Northwest Enhances its Website – in a Good Way

by Gary Leff

nwa-planes
Jan 18 2005

Another reason that I picked Northwest for Best Website in the Freddie Awards balloting — they’ve just introduced online redemption for upgrade awards. Most airline programs won’t even tell you when upgrades are available. Most won’t even display their upgrade inventory buckets publicly in the Global Distribution Systems. They keep the information proprietary and you have to call and and waste tremendous amounts of your (and their agents’) time. Sure, there are workarounds. With United you can search for award travel in expert mode and the upgrade buckets appear (e.g. X is the first class upgrade bucket, I is for upgrading to business class). But nothing replaces good ‘ol functionality, and it looks like Northwest has got it.

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Amtrak Buy Two Get One Free Plus Double Points

by Gary Leff

Amtrak is offering a free Acela Express or Metroliner roundtrip when you take two roundtrips between select cities through May 31. They’re also offering double Amtrak Guest Rewards points for tickets purchased with a Mastercard. Registration is required. Eligible city pairs are: Boston – Stamford, Boston – New York, Boston – Newark, Boston – Metropark, Boston – Washington, Boston – Philadelphia, Route 128 – Stamford, Route 128 – New York, Route 128 – Newark, Route 128 – Metropark, Route 128 – Washington, Route 128 – Philadelphia, Stamford – Washington, New York – Washington, Newark – Washington, Metropark – Washington. You can earn up to 8 free roundtrip certificates valid for travel between June 15, 2005 and December 15, 2005.

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Borders Discount

by Gary Leff

Print this coupon for 15% off a single item at Borders through February 2nd. You can, of course, print the coupon numerous times and make multiple trips to generate additional discounts.

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Facts about miles

by Gary Leff

airplane
Jan 16 2005

Colloquy summarizes the current state of frequent flyer miles: By the end of 2004, almost 14 trillion frequent flyer miles had been accumulated worldwide. According to a new analysis by The Economist magazine, the global stock is worth more than $700 billion, more than all the US dollar bills in circulation. More than 130 airlines issue them, handing out more than 14-million free flights annually. So many different types of frequent flyer miles are in circulation that consultancies have sprung up in Europe and America devoted solely to helping people get the most of their portfolio. Ravindra Bhagwanani, founder of Frankfurt-based Global Flight Management, said: “[Frequent flyer] miles are a game you have to play. If you want to play a game successfully, you need to know the rules.” …More than 120 million people belong…

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American Express Transfer Bonus to Delta, with a Kicker

by Gary Leff

delta-airline-plane
Jan 16 2005

Delta is offering a 10-15% bonus on transfers from American Express Membership Rewards through February 28, plus complimentary Crown Room Club membership with large transfers. Registration is required. Membership Rewards Points Transferred SkyMiles Bonus Crown Room Membership 50,000 to 199,000 10% Not applicable Between 200,000 and 399,000 15% 6-month membership 400,000 or more 15% 12-month membership

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$10 Gift Card

by Gary Leff

amex 10 dollar gift card
Jan 15 2005

American Express is offering a $10 gift card for viewing their expense management report demo. It’s geared towards corporate cardmembers, but isn’t anywhere that they ask for a card number to verify eligibility.

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