Should You Buy LifeMiles with a 125% Bonus?
December 9, 2016
Avianca LifeMiles is offering a bonus of up to 125% on purchased miles through December 20, 2016. You can buy up to 150,000 LifeMiles during the sale and get up to 187,500 bonus miles.
LifeMiles cost 3.3 cents each, so with a 125% bonus, you get the miles for 1.47 cents each.
United Compensation for a Delayed Flight
December 8, 2016
A few weeks ago my United flight from Houston to Buenos Aires was delayed 13 hours. United automatically offered me 7,500 miles or $100 United credit as compensation, but I was able to increase that offer to 17,500 miles or $200 credit with a simple email.
The Delay
I was heading from the Chicago Seminars to my winter home in Buenos Aires. I booked the award for 30,000 United miles the week before departure using secret United award space.
How to Get into Priority Pass Lounges with Just Your Phone
December 7, 2016
Priority Pass--the free lounge access you get with many premium credit cards--has a rule: no card, no lounge access.
Credit card links have been removed from posts and added to the menu bar at the top of every page of MileValue under the heading Top Travel Credit Cards.
There's a way around that: you can turn your phone into your membership card in just a few steps.
Download the Priority Pass app.
2. Open the menu and click Log In.
3.
How to Watch Netflix on the Plane, Offline
December 7, 2016
You can now download Netflix shows and watch them offline. This means that you can now watch Netflix on planes or other places where wifi is expensive or non-existent.
"The new feature is included in all plans and available for phones and tablets on Android and iOS."
When I downloaded the Netflix app for my phone, an immediate pop up heralded the news.
Not all shows are available for download yet, so I clicked around to see what is.
Right now, I'm re-watching Mad Men Season 7. The entire Mad Men series is available for download.
Review: San Francisco Centurion Lounge
December 6, 2016
A few weeks ago I flew from Virginia to Hawaii on United with a layover in San Francisco during which I gorged in the American Express Centurion Lounge.
Anyone with any American Express Platinum or Centurion Lounge gets free access to Centurion lounges for himself and up to two guests.
Rich Travel / Poor Travel Web Series
December 5, 2016
A friend I met at a MileValue dinner has launched a funny web series about using miles to fly Business or First Class and then traveling on a shoestring once you arrive.
It speaks to me because I do the same thing; I remember my Emirates First Class chauffeur picking me up at my hostel in Auckland and flying Singapore First Class to Barcelona before my 5 euro bus to the city to couchsurf.
Here's the 90 second trailer.
Here's the first episode, flying EVA Business Class to Tokyo and then following the weird characters around;
12,500 Miles from Caribbean to Europe, Mid-East, or North Africa
December 5, 2016
Flying Blue's latest Promo Awards--click that link if you don't know what Promo Awards are--are complete stinkers for most Americans.
Flash Sale: Buy IHG Points with 100% Bonus until Tues. Good Deal?
December 5, 2016
Through Tuesday (December 6, 2016), you can buy IHG Rewards Club points with a 100% bonus.
How to Redeem Delta Miles for Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy
December 3, 2016
Delta miles can now be redeemed for Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy.
This is the first time miles issued by one of the big three legacy carriers--American, Delta, United--can be redeemed for Premium Economy.
Successful Booking of ROUNDTRIP Biz to Europe for 37k Miles + $93
November 30, 2016
Brussels Airlines is a partner of Etihad miles, and this is the amazing award chart for roundtrip redemptions, including 36,620 Etihad miles roundtrip in Business Class between New York and Brussels, or about a quarter of the miles United would charge for the same booking:
Brussels award space in Business Class is wide open on united.com for Summer 2017 at the moment, and Etihad miles are easy to get as a 1:1 transfer partner of Citi ThankYou Points and Amex Membership rewards, so I figured some serious investigation was in order.
How to Book a Brussels Airlines Flight