TRAVEL / FREQUENT FLYER TIPS

In my Inbox today:

Beginning January 1, 2014, you will earn Medallion status through a combination of miles or segments flown and your annual spending on Delta flights, which will be measured by Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs).

Specifically, here’s how you will qualify for Medallion status starting next year:

	To Reach 2015 SILVER Medallion Status		YOU WILL NEED		25,000 MQMs - OR - 30 MQSs		AND		$2,500 MQDs
	To Reach 2015 GOLD Medallion Status		YOU WILL NEED		50,000 MQMs - OR - 60 MQSs		AND		$5,000 MQDs
	To Reach 2015 PLATINUM Medallion Status		YOU WILL NEED		75,000 MQMs - OR - 100 MQSs		AND		$7,500 MQDs
	To Reach 2015 DIAMOND Medallion Status		YOU WILL NEED		125,000 MQMs - OR - 140 MQSs		AND		$12,500 MQDs

In summary, if you currently fly 75,000 miles in a year but spend less than $7,500 in a year on Delta marketed flights, you’d better start buying more expensive tickets!!

One VERY interesting “out” is that you if you have a Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express. Cardholders that spend at least $25,000 in a calendar year are exempt from the new MQD requirement in exchange for that annual fee. If you are way off from that annual MQD spend, paying $95 for this card doesn’t seem like a bad deal.

APPLY NOW for the Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card

-DG

Guest writer Lynne Mullins talking about the Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN (charge card):

Click here to APPLY NOW for the Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN

Consumers who sign up for a credit card that offers a reward program tend to take advantage of most ways to earn points to maximize their rewards. As a business owner or employee using a business charge card, you may not have realized you can not only earn rewards, but also gain additional savings for your business by paying for business supplies with a charge card. The American Express business card line was created specifically for business people wanting the convenience of a business-oriented charge card combined with the benefits of a rewards program. The American Express OPEN Savings program is a benefit automatically offered with all American Express business cards that gives additional discounts on products and services with participating retailers. This is a win-win situation for businesses!

Participating retailers in the OPEN Savings program offer 3 to 10 percent off of your total order, and you don’t have to enroll, you simply use your Amex card at a participating OPEN Savings partner. The credit will be applied to your balance on your next statement. Participating retailers include OfficeMax, Fedex Office, technology partner HPDirect.com and Hertz. Paying for these purchases using your Amex charge card ensures that you are earning valuable Amex Membership Rewards points while saving anywhere from 3 to 10 percent on your total bill!

Shipping through companies like Fedex and UPS and buying advertising/media-related purchases earns you two points per dollar spent when you pay for these products and services with your Amex card.

If you own a business, chances are the office supply budget is a significant part of your yearly expenses. An average office of ten or more people will spend approximately $5,000 per year in office supplies alone. This is not including printing, furniture, or cleaning products, which can add up to significant amounts of money. By using your Amex Business Gold Rewards card to pay for these types of purchases and utilizing OfficeMax, an Open Savings partner, you can earn one to point per dollar spent, as well as save up to 10 percent on purchases.

At OfficeMax, you can essentially buy items from all of the supply categories listed above in the store or from their website. Another way to save money and earn points is to use OfficeMax for your copying and printing needs. They can handle all printing needs, including business cards, presentations, stamps and more. With all of these products and services being purchased from an Open Savings partner, your savings will add up tremendously!Earn 50,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $5,000 in purchases on the Card in the first 3 months of Card membership†.
- Earn points even faster to get more rewards for your business.
- 3X points on airfare purchased from airlines. 2X points at US gas stations.
- Up to $100,000 in each category per year, then 1 point.
- Terms and limitations apply.

- Reduce travel costs, show appreciation for employees and clients, and offset everyday expenses by using points to get something back and grow your business.
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $175.

Apply online to qualify for this offer. See offer terms

Click here to APPLY NOW for the Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPEN

A while back, Citi indicated that we’d soon have the ability to exchange ThankYou points for airline/hotel partner points.

Nothing ever happened and it seemed it was not going to happen.

Today, a new page is appearing on ThankYou.com allowing cardholders with Premier or Prestige (or Chairman) accounts to transfer points at the rate of 1,000 TY to 1,500 HHonors.

The page is here: https://rewards.thankyou.com/b2r/merchandise/pointsExchange.do?itemId=31000CTHNKYUPMC1861639

Hopefully this is also a sign of more transfer partners to come – like the originally anticipated British Airways?

DG

Guest writer Lynne Mullins talking about the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express:

APPLY NOW for the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express

For savvy travelers, sometimes it’s a reward card’s extra perks that are most desired. With the Starwood Preferred Guest credit card program from American Express, there are many “extra” incentives that helped this program become one of the most popular travel rewards programs for frequent travelers today. With the SPG credit card, the Starpoints you earn with qualifying purchases can quickly add up to free nights at any one of the nine award-winning Starwood hotel brands, including the elegant W Hotel, The Luxury Collection, Le Meridien, Westin, Sheraton, Aloft, Element and Four Points by Sheraton. These hotels are located in most major cities around the world.

• Earn free nights at award-winning Starwood hotel brands, including the W Hotel, Westin, Sheraton and more
• No blackout dates for hotel stays or participating airlines
• Earn bonus Starpoints by transferring Starpoints to participating frequent flier programs

If you like to travel during holiday or peak travel times, this program contains no blackout dates, even on holidays, for either hotel stays or for flights, using one of the 350 participating airlines with SPG flights. If there is a room or flight available, you can use Starpoints. Another perk is when you transfer 20,000 Starpoints to one of over 30 participating frequent flier airline programs, you will receive 5,000 bonus Starpoints. This is like getting one free point for every four points!

Doesn’t a late checkout time sound wonderful? Having this credit card automatically places you in a Preferred Plus status, which means that you enjoy exclusive privileges that include earning additional Starpoints for every dollar of eligible purchases spent at SPG hotels and resorts, and, when available, upgrades to enhanced rooms at check-in and a 4:00 p.m. late checkout time, which comes in very handy for frequent travelers with connecting flights. As a member of the Starwood Preferred Guest program, you gain access to Free Night Awards, room upgrades, award flights and merchandise awards.

APPLY NOW for the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express

or read writer Dave Grossman’s review of the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express

Guest writer Lynne Mullins, talking about the Business Platinum Card from American Express OPEN:

APPLY NOW for the Business Platinum Card® from American Express OPEN

The American Express Business Platinum Card offers business travelers who frequent airports an advantage over other travel rewards cards, one of the best, really. Usually, people who travel repeatedly for business gravitate toward frequenting one airline because they prefer exclusive amenities offered to the airline’s frequent travelers. These amenities usually include a dedicated airport club or lounge. However, every airline does not have a lounge in every airport. This can become inconvenient if you need to conduct business while waiting for a flight, or maybe you just like the ambiance and relaxation that an exclusive lounge provides.

The American Express Business Platinum Card offers business people one of the best premier travel benefits around. Complementary airport club access for lounges run by Delta, American Airlines and US Airways could be the difference from having an average airport experience to having an excellent one. Enroll in the Priority Pass Select program and gain access to 600-plus partner lounges worldwide. These lounges are not limited to one specific airline!

With the AMEX Business Platinum Card, you receive:

• Complementary airport club access
• 24/7 Concierge
• $200 Yearly Airline Fee Credit

Most airport lounges offer visitors complimentary drinks, including house wine, beer and spirits, as well as coffee, tea and soda. Light snacks are also offered. Wi-Fi and PCs with Internet access are usually available to use while waiting. Depending on the location, some of the lounges offer access to personal travel assistance, and work areas that include copiers, printers and fax services. Some even offer relaxing showers, cell-phone free seating areas and separate children’s rooms. With the American Express Platinum card, you need not worry about finding an available airport lounge again.

Additional premium travel benefits include access to a 24-hour concierge service and a $200 airline fee credit that covers incidental travel charges, including any extra baggage fees, in-flight meals and ticket fees you might incur. Simply by taking full advantage of this credit, you are essentially getting back nearly half of the card’s annual fee, every year! The Platinum Card by American Express is truly a business traveler’s dream.

APPLY NOW for the Business Platinum Card® from American Express OPEN

NOTE: Citi is no longer offering the Citi Thank You Premier card – you can apply instead for the Citi ThankYou Preferred card which has similar benefits but no annual fee and a 15,000 ThankYou Point signup bonus. However, please note that the Preferred card does NOT offer the flight points or 1.33% bonus on flight redemptions.

Apply Now for the Citi Thank You Preferred card and get 15,000 bonus ThankYou Points

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Guest writer: Lynne Mullins, talking about the Citi ThankYou Premier card.

Busy travelers who want to get the most out of a travel rewards credit card will want to keep reading to understand how to use the Citi ThankYou Premier Card to gain additional returns and more rewards for your money. By simply choosing how you book your travel, you can earn much more than the standard one point per dollar on eligible purchases that is typical of most credit card reward programs.

The Citi ThankYou Premier Card is a credit card that at face value, earns one point per dollar spent on all qualifying purchases that are made with the card. For heavy credit card users, these points can add up quickly. For example, if an airline ticket is purchased with the Citi credit card, you earn points for both the purchase and for the miles flown on the trip. On a side note, the Citi program offers travel benefits with no blackout dates.

• Earn additional reward points for miles flown with the Citi ThankYou Premier Card
• Points can be used above and beyond face value when redeemed for airfare
• No blackout dates

By purchasing airline tickets through the ThankYou Travel Center with your accrued points, you can gain an additional 33 percent in value. For example, if you want to redeem your points to buy a $333 airline ticket, it will only cost you 25,000 points, whereas if you were buying this ticket through another points-based program, the redemption point total would typically be around 33,250 points. When used in this manner, the card functions as a 2.66 percent cash back card. There is no limit to the number of points that can be accrued, and there is no expiration date for points.

Guest writer Lynne Mullins, talking about the

Apply NOW for the Citi ThankYou Preferred Card and get 15,000 bonus points

It can be very frustrating when you and a friend have fun collecting points in a rewards program, but yet after accruing points for what seems like forever, neither of you have enough points to get a reward that you really want? Did you know that airlines often will charge you more than a penny PER point if you want to transfer points to someone else’s account so that person can use them? Finally, there is a card that addresses a need to make sharing simpler. The Citi ThankYou Preferred Card has two new features that make it easy to share points with other ThankYou members.

It’s simple to share your Citi ThankYou Points with people you know who participate in the ThankYou Points program. Imagine if you could send your parents on a dream vacation, invite your friends to stay at an elegant hotel, or take your kids to a foreign country. The points transfer program can help you achieve these goals. Located right on the Citi ThankYou website, the simple form asks for recipient’s name, the member’s account number and the number of points you wish to transfer. It’s that easy.

• Share ThankYou points online conveniently
• Receive bonus points each anniversary date
• Sign up for electronic statements and purchase items on the ThankYou Network for additional points

The second way to share ThankYou points is through the new Citi ThankYou Point Sharing App on Facebook. From this page, ThankYou members can meet up to give, get or share ThankYou points. Some members have even combined points to make charitable donations. You must be a member of Facebook to link your Citi ThankYou Premier account to the website.

There are many ways to earn additional ThankYou points, including receiving an anniversary bonus (of up to five percent of accrued points), signing up for paperless account statements and using the retail ThankYou Network for purchases. The anniversary bonus is figured using your previous year’s purchases.

Apply NOW for the Citi ThankYou Preferred Card and get 15,000 bonus points

Citi has just put out a new offer on an existing card.  Whereas you would normally get some bonus points for a new card, this offer gives you double points on *everything* for two full years.

So while a bonus offer of say 15,000 points is great – if you spend high volumes and can get 2x points for 2 years, that could be worth way more in the long run.

Remember you can redeem points for airfare with a 33% bonus. So 100,000 points is redeemable for $1,332 in airfare. With double p0oints on all spend, you’re only spending $50,000 to accumulate that $1,332 in free airfare – making this card worth MORE THAN 2% effective cash back.

Want to apply? Here’s the application

This expires TODAY – September 4th, 2012. The terms this time around are as follows:

You’ll get 10,000 Starpoints with your first purchase and another 20,000 Starpoints when you have spent $5,000 within your first 6 months of cardmembership.

What can you get with 30,000 Starpoints? You could get a 5 night stay in a Category 3 hotel! That could easily be worth $750 or more. Or 3 nights in a category 4 or 2 nights in a Category 5. Traveling to Asia? In a Category 1 or 2 hotel, these points could buy you 10 nights worth well over $1,000. It’s ALL about how you use the points.

If you have questions, please post in the Comments.

You can read all about and apply for the personal flavor of the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) Credit Card from American Express here .

You can read all about and apply for the Business version of the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) Credit Card from American Express here.

If you have a small business you CAN apply for both cards and get both bonuses – provided you haven’t gotten them before.

The Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express is one of the best travel rewards credit cards out there. We go into the “why?” on the pages that review the Personal SPG Amex credit card and the Business version of the SPG Amex

But for the last two years (and now this makes three), American Express has launched an offer around this time offering more bonus points for a new cardmember.

It is back as of THIS MORNING and only until September 2nd, 2012 (so get on it – don’t “think” too long). The terms this time around are as follows:

You’ll get 10,000 Starpoints with your first purchase and another 20,000 Starpoints when you have spent $5,000 within your first 6 months of cardmembership.

What can you get with 30,000 Starpoints? You could get a 5 night stay in a Category 3 hotel! That could easily be worth $750 or more. Or 3 nights in a category 4 or 2 nights in a Category 5. Traveling to Asia? In a Category 1 or 2 hotel, these points could buy you 10 nights worth well over $1,000. It’s ALL about how you use the points.

If you have questions, please post in the Comments.

You can read all about and apply for the personal flavor of the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) Credit Card from American Express here .

You can read all about and apply for the Business version of the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) Credit Card from American Express here.

If you have a small business you CAN apply for both cards and get both bonuses – provided you haven’t gotten them before.