full list of cards, benefits, and how to get started with this new tool, visit Thrifty Traveler’s website.

About Thrifty Traveler
Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Thrifty Traveler is a leading travel and flight deal website that sends hundreds of thousands of travelers cheap airfare alerts as well as points and miles deals every day while also covering the ins and outs of the airline and travel industries. More than 1.1 million travelers rely on Thrifty Traveler for flight deals, travel tips, advanced guides to redeeming credit card points and airline miles as well as expert industry analysis.

Media Contact
Kyle Potter
kyle@thriftytraveler.com
218-522-1505

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thrifty-traveler-unveils-upgraded-online-dashboard-to-help-travelers-track-valuable-credit-card-benefits-for-free-302803274.html

SOURCE Thrifty Traveler

Continue Reading

Technology

The World Is Taking Notice: TIME Recognition Fuels VinFast’s Global Journey

Published

on

By

On a rainy Tuesday morning in Paris, a driver waiting at a red light on Boulevard Haussmann might not immediately place the badge on the SUV beside them. Thousands of miles away, a driver in California might have a similar moment seeing the same badge on an American road. It is not German, nor one of the familiar Asian names that have become common across established automotive markets. It belongs to VinFast ,  a Vietnamese automotive brand that is steadily making its presence felt across Europe and North America, and whose global journey reflects a much larger story unfolding inside its parent group, Vingroup.

PARIS , Sept. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — That journey reached a new milestone this year. Vingroup has been ranked 340th in TIME’s World’s Best Companies 2026, produced jointly with the research firm Statista, placing it among the world’s top 350 businesses and marking a rise of nearly 500 places from the previous year. It is the only Vietnamese company to appear on the list for two consecutive years.

A Ranking Built on More Than Growth

TIME and Statista do not rank companies on size alone. Their methodology weighs three dimensions: revenue growth, employee satisfaction and sustainability transparency. Vingroup earned an overall score of 81 out of 100, rising from 817th to 340th worldwide.

The revenue figures behind that score are substantial. In the first half of 2026, Vingroup posted consolidated net revenue of VND 222.9 trillion, up 72 percent year on year, with profit after tax reaching VND 20.904 trillion, more than four and a half times the figure recorded over the same period in 2025. That growth was driven largely by the Group’s industrial manufacturing and real estate businesses, earning Vingroup an “Outstanding” rating on the revenue metric.

Employee satisfaction told a similar story of momentum. Vingroup climbed to 398th globally, up 496 places, in a workforce that now spans roughly 400,000 people across 12 countries.

On sustainability, the Group’s contribution came through a different kind of infrastructure – green transition projects, urban development, and long-term investment in the systems that sustain a livable city rather than a single quarter’s balance sheet. Vinhomes, the Group’s real estate arm, has extended this thinking through its ESG++ model, adding Regeneration and Resilience to the conventional three pillars of Environmental, Social and Governance work, applied across urban developments spanning thousands of hectares.

Two new business lines added to that picture in 2025: infrastructure, through VinSpeed’s high-speed rail projects connecting Ho Chi Minh City to Can Gio and Hanoi to Quang Ninh, and green energy, through VinEnergo’s projects across multiple provinces. Together, they represent an attempt to build not just individual businesses, but the connective tissue – rail, power and mobility – that a modern, low-carbon economy runs on.

Making the EV Transition More Accessible

Within that broader ecosystem, VinFast represents one of the clearest expressions of Vingroup’s global aspirations. The company’s expansion across Asia, North America and Europe is bringing the Group’s vision for a greener future to an increasingly international audience, while putting a Vietnamese automotive brand directly into competition in some of the world’s most established markets.

For customers considering a new automotive brand, however, global vision is only the starting point. The more important question is whether a new entrant can earn the trust required to become part of everyday life.

Research from the McKinsey Center for Future Mobility offers a useful, if counterintuitive, perspective. Surveying thousands of European car buyers, McKinsey found that Europeans open to considering an Asian market entrant show an overall 53 percent likelihood of switching to a new brand when they move to an electric vehicle – a figure that rises as high as 63 percent in the United Kingdom. Brand loyalty, in other words, is proving more fluid in the EV era than it was in the age of the internal combustion engine.

That shift creates an opening for new EV brands. But winning customers requires more than a competitive vehicle. It requires making electric mobility accessible while building the sales, service and ownership infrastructure that gives customers confidence throughout the ownership journey.

With an increasingly diverse and accessible product portfolio, VinFast remains committed to its mission of making electric vehicles more accessible to everyone and enabling customers to transition to green mobility with greater ease and confidence.

In Europe, the company is expanding its presence with products designed around local priorities of efficiency, design and accessibility, including the VF 6 and VF 8, while electric buses such as the EB 8 and the fully European-certified EB 12 further extend its contribution to the region’s transition toward greener transportation.

Across North America, the same vision is being supported by the expansion of VinFast’s sales and service network and the development of its Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) program. Together, these initiatives are designed to build a more comprehensive ecosystem around the customer, extending beyond the vehicle itself to the services and support that shape the ownership experience.

Vingroup was the first Vietnamese company to qualify for TIME’s World’s Best Companies list in 2025, while VinFast has earned recognition among TIME100 Most Influential Companies and Asia-Pacific’s Best Companies of 2025. These milestones reflect growing international recognition of Vingroup’s and VinFast’s aspirations, capabilities and expanding global reach.

The latest TIME recognition for Vingroup therefore arrives at a moment when that global reach is becoming increasingly visible. For VinFast, the challenge and opportunity now extend across multiple continents ,  from European cities where a new badge is gradually becoming familiar, to North American roads where the company is building its presence and customer ecosystem. 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/the-world-is-taking-notice-time-recognition-fuels-vinfasts-global-journey-302876595.html

Continue Reading

Technology

XLCS Partners advises CID Capital on its investment in Kaiser Garage Doors & Gates

Published

on

By

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — XLCS Partners, Inc., a leading middle market investment bank, is pleased to announce it served as advisor to CID Capital on its investment in Kaiser Garage Doors & Gates, LLC (Kaiser).

Headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, Kaiser is a leading installer and servicer of residential and commercial overhead doors and gates serving the Phoenix, Tucson, and White Mountains markets. With over 30 years of proven operations, the company has established a strong regional footprint, a reputation for quality and reliability, and long-standing customer relationships.

Based in Indianapolis, Indiana, CID Capital is a private equity firm with decades of experience partnering with high-quality, lower middle market companies. CID makes control investments in companies with a proven track record of success and works alongside management teams to provide strategic guidance, resources, and capital for the next phase of growth, combining a focus on founder- and family-owned companies with a collaborative approach to building long-term value.

Kaiser is the third platform investment made from CID’s latest fund, CID Capital Opportunity Fund IV, L.P. In conjunction with the closing, industry veteran Eric Farley stepped in as CEO to lead the business under CID’s ownership, partnering with Dean Bennett, COO, and the existing Kaiser team.

XLCS acted as buyside advisor to CID Capital in connection with its investment in Kaiser, which was completed on August 14, 2026. The engagement was supported by Jay Cremer, Vice President, and David Silva, Senior Associate.

About XLCS Partners, Inc.
XLCS Partners is a leading global investment banking firm providing M&A advisory services. Visit www.xlcspartners.com for more information.

Media Contact: 
Kendra Span
kspan@xlcspartners.com
615-379-7783

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/xlcs-partners-advises-cid-capital-on-its-investment-in-kaiser-garage-doors–gates-302876631.html

SOURCE XLCS Partners, Inc.

Continue Reading

Technology

PlanetiQ Selected for NOAA’s Space-Based Environmental Monitoring IDIQ

Published

on

By

Selection builds on PlanetiQ’s long-standing relationship with NOAA and adds thermospheric neutral density to its environmental data offerings

GOLDEN, Colo., Sept. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — PlanetiQ, a leading provider of commercial satellite-based environmental data, today announced that it has been selected as an industry partner under NOAA’s new Space-Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM) Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. Through the SBEM IDIQ, PlanetiQ will be eligible to compete for task orders to provide NOAA with two types of commercial environmental data: Global Navigation Satellite System-Radio Occultation (GNSS-RO) observations for atmospheric profiling and ionospheric monitoring, and thermospheric neutral density data for satellite orbit prediction.

“This selection builds on our long-standing partnership with NOAA and expands the ways our data can support the agency, from high-resolution atmospheric and ionospheric observations to thermospheric neutral density for satellite orbit prediction,” said Ira Scharf, CEO of PlanetiQ.  

The SBEM IDIQ, established by NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) through its Commercial Data Program. The contract has a five-year base period followed by a five-year option and is effective from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2036.

Under SBEM, PlanetiQ will provide data from its existing satellite constellation as well as additional satellites planned for launch later this year. The company’s GNSS-RO observations provide high-resolution atmospheric profiles for numerical weather prediction and measurements of the ionosphere, including Total Electron Content (TEC) and scintillation. PlanetiQ will also introduce thermospheric neutral density data as a new commercial data product for NOAA NESDIS, supporting improved satellite orbit prediction and space-weather applications.

“PlanetiQ has built its business around delivering high-quality GNSS-RO data with the precision needed to improve weather forecasting,” said Ira Scharf, CEO of PlanetiQ. “This selection builds on our long-standing partnership with NOAA and expands the ways our data can support the agency, from high-resolution atmospheric and ionospheric observations to thermospheric neutral density for satellite orbit prediction. We look forward to continuing to work with NOAA to advance weather forecasting and space weather applications.”

Per NOAA’s own press release, NOAA is expanding its procurement and use of new commercial environmental satellite data streams that will enhance weather forecasting and space weather monitoring. The SBEM IDIQ contract is a key part in the agency’s ongoing effort to boost U.S. weather forecasting capabilities.

PlanetiQ currently provides GNSS-RO data to NOAA NESDIS under the agency’s previous commercial data contract vehicle. The company’s most recent task order, announced in August, provides GNSS-RO and ionospheric data and bridges the transition to the new SBEM contract.

About PlanetiQ

PlanetiQ provides the highest-quality GNSS radio occultation (RO) data available from a commercial constellation of satellites, offering unmatched temporal and spatial resolution. The data drive accurate, high-impact weather and climate forecast models, helping improve Numerical Weather Prediction and AI forecasts, safeguard lives and property from severe weather. In 2025, PlanetiQ was awarded NOAA’s largest-ever contract for satellite weather data, valued at $24.3 million. PlanetiQ is a space-tech company that serves the most mission-critical government, defense, and industry leaders, including international weather agencies, enabling more resilient operations across sectors. Founded in 2015 and privately owned, PlanetiQ designs, builds, and operates the preeminent commercial constellation of GNSS-RO satellites, setting the standard for precision and reliability in atmospheric monitoring. For more information, contact info@planetiq.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/planetiq-selected-for-noaas-space-based-environmental-monitoring-idiq-302876567.html

SOURCE PlanetiQ

Continue Reading

Trending