Air France KLM Flying Blue offers ‘promo awards’ at 50% off with the specific cities varying throughout the year. Several programs transfer to Flying Blue including American Express Membership Rewards, where points transfer instantly. (Back in February they even had a transfer bonus.) They add fuel surcharges to awards. I almost always find premium cabin awards to be a better value than coach, but airlines (like most non-U.S. frequent flyer programs) that add fuel surcharges to awards are almost never worth redeeming coach award tickets with. That’s because you wind up spending a good chunk of the cost of a paid ticket even when spending miles. Even with 50% off promo awards, coach redemptions aren’t a great value, but at least they’re somewhat more palatable. Business class awards become especially worthwhile, despite having to come…
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30,000 Delta Miles for New Suntrust Bank Checking Account with Debit Card
Despite the Durbin Amendment, Suntrust bank appears to be getting back into the mileage-earning debit card game with Delta, albeit briefly. The card is available on several checking account products and has a $75 annual fee. It earns 1 mile per dollar on both PIN and signature-based purchases, 2 miles per dollar on Delta purchases. Through June 30 there are enrollment bonuses: Opening a new qualifying checking account with direct deposit earns 15,000 miles. (Direct deposit must be $100 or more per transaction, sometimes transfers in from Paypal count as direct deposit but that’s clearly not the intention here. The terms and conditions don’t specify how long direct deposit must be in place, likely best to leave it in place until these miles post.) Opening that account with this debit card earns an additional 15,000…
Kip Hawley Chat Rescheduled: Come Meet (Online) the Former Head of the TSA Wednesday May 9 at 9pm Eastern
Some of you speculated that the chat was being rescheduled for lots of interesting reasons.. For instance, He got scared. And he… …got delayed at the check in because of the need to take off shoes, jacket, throw away liquids that were 4 ounces etc… Well, it turns out the it’s been pushed to the same day and time, just the following week. The chat will be here and you can sign up for an email reminder as well. This is the guy who gave us the liquids ban. He seems to have had a change of heart. But he blames the bureaucracy for the security theatre we face today. I personally can’t wait to get online and have this discussion.
Kip Hawley Chat Moved to Next Week
Looks like a scheduling issue. This just in from Randy Petersen, “Will advise as soon as we get new confirmation but trying for same everything, just one week later.” Stay tuned and truly apologize for the inconvenience.
Tonight! Live Online Chat with Former TSA Head Kip Hawley
Don’t Forget! Tonight is the live Milepoint frequent flyer community online chat with former TSA Administrator Kip Hawley. The chat will be at… 9pm Eastern 8pm Central 7pm Mountain 6pm Pacific Definitely a can’t miss.
Strategic Use of Free Survey-for-Miles Websites
E-Rewards used to be much more lucrative than it is today, largely because they used to give more ‘e-Rewards dollars’ for shorter surveys, my impression is that compared to 5 years ago the payouts are lower. I admit I get bored of surveys, so I avoid taking them. And the one constraint I have over anything else is time. Survey sites aren’t especially lucrative relative to the time it takes to complete the surveys. But for folks with time on their hands, surveys can be a great way to earn ‘free’ miles. And there are several sites which offer it. What’s more, despite finding the surveys annoying, I actually do participate just enough to earn the minimum necessary to transfer to frequent flyer miles so that I can leverage the points as part of a…
Bits ‘n Pieces for May 1, 2012
FTD is offering 30 United miles per dollar plus 250 points per order. I love buying flowers online, it often works out to being about the cost of buying miles directly from an airline and the flowers are free! (One way to look at it, another is if you need reimbursable/expense-able business gifts…) Pizza In Motion has plenty of details and video from the inaugural Japan Airlines 787 Boston – Tokyo flights. He finds that the aircraft really does make a difference in long-haul flying, suggesting that he felt far less beat up at the end of the journey and less dehydrated. I’m skeptical, but only based on my own priors, and I can’t wait to fly in it myself! The Starwood summer promotion I wrote about in detail a couple of weeks back is…
Your Chance to Speak Your Mind on Airport Security
… directly to the guy who gave us much of what we endure today. As noted last week, former TSA administrator Kip Hawley will appear on Laugh In (“Sock it to me!”), err Milepoint at 9pm Eastern tomorrow night. The event page is here, you can also sign up for an email reminder. I call the 1 quart ziploc bag within which my 3 ounce liquids are supposed to go a “Freedom Baggie.” Others refer to it as a “kippie,” named for Kip Hawley. I know I’ll let him know what I think, and hear what he has to say, especially considering that he seems to have had a change of heart…
Debating The Points Guy on the Value of Delta Skymiles at Frequent Traveler University
Frequent Traveler University had some really outstanding moments, The Points Guy posted a video of his talk about Delta Skymiles. He was debating me on their merits, I wish someone had filmed my counterpoint. I certainly see value in the program. But I advanced the argument that the program is on the whole less lucrative than United’s, American’s, Delta’s, or Alaska’s, while conceding that it works better for me than Southwest’s or Frontier’s. My basic arguments were as follows: Their pricing engine is broken. A US-Australia award may be 150,000 miles roundtrip in business class, and it may be that the award is supposed to include flights inside the US to the international gateway city when those segments are available at the ‘low’ level, but Delta often prices it additively anyway. You’ll often see 45,000…
British Airways Status Matching of bmi Elites is Now Live
British Airways has acquired British Midland, and now they’ve made available the website to match bmi Diamond Club elite status to equivalent status in the British Airways Executive Club program. I’m a bmi Gold elite member, and am working through my best strategy here. The primary value for me in BA’s Gold status will be that I’ll receive access to American’s Flagship lounges even on domestic US itineraries, I don’t otherwise have much use for BA Gold as an American Executive Platinum. I do not intend to requalify as a British Airways elite. I’m looking for a non-U.S. Star Alliance program to reach Star Gold status with, preferably one that bonuses premium cabin fares and has a reasonable award chart. I do like that Asiana status can last up to 4 years and that their…
