In April Amtrak announced that a new Guest Rewards Mastercard would be introduced in the fall, and that the card would come with a standard 2500 bonus points at signup — but that folks who registered using promo code 42507 would get 5000 points instead.According to a new piece of email marketing from Amtrak Guest Rewards, they’ve upped the ante to 8000 points. registration for the promo (using promo code 42507, you’ll be required to log into your account first) still appears to work.The Amtrak Guest Rewards card is a good no fee card, earning free train trips and points are transferrable to Continental (at 1:1, so in some cases a better option than the costlier Chase Mastercard), Midwest Airlines, and Hilton.
A Little Thai Cooking
A couple weeks ago I took a cooking class in Thailand, and decided to make a couple of the recipes from the class last night. Tom Yam Goong (Traditional Thai sour and spicy prawn soup) Ingredients: Medium to large prawns Straw mushrooms Cilantro Cherry tomatoes Small chilis Lemongrass Kaffir lime leaves Galangal Roasted chili paste Lemon juice Fish sauce Chicken stock Sugar Based on my own preferences I replaced lemon juice with a squeezed lime and used brown sugar as my choice of sugar. My local Asian grocer didn’t have any kaffir lime leaves so I left them out. Boil chicken stock Add lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, roasted chili paste, sugar, mushrooms, chilis, mushrooms (if they aren’t pre-cooked) Add mushrooms (if pre-cooked), shrimp, cherry tomatoes Add lime juice and fish sauce Garnish with cilantro…
Coffee, Tea, or Cocaine?
Jared Blank reports that 20% of Air Tahiti Nui flight attendants have been suspended for drug trafficking. Information is limited, but it appears that like most things in French Polynesia narcotics are expensive. So there’s tremendous arbitrage opportunities buying cocaine, ecstacy, etc. in Los Angeles and carrying them to Papeete.
Hotel deal in North Queensland, Australia
Flyertalk’s lemex has posted a new hotel deal at his website. $50/night – Heron Island – Great Barrier Reef – Australia Voyages Heron Island, Heron Island, Australia. Turtle Room with buffet breakfast for 2 people. $50/night. Availability is wide open from now to the end of March 2008. This rate is bookable for a maximum of 3 consecutive nights. Book multiple consecutive 3-night stays if you want to stay longer. The actual rate is $66/night, but enter Promotional Code “HOTEL50” and use your MasterCard and you will save $50 on each 3-night stay, bringing down the cost to about $50/night. Regular rate for Turtle room is AUD370 (about $320 US). Explore the resort at heronisland.com but book this mistake rate on travelocity.com. But check out the reviews at TripAdvisor much of which are excellent but…
Alitalia Ending its Frequent Flyer Program, Will then Start Anew
The existing Alitalia frequent flyer program, MilleMiglia, is ending on December 31, 2007. A new program will begin on January 1, 2008 — with all old miles available for redemption only through June 30, 2008, unless you take 2 Alitalia flights between January 1 and June 30, 2008.Details on the new program are sketchy, although one-way awards will be available and premium class tickets will earn miles at a different rate from coach (whether this means fewer miles for coach tickets is as yet unclear, but is my best guess). A real disappointment… expiring all miles and ending the existing program, creating a whole new program with mileage only in the accounts of those flying new flights on the carrier. Sad, and underhanded.
Starwood’s Major Cash & Points Benefit Enhancement
I’ve give Starwood a hard time lately, because their points devaluation was a pretty big deal. But they’ve taken a step to give back a lot of value to members with changes to the Cash & Points program. One of the better features of the program over the years has been the ability to combine points and cash at a pretty favorable rate towards award nights. So instead of spending, for instance, 10,000 points on a category 4 hotel you could spend just 4,000 points + $60. This was a better option because you were basically ‘buying’ the difference in points at just 1 cent apiece. However, only some hotels would participate each quarter. Starwood would have to solicit them to do so, and most would opt out except for in their slowest seasons. As…
Starwood’s Major Cash & Points Benefit Enhancement
I’ve give Starwood a hard time lately, because their points devaluation was a pretty big deal. But they’ve taken a step to give back a lot of value to members with changes to the Cash & Points program. One of the better features of the program over the years has been the ability to combine points and cash at a pretty favorable rate towards award nights. So instead of spending, for instance, 10,000 points on a category 4 hotel you could spend just 4,000 points + $60. This was a better option because you were basically ‘buying’ the difference in points at just 1 cent apiece. However, only some hotels would participate each quarter. Starwood would have to solicit them to do so, and most would opt out except for in their slowest seasons. As…
Starwood’s Major Cash & Points Benefit Enhancement
I’ve give Starwood a hard time lately, because their points devaluation was a pretty big deal. But they’ve taken a step to give back a lot of value to members with changes to the Cash & Points program. One of the better features of the program over the years has been the ability to combine points and cash at a pretty favorable rate towards award nights. So instead of spending, for instance, 10,000 points on a category 4 hotel you could spend just 4,000 points + $60. This was a better option because you were basically ‘buying’ the difference in points at just 1 cent apiece. However, only some hotels would participate each quarter. Starwood would have to solicit them to do so, and most would opt out except for in their slowest seasons. As…
Best Ever Starwood American Express Signup Offer
The Starwood American Express remains my credit card of choice for most purposes, and there’s now a best-ever offer worthy of my ducking into the Thai Airways lounge in Osaka in order to post it — 10,000 points with first purchase and another 15,000 bonus points for spending $15,000 on the card within 6 months. That spending bonus is all gravy, since 10,000 points alone is the usual signup bonus. And as always, first year of the card remains free ($30 thereafter).(Hat tip to boazs)
Double Goldpoints After Second Stay
Goldpointsplus is offering double points starting with your second stay through August 31. Amazingly, no registration is required. Summer is often a big time for hotel promos, which business travel and occupancy rates down. Nice to see a promo from Goldpoints, so if your stays take you to participating properties (mine usually don’t, actually) this will be a nice bonus. Stay at participating Radisson Hotels & Resorts®, Park Plaza® Hotels & Resorts, Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM, or Park Inn® locations in North, Central and South America between June 15 and August 31. If you’re a goldpoints plusSM member, you don’t even have to register; just make your reservations and your Gold Points will double automatically, starting with your second stay.
