News and notes from around the interweb: Back in March Alitalia was offering up to 6000 miles for joining. That offer is offer, but Jim N. points out that there’s still 2000 miles on offer just for signing up. Your tips about Fresno, California as an “underrate, overtraveled” destination could win you a prize pack from National Car Rental. This has likely the fewest entries of any contest I’ve run in the past years. Gee, I wonder why…? But it also means there isn’t as much competition to win! I’m honored to again be included in Conde’ Nast Traveler’s World’s Top Travel Specialists for my award booking service. They even have a page detailing the recommendation. My partner Steve and I have booked hundreds of millions of miles worth of premium cabin international awards at…
About Gary Leff
United Introduces Mercedes Tarmac Transfers in Houston
United has launched a pilot program to offer VIP tarmac transportation to some Global Services and international first class passengers via Mercedes. This new service started yesterday. So far this test program is limited to Houston only, and they have only two vehicles so it won’t be available to many customers at this point. Passengers will not know until they arrive at Houston whether they will receive the benefit. The airline says passengers will not know in advance whether they’ll be selected until they arrive in Houston. A Global First customer service representative will meet the passenger on the jet bridge and then escort them to a waiting Mercedes Benz sedan or SUV below. Then a chauffeur will drive them to their next gate. This follows a Delta playbook, they began tarmac transfers via Porsche…
Mark Your Calendar for a Live Chat with the Heads of Hyatt Gold Passport and MGM M Life
Milepoint is hosting a live chat on Tuesday, August 20 and 9pm Eastern (8pm Central, 7pm Mountain, 6pm Pacific). Joining will be Jeff Zidell (Hyatt) and Scott Voeller (MGM). Obviously of immediate relevant is Hyatt’s new partnership with M Life that allows Gold Passport members to earn and redeem — and receive status recognition at — 12 Las Vegas MGM properties (and allows M Life members to earn tier credits and receive recognition with Hyatt). But it’s a great opportunity as well to engage with two industry executives and get your questions answered. You can ask questions live, or pre-submit them online. The event will take place here, and you can also sign up for an email reminder. Thanks to Milepoint co-founder Ed Pizzarello of the Pizza in Motion blog for setting this up! You…
A Lesson About When to Use Miles and Points — And Why Award Charts are Good, Revenue-Based Awards are Bad
Dan’s Deals writes, “You Can Use Hyatt Points At 13 MGM Hotels In Las Vegas. No, It’s (Generally) Not A Good Deal” The Hyatt-MGM Deal Opens Up More of the Las Vegas Markets to Points Last month Hyatt announced a new partnership with MGM’s M Life program. You can earn and redeem Hyatt Gold Passport points at 12 MGM resorts in Las Vegas, and stays at those properties count towards Gold Passport status. (Stays at Hyatt properties can be used towards status at MGM properties for folks chasing that.) Beginning next month the two programs will start offering reciprocal status recognition, as well. Dan points out that Las Vegas hotels are often quite inexpensive, and that when rooms are cheap you won’t get a good value out of redeeming Gold Passport points. That’s true of…
Last Night I Defended Delta on The Colbert Report
Back in December I wrote up my stay at the Morgan’s Group’s The Hudson hotel, and explained I had stayed there the night before shooting a television show. The Colbert Report folks set up the reservation, so I was staying somewhere I didn’t have status, something I’m not used to. And while it was probably a great hotel for the price (under $300) on a night where hotels in the city generally were close to sold out, it was the first time I had stayed somewhere without status in Manhattan in a Very. Long. Time. I wasn’t used to what ‘normal-szed’ hotel rooms in the city are like (miniature furniture to make the room seem larger, and while there were two TVs they were close enough that the remote control would turn them both on…
Today Only: Buy Large Blocks of United Miles, Get Elite Status (and More)
Wall & Main is a new venture capital business that is crowdfunding itself, looking for initial investors that they’re going to reward with large numbers of miles. The project launches today, and there’s a news conference set for early afternoon Eastern time that I won’t be able to call into because of some pre-existing obligations. But Milepoint broke news of their deal a bit early in their e-mail newsletter, since the best deals are available only today. The offer page lists several benefits packages, but not including today’s additional premiums. In addition to a number of smaller value items, they show: 1 million United miles at the $30,000 level 500,000 United miles at the $15,000 level 250,000 United miles at the $7500 level 150,000 United miles at the $4500 level That’s a bit below what…
Is Citi Thank You Premier Getting Devalued… Again?
Years ago you could get Citibank to buy you a ticket at any price if you met the conditions of the Thank You points program. People would manage to buy themselves $8000 coach tickets to Japan, cancel, and retain the airline credit. Not surprising that they shut down that sort of gaming by implementing maximum ticket values into their award chart. The sweet spot used to be redeeming for business class tickets inside the US and Canada at a value of 3 cents per point — 90,000 points bought a ticket of “up to” $2700. The trick people came up with was a ‘business class’ (rather than first class-marketed) flight to Canada for as close to $2700 as possible, plus taxes. As long as one segment was refundable, then cancel the ticket and retain a…
Bits ‘n Pieces for July 15, 2013
News and notes from around the interweb: JetBlue is introducing social media ‘badges’ that earn real points and there are opportunities to earn up to 4000 points for free. How to get up to 5/8ths of your Vanilla Reload purchase fees rebated at 7-11. Korean Air first and business class passengers arriving in Seoul can now use sauna and fitness facilities at the Hyatt Regency Incheon. No doubt it’s a nicer option than current lounges (which work fine for connecting passengers) and offers something as an arrivals experience, but the need to take a shuttle to the hotel limits the usefulness I think. Although if I had an all day connection and didn’t want to take a transit tour I suppose it would be nice to pass through immigration and get out of the airport.…
United and Marriott Offer New Reciprocal Benefits – RewardsPlus Gives United Gold Elites Marriott Gold!
United and Marriott today launched a partnership called RewardsPlus. In some ways similar to Starwood and Delta’s Crossover Rewards announced in February, the program adds status recognition and some stepped up points benefits for elites in both programs. But unlike Starwood-Delta, points-earning has not been boosted under this new offering. United’s Gold elites and higher get Gold status in the Marriott Rewards program. That’s actually a pretty strong benefit (albeit one you can get by signin up for the Ritz-Carlton Rewards Visa) in that it usually takes 50 nights with Marriott to qualify. All Marriott Platinum and Platinum Premier members get United silver status. United elites will be able to convert miles into Marriott points at a 1:1 ratio, although this represents a poor transfer value (since a United mile is generally worth more than…
Celebrate Bastille Day By Planning Your Trip to France!
Today — on Bastille Day — you can travel to France even while staying at home. (Or, as the French celebrate on this day, La Fête Nationale.) The storming of the Bastille is a purely symbolic moment, and had little role either in the practical success of the French Revolution and little relation to revolutionary ideals. The crowd initially went to the Bastille in search of gunpowder. Most prisoners had already been removed, there simply weren’t political prisoners there to be freed. And as a symbolic moment, it’s perfect for a day dreaming moment — celebrate France by thinking about a visit there, about French food and wine, where you’d stay, and how you’d (book your award to) get there. Get yourself there before Cola-flavored wine takes hold! Now, the US and France have an…
