TRAVEL / FREQUENT FLYER TIPS

Good news and bad news.

1) In another step towards integration of AA and BA (within their joint venture), you can now book BA flights with AA miles on aa.com. This is great for avoiding a phone call to check for availability of same.

2) The bad news: the taxes/fees are outrageous. A direct flight from NY to London in business class come out to the standard 100,000 miles but with $967.40 in fees! I priced a similar trip to LHR on AA aircraft and got only $281.50.

What is in the water over at BA?! These fuel surcharges (or YQ as we call it) have gotten beyond out of hand. Charging nearly a grand in fees on an award ticket is just a wee bit too far in “cost recovery”. Shame on you, BA.

The answer is “probably” if you follow a recent post on FlyerTalk that’s gotten over 16,000 views in just one day.

The jist of it is that it would become a revenue-based program (as opposed to the miles-based programs that are the norm). To see an example of a revenue based FF program, you can check out the likes of Virgin America’s Elevate. You earn based on what you spend, not on how far you travel.

Why is this bad for all but the highest spending business travelers?

Because tying everything to spend just takes the “game” out of it. Right now, a Delta Platinum elite could fly one round trip New York to Tokyo and earn 28,000 miles. 4 such round trips would set that traveler up for a free business class trip to Europe or, with just a few more miles, a free business class trip to Asia or the Middle East. Let’s say each round trip to Tokyo in coach cost $1,500. So after $6,000 in spend, they now have a free round trip in Business Class probably valued at about $6,000.

This is just one reason the legacy carriers hate the miles based programs. Other reasons include “mileage runners” that seek low fares on long routes with multiple stops just to collect miles.

OK, so we see why the airlines might want to move to the RBP (revenue based program).

But what are some arguments against it?

Only the highest spenders will get any real reward from such a program. If you are a HVC (high value customer), you will probably be one of the few to like this as less people compete for ward travel. So while an airline definitely wants its HVCs happy, what about the collective of EVERYONE ELSE?

Will the customer that spends $5,000 to $10,000 a year that used to get maybe a free J class ticket a year and will now get basically nothing continue to stay loyal to any particular airline? Will these customers even bother with using a frequent flyer program at all? (thus depriving the airline of valuable marketing data). I think it’s fine for the small carriers like Virgin America with limited routes, but the mileage based program is the norm worldwide and all the airlines are in alliances where members can earn and redeem miles across the network. (The three alliances are OneWorld, SkyTeam, and Star Alliance.)

It remains to be seen how Delta using a different method would mesh into its SkyTeam network – and if other US airlines would follow (essentially killing the great premium class redemptions we’ve all gotten used to aspiring to).

How do you feel about this potential change? How would it affect your flying habits? Would you just go for the cheapest carrier and forget about the frequent flyer programs altogether?

Last year, Capital One had an offer where they matched your frequent flyer account – up to $100,000 “miles”. MANY took advantage and earned the free 100,000 points for just $1,000 in spend.

This year, the offer is back, but with a twist:

This year they will DOUBLE your 2011 credit card spend on a travel related credit card up to 100,000 miles (worth an easy $1,000) when you spend $1,000 in 90 days and submit the 2011 summary of a travel related credit card.

The catches are plentiful.

It HAS to be a travel credit card. A Starwood Amex, American Airlines Visa, etc. are all good. One that just earns points you can redeem for travel will not count. Spending on a small business credit card also will not count.

From Cap One: All major U.S. consumer travel rewards credit cards are eligible (Visa®, MasterCard®, American Express®, and Discover® ). Travel rewards cards include all credit cards that earn rewards that can be redeemed for travel purchases (flights, hotels, rental cars, etc.). Purchases on small business cards, debit cards, fleet cards, private label credit cards, corporate cards, prepaid cards, and Capital One credit cards are not eligible.

Finally, it seems Capital One is only approving those they feel are likely to spend real money with them going forward. So if your credit history appears like you apply for every good credit card offer that comes out, don’t expect an approval here.

Good luck – because if you get in, it *is* a cool $1,000 in points just for opening a credit card.

Go here for more details and to apply: www.capitaloneventure.com

This is our biggest cash back offer ever for an American Express charge card.

$150 in Amazon gift cards! We’ve done $20, $50, even $100 on the Gold Card from OPEN. But never $150.

And what’s more, you’ll get 25,000 bonus points when you spend just $1,000 (*) in three months.

Now, the Platinum card DOES carry a $450 annual fee. And it’s not even waived the first year.

But the card has a ton of exclusive benefits, and if you were thinking about getting one anyway, maybe this free $150 in Amazon credit will push you over the edge.

For more information, and to apply, please visit our Business Platinum Card from American Express page.

To get the $150, be sure to use the specified link and enter your information so we can send you the reward.

* We got an email indicating this MAY change to $5,000 in three months, so perhaps best o get on this sooner than later – and please VERIFY the bonus on the Amex webpage before applying.

SPG today announced a slew of new benefits starting March 1st, 2012. If you stay at any of Starwood’s brands (i.e. Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels, St Regis, Le Meridien, Four Points, Aloft, or Element) on a regular basis, your benefits just improved in a big way.

To summarize:

1) GOLD members will now receive a welcome gift at check-in. Choose from 250 SPG bonus points (125 at Aloft/Element/Four Points), or FREE Internet, or a complimentary beverage. With some hotels still charging lofty fees for in-room Internet, this alone could make SPG Gold worthwhile. If you stay 20 nights as Gold, that could be worth $300 (at a $15 a night Internet access fee).

2) PLATINUM Members, who already get a 500 point amenity at check-in (or local welcome gift) will now additionally receive a free continental breakfast for them and a guest each day of their stay.

3) “SUPER PLATINUM” – (our term, not theirs!) means that Platinum members that stay 50 nights in a calendar year receive 10 Confirmed Suite Upgrade certificates (in a Standard Suite, not any suite!). Stay 75 nights and start receiving 4 Starpoints per dollar spent on-property AND “Time on your side” which means you can stay from 24 hours from the time you check-in. Check-in at 9pm and you can stay until 9pm the next night!

4) LIFETIME GOLD and PLATINUM !!

a) Earn Lifetime Gold after staying a total of 250 eligible nights (remember that award nights now count too, since last November) and earning Gold or Platinum any 5 years since joining the program.

b) Earn Lifetime Platinum after 500 eligible nights and any 10 years of Platinum status.

Conclusion:

These are really amazing changes to the SPG program. They’ve long been one of the leaders in frequent guest programs – but this really pushes them up a few notches.

While I’m sure some people will find negatives in this (i.e. things that don’t quite fit their travel pattern), I think it’s hard to argue with such improvements.

Complete details at: http://www.spgpromos.com/morepowertoyou/?language=en_US&IM=SPGT_Annc_SPG_ENG_1&EM=SPGMorePower

Share your thoughts in the comments!

DG

Dates: Travel between December 13, 2011, and January 31, 2012

Offer: Reach AAdvantage elite status faster than ever with this offer!

Travel on American Airlines or American Eagle anywhere we fly from December 13, 2011, through January 31, 2012. You’ll earn double elite-qualifying miles, the miles that bring you closer to AAdvantage elite status membership – at an accelerated rate. It’s our way of saying “thank you” for your loyalty!

Link: http://www.aa.com/viewPromotionDetails.do?repositoryId=16384981

This morning I was greeting in my email inbox with a message from American Airlines notifying me of their Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Now, I fly AA a lot and have considerable AAdvantage miles banked. What was my initial reaction?

GOOD!

You see, the other US-based legacy carriers have all already done this. It will allow them to unburden themselves of unviable union contracts that have kept them from having the money to spend on things like new and refurbished planes needed to compete with European and Asian carriers that offer far superior business class products on long haul flights – and even to refurbish domestic planes with things like WiFi and In Seat Entertainment that people have started to expect with the likes of Jet Blue offering it on every flight.

FOX wrote a piece on this filing that sums it up pretty well: http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2011/11/29/what-every-passenger-should-know-about-american-airlines-filing-for-bankruptcy/

What about your miles? They are *most likely* very safe. The AAdvantage program is what keeps high paying customers loyal to AA and even if the company were acquired, not honoring the miles would alienate the customers the buyer would covet most. In past takeovers (not that we know a takeover will happen here), miles and statuses have been safe. Like when American took over TWA a couple of decades ago and AA turned those miles into AAdvantage miles.

Sure, flying AA near term might be a bit less fun as employees will be hurt by the filing and morale will sink – but long term, this should be a positive thing for AA;s frequent (and infrequent) flyers.

As of Nov 2nd, we have the following offer:

- Earn 30,000 bonus miles when you spend $500 in your first 3 months of cardmembership
- No annual fee for your first year of Card membership; $95 thereafter

And if you use the HotelMagician.com link as indicated, you’ll also get a $20 Amazon.com gift certificate after you are approved.

Follow this link to get the offer: Delta Gold American Express card: 30,000 Bonus Miles

In honor of all those who serve, through Veterans Day, Nov. 11th, AAdvantage® members will be rewarded 15 miles instead of 10 for each dollar donated through American’s Miles In Support of All Who Serve campaign, which supports USO programs and services to support the morale, welfare, social and entertainment needs of troops and their families, free of charge.

http://joinus.aa.com/uso-care-packages

If you’re trying to beat the Dec 1 change to the American Airlines Million Miler program, this would be a nice boost for a good cause.

If you haven’t been following, you have until December 1st for miles from all sources to count in attaining Million Miler status – AAdvantage Gold status for the life of the AAdvantage program.

Until Dec 1st, miles from all sources, including credit card spending, could towards the 1,000,000 lifetime miles needed to qualify. Any flying bonuses also count.

After Dec 1st, miles that could will be actual BIS (butt-in-seat) miles only – with the one exception of the Citi Executive AAdvantage Visa credit card. ($450 annual fee).

Are you close??