Key Link: Chase Sapphire Preferred There are three key value propositions for a credit card. Signup bonus (how much will they give you upfront for getting the card) How value is the earning for your ongoing spend (do you actually want to put spending on the card once you’ve earned the bonus) Benefits of having the card And the Chase Sapphire Preferred card is top of wallet for the first two of those criteria — one of the very best signup bonuses, 40,000 points after $3000 in spending within 3 months, and that’s an exceptionally good offer because their points are among the two best currencies of any loyalty program, and double points earning in that most valuable of programs on all travel and dining spending, Visa acceptance, and no foreign currency transaction fees. The…
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View from the Wing Goes Political Again! (For a Chance at a Free JetBlue International Flight)
JetBlue has a new offer, “Live Free or Fly!” where they will give you a chance for a free international ticket if your preferred candidate for President loses. That way, you can “mak[e] good on an Election Protection promise: the chance..to freely leave the country (and return home!) if [you] need a break because [your] candidate doesn’t win.” You register your preferred candidate and destination in advance, and then: JetBlue will give away 1,006 roundtrip certificates to participants whose candidate lost. Tickets are good for roundtrip travel from any airport JetBlue services to 21 international, nonstop destinations including Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, St. Maarten, St. Lucia and Turks & Caicos. And of course they promote their LiveTV offering (but not internet yet…) by saying you can…
500 Free Aeroplan Points for Joining Coast Rewards
Coast Hotels is offering triple Aeroplan points on stays at their hotel chain through the end of the year. And as part of the offer they are also giving 500 free Aeroplan points just for signing up for the program, no stays required. Coast Hotels also partners with Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan so perhaps we’ll see something similar on the Alaska side. The signup bonus applies to new members of the program only, of course. (HT: Milepoint)
Putting American’s Operational Challenges in Perspective and a Glimmer of Hope We’ll See Quick Improvement
In the Philadelphia Inquirer I try to put the recent sensational headlines about American Airlines in a bit of perspective. Gary Leff, author of the ViewFromTheWing.com blog, said he planned to fly to Chicago on Thursday on American and was largely unconcerned about the problems. “It’s beat-up-on-American week,” Leff said. “There are a variety of minor inconveniences – that’s what we’re facing at the moment. No doubt this will pass. They’re still operating 95 percent of their flights every day.” Leff praised American’s response to delays and cancellations, especially its willingness to go beyond requirements and put passengers on competing carriers for delays of two hours or more, or one hour for elite-status fliers. “They’re bending over backward,” he said. Leff and others said one side-effect of the dispute was that airline workers were overzealously…
How Indestructible is the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card?
Regular readers of this blog know that I consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred card to be pretty much the best all-around credit card for spending. Of course, there’s nothing more rewarding than a credit card signup bonus (and Sapphire Preferred has one of the best). But for most spending that isn’t helping you earn a signup bonus, Sapphire Preferred is outstanding — double points on travel and dining, Visa acceptance, no foreign currency transaction fees, flexible points. It’s one of the cards that I’m keeping even now that my annual fee is about to hit. Milepoint member AndyAndy, though, decided not to keep his. He downgraded his Sapphire Preferred card to a regular Sapphire card with no fee. And since he needed to get rid of his existing card, he needed to get creative. See,…
Cheap Hawaii Flights on United: $343 from Charlotte and Philadelphia
United is offering roundtrip fares from $343 including tax from Charlotte and Philadelphia to Honolulu through the end of the schedule. Monday through Thursday travel for the overwater segment, it’s a G-fare with a 3-day minimum stay, a few days around the Christmas and New Years holidays look to be ineligible, and 30 day advance purchase is required. (HT: Online Travel Review)
250 Delta Elite Qualifying Miles for a 2-Night Hilton Stay
Years ago you actually had to, you know, fly to earn elite status on an airline. But as frequent flyer programs have grown, and have become independently profitable, there’s a recognition that the most profitable customers of the programs aren’t just the frequent flyers. And in fact credit card companies are real drivers of a program’s (and thus airline’s) profitability. And it’s not just limited to credit card companies. At the end of last year I wrote about the different options airlines were offering to top off your status without flying. Back at the end of 2006, US Airways an an “Everything Counts” promotion where miles earned with several hotel and rental car partners and some shopping partners (such as flowers) counted towards elite status. These sorts of things not only recognize the revenue contributions…
15,000 Alaska Airlines Miles for New T-Mobile Account
Earning miles for phone service — both long distance and mobile phone service — used to be a big mileage earning opportunity. I seem to recall signing up for a 2-year deal that was supposed to earn me 40,000 Northwest miles once upon a time. Switching long-dstance carriers was a big mileage opportunity, for sure. But since landlines have more or less gone the way of the dinosaur outside of office contexts, and cell phone number porting makes it easier to switch carriers and so the lifetime value of a customer is lower, telecommunications companies are less inclined to spend as much to acquire customers. Which is what makes it out of the ordinary to see a generous mileage bonus for phone service. Via Mommypoints, T-Mobile is offering 15,000 Alaska Airlines miles for new accounts.…
1000 Free Hilton HHonors Points for New Accounts
Loyalty Traveler points to a new promotion running through the end of the year that will provide 5000 Emirates Skywards points after two Hilton stays. I’m not much interested in collecting points in the Skywards program, if I want to redeem for Emirates flights I’ll be more likely to transfer Starwood points to Japan Airlines and pretty soon we should be seeing details of the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan redemption chart for Emirates as well. But what is interesting to me about this offer is that new accounts enrolling with this offer receive 1000 free Hilton HHonors points. To participate, you must register at http://www.hiltonhhonors.com/skywards5000. Offer is valid for eligible stays completed after registration, at participating hotels between October 1 2012 and December 31 2012. HHonors members choosing Fixed miles award will earn 500 base…
Signup for Accor Hotels’ Loyalty Program at the Top Tier Platinum Level
Reader Rob passes along a new link to sign up for Le Club Accorhotels at the Platinum (top tier) level. Note that the signup page is just a signup page, no indication on that page that accounts will start at the Platinum level, but indeed it’s currently working. This is marketed to a specific group, I’m not sure which one, but anyone should be able to use the link and keep the status. At some point soon the link will stop awarding Platinum status and there won’t be any advance warning, but for now it’s working. These offers seem to pop up every couple of months or so. Even if you don’t frequently stay at Sofitel, Novotel, Pullman, Mercure, and other related properties frequently, you never know when you might find yourself in one and…
