Over at Conde’ Nast Traveler, I outline some tips for how to think about using points for holiday travel. Airlines want to make seats available at the ‘saver’ award level that they aren’t going to be able to sell for cash. But during peak holiday periods flights fill up, there aren’t many seats that will ultimately go out unsold. And booking much in advance, airlines don’t really know yet which flights those are going to be (there’s a chance that any given flight may sell out). So they’re very conservative in making award seats available. That makes getting award seats to go visit family domestically really tough during the holidays. I gave an interview on WTOP radio yesterday where I explained that’s why I often travel internationally during the holidays. Business travel is down, so…
50% Off 2-Day Sale on W Hotel Beds and Bedding (Lowest Prices in Years)
The W Hotel Store is running a 50% off sale on beds and sheets with promo code CD3M7. I purchased a W Hotels bed in March 2007 using a 40% off code, so back before the May 2010 price increase on beds. My cost then was about what’s being offered with this sale. There are still rare occasion when 40% off discounts that pop up. But 35% is the usual discount that comes along every few months. I haven’t seen an offer at this price in over three years. I’ve found mine to have been a good purchase. I chose the ‘plush top’ rather than pillow top mattress, and added a feather bed. It’s lasted wonderfully, though I’ve since changed out the feather bed. (There are reports that the pillow top version won’t last as…
Southwest Offering Double Points Through November 21
Southwest is offering double points for travel booked and flown by November 21. Registration required. That means you will receive 12 bonus points per dollar spent on Business Select® Fares, 10 bonus points per dollar spent on Anytime Fares, and six bonus points per dollar spent on Wanna Get Away® Fares, in addition to the standard flight points you normally receive for each Fare. In September there were some targeted bonuses floating around. And this isn’t the first time this year that Southwest has run double points. Although it’s less costly for them to offer this time around since they’re devaluing the points. (HT: Frugal Travel Lawyer) 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…
A Free Double Dipping Points Tool: How to Take Advantage of Plink Rewards
I buy lots of gift cards at my neighborhood Staples store. Some of those cards are sold at face value meaning that a $50 Starbucks gift card costs me $50. This rewards program is a way to make money on those gift cards, in addition to earning points for the purchases. And it’s a way to reduce the cost of the fees for buying Visa and MasterCard gift cards. What’s more, making online purchases from stores like Sears will earn credits towards miles or gift cards that are stackable with the other miles and points and discounts you can use there. I hadn’t even heard about Plink until Frequent Miler blogged about it, and it took several times seeing online mentions before I focused on it. But it’s free and easy and takes just a…
Help! Hope a Reader Can Get Me Access to My Yahoo Email
My ‘public’ email address, the one I post on this blog and use to correspond with readers and also the address that winds up getting harvested for every travel PR distribution list on the planet, is my Yahoo account. It’s been open for about 17 years, I think. It’s a fairly high volume account. And I’ve run into a problem I cannot seem to get past. Recently it asked me to re-log into my account. No problem, should be fine, but I entered the password and it didn’t work. I tried to reset the password and could not. I have no problem getting the verification emails or answering security questions, so I advance to the screen where I should be able to choose a new password. The problem is that the system won’t accept any…
Bits ‘n Pieces for October 13, 2013
News and notes from around the interweb: Detailed discussion of the options for using points and saving money on travel to Bora Bora. It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. The most crushing thing in all of travel must be running to make a connection and seeing other passengers clear the upgrade list into your seats. I hadn’t realized the US Airways mobile app upgrade list doesn’t just show who cleared, but into which seats, too. The Wright Amendment goes away one year from today. Southwest will be able to fly to whichever states they wish from Dallas Love Field. Airport capacity is controlled under the new legal regime so they’ll be protected from competition. One form of cronyism replaces another, and Southwest isn’t the spunky upstart fighting the man anymore! There’s…
Customers Named William Can Use Priority Security Lanes in DC When Flying JetBlue
Through the end of the month, customers departing from Washington National, Dulles or BWI airports on JetBlue whose legal name is a variation of Bill, William, or Billy (Willa and Guillermo both work as well) can use priority security lines. That’s because while government is ‘shut down’, JetBlue is ‘keeping Bills moving in DC’ or something like that. To redeem these passes, all ‘Bills’ must go to the JetBlue airport ticket counter and present a valid government-issued ID and boarding pass to receive the stamp for JetBlue’s Even More Speed lanes. Customers traveling on the same reservation as ‘Bill’ are also eligible for Even More Speed; those customers must accompany ‘Bill’ to the ticket counter for an Even More Speed stamp. This special is offered to “Bills” flying outbound from JetBlue’s three D.C.-area airports While…
$150 American Express Statement Credit for a 3 Night Chicago Hotel Stay
Book a 3-night hotel reservation by December 11 for a stay through December 15 through this Orbitz-driven site and pay with an eligible American Express card. Rates are prepaid, and the statement credit should post 5-7 days after hotel check-in. There are about 27 participating eligible hotels to choose from. (HT: Max M on Milepoint) 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. You can also follow me on Twitter for the latest deals. Don’t miss out!
When Does it Make Sense to Pay an Airline More Money for a Bundle of Services?
The Associated Press’ Scott Mayerowitz recently wrote that airlines are moving from just charging fees for things that used to be ‘free’ (bundled in with the cost of your ticket) to offering value-added services for an extra charge. In other words, there’s a shift to actually offering things that make travel better as a way of generating more cash. There’s some element of truth to that. Another thing airlines are doing is offering both things that used to be free but now are charged a la carte together with services that can make your travel better, overall less expensive, or more comfortable in bundles you can purchase together — sometimes for less than the cost of buying them separately. The New York Times‘ Stephanie Rosenbloom helps sort through when these packages are worthwhile. Sometimes the…
How to Ask for an Upgrade
When readers shared their own travel tips several had suggestions for getting upgrades. I wanted to share those, and then offer my own advice. Jordan said, Contact hotel managers before special vacations and let them know why you are traveling and politely ask if there is anything they can do to help make the trip more memorable. (Room upgrades often happen. Great if you have no status) Dainya Olsen said, Whenever I’m going on a special trip and want to ensure an upgrade I email the hotel manager. Beyond upgrades we have received chocolate covered strawberries and other snacks for our special occasion. Jordan said, Politely/jokingly ask for things. Example that got me an international upgrade to business class was after i got talking to the flight attendent I mentioned how it would be a…
