Latest news with #AmericanExpress
Associated Press
3 hours ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Cook Travel Becomes Trailblazer, Accepting Bitcoin for Tours and Airline Tickets
This groundbreaking move positions Cook Travel as the only major travel agency to embrace cryptocurrency for travel services NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, June 28, 2025 / / -- Cook Travel will now accept Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for premium tours and airline tickets. This groundbreaking move positions Cook Travel as the only major travel agency to embrace cryptocurrency for travel services, offering clients a modern way to book travel experiences. As a spinoff from the renowned Thomas Cook and a former American Express Representative Excellence Award winner, Cook Travel has specialized in discount First and business-class travel since 1983. New York Times: ' (Cook Travel)… are both reputable consolidators.' Wall Street Journal: 'Established discount travel agencies like Cook Travel… save clients money by passing along volume discounts and finding novel routing options.' Consumer Reports: 'recently offered a nonstop business-class fare for over 40 percent off.' Over the last five decades, the agency has remained steadfastly committed to providing customers with exceptional concierge service at discounted rates, leveraging savings from consolidator fares and tour packages offered by most major airlines. This unique approach allows Cook Travel to provide significant savings on luxurious travel options, including tours, cruises, and Business Class airline tickets. 'We are thrilled to be at the forefront of the travel industry by accepting Bitcoin,' said Molly O'Brian, spokesperson. 'This is not just about staying current with payment trends; it's about providing our clients with flexible and secure payment options that cater to evolving preferences.' 'Beyond flexible, cutting-edge payment options, we've noticed our First and Business class customers increasingly want to deal with a human being. Not with an AI bot or a complicated, spammy booking engine,' O'Brien observes. In an era where person-to-person service is disappearing, Cook distinguishes itself by assigning every customer an individual luxury travel specialist at no cost. Clients can expect a concierge experience without the hassle of dealing with pesky long wait times and irritating elevator music. The days of hour-long holds are over when dealing with Cook Travel, which also proudly boasts no hidden booking fees. With its commitment to customer satisfaction and innovation, Cook Travel continues to offer luxury for less for discerning clients. 'Our clients are really smart,' O'Brien gushes. 'They keep us on our toes, they're hungry for deals, and now, by accepting Bitcoin and other cybercurrencies, our agency is not only enhancing its service offerings but also setting a new standard in the travel industry.' About Cook Travel Founded in 1983, Cook Travel specializes in discounted First and Business Class travel. As a spinoff from Thomas Cook, the agency has established itself as a leader in luxury travel services, ensuring each client receives personalized attention from dedicated travel consultants. Cook Travel offers a wide range of travel options, including tours, cruises, and airline tickets, all at competitive prices. To learn more, Cook Travel call 800-435-8776 or visit [email protected]. In Europe email [email protected]. **Media Contact:** Blake Cordoves 917 514 6958 [email protected] ### END ### Blake cordoves Cook Travel +1 800-435-8776 email us here Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
Scotsman
5 hours ago
- Business
- Scotsman
Are you one of the UK's most inspiring local businesses?
Impressive UK small business owners are being urged to put themselves forward for a nationwide search to find the country's 100 most inspirational small businesses. Free weekly newsletter Join our weekly YourWorld newsletter for updates, behind-the-scenes insights from our editors and your chance to shape what's next. Free weekly newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Organisers behind the UK's Small Business Saturday campaign are calling on amazing entrepreneurs across the country to apply to be featured on this year's SmallBiz100 line-up, which highlights Britain's most vibrant and inspiring small businesses as part of the official countdown to the campaign on 6 December. Small Business Saturday is the UK's most successful small business campaign, which takes place each year on the first weekend in December, celebrating small businesses and encouraging consumers to shop small and support businesses in their communities. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Small businesses are the heart and soul of our local communities and deserve much greater recognition, especially after all the resilience they've shown in the face of recent challenges,' said Michelle Ovens CBE, director of Small Business Saturday UK. Small Business Saturday is the UK's most successful small business campaign, which takes place each year on the first weekend in December, this year on 6 December 'So if you are a local business owner doing great things please step forward and tell us your story! Or if you know an amazing small business making a difference in your community, please encourage them to apply.' Small Business Saturday is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign that was originally founded by American Express in the U.S. in 2010, and the brand remains the principal supporter of Small Business Saturday in the UK. This year, new joint American Express and Small Business Saturday UK research has shown that 68% of UK SMEs feel their business is resilient, with almost three quarters targeting growth this year, highlighting a real opportunity to support small businesses' optimism and upbeat outlook. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Since the Small Business Saturday campaign started in the UK in 2013, over 1000 small businesses have been featured in the campaign's SmallBiz100, with firms from virtually all areas of the country and sectors represented. Last year businesses featured on the SmallBiz100 included a London-based yoga studio, a spice kit business from Essex, as well as a financial education consultancy from Scotland. For example, Angela Bush, co-founder of House of Amitié, a marbling and homewares business, said: 'Being chosen as one of the SmallBiz100 in 2024 provided us with a huge boost - both in confidence and financially. My co-founder Jemma and I would really recommend applying to be one of the SmallBiz100 this year, as you never know where it might lead you.' On Small Business Saturday customers across the UK go out and support all types of small businesses, from independent shops and restaurants to small service businesses. Entrepreneurs can get involved in the day by posting on social channels, offering promotions, and even collaborating with other small businesses for events. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Small Business Saturday attracts huge attention on the day itself, but has an impact that lasts all year round. Last year, the campaign saw extensive media coverage, as well as public support from the Prime Minister, leader of the opposition, the Mayor of London, and over 90% of the nation's local councils. Dan Edelman, general manager, UK Merchant Services at American Express, said: 'Up and down the UK, small businesses bring so much to local communities, delighting their customers every day. That's why we continue to champion them through our ongoing support of Small Business Saturday, and by encouraging our Cardmembers to shop small all year round.' For the chance to be featured in this year's SmallBiz100 small businesses can submit an application before 30 June 2025, by heading to the Small Business Saturday website:
Scotsman
7 hours ago
- Business
- Scotsman
Are you one of the UK's most inspiring local businesses?
Impressive UK small business owners are being urged to put themselves forward for a nationwide search to find the country's 100 most inspirational small businesses. Free weekly newsletter Join our weekly YourWorld newsletter for updates, behind-the-scenes insights from our editors and your chance to shape what's next. Free weekly newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Organisers behind the UK's Small Business Saturday campaign are calling on amazing entrepreneurs across the country to apply to be featured on this year's SmallBiz100 line-up, which highlights Britain's most vibrant and inspiring small businesses as part of the official countdown to the campaign on 6 December. Small Business Saturday is the UK's most successful small business campaign, which takes place each year on the first weekend in December, celebrating small businesses and encouraging consumers to shop small and support businesses in their communities. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Small businesses are the heart and soul of our local communities and deserve much greater recognition, especially after all the resilience they've shown in the face of recent challenges,' said Michelle Ovens CBE, director of Small Business Saturday UK. Small Business Saturday is the UK's most successful small business campaign, which takes place each year on the first weekend in December, this year on 6 December 'So if you are a local business owner doing great things please step forward and tell us your story! Or if you know an amazing small business making a difference in your community, please encourage them to apply.' Small Business Saturday is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign that was originally founded by American Express in the U.S. in 2010, and the brand remains the principal supporter of Small Business Saturday in the UK. This year, new joint American Express and Small Business Saturday UK research has shown that 68% of UK SMEs feel their business is resilient, with almost three quarters targeting growth this year, highlighting a real opportunity to support small businesses' optimism and upbeat outlook. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Since the Small Business Saturday campaign started in the UK in 2013, over 1000 small businesses have been featured in the campaign's SmallBiz100, with firms from virtually all areas of the country and sectors represented. Last year businesses featured on the SmallBiz100 included a London-based yoga studio, a spice kit business from Essex, as well as a financial education consultancy from Scotland. For example, Angela Bush, co-founder of House of Amitié, a marbling and homewares business, said: 'Being chosen as one of the SmallBiz100 in 2024 provided us with a huge boost - both in confidence and financially. My co-founder Jemma and I would really recommend applying to be one of the SmallBiz100 this year, as you never know where it might lead you.' On Small Business Saturday customers across the UK go out and support all types of small businesses, from independent shops and restaurants to small service businesses. Entrepreneurs can get involved in the day by posting on social channels, offering promotions, and even collaborating with other small businesses for events. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Small Business Saturday attracts huge attention on the day itself, but has an impact that lasts all year round. Last year, the campaign saw extensive media coverage, as well as public support from the Prime Minister, leader of the opposition, the Mayor of London, and over 90% of the nation's local councils. Dan Edelman, general manager, UK Merchant Services at American Express, said: 'Up and down the UK, small businesses bring so much to local communities, delighting their customers every day. That's why we continue to champion them through our ongoing support of Small Business Saturday, and by encouraging our Cardmembers to shop small all year round.'
Forbes
8 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
Best Buy Appoints Neal Sample As New Technology Chief To Boost Digital Strategy
A Best Buy retail store Best Buy has named Neal Sample as its new chief digital and technology officer, bringing in a seasoned executive with a wide-ranging background to accelerate the company's digital transformation. He will start on July 14, 2025 Sample most recently served as executive vice president and CIO at Walgreens Boots Alliance, where he held the role for just under two years. That was proceeded by the CIO post at Northwestern Mutual and being promoted from CIO to COO of Express Scripts prior to its purchase by Cigna. He is also a past Group President of Enterprise Growth at American Express. Sample also has a PhD in Computer Science from Stanford University. Neal Sample He succeeds Brian Tilzer, who joined Best Buy in 2018 and carried the title of Chief Digital, Analytics, and Technology Officer of the company. He joined Best Buy after having been the Chief Digital Officer of CVS Health. In a note to employees, CEO Corie Barry praised Sample's breadth of experience across both traditional and tech-driven organizations. 'Neal has a unique background, having spent time in legacy businesses as well as in high-tech and digitally native companies,' Barry wrote, the latter referring to Sample's stints at the likes of eBay and Yahoo!. She also noted that his leadership approach is expected to help Best Buy move 'with greater speed, clarity and conviction.' 'I'm thrilled to join Best Buy at such a pivotal moment,' Sample underscored. 'It's a brand I've long admired with a strong foundation and a clear commitment to innovation. I'm excited to partner with the team to accelerate digital initiative and deliver increasing value to customers.' The leadership change comes as Best Buy works to sharpen its digital edge in an increasingly competitive consumer electronics landscape. Peter High is President of Metis Strategy, a business and IT advisory firm. He has written three bestselling books, including his latest Getting to Nimble. He also moderates the Technovation podcast series and speaks at conferences around the world. Follow him on Twitter @PeterAHigh.
CNBC
9 hours ago
- Business
- CNBC
We're raising our price targets on 5 stocks — and cutting our outlook on another
Every weekday, the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer releases the Homestretch — an actionable afternoon update, just in time for the last hour of trading on Wall Street. Markets: The S & P 500 is rallying to a new record high on Friday, though the index came off its best levels of the day after President Donald Trump said on Truth Social that he has ended trade talks with Canada due to concerns about digital services taxes on U.S. tech companies. Still, it has been an exceptional week for the broader market. As tensions in the Middle East eased, oil prices plunged, interest rates declined, and stocks surged. Some of the biggest winners this week were in tech and AI -infrastructure related stocks. But the financials had an impressive week, too. We'll see the results of the Fed's annual stress test later Friday. Some Wall Street analysts expect Club name Wells Fargo to be among the biggest winners . Price target changes: We're making a handful of changes to our price targets on portfolio stocks. Apple : We are lowering our price target to $240 a share from $280 to reflect some of our recent concerns that a demand pull-forward from people buying iPhones ahead of tariffs could moderate sales in the quarters ahead. We've also expressed frustration about how Apple is allocating too much capital to stock buybacks, when those funds could be more effectively used to accelerate its lagging AI initiatives. Capital One Financial : We are increasing our price target to $250 from $210. As we talked about on Friday's Morning Meeting, the stock still trades at a huge discount to peer American Express , and maybe it shouldn't since Capital One now also operates a closed-loop network – meaning it issues its own cards and runs its own payment network, just like American Express. Based on 2026 earnings per share estimates, Capital One is trading at an 11 multiple while AXP trades at 18. We're not arguing for parity, necessarily. But if Capital One re-rates to 13 times earnings, still a five-turn discount to American Express, as it proves the benefits of the Discover deal, then we're talking about stock trading at about $250 based on the consensus earnings per share estimate of $19.32. CrowdStrike : We are nudging up our price target to $520 from $500. This higher price target reflects the higher price-to-earning multiple the best of breed cybersecurity companies continue to deserve in the market. Although we are raising our price target, we remain mindful of the run the stock has had this year. This was the main reason why we trimmed this position earlier in the week. GE Vernova : We are increasing our price target to $550 from $500. GE Vernova's valuation may look stretched, but the stock keeps powering higher due to the heavy investment needed to power AI data centers around the world. The robust demand for the company's gas turbines and electric grid solutions should translate to strong pricing power for many years. The company remains a potential winner from future trade deals and should benefit from the Trump administration's push to boost energy supply to power AI. Goldman Sachs : We are increasing our price to $725 from $615. We continue to see Goldman Sachs as one of the biggest beneficiaries of an improving initial public offering market, as well as an increase in mergers-and-acquisitions activity. The big banks could also get a boost from looser regulations , as we wrote Thursday. Meta Platforms : We are raising our price target to $800 from $700. A pair of separate bullish analysts raised their Meta price target above $800 this week, and we want to be right there with them because the social media giant has been one of the best at using AI to generate more revenue. Next week: There are no companies in the portfolio scheduled to report earnings next week. On the data side, it will be a jobs-week, which means we'll see the ADP employment report Wednesday morning, as well as the all-important nonfarm payroll report. The jobs report will be on Thursday, not the usual Friday, because the market is closed on July 4 in observation of Independence Day. A few other key data reports are the Institute for Supply Management's manufacturing and services activity indexes for the month of June. (See here for a full list of the stocks in Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.
