Earning 25,000 American miles has been quite common over the past couple of years. They’ve offered 25,000 Priority Club points in the past, as well. But I’ve never seen a bigger signup bonus for DirecTV than 30,000 United miles. The offer is valid on the ‘Entertainment’ package which starts at $29.99 per month (plus taxes) and requires a two year agreement. Still, at 30,000 miles buying this service gets you miles for not more than the cost of buying the miles outright, and you get DirecTV to boot. This is most ideal of course if you’re actually up for new TV service. Miles post in 6-8 weeks, and oddly enough (state laws can be so weird) no credit card is required in Massachusetts or Pennsylvania. One could presumably sign up, and still cancel service after…
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15% Off Virgin America Flights
Sign up here for a one-time use discount code. You need to book by August 14 for coach travel between September 16 and November 14. And the discount is not valid for travel on Fridays or Sundays, or October 11, October 14, November 8, or November 11. The promotion code is valid for up to 2 people on the same itinerary though of course others can book separately under another discount code. (HT: Dan’s Deals) You can join the 30,000+ people who see these deals and analysis every day — sign up to receive posts by email (just one e-mail per day) or subscribe to the RSS feed. It’s free. Don’t miss out!
Delta Skymiles Bringing Back Elite Status Match
In January I outlined how you can take elite status with one airline and get another airline to give you status, too. Some just straight up give you the status, others require you to fly a certain amount to earn it on an expedited basis. But it’s entirely common for airlines to want to do what they can to poach the best customers of their competitors. Delta even lists the opportunity on its website, but the website indicated the offer runs through June 30, 2013. They’ll give you status (up to Platinum, based on your current status with a competitor airline) for 90 days. If you sign up in the first half of the year and complete the challenge, you get the status for the rest of the membership year. If you sign up in…
Bits ‘n Pieces for July 23, 2013
News and notes from around the interweb: Jeffsetter interviews me. When Hang Up Call Back Doesn’t Work…. sometimes you aren’t entitled to something or what you want is impossible. US Airways will finally get a mobile app… just before US Airways’ IT functionality gets replaced by American’s. And it’ll only mimic the functions of its mobile website, anyway. Meh. When I first wrote about hotel reservation site Rocketmiles, which rebates significant miles to you when you make your booking, they covered only 31 cities. Today they announced they’ve now expanded their coverage to more than 150. You can join the 30,000+ people who see these deals and analysis every day — sign up to receive posts by email (just one e-mail per day) or subscribe to the RSS feed. It’s free. Don’t miss out!
If Fuel Prices Fall Will I Still Have to Pay Fuel Surcharges on Award Tickets? And How Can I Reduce Those Now?
Reader RKToledo asks, With airlines purchasing more fuel effecient long range planes, could you write on whether these purchases will ever lead to decreased or eliminated fuel surcharges on awards. I’m specifically wondering if BA will reduce YQ after implementation of A380 and 787 planes. The simple answer is no. Understanding this requires a bit of a longer answer. What are fuel surcharges? First of all, understand what “fuel surcharges” are. They’re generally a fixed amount of money added to a fare. The amount will usually be the same across all fares for a given city pair. In other words, all “New York – London” fares that an airline publishes will add the same amount for fuel surcharge. There are some exceptions to this. An airline may file a different fuel surcharge amount for premium…
It’s All About Talking to the Right Agent, the Right Way
In Hang Up, Call Back: the Four Most Important Words in Travel and Maybe Even Life I make the point that getting what you want from a travel provider isn’t just – or even primarily – about understanding what you are entitled to. Sure, knowing the rules helps. But it’s just an opener. The front line employee has to give it to you, except in cases where things are automated and where automation works as intended. Most of the time elite status-based airline upgrades process automatically. But most hotel upgrades are done at the check-in desk. Starwood has made an underappreciated play to change that — the most significant thing about “suite night awards” provided to Platinum members who stay 50 nights or more isn’t that upgrades can be confirmed up to 5 days in…
Bits ‘n Pieces for July 22, 2013
News and notes from around the interweb: How I Lost $1,350 by Falling for the Same Internet Scam Twice in One Week — a cautionary tale about working with mileage brokers. (HT: Jeremy) Starwood’s new Luxury Privileges (similar to Virtuoso and American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts) is valuable at some W hotel properties. How to Spot Pickpockets in Paris — as it happens it was my last Paris trip that prompted me to write Common Tourist Scams and How to Avoid Them. Cathay Pacific launches 4 times weekly service between Hong Kong and the Maldives and finding two business class awards on the days the flight operates is quite doable. From the US to the Maldives via Hong Kong, though, prices as two awards using American Airlines miles. You can join the 30,000+ people…
Two Offers for Free Instant Top Tier Hotel Status from Accor
Instant Platinum (top tier) status in the Accor Hotels loyalty program comes around with some frequency, usually the signup link doesn’t stay active long — sometimes days, sometimes just hours. There are currently two active offers that I am aware of: Offer with a landing page, in Polish (use Google Chrome, it auto-translates). I wrote about this offer a week ago and it’s still live. Offer with no landing page (doesn’t say what you’ll get, but currently working). This one is from Loyalty Lobby. You must open a new account, it cannot be applied to existing accounts. And when you do so you must use an email address that’s not currently on file with them. Even if you don’t frequently stay at Sofitel, Novotel, Pullman, Mercure, and other related properties frequently, you never know when…
Together Our Travel Tips Can Rule Fresno! The Best Things to See, Do and Eat in an Underappreciated, Over-traveled City
(With apologies to Harvey Korman for the title..!) Thanks to everyone for participating in the National Car Rental “Underappreciated, Over-traveled” travel tips contest and giveaway. Though the entries are on the light side relative to many of the giveaways I do — because I actually required you to offer a legitimate travel tip for Fresno in order to enter — I was somewhat surprised to have well over 300 entries between comments on the blog and twitter submissions! One grand prize winner will receive: $250 AMEX gift card National Extreme Sport Duffel National Case Logic Zippered Tech Journal National Ultimate Privacy Luggage Tag National 14oz Striped Coffee Tumbler National BicRoundstic & Notepad Five additional winners will receive the following prize pack: $50 AMEX gift card National Extreme Sport Duffel National Ultimate Privacy Luggage Tag National…
In Which I Defend and Congratulate the TSA..(!)
The TSA is an easy target. Most of what passes for airport security is really security theater, designed either to make us feel safe or to appear that the government is doing something. All of this is reinforced by manufacturers selling expensive equipment. So it’s easy to point to stories like the screener arrested for stealing from a passenger who had a conviction for theft before even being hired by the TSA. Foreseeable, much? (Not the first questionable pre-employment screening, who can forget the Catholic priest dismissed over child sex abuse who became a TSA groperscreener?) Which is why each of these stories, taken together, sure looks like a pattern rather than a one off (a few bad apples who in no way undermine the hard work that thousands of men and women at the…
