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Tag Archives for points.

The Psychology of Getting Someone Started With Miles and Points

by Gary Leff

pier on beach
Jan 16 2018

I was e-mailing with Stephen M. about his son’s credit card strategy, credit score, and options. He observed that he’s been focused on getting the most from rewards ‘for at least 8 years’ but “it is kind of funny, I tell people who travel a lot about it, but very few do it seriously.”

When frequent flyer programs began in the U.S. programs would give you 5000 miles if you spent all your points. That’s because they were afraid you would no longer be locked into an airline if you spent all your miles, you’d get off the treadmill and become a free agent. They stopped doing that. And the reason why is telling.

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250 Free Amtrak Points

by Gary Leff

250-free-amtrak-points
Aug 05 2007

Via Free Frequent Flyer Miles, Amtrak’s Pick Your Partners Promotion offers 250 free Guest Rewards points for selecting preferred partners (very easy! Just log in and the offer is under Hot Deals) and then 500 bonus points for each of your first two transactions through September 30th.

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Up to 25,000 Bonus Miles for Partner Activity

by Gary Leff

delta-airline-plane
Apr 05 2007

Delta is offering up to 25,000 bonus miles for activity with their partners. Registration is required. The offer is 5000 miles for each 5 unique partners with activity during the qualifying period of April 1 – May 31 (too tight a timeline for my tastes). Airline partners don’t count. Each partner counts only once, so only one Hilton stay would count as a partner (but a Hilton stay and a Marriott stay would be two partners). Transferring points into Delta should count, and each source should be a different partner, so I may transfer points in from Starwood, American Express Membership Rewards, and Radisson Goldpoints.Read the terms and conditions on the promo, but it should be pretty easy to rack up 5000 bonus miles — much harder to hit a full 25,000.

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250 Free Priority Club Points

by Gary Leff

freddie awards
Feb 01 2006

Priority Club has a short survey for 250 points. Deadline is February 28. It’s tied to the Freddie Awards, and February 28th is also the close of voting in the Freddies. They say points will post within 6 weeks of the close of the survey, so by April 11.

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Alaska Airlines Transfer Bonus

by Gary Leff

alaska airlines
Mar 02 2005

Points.com is offering double miles for any points exchange into Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan through March 31. Incidentally, the rumor is that Alaska will be introducing a new top tier to its elite level program. Details on Platinum status are sketchy at this point.

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Taking Too Long to Post Points

by Gary Leff

airplane
Feb 23 2005

Chris Elliott writes in the New York Times that miles are taking longer than ever to post to frequent flyer accounts. That hasn’t been my experience, at least as a general rule. Airlines are getting better at tracking miles for flights. If a frequent flyer number is entered into a reservation in advance, it’s pretty much a certainty that the miles will post. Problems come in when airport agents load the numbers incorrectly, and at times when trying to credit miles to a partner airline’s program. Delta, flagged by the article as second-worst for posting miles, actually credits member accounts before their flights even lands. Delta’s technology in this area is unmatched. The real problem comes in with mileage earning partners. As the article observes, rental car companies are notorious for lags and gaps in…

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