Frontier “All You Can Fly” Pass – Even Better Than It Seemed At First

by Gary Leff

frontier
Nov 16 2022

Frontier Airlines is offering its “GoWild!” unlimited flying pass for $599 the first year. If you don’t cancel it will auto-renew for $1999 the second year. It’s a brilliant way for the airline to monetize seats that are otherwise-likely to go empty, and can be a great deal for travelers living in major Frontier cities like Denver, Orlando and Las Vegas.

This lets you buy an unlimited number of domestic U.S. flights, booked the day prior to travel, for just $0.01 in airfare plus taxes and fees (or in most cases less than $15 per flight).

Continue Reading »

American Airlines Is Expanding Use Of Trip Credits, Now Valid For Some International Destinations

by Gary Leff

airline ticket
Nov 16 2022

In many ways the American Airlines move to ‘trip credits’ and away from ‘flight credits’ has been great. When you have a travel credit with the airline you can use it for your own future travel – or to book travel for someone else.

The change has been a gradual one over several years, and American has implemented the next phase of the change: International Expansion – Phase 2, according to an internal document reviewed by View From The Wing.

Continue Reading »

Barstool Sports Founder Brags To Rite Aid Cashier About His 44 Million Amex Points

by Gary Leff

Nov 16 2022

The founder of Barstool Sports, David Portnoy, flexed on social media showing himself buying a pack of gum with a Black Card for $1.59 – and the terminal displays his available Membership Rewards balance of 44,403,931 points.

Sure, you can use Amex points at Rite Aid. It’s a poor value, but it’s an opportunity to show the balance in an ironic setting. The employee comments “you probably could go on a trip” and Portnoy boasts “I’ve gotta be a league leader with points.”

Continue Reading »

Marriott Raises Spend Requirement For Ambassador Status, Will Bring Back Personal Ambassadors

by Gary Leff

Nov 16 2022

Marriott has the most exclusive top elite tier with published earning criteria. The Ambassador level requires not just 100 nights in hotels but also a minimum of $20,000 in spend, nearly impossible to achieve in many parts of the world with low hotel rates. Marriott is keeping the 100-night level, but increasing the spend requirement to $23,000 for 2023.

With that they are bringing back dedicated Ambassadors.

Continue Reading »

New Recursive Merchant Funded Offer From Chase And Lyft

by Gary Leff

chasebank
Nov 15 2022

We’ve seen American Express load up on merchant-funded offers to show substantial cash value to cardmembers, while raising annual fees. We’ve seen Chase do the same – think DoorDash and Lyft right before the pandemic, while announcing a fee increase on the Sapphire Reserve card.

These offers can be hard to make last. Eventually the brand reaches as many customers as they are likely to reach, and no longer benefits from offering continued discounts. So issuers need a funnel of new offers to replace the ones they lose.

Continue Reading »

Should You Donate Frequent Flyer Miles To Charity?

by Gary Leff

Nov 14 2022

It’s been several years since I’ve shared thoughts on effective philanthropy and donating miles. It certainly seems like we have more crises, more often, and more needs top of mind for help than ever before. I suspect that might not be correct in absolute terms, but the breadth of speed of information flow brings needs to the forefront constantly. And for many people, especially readers of this blog, miles may be an underexploited resource to help.

Continue Reading »