Traveling cheaply and well using miles and points
Aug 1st 2013, 5:20 pm
#376
Septic Sprout
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Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 7,993
Re: Traveling cheaply and well using miles and points
In a rather timely fashion, One Mile at a Time has just posted a summary of the most valuable current hotel credit card deals.
Aug 1st 2013, 5:22 pm
#377
Septic Sprout
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Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 7,993
Cheap Star Alliance flights
US Airways has just started another of its promos whereby you can buy miles and get a 100% bonus, as reported by The Points Guy.
People in the ANZ forum haver been all over this one for a few years now as a way of getting cheap business class seats on Star Alliance partners to and from the UK, but there's no reason why this couldn't also benefit US-based members.
This will almost certainly go away once Us merges with AA, so jump on this while you still can if it's of use.
People in the ANZ forum haver been all over this one for a few years now as a way of getting cheap business class seats on Star Alliance partners to and from the UK, but there's no reason why this couldn't also benefit US-based members.
This will almost certainly go away once Us merges with AA, so jump on this while you still can if it's of use.
Aug 1st 2013, 7:29 pm
#378
Rootbeeraholic
Joined: Aug 2009
Location: Houston, Tx
Posts: 2,280
Re: Traveling cheaply and well using miles and points
I just received (yesterday) the following offer for an IHG card. I don't know whether this is worth jumping on or not but 80,000 points appears to be a pretty decent bonus for a low spend requirement of $1,000:
Apply for the IHG® Rewards Club Select Visa® and earn 80,000 bonus points that could make your dream vacation a reality. Simply spend $1,000 in the first three months the account is open and the points are yours1. You'll even get points for everyday purchases and be automatically upgraded to Platinum Elite status.
Earn on Everyday Purchases:
• 5X points per $1 spent at our hotels2
• 2X points per $1 spent on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants2
• 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases2
Enjoy More Benefits:
• Free Night every year3 at one of our 4,600 hotels worldwide
• Platinum Elite status as long as you're a Select cardmember4
• 10% points rebate—earn points for using points5
• No foreign transaction fees6
• $0 introductory annual fee the first year—$49 thereafter6
Apply for the IHG® Rewards Club Select Visa® and earn 80,000 bonus points that could make your dream vacation a reality. Simply spend $1,000 in the first three months the account is open and the points are yours1. You'll even get points for everyday purchases and be automatically upgraded to Platinum Elite status.
Earn on Everyday Purchases:
• 5X points per $1 spent at our hotels2
• 2X points per $1 spent on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants2
• 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases2
Enjoy More Benefits:
• Free Night every year3 at one of our 4,600 hotels worldwide
• Platinum Elite status as long as you're a Select cardmember4
• 10% points rebate—earn points for using points5
• No foreign transaction fees6
• $0 introductory annual fee the first year—$49 thereafter6
Last edited by Bink; Aug 1st 2013 at 8:24 pm. Reason: Got distracted and put ING instead of IHG!
Aug 1st 2013, 8:19 pm
#379
Septic Sprout
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 7,993
Re: Traveling cheaply and well using miles and points
I just received (yesterday) the following offer for an ING card. I don't know whether this is worth jumping on or not but 80,000 points appears to be a pretty decent bonus for a low spend requirement of $1,000:
Apply for the IHG® Rewards Club Select Visa® and earn 80,000 bonus points that could make your dream vacation a reality. Simply spend $1,000 in the first three months the account is open and the points are yours1. You'll even get points for everyday purchases and be automatically upgraded to Platinum Elite status.
Earn on Everyday Purchases:
• 5X points per $1 spent at our hotels2
• 2X points per $1 spent on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants2
• 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases2
Enjoy More Benefits:
• Free Night every year3 at one of our 4,600 hotels worldwide
• Platinum Elite status as long as you're a Select cardmember4
• 10% points rebate—earn points for using points5
• No foreign transaction fees6
• $0 introductory annual fee the first year—$49 thereafter6
Apply for the IHG® Rewards Club Select Visa® and earn 80,000 bonus points that could make your dream vacation a reality. Simply spend $1,000 in the first three months the account is open and the points are yours1. You'll even get points for everyday purchases and be automatically upgraded to Platinum Elite status.
Earn on Everyday Purchases:
• 5X points per $1 spent at our hotels2
• 2X points per $1 spent on purchases at gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants2
• 1X point per $1 spent on all other purchases2
Enjoy More Benefits:
• Free Night every year3 at one of our 4,600 hotels worldwide
• Platinum Elite status as long as you're a Select cardmember4
• 10% points rebate—earn points for using points5
• No foreign transaction fees6
• $0 introductory annual fee the first year—$49 thereafter6
IHG also have some crazy points earning offers for paid stays dfrom time to time, which makes it easier to rack up points. I often choose this chain when traveling for business. Priority Club Insider is a good site to read about these.
On the plus side this is probably one of the larger (largest?) hotel chain in the world, so good coverage. On the downside there's a lot of crappy hotels in among them, but Intercontinentals and Indigos are usually good, as can some of the newer/refurbished properties lower down the chain (Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express - but tread carefully - TripAdvisor is your friend).
Aug 21st 2013, 11:40 pm
#380
Septic Sprout
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 7,993
Transferring points between family members
Useful post by Mommy Points on which airline and hotel programmes allow you to transfer miles/points for free between family members.
Aug 30th 2013, 6:40 am
#381
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 13,114
Re: Traveling cheaply and well using miles and points
How successful have folks been in negotiating higher membership levels than their travel activities warrant? I have been 'silver preferred' with US Airways for the past two years but this year it just ain't gonna happen. I've only flown 6 segments, and even if I can pull off the $25k spend (=10,000 mile allowance), I'm unlikely to make the 25,000 mile requirement. So I'm assuming I'm going to lose it ... but it has been so nice! I've had upgrades to 1st class, and I always take advantage of the 'preferred' seats up front, and of course there is the express lane at security ... oh my it's going to be a pain losing all these perks!
So I'm wondering, can I sweet talk someone into giving me the 'silver preferred' this year, perhaps arguing that I will start using another airline if they don't ...?
So I'm wondering, can I sweet talk someone into giving me the 'silver preferred' this year, perhaps arguing that I will start using another airline if they don't ...?
Aug 30th 2013, 8:19 am
#382
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2010
Location: Mendocino, California
Posts: 954
Re: Traveling cheaply and well using miles and points
Take a look at Statusmatch, http://www.statusmatcher.com/Company...e=US%20Airways I've had some success , ( I'm a BA Silver ) sometimes it's just for a limited time though and the offers seem to come and go.
It's also good for hotels too.
It's also good for hotels too.
Last edited by coastieexpat; Aug 30th 2013 at 8:28 am. Reason: link
Aug 31st 2013, 5:44 pm
#383
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: Bay Area, CA
Posts: 13,114
Re: Traveling cheaply and well using miles and points
Take a look at Statusmatch, http://www.statusmatcher.com/Company...e=US%20Airways I've had some success , ( I'm a BA Silver ) sometimes it's just for a limited time though and the offers seem to come and go.
It's also good for hotels too.
It's also good for hotels too.
Aug 31st 2013, 6:17 pm
#384
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2010
Location: Mendocino, California
Posts: 954
Re: Traveling cheaply and well using miles and points
My pleasure.... Perhaps take a look at Flyertalk
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/us-ai...end-miles-612/
I know BA has a thread devoted to obtaining and retaining status for the least amount of $$'s.
I'm sure Tonrob will come forth with more information. I expect he's lying on a beach somewhere sipping heavily discounted champagne
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/us-ai...end-miles-612/
I know BA has a thread devoted to obtaining and retaining status for the least amount of $$'s.
I'm sure Tonrob will come forth with more information. I expect he's lying on a beach somewhere sipping heavily discounted champagne
Sep 5th 2013, 4:04 pm
#385
Septic Sprout
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 7,993
Re: Cheapy Arizona holiday booked!
I recently booked a family holiday for October and realized I neglected to post about it here. We love the Southwest, and this trip sees us based in and around Phoenix for 10 days.
The three of us are flying Delta first class from Hartford to Phoenix. Delta has three levels of award pricing (low/medium/high) and effectively charges more miles to fly than other airlines by strangling award availability in the low category. Accordingly I could not find anything below the medium-level pricing which was 80,000 miles per person. I don't mind too much as I find Delta miles the easiest and cheapest to acquire at the moment thanks to the SunTrust Delta debit card - so the flights cost 240,000 miles and $30 in total.
We are splitting our accommodation across two different resorts so that we can (a) enjoy a change of scenery mid-way through our holiday and (b) balance out the cost across 2 different award programmes. 5 nights in a one-bedroom villa at the Hilton Squaw Peak cost 120,000 HHonors Points. These Hilton points came courtesy of the AMEX Hilton card, leveraged by a 6x category bonus on pharmacy spend - a benefit that is sadly going away within the next few days.
The next 5 nights are in a one-bedroom suite at the Westin Kierland Villas in Scottsdale. I was lucky enough to grab this at 12,000 points per night before a recent Starwood hotel shuffle that saw them increase to 20,000. My Starpoints came courtesy of the AMEX Starwood card - which Mrs tonrob and I both hold (me the personal version and her the business).
Total direct out of pocket costs so far are $30 for the trip, and I still need to book car rental. I have Hertz points that could cover this - but for some reason I always want to hold on to them thinking I could get better value in the future somehow. This is probably the third trip where I'm considering holding off using them, and I think I need to give myself a bit of a talking to...
The three of us are flying Delta first class from Hartford to Phoenix. Delta has three levels of award pricing (low/medium/high) and effectively charges more miles to fly than other airlines by strangling award availability in the low category. Accordingly I could not find anything below the medium-level pricing which was 80,000 miles per person. I don't mind too much as I find Delta miles the easiest and cheapest to acquire at the moment thanks to the SunTrust Delta debit card - so the flights cost 240,000 miles and $30 in total.
We are splitting our accommodation across two different resorts so that we can (a) enjoy a change of scenery mid-way through our holiday and (b) balance out the cost across 2 different award programmes. 5 nights in a one-bedroom villa at the Hilton Squaw Peak cost 120,000 HHonors Points. These Hilton points came courtesy of the AMEX Hilton card, leveraged by a 6x category bonus on pharmacy spend - a benefit that is sadly going away within the next few days.
The next 5 nights are in a one-bedroom suite at the Westin Kierland Villas in Scottsdale. I was lucky enough to grab this at 12,000 points per night before a recent Starwood hotel shuffle that saw them increase to 20,000. My Starpoints came courtesy of the AMEX Starwood card - which Mrs tonrob and I both hold (me the personal version and her the business).
Total direct out of pocket costs so far are $30 for the trip, and I still need to book car rental. I have Hertz points that could cover this - but for some reason I always want to hold on to them thinking I could get better value in the future somehow. This is probably the third trip where I'm considering holding off using them, and I think I need to give myself a bit of a talking to...
I just tried the Chase Ultimate Rewards travel portal and found that I could use points to book car rental, where 1 point gave me 1.25c towards the cost. While I can get more value out of Chase UR points by spending on airfare (e.g. around 1.6c is typical when transferring to United), 1.25c is not too bad and I am swimming in these points right now. Car was duly booked.
I may however have a look on Priceline a week before travel, as while I have never tried this for car rental I believe it's possible to get very deep discounts if you're lucky. I'll probably only bid as high so that the total Priceline cost = 1c per Chase point (if I keep my current reservation) otherwise it's not worth it anymore and I'd rather keep the cash in my pocket.
Sep 7th 2013, 8:31 am
#386
Septic Sprout
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 7,993
Tips for diversifying your points
View From The Wing just posted this good, short article on tips for diversifying your points.
There advice there is all sound, even though on reading it I realize I don't follow all of it myself.
Hmmm.... despite spending points as fast as I can, I've seen my already-inflated balance rise by 33% since the beginning of the year. Maybe I should scale my acquisition back a bit... either that or simply admit I'm addicted.
There advice there is all sound, even though on reading it I realize I don't follow all of it myself.
Never have more miles in an account than you could reasonably burn in the next six months
Sep 7th 2013, 8:38 am
#387
Septic Sprout
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 7,993
Other bits
Alaska Airlines offering California residents free round-trip after taking two round-trip flights.
Hilton offering 1,000 points (per booking) for booking via their iPhone app.
Blog series on finding cheap car rentals. (This was a good refresher for me).
Small Business Saturday is returning again, on 30th November. Giddy up!
Hilton offering 1,000 points (per booking) for booking via their iPhone app.
Blog series on finding cheap car rentals. (This was a good refresher for me).
Small Business Saturday is returning again, on 30th November. Giddy up!
Sep 17th 2013, 6:56 pm
#388
Septic Sprout
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Shanghai
Posts: 7,993
Re: Traveling cheaply and well using miles and points
BA A380 on select training runs LHR-FRA at the moment. Pay for Club Europe and get Club World. 18,000 Avios + $40 for a out-and-back spin. Tempted for a go this Sunday... (9,000 if you want to slum it in economy).
Sep 19th 2013, 5:02 pm
#390
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Mar 2010
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 8,106
Re: Traveling cheaply and well using miles and points
Generally speaking from experience balance transfers don't usually qualify as spending, it should be in the small print somewhere.