Yesterday I posted a link to an Alaska Airlines Visa offer of 30,000 miles with first purchase, an improvement on the usual offer of 25,000 miles. Jared at Online Travel Review came up with one even better, 35,000 miles as a signup bonus. That’s the second best bonus for the card I’ve ever seen (last June there was a 40,000 mile bonus offer). There’s no minimum spend requirement for the points. Bank of America cards are generally churnable. And while there’s a $75 annual fee (no first year fee waiver, Bank of America cards don’t generally offer first year free), you get a $99+tax oompanion ticket that is good for any seat on any flight, I’ve used it with a paid first class ticket to Hawaii, getting the second first class ticket for just over…
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Maximizing Miles in the Maldives: Cathay First, Eating in Singapore, and a Park Hyatt Water Villa – Maldivian, Kaadehdhoo – Male
Introduction Positioning flights to San Francisco, Sheraton Fisherman’s Wharf, and Some Dim Sum for the Day Cathay’s New San Francisco Lounge Cathay Pacific First Class, San Francisco – Hong Kong The Wing and Cathay Pacific First Class, Hong Kong – Singapore A Grand Suite at the Grand Hyatt Singapore Eating in Singapore Dinner at Waku Ghin, Marina Bay Sands Singapore Airlines Business Class: Singapore – Male Transfer to the Park Hyatt Hadahaa, Maldives Park Hyatt Maldives – Part I Park Hyatt Maldives – Part II Park Hyatt Maldives – Part III Maldivian, Kaadehdhoo – Male Singapore Airlines Business Class, Male – Singapore Cathay Pacific Business Class, Singapore – Hong Kong Conrad Hong Kong Cathay Pacific First Class, Hong Kong – Chicago American’s Chicago Flagship Lounge and the Final Journey Home We put on our life…
Up to ~ 50,000 Flying Blue Miles for Avis 3-Day Rentals
Via Loyalty Lobby, Avis has brought back up to 50,000 Flying Blue bonus for 3-Day rentals. Downsides are (1) that last year’s promo was fraught with problems getting bonus miles posted, and (2) that it requires using a discount code that often bumps up the price of the rental. But if prices are close for your specific rentals, and you’re willing to save your receipts (easy to do, I always get mine by email within minutes of dropping off the vehicle), then it’s a lucrative offer. From April 1 through September 30, you’ll earn progressively more Flying Blue bonus miles on each 3-day (or longer) rental. Reservations must be made using a Flying Blue AWD number: Ivory members F982700; Silver members F982800; Gold members F982900; Platinum members F983000 or with an Air France Flying Blue…
30,000 Mile Signup Bonus for Alaska Airlines Visa
There’s a new offer for an Alaska Airlines Visa with a 30,000 mile signup bonus. This is interesting for several reasons. Last June there was a 40,000 mile bonus, that’s been long gone, and the best offer I’ve been otherwise aware of has been 25,000 miles. So this is a bit better. Bank of America cards are generally churnable, I’ve had more than one Alaska card for instance. The bonus is awarded with first purchase, there’s no minimum spend requirement, so easy to get the bonus. The best card offers are usually from Chase, American Express, and Citibank. Good offers from other issuers — like Bank of America, Barclays, etc. — are really useful when planning a credit card churn. The card also comes with a $99 (+tax) companion ticket, the second passenger is treated…
12 Airline Lounge Visits for $20 at Your Choice of Lounge
There’s a great, really useful post on Milepoint that I thought I had blogged about months ago but I couldn’t find a post when searching so I must have only thought I shared. The Milepoint post outlines how to use the SkyGuide Executive Privilege Club, at $20 for a year, to secure free lounge access and some various and sundry other privileges. (I may have need to buy lounge access for some domestic South America flights, hoping for a shower after an overnight arrival.) The program will reimburse you for up to 12 airport lounge day passes. At ~ $50 each, that’s $600 of reimbursements for $20. They also provide reimbursement of health club passes (12 per year up to $25 each). Sign up for membership using one of the links below. $19.99 per year…
Citi Card Offering 5 Points Per Dollar on All Spend for 6 Months
I used to really like the Chase AARP card, it offered 5% cash back on all spending for the first six months, it was great to get if you were about to do a major home improvement project or pay a huge tax bill. Sadly the 5% cash back isn’t offered on that anymore, but a reader passes along that Citi has a no annual fee Thank You Preferred Card offer of 5 Thank You Points per dollar spent on all purchases for the first six months. Given the expectation that Citi Thank You Points will become transferable to airline miles (eg Singapore Airlines, British Airways, possibly even American) in the coming weeks or months, this could be even more valuable. It’s possible the transfer option will be limited to cardholders with specific flavors of…
April 23 Daily Getaway: Cheap Hotel Stays or Airline Miles from Wyndham
On Monday I wrote about the first two weeks of Daily Getaway offers from American Express and the US Travel Association. The really wasn’t anything I found enticing. The concept is that there are a limited number of items available for each offer, deep discounts on travel packages that you can pre-purchase. But the first two weeks of deals weren’t things I’d want to prepay for, either because the items didn’t interest me (20% discount on Marriott Travel Cards — great for frequent Marriott guests) or because they weren’t so deeply discounted (you can buy Priority Club points just as cheaply any time you wish by booking and cancelling cash and points awards). Via Mommy Points, the Daily Deals week 3 offers have been released. On Wedmesday, April 25 you can buy Hilton HHonors points…
British Midland to Leave Star Alliance April 20th
On bmi’s Facebook page they’ve posted some details on their expected exit from Star Alliance. The sale of the airline from Lufthansa to British Airways’ parent is expect to close on April 20, at which time bmi will no longer be a Star Alliance member though they plan to work on some period of transition for Star Alliance benefits, and tickets booked prior to April 20th for travel after that point using miles will of course be honored. The specific April 20 date could slip, but that’s the best information as of now. I have perhaps 70,000 miles in my account, I probably won’t get around to burning those in the next two weeks, and sadly they’ll eventually become Avios unless I come up with a brilliant plan for them. In response to the queries…
65,000 Miles for Virgin Atlantic Credit Card Signup
Another big fuel surcharge carrier, Virgin Atlantic, has a new co-branded credit card offer from Bank of America: 20,000 miles after first purchase 2,500 miles for each of the first two authorized users added to your account. 25,000 miles after $2,500 spend within 90 days 15,000 miles after one year: 7,500 for $15,000 spend within the anniversary year and an additional 7,500 if you hit $25,000 spend within the anniversary year. The previous best offer was similar, 50,000 miles — which I just signed up for myself — but without the 15,000 miles on card anniversary. Those miles may not be enough to incentivize keeping the card, however. So I really don’t consider myself to have lost much applying for a version of the card that doesn’t include this. Bank of America cards are generally…
News and Notes for the Evening of April 3, 2012
AAdvantageGeek links to an American Airlines double elite qualifying miles offer between Dallas and Boston. Register prior to travel, the offer is valid between April 3 and June 30. A strike against new market entrant JetBlue! Lucky points out that Delta has apparently resolved the ‘glitch’ that made it impossible for Skymiles members to book Air France or KLM business class award seats that those partner airlines were offering. Strangely, the problem had been resolved at the Asia call centers days earlier. But certainly good news that there’s no need for the Singapore and Hong Kong workaround. New Girl in the Air says that Hertz will waive under 25 year old driver fees through June 30 using code 144314.
