Priority Club is offering 5000 points after first stay for referring a new member, and that member will also receives 5000 bonus points once their stay posts. The stay must be completed within 90 days of enrollment. You have to be logged out of your account in order to see the offer on the Priority Club website.
Making International Cell Phone Calls from 8 Cents a Minute While Traveling
Using an unlocked GSM cell phone, a callback service, and a cheap SIM card, I make international calls from my cell phone from about 8 cents a minute while traveling abroad. AT&T gave me the unlock code for my cell phone just for asking. There are plenty of SIM cards issued by European providers that offer free incoming calls throughout much of the world. And using a callback service, you convert outgoing calls into incoming calls. When I call the U.S. from Spain with my cell phone, I pay about 8 cents a minute. Or at least I used to. My SIM card of choice was 09 Mobile from Iceland. But they became defunct. And I hadn’t been happy with the other SIM services out there. Yesterday I was offered the recommendation on Flyertalk for…
FTD: 30 United Miles per Dollar Plus 2000 Miles for Two Orders By October 31
FTD is augmenting their standard United miles offer with 2000 additional bonus miles if you make two purchases by October 31. At least that’s the offer I got by email yesterday — 25 miles per dollar plus 2000 if you make two purchases by October 31. So then I looked back in my archives and found a relatively recent 30 miles per dollar offer. And lo and behold it came up as 30 miles per dollar plus 2000 bonus miles for those two purchases by October 31. Take two $50 orders — that would yield 5000 miles, or 50 miles per dollar, exclusive of tax and delivery charges.
2000 Starwood Points for Adding Cardholders to Your Starwood Amex
American Express is offering 1000 bonus Starwood points for each additional cardmember you add to your account (up to 2). The additional cardholder has to spend at least $150 within the first 90 days to earn the bonus. Of course, you can add the cardholder, they mail the card to you, you spend the money yourself (perhaps shopping online, at gas stations, whatnot). And then cancel or stick the card in a drawer, you don’t have to give your friends and family true access to your credit line in order to earn 2000 Starpoints. Of course, if you don’t already have a Starwood Amex, you probably should… (Via Lucky.)
Southwest Double Credits Through October 31
Southwest is offering double credits through October 31 (registration required). Pair that with the current signup bonus and it should be possible to secure a free ticket after only four flight segments.
Double Goldpoints Through December 15
Goldpoints is offering double points through December 15. Registration required to earn double points at Radisson, Country Inns and Suites, Park Inn, Park Plaza, and Regent Hotels.
500 Free Starwood Points – Become a Fan of the Westin Charlotte on Facebook
The Westin Charlotte is offering 500 Starpoints for becoming a fan of its Facebook page and emailing them to let them know (include your Starwood number) at 01383Reservations@westin.com. (Hat tip to this Flyertalk thread.)
I Loved This Paean to Me, Even If It Presaged a Critique…
Wing and a Prayer Blog began a post thusly: We here at WAAP love blogger Gary Leff, writer of View From the Wing, mostly because of his unapologetic commitment to the tony lifestyle, luxe hotel rooms, and the numerous shout-outs to the W Hotel line of bedding products couched as subtle reminders that, well, your bed is not as nice as his. Of course, as Keri so astutely observed, the point is not that my bed (or anything else) is nicer than your, but precisely that with a bit of attention paid your travels and other accoutriments can be easily as nice with little cost.
Frequent Flyer Miles are a Profit Center, Not a Tax on the Airlines (Again!)
I’ve said it before, and will keep reminding everyone until the world stops saying ‘frequent flyer programs are going to end’ and ‘airlines need to cut costs by chopping from their frequent flyer programs.’ It’s important to understand the frequent flyer programs are the most profitable part of airlines. Airlines aren’t just about transportation. In some cases they aren’t even primarily about transportation. Their loyalty programs in particular were huge innovations. And I’ve written in the past about how United Airliens continued to fly through bankruptcy, that it needed to stay in operation, so support the underlying credit card business(!). That’s why the issuer of the co-branded United Visa provided its debtor-in-possession financing, and also provided its exit financing, not to mention prepurchased blocks of miles to provide additional liquidity. I’ve given examples of this…
Intercontinental Hotels Friends and Family Rate For Everyone Through the End of the Year
The Intercontinental Hotels Group Friends and Family Rate, open to everyone, has been extended. Through December 31 you can book the Friends and Family Rate at Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, and affiliated brand hotels. The rates are prepaid, nonrefundable and technically shouldn’t earn points or stay credit but in practice usually do. You need to print and fill out the friends and family rate voucher, but it doesn’t need any aprovals or verifications. The hotel doesn’t always ask for it, but be sure to have it ready. Here’s an ongoing Flyertalk thread on the subject, now nearly 375 posts long. The offer was set to expire September 30, and I was on the verge of having to book a whole bunch of non-refundable reservations through next year to lock in the savings. Glad to…
