When Chase launched its Sapphire Reserve Visa card in August 2016, it was big news. The 100,000-point sign-up bonus for the card was one of the highest-ever such bonuses, for one of the best-ever travel rewards credit cards. But while the card itself was designed for the long term, that outsized bonus was never destined […]
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Read MoreBonus miles always trump non-bonus miles. But even triple miles don’t make British Airways a shoo-in for your next overseas flight. Offer Details Between January 5 and March 31, members of British Airways’ Executive Club can earn triple miles (or Avios, as they’re referred to by British Airways) for up to eight flight segments throughout […]
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Read MoreFollowing is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week. If it was a good deal—or a notably bad deal—from an airline, hotel, or car rental loyalty program, you can read all about it here, and plan your travel accordingly. 3 Ways to Earn Bonus […]
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Read MoreWith Alaska Airline’s acquisition of Virgin America, it was just a matter of time before Virgin’s loyalty program, Elevate, was terminated and its members folded into Alaska’s Mileage Plan program. In the meantime, the programs were somewhat integrated, allowing reciprocal mileage earning. And beginning on January 9, 2017, Elevate members will be able to convert […]
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Read MoreAll shopped out? If not, and if there are still items on your wish list that can be purchased online, three of the largest airline e-shopping portals are offering bonus miles for purchases at any of their hundreds of participating online merchants. Alaska Airlines Between December 26 and January 8, Mileage Plan members can earn […]
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Read MoreEnter the World Travel Holdings “Sweepstakes at Sea” sweepstakes by January 31, 2017, for a chance to win the grand prize: a $3,000 cruise voucher, and 500,000 American AAdvantage frequent-flyer miles. Five runner-up prizes of 100,000 AAdvantage miles each will also be awarded. To enter, provide the requested contact information (name, email, etc.) on the […]
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Read MoreFollowing is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week. If it was a good deal—or a notably bad deal—from an airline, hotel, or car rental loyalty program, you can read all about it here, and plan your travel accordingly. Americans Would Rather Work Than […]
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Read MoreAlaska Airlines has been much in the news lately, with its acquisition of Virgin America and the announcement that it will be severing ties with longtime marketing partner Delta. Eclipsed by those high-profile stories was this week’s announcement of enhancements to its Mileage Plan loyalty program, and, more importantly, a forward-looking statement regarding the program’s […]
The post Alaska Air Upgrades Mileage Program, Signals Bright Future appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreEver since Delta began ramping up operations in Seattle, Alaska Airlines’ hometown and main flight hub, the relationship between the two airlines has been disintegrating. And there was plenty to disintegrate. The carriers were long-time partners in each other’s frequent-flyer programs, and they code-shared on a host of flights. They were, in the industry vernacular, […]
The post Alaska Air, Delta to Cut Ties. Who’s the Biggest Loser? appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreIn case you were wondering, the best hotel loyalty program is Choice Privileges. That’s according to USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards. The nominees were picked by USA Today editors and a panel of travel writers, and the winners were then chosen by popular vote, by readers. Here’s their list of the 10 best […]
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Read MoreWhile the Marriott acquisition of Starwood closed in September, the two companies’ integration is far from complete. In particular, Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest continue to operate independently, although members may now link their accounts, transfer points, and have their status matched. For better or for worse, the new promotions for Marriott, Starwood, and […]
The post New Promotions from Marriott, Starwood, Ritz-Carlton: Double Points appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreFollowing is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week. If it was a good deal—or a notably bad deal—from an airline, hotel, or car rental loyalty program, you can read all about it here, and plan your travel accordingly. These Are America’s 10 Best […]
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Read MoreInterContinental Hotels Group has announced the latest in its series of personalized Accelerate promotions, for stays beginning next month. Offer Details Between January 1 and April 15, IHG Rewards Club members can earn “at least 30,000 bonus points” for completing a series of tasks targeted to each member’s individual stay and earning history. This is […]
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Read MoreChoice Hotels has gotten a lot of traction with travelers with its recurring promotion featuring a free night at any of 1,500 lower-priced Choice hotels after two stays. And that’s as it should be: It’s an unusually rich offer. For travelers who were expecting more of the same, Choice’s new promotion, for winter stays, will […]
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Read MoreHilton’s current systemwide promotion—double or triple points—was scheduled to expire on December 31. Rather than follow that with an entirely new offer, Hilton has elected to extend the existing promotion for an additional month. Offer Details Through January 31, 2017, Hilton HHonors members can earn double points for every stay at every hotel in the […]
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Read MoreOn the landing page of a new website touting the consumer benefits of Alaska’s acquisition of Virgin America, which closed today, there’s this: Alaska Airlines and Virgin America are coming together. Like bacon on a donut, electricity and guitars, or Labradors and poodles, we’re an odd couple that works well together. We may seem like […]
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Read MoreFollowing is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week. If it was a good deal—or a notably bad deal—from an airline, hotel, or car rental loyalty program, you can read all about it here, and plan your travel accordingly. Iconic TWA Terminal to Get […]
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Read MoreThe main problem with most best-loyalty-program studies is their underlying assumption that there’s a one-size-fits-all solution to the problem. There is no single best program for everyone. What there is is a best program for you, given your goals and travel patterns and spending behavior. A new Best Hotel Rewards Program study from WalletHub is […]
The post The Best Hotel Program? It Depends appeared first on SmarterTravel.
Read MoreIt was almost exactly a year ago that JetBlue announced that Amazon Prime members could stream Amazon video inflight. At the time, the two companies also promised that the partnership would be expanded to allow TrueBlue members to earn points for Amazon purchases sometime in 2016. “Sometime” was a long time in coming, but it […]
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Read MoreAs recurring travel promotions go, National Car Rental’s “One Two Free” has been a perennial winner. For this year, National has wisely retained everything that has made the promotion a favorite, and added a couple of new positive twists as well. And the promotion has now been extended for an extra month. Offer Details Through […]
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