Through October 10, American will award a bonus on miles transferred from one account to another — meaning that the person you transfer to will get as much as 30% more than the number of miles transferred out to their account. Transferring 50,000 miles from one account to another puts 65,000 miles in the receiving account at a cost of $550 plus a $35 ‘transaction charge or a total of $585. Transferring miles is one way to top off an account for an award ticket, say an account has 40,000 miles in it and needs 50,000 for a one-way business class ticket to Europe. If you have access to an account with surplus miles, transferring (“sharing”) is a more cost-effective way to get miles into the account that needs them than is buying miles. And…
Strong Bonus for Double Dipping on American Airlines Flights and Some Partners
I’ve written in the past about earning points two, three, four, and even five ways at a time when booking travel. One of the methods is to be a member of an airline’s small business program, that lets you accrue points in that business program account in addition to miles in the traveler’s frequent flyer account. What’s more, you can earn points this way both for yourself when you travel and also in your business program account when other people travel and include your business account number. Examples of these programs are Delta SkyBonus and American Business ExtrAA. Business ExtrAA is running a birthday promotion that both existing and new accounts can register for. (Hat tip: Pizza in Motion) Just register for this promotion using promo code BIRTHDAY then fly between September 1 and October…
US Airways MasterCard Has New Benefits That Aren’t New at All
Yesterday an email went out declaring new benefits for the US Airways MasterCard from Barclays. Exciting New Benefits Give You More Privileges It listed all of the benefits, but didn’t distinguish between those that were old and those that were new. At first it appeared that, in addition to existing US Airways MasterCard benefits: zone 2 boarding first class check-in 5000 mile discount on award tickets booked exclusively on US Airways annual $99 companion ticket (you can take up to two people along with you for $99+tax each on a minimum $250 plus tax ticket) lounge pass each year 10,000 elite qualifying miles after $25,000 in spend on the card in a calendar year They had added a new benefit: waiver of award processing fees if you hit $25,000 spend on the card in a…
Hyatt’s Stay Certificate Devaluation Really Wasn’t Personal
I’ve written in the past about getting significant savings on hotels by buying Hyatt stay certificates. For years Hyatt would let you reserve a hotel and then buy a certificate to cover that reservation at far less than the hotel’s published rate. Those stays would not earn points or elite credit, but Hyatt did honor elite benefits when using the certificates. This was one of the great loopholes in travel. I noted last week that several Hyatt hotels appeared to have been removed from participation in the stay certificate program. Many other hotels went up ion category, such that the certificates required for a given property were now more expensive. Changes were apparently rolled out on August 28th. I reached out to the person that runs Hyatt’s gift card program to get a better understanding…
Hyatt Regency Coral Gables Revisited, and Still Pretty Good for What it Is
I reviewed the hotel just last month but thought I’d mention it again because I had such a similar experience that I can say that it’s a good property for its purpose and for the money, and my earlier experience was not a fluke. The hotel is perfect for near the airport, I arrived in Miami around 10pm and didn’t want to make a lengthy drive until the morning. So I’ve used it twice now for one-night stays and it’s suited me perfectly. (It’s not an airport hotel per se and has no airport shuttle, but since I’m picking up a rental car and it’s close it works well.) Elite recognition it good, both stays I’ve been assigned a junior suite without using any sort of confirmed suite upgrade instrument. There was a semi-separated bedroom…
Bits ‘n Pieces for September 3, 2013
News and notes from around the interweb: Like US Airways, Alaska Airlines has been rolling out pre-order of buy on board coach meals. The test runs September 4 through November 30, 2013 on flights from Seattle to Atlanta, Newark, Honolulu, Kona, Chicago, Oakland, and Ontario. British Airways is offering a 25% bonus on transfers from hotel programs into Avios. 40-60 minutes to clear security in Orlando, and the crew line being used by ‘friends and family’? A bad deal on buying miles from United that becomes less bad the more people who are taken in by it. On September 12, the Visa/MasterCard anti-trust case settlement goes before a judge for approval. Law professor Todd Zywicki comments in Forbes. British Airways will begin Austin-London service with a Boeing 787 in March — five times weekly to…
The Death of the Brazil Trick for Australia Airfare Savings, and Thoughts on Sharing Deals
I made a mistake, it seems, in sharing a great tip at the April Frequent Traveler University. In an ‘off the record’ session where folks are asked not to post or write publicly about what’s discussed — I specifically offered up a tip on the understanding that it wouldn’t be publicly disclosed, suggesting that anyone who was uncomfortable with those terms please leave the room – I shared a way to save as much as $600 on tickets to Australia. The reason the tip was ‘off the record’ is because I believed that, if written about, the opportunity would go away. That’s why I never wrote about it on my blog, though of course sharing such ‘secrets’ is precisely how one gets notoriety and fame in this travel blogging world. I try hard to share…
Swiss Restricts First Class Redemptions to Top Elites – Don’t Worry You Didn’t Used to Be Able to Redeem for it Anyway
Via GhettoIFE, beginning January 1 first class award tickets on Swiss will only be available to Miles & More Senator and HON Circle members. They will still allow other Miles & More members to redeem for upgrades on paid business class tickets to first class. But no more redemptions. They claim this is because of “the prevailing market situation” which is a meaningless sentiment, almost as meaningless as calling this an ‘enhancement’. (And if this is really the product of current market conditions, when those change we can count on Swiss to change this approach right…?) Nonetheless, it really only effects Miles & More members (and folks who would transfer points into Miles & More from other programs) as Swiss first class awards have not in any meaningful way been open to Star Alliance partner…
Bits ‘n Pieces for September 2, 2013
News and notes from around the interweb: My hotel burned down and every other place was full. Frequent Traveler University is now less than 4 weeks away! 20% bonus on purchased Lufthansa Miles & More miles throughout the month of September. I am not a buyer. (HT: Milepoint) TopGuest social media checkins no longer earn MGM M Life points. Why travel agents still exist. They’re great for complex trips and travel to obscure places. The number of travel agents have fallen, but their average incomes are on the rise. 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!
All Mommy Miles and Points Bloggers Need to Start Flying Etihad, Stat!
Etihad has introduced onboard nanny services. We are delighted to announce the introduction of our Flying Nanny on all long-haul flights, a dedicated childcare assistance programme offered onboard and on the ground to provide families with an extra helping hand when travelling with children. All Etihad Flying Nannies are cabin crew members who have received additional training from Norland College, the world leader in training childcare professionals. Our Flying Nanny, dressed in a distinguishable bright orange apron, will: Begin assisting you right from the boarding gate, all the way until you and your family are comfortably seated on the plane Help onboard with the preparation of bassinets for babies Look after unaccompanied minors Keep children entertained while you’re enjoying a nap, in-flight meal or entertainment Now with our Flying Nanny onboard, you can rest assured…
