About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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I’ve previously noted a loophole

I’ve previously noted a loophole that lets you transfer American Express Membership Rewards points to United Mileageplus miles, even though United does not participate in Membership Rewards. The gist was transferring Membership Rewards points into Continental miles, transferring the Continental miles into Amtrak points, and then transferring the Amtrak points into United miles. (This method also allowed you to move miles out of Continental and into United.) The loophole has been tightened somewhat: Amtrak limits the number of Points that a Member can redeem for Program Partners or Merchants frequent traveler points and/or miles in a calendar year (including but not limited to United MileagePlus, Continental OnePass, Midwest Express Frequent Flyer and Hilton HHonors). The yearly limit for Amtrak Guest Rewards Select Members is 50,000 Points. The yearly limit for standard Amtrak Guest Rewards Members…

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Amtrak discounts

An update on Amtrak. Some of the old discount codes that I’ve posted are no longer valid, so I figured it was time to update my tips. First, make sure that you sign up for Amtrak Guest Rewards. You’ll get 500 bonus points with your first trip, plus points for the ride. These points can be used for free train travel or converted into miles with United, Continental, and Midwest Express. Furthermore, frequent travel while a Guest Rewards members has additional dividends. Amtrak has an elite level that offers upgrades to first class if space is available, and passes to their first class lounge. 5 roundtrips on the Acela Express or Metroliner in a year is all it takes to qualify. Second, you should be sure to get the best price for your tickets. When…

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The Transportation Security Administration

The Transportation Security Administration succeeds.. on the golf course While screeners aren’t getting paid in Philadelphia, they can take comfort knowing that the former TSA head lavished $400K on his office, including mahogany-stained doors, a necessary perk for warriors against terrorism… In Dallas, it was reported that the TSA set up shop at the ritzy Anatole Hotel to handle job applicants. A couple of floors were rented, we’re told. When interviewing screeners, the ambiance of the venue is important. The Wall Street Journal reports that 20 TSA staff charged with hiring just 50 screeners for southwest Colorado (probably double the number needed) spent seven weeks at a posh mountain golf resort an hour or more away from any population center, holding court while candidates drove up to apply for jobs – and sometimes just one…

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