Last night I was fortunate to have dinner with Mommy Points at one of my favorite restaurants in DC, the Blue Duck Tavern at the Park Hyatt. Food and service are good but it also has to be the best looking restaurant space in the City. And Hyatt now allows members to earn and redeem points at restaurants and spas even when not staying at the hotel. The only downside is the lighting, not ideal for picture taking, especially with a phone. But the food is excellent, I had the foie gras starter. And the braised beef rib as my entree. The apple pie is the diamond food amenity, for those top tier elites staying on property and opting not to take the points. I grabbed the check, I’m a full-time professional with a business…
About Gary Leff
Does it Make Sense to Spend Miles on Magazine Subscriptions?
Using miles for things other than travel has been an increasing trend, the loyalty programs have been offering several new options over the past few years — whether it’s redeeming miles for other travel like hotels and rental cars, or for LCD toasters. The idea is that miles are a general currency, they can be spent like money. Heavy travelers may not want more flights. And if there are limited award seats available getting members to spend miles on other things satisfies those members rather than frustrating them. But frequent flyer programs can buy saver awards (likely to go unsold, spoiling inventory) at a deep discount, a much deeper discount than they can buy toasters — especially since they’re not usually the ones in the fulfillment business actually warehousing and shipping the toaster. So merchandise…
Hyatt Place Fails to Learn the Lessons of 1938
The lessons of Munich in 1938, and the agreement that permitted Hitler’s annexation of Czechoslovakian territory which gave rise to what’s sometimes known as the ‘Munich Syndrome’, are often captured by the idea that “appeasement increases aggression.” The Hyatt Place Gallery menu really shouldn’t give in with palate-pleasing appetizers. They need to hold strong, or all of Europe might find itself embroiled in war. (Or, once appeased, guests may begin demanding ‘pallet’ pleasing drinks as well!)
50% Off Malaysia Airlines Awards
I realize I have a limited number of readers in Malaysia, most readers don’t have any miles in the Malaysia Airlines Enrich program. But it still seems worth mentioning that they’re offering a 50% discount on award redemptions for bookings made through December 31 and travel through June 30 (India travel must be completed by April 30). It’s worth discussing because Malaysia Airlines is set to join oneworld on February 1. Their award chart is distance-based, and not inexpensive. While this promotion isn’t combinable, there’s usually a 15% discount for online award booking (similar to what Singapore Airlines offers to its Krisflyer members). And the program offers 1000 miles at signup. Malaysia is a Hilton and Priority Club transfer partner, and you can earn points with Avis and Hertz rentals.
Registration for April’s Frequent Traveler University is Now Open
On Monday I shared the dates for April’s Frequent Traveler University event: April 26-28 at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner. There’s an upcoming (sold out) Frequent Traveler University at the Sheraton LAX, November 30 – December 2. Four hundred folks will be attending to talk about frequent flyer miles earning and burning with Ben Schlappig of the One Mile at a Time blog, Frequent Miler, MileValue, Pizza in Motion, Million Mile Secrets, and Wandering Aramean. And talking talking travel with Cranky Flierand representatives of loyalty programs. And the incomparable Randy Petersen. The lineup of speakers isn’t yet set for April. I’m charged with putting together the program, and won’t be firming things up until after the Los Angeles event. But I already have commitments from Ben Schlappig of One Mile at a Time again, and from Mommy Points. You can buy tickets here. (There…
American AAdvantage Double Miles and Elite Qualifying Miles: What it Means for You
American is offering double elite qualifying miles and double redeemable miles (Registration required.). Everyone earns double elite qualifying miles throughout November and December. Current elite members earn double redeemable miles as well for the entire promotion period. Current non-elite members receive double elite qualifying miles for all of November and December and double redeemable miles only between November 16 and November 26. The promotion code, AATHX, is the same for both offers. Here’s the non-elite offer description and the elite member offer description. Key rules: All published fares are eligible. Tickets purchased prior to registration are eligible — sometimes these promos apply only to travel booked after the offer was announced (to ensure they are rewarding only purchases whose decision was influenced by the offer) but this one is more generous. And as long as…
Get Big Cash Back Rebates on Your Hotel Bookings
Usually my favorite online shopping portal is the Chase Ultimate Rewards mall, both because the points earned are especially valuable (in large measure due to their flexibility and their lucrative transfer partners) and because the earning ratios tend to be really good. There are some online shopping portals that consistently just offer bad deals, this is not one of them. For most purchases I start at EV Reward, it’s a search engine where you look up the merchant you’re going to be buying from and it shows you the different deals that are on offer from the various mileage and cash back websites. That’s points or cash rebates you can get for the purchases you’re going to make anyway, just for starting at a shopping portal ad using their link to get to the online…
For Our Friends Up North: Bonuses for Converting RBC Rewards to British Airways and American
RBC rewards is offering a 50% bonus when you convert points into Avios through December 31. Through the end of November there is still a 25% bonus on transferring points to American. For most awards I prefer that greatly — for connecting itineraries, for long haul itineraries, in many cases premium cabin itineraries are much cheaper, and no fuel surcharges except on British Airways flights (and a very modest charge on Iberia).
American Airlines Bonus on Purchased Miles is Back
American is offering 2000 bonus miles per 6000 miles you purchase, up to 12,000 bonus miles total, through November 15th. That works out to be a one-third bonus (as long as you buy the right number of miles). That’s still too expensive, in my view, unless you specifically need to top off towards a particular award. Here’s how the cost breaks down: 36,000 miles purchased earns 12,000 bonus miles, for a total of 48,000 miles. That purchase costs $990 + 7.5% tax + $35 transaction fee, for a total of $1099.25. That comes to 2.3 cents per mile. Now, I value American miles highly. I love them for international first class awards on Cathay Pacific, Etihad, and British Airways (this last with fuel surcharges). And their distance-based awards can offer tremendous advantages. But buying an…
Bits ‘n Pieces for November 1, 2012
News and notes from around the interweb: Air Mauritius has become a partner of Air France KLM’s Flying Blue (story in French). Previously you could book Air France codeshare flights on Air Mauritius using Flying Blue miles, now you can book all Air Mauritius flights. This is especially useful because Flying Blue is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards (points transfer instantly, and with occasional transfer bonuses) as well as Starwood Preferred Guest. ING Direct, officially merged with Capital One today, will no longer charge foreign transaction fees on debit card purchases made outside the United States. Starwood is offering 50% off at hotels and resorts in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The site is currently showing a deal expiring November 11 for stays through February 28. However, a new offer is supposed to…
