Amtrak is running a new promo (registration required) in the Northeast Corridor (from DC through New York and up to Boston). Every 3 roundtrips or 6 one-ways on Acela Express from January 10 through March 19 will earn a free Acela Express roundtrip. And every 2 roundtrips or 4 one-ways on Northeast Regional trains will earn a free Northeast Regional roundtrip. They’ve clamped down the ability to buy ultra-cheap segments and redeem them expensively by setting a minimum qualifying fare of $85 each way on Acela and $49 each way on regional. Free travel can be taken June 1 – August 31. And Acela award travel can’t take place before 9am or between 2pm and 6pm Monday through Friday, in other words more or less off-peak only. Not a huge bonanza, but a plus for…
Monthly Archives
Monthly Archives for January 2011.
Southwest’s New (Gutted) Frequent Flyer Program
It’s long been expected that Southwest would be rolling out a new frequent flyer program early in 2011. They’ve been getting fairly stingy as an airline across the board over the past year, they even started enforcing the expiration on their drink chits. I certainly expected the new program to be a gutting of the old one, and it apears to me that’s the case. Southwest introduced its new fare-based Rapid Rewards program today, moving from a credits system (based on segments flown) to a points system (based on dollars spent, with redemptions based on cost of paid airfare for the flight). Overall they align themselves more with the programs of other ‘low cost carriers’ like JetBlue and Virgin America rather than the mileage programs of major airlines. And while there’s a great deal of…
150 Free American Airlines Miles
Via MilesQuest, Bose is again offering American Airlines miles for learning more about, for testing, and for buying Bose products. It’s 150 miles for watching a video about their bluetooth headset. And as usual you don’t actually even have to watch the video. And the answer to their question is of course, “All of the above” (because they’re selling you on how awesome and feature-rich it is). You get 250 miles for going into a Bose store for a demonstration. And 400 miles if you buy the darned thing. Offer is valid through 1/17/11. When they offered something similar in October 2009 and in October 2008 the miles posted reliably.
The Willard Won’t Honor Status Benefits on Award Stays, and Why This Means the Priority Club Program Lags the Competition
A friend contacted me on the afternoon of New Years Eve after checking into the Willard in DC. They’re a Royal Ambassador member of Intercontinental Hotels, and that means they’re entitled to an upgrade ‘to an Executive Room or suite’. I’ve always received great upgrades in the past at the Willard, it’s usually automatic for a Royal Ambassador to be given a corner suite that’s basically two full rooms (with two bathrooms). Only once I was only given a “Willard Room,” an oval shaped room looking out at the monuments that amounts to a junior suite with a spectacular view but not a true suite. My friend was told that because they had used points for the stay that they wouldn’t receive any upgrade. They wanted to know from me if that was correct, or…
New Year Registration Reminders
Now that we’re into the New Year, a couple of registration reminders for promos that were announced in advance but that you have to return in order to register for:Register for Continental’s Mile-a-Thon promotion. Register for Starwood’s Great Weekends promotion.
