Lots of folks reached out yesterday to let me know that Etihad awards are now bookable again with American AAdvantage miles. For instance I was pointed to this Traveling Better thread and @matthewsar tweeted me: Over the past month American has had technical problems booking Etihad award space and some folks even saw black helicopters about the end of American-Etihad partnership which I contended made no sense (at least that the technical glitch wouldn’t have been indicative of that, although I have no inside information about the two airlines’ happiness with the relationship). Some folks may consider this minor news. I see it as a big deal. Although American’s award routing rules can be restrictive especially through the Middle East (with the exception of some Qatar routings), Etihad offers some of the most generous award…
Monthly Archives
Monthly Archives for June 2014.
Update on Buying Stocks with a Credit Card, a HILARIOUS (true) Take on United, and Taxis Creating Demand for Uber
News and notes from around the interweb: Loyal3 lets you buy stocks and pay by credit card but they’ve reduced the maximum purchase amount from $2500 to $50 per stock. And you thought your last landing was rough: One killed when PIA plane was fired on during approach in Peshawar (HT: P.C.) Mike Rowe’s take on a United CR7 If the new all-business class New York-Paris service is too rich for you (even at prices starting at what other airlines charge for coach), you can find even cheaper all business class service on a Boeing 727 from Baku to Amsterdam. Really. Le Club Accorhotels is increasing earning rates for general members and Platinums. Taxis in DC are protesting Uber instead of picking up passengers. So if you’re not able to get a cab, you’re going…
There are 3 Great Alaska Airlines Visa Offers. Which is Best?
The Alaska Airlines Visa has long been a sleeper favorite. It’s from Bank of America, and it’s the best co-brand card they offer. Alaska Airlines miles are fantastic, they partner with members of more than one alliance, offer one-way awards with a stopover, and allow most partner awards to be booked online. I first got the card several years ago, and writing this post reminds me that I need to consider getting it again. There are several offers, including a new one where you make money on top of the mileage bonus for signup. I’ll look at which one is best.
One Week to Buy American Club Passes 42% Off, and Both American and US Clubs to Accept Each Others Passes
American let me know that they are going to start accepting Admirals Club passes at US Airways clubs, and US Airways club passes at American clubs, on July 2. So the club pass that you may have gotten from a US Airways credit card will work at American lounges And the club passes you can buy at for $29 instead of $50 on the US Airways website will be accepted at American lounges Meanwhile if you have one of those American club passes picked up at a lounge after showing your American Express Platinum card those will be good at US Airways lounges as well. Specifically, here’s the announcement: On July 2nd, all One-Day Passes will be valid in our combined network of nearly 60 Admirals Club and US Airways Club lounges worldwide and will…
American 100,000 Mile Signup Bonus May Not Be Gone, Here’s What to Do
Earlier today I wrote that the 100,000 mile signup offer for the Citi American Airlines Executive Card was no longer available after a nearly 5 month run. Dan’s Deals says this application still gives you the 100,000 mile signup bonus after $10,000 spend within 3 months, and a $200 statement credit after your first $200 in spend for this $450 annual fee that comes with American lounge access. That application page does not list the offer, so I cannot provide any assurances. And I have no insight about how long this application page will be function either. “Your mileage may vary” as they say. Here are the other great credit card bonuses expected to end soon. You can join the 40,000+ people who see these deals and analysis every day — sign up to receive…
The American AAdvantage 100,000 Mile Credit Card Bonus is Gone!
In my list of outstanding credit card bonus offers that won’t last I wrote that the Citi American Airlines Executive card’s 100,000 mile bonus offer wouldn’t be around long, indeed that I had been surprised it had lasted as long as it did (we had it around for nearly five months). That card had been number one on my list of best current signup bonuses. There are others that won’t last more than a few more days as well. Now that the Citi Executive card 100,000 mile offer is gone, I notice that the 75,000 mile signup bonus offer is gone, too. That leaves us with a 50,000 point bonus. At the card’s $450 price point I don’t find that attractive, except for people who really need to put $40,000 spend on the card to…
Delta Begins to Thaw Complimentary Upgrades on Premium Domestic Routes
Delta always used to be fantastic for domestic flyers looking to upgrade, but awful for anyone who cared about being bumped up to a better cabin internationally. Sure, they prioritized full fare over status (which United does now as well, since integrating with Continental) but they do give away unlimited complimentary upgrades and their domestic premium product is above average. But international upgrades — those required buying a nearly full fare “M” class economy ticket even to be able to play the upgrade lottery. You’d pay about as much as a discounted business class ticket to get on the upgrade list, and you wouldn’t get any money back if you didn’t clear the upgrade. Delta vastly improved their international upgrade policy for top tier elites but with a kicker.
Up to 100,000 Bonus Miles for American Flights to Asia
American is offering a bunch of bonus miles to goose their new Dallas – Hong Kong and Dallas – Shanghai flights as well as Chicago – Shanghai. Headline offers “up to 100,000 miles” are fun. But what it means is you can earn the bonus four times, for four roundtrips. You’d have to travel in paid premium classes in order to earn 25,000 points per trip though. Nonetheless, I like that even discount coach fares earn bonuses. Which means that anyone flying a paid ticket should be in a position to earn, and there’s no downside to registering. The offer is valid for travel between June 24 and December 6 — but only for tickets purchased June 24 onward, a restriction I do not like at all. They don’t want to spend extra money marketing…
Inside Gogo Inflight Internet’s “All Access” Day
I was invited out to visit Gogo, the inflight internet provider, for their ‘all access’ event the day before their investor day. For full disclosure, I opted to pay for my own flight and my own hotel stay but I did receive some swag (most of which I didn’t keep, and the balance of which I’m giving away) and did receive lunch and dinner as part of the day that went from 7:45am until about 10pm. There were about 35 people present, including Randy Petersen, JohnnyJet, and Wandering Aramean. Now, I’m not much of a techie. 20 years ago I fancied myself a bit of one, but things have just passed me by in the intervening decades. So I’m not able to independently verify claims about speed, or discourse at length on the pluses and…
Double Elite Nights, Travel With Models, and Get Miles for Getting More People to Track Their Points
News and notes from around the interweb: Double elite night credits from Ritz-Carlton. So should you choose to belong to Marriott Rewards or Ritz-Carlton Rewards? I use AwardWallet to track my miles and points. I’ve been recommending it for years, but never gave out my referral link for it (feel free to leave yours in the comments). Via Frequent Flyer University, AwardWallet referral points are now redeemable for airline miles. Chance to Win 3 Nights in New York and 200,000 American AAdvantage miles. This is a big sweepstakes campaign rolling out from Marriott in New York that we’ll be seeing all over Facebook, Tripadvisor, and elsewhere. I entered, and I don’t usually do these. Uber introduces #UberHottie in South Africa. Tap a button on your phone and you can ride with a good looking celebrity,…
