Hilton HHonors Diamond benefits are showing up differently on the Hilton website. Now, it’s possible that somehow old or mistaken text was used when the whole Hilton website recently got a refresh. In fact, the benefits page is different than what I see when I log into my account and go under preferences to hotel benefits — I still see many of the old offerings. So there’s a conflict on the website. But the wording on the Diamond benefits page isn’t just the old language. There is at least one change that appears in both places. So at least something appears to have really changed. And it doesn’t help that Hilton’s history is to make changes without trumpeting them or otherwise giving notice, in fact in June Jeff Diskin who runs the program told me…
Bits ‘n Pieces for October 4, 2012
News and notes from around the interweb: Wendy Perrin shares my comparison and contrast of the Chase Sapphire Preferred and JP Morgan Select cards. Delta Points offers an April Fools’ post in October. Jay Leno included Spirit and American in his monologue last night. New Girl in the Air: Miles for furniture? When I first got into this game, you could earn miles for giving blood.. Frequent Miler explains earning miles at campus Barnes & Noble bookstores with American Express prepaid cards. Too much of a hassle, even for him.
Reminder: Win a Free Trip on Star MegaDO 4
Through October 7 you can enter here on this blog for a chance to win a seat on the Star Mega DO 4 charter flight, with hotel nights and cash for expenses thrown in. Other BoardingArea blogs are also giving away a chance to win as well, you can enter once at each blog. (Thanks to Live from a Lounge for compiling this list.) DealsWeLike Delta Points Flying With Fish Frequent Miler Ghetto IFE Hack My Trip Just Another Points Traveller Live from a Lounge Loyalty Traveler Marshal Jackson on Travel Miles From Blighty Mommy Points New Girl in the Air One Mile at a Time Pearls of Travel Wisdom Point Me to the Plane Points Miles & Martinis Rapid Travel Chai Road Warriorrette The Sceptical Traveler Unroadwarrior Wandering Aramean Good luck!
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card Still the Best All-Around Most Rewarding Credit Card
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…
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…
