Promotion,Forum Buzz,AAdvantage
7,500 American Airlines Miles For 10 Min Cadillac Test Drive: The Deal Returns
December 17, 2015
If you are a registered member of the AAdvantage program, you might be able to earn 7,500 bonus American Airlines miles for test driving a Cadillac before December 31, 2015. Check your email to see if you received the following promotional offer that this FlyerTalker did:
Hello xxx,
AAdvantage Number: *******Cadillac shares your passion for travel.
Forum Buzz,United,Cheap Flight
Bargain Flights to Istanbul for Under $450!
January 30, 2013
According to this thread in the FlyerTalk Mileage Run forum, several airlines are featuring extremely low fares between the US and Istanbul, Turkey.
There appears to be solid availability in February and early March, and I'm seeing fares as low as $413! This is great news, especially for those of us who couldn't get in on the paid first class fare sale to Istanbul and Moscow last week.
Why to Avoid the American Express Business Gold Card and its 75,000 Point Sign Up Bonus
January 25, 2013
Update: This deal has expired.
According to this thread on FlyerTalk, American Express is offering a limited time 75,000 point sign up bonus for their Business Gold Rewards charge card.
Wyndham: Another Hotel Program Devaluation?
January 16, 2013
According to this thread on FlyerTalk, the Wyndham hotel group has devalued their loyalty program in a big way.
This is terrible news, especially coming on the heels of Priority Club adjusting their award chart for the worse by introducing a whopping nine redemptive tiers. For a complete breakdown of that change, check out my post, Priority Club's Big Award Chart Devaluation.
What does the new chart look like?
I have attached a screen shot of the new award chart below:
That looks fairly innocuous.
Will Citi Have the Next Hot Transferable Points?
January 10, 2013
According to this thread on FlyerTalk, Citi has announced that ThankYou Points earned from its own ThankYou Point credit cards can now be transferred to Hilton HHonors points.
There some huge pros to this announcement but also some really troubling concerns that need further clarification. Read on for my analysis.
What is the transfer ratio of ThankYouPoints to Hilton HHonors points?
According to the Hilton website, ThankYou Points (TYP) can be transferred to Hilton HHonors at a ratio of 1:1.5. The minimum number of TYP that can be transferred is 1,000.
Priority Club Big Award Chart Devaluation
January 9, 2013
According to this thread on FlyerTalk, the Priority Club hotel group will be changing their award chart to mirror other hotel loyalty programs. Read on to see why this change isn't good news for frequent guests.
What does the new chart look like?
I have attached a screen shot of the new award chart below.
Priority Club has decided to split their hotels into nine categories. In comparison, Hyatt has six hotel categories. Starwood and Hilton have seven.
Delta Ends Partnership with e-Miles and e-Rewards
January 2, 2013
Delta Airlines has severed ties with both e-Miles and e-Rewards according to this thread and and this thread on FlyerTalk. As of the New Year, you are no longer be able to redeem currency accrued in either program for Delta SkyMiles.
For those unfamiliar, both e-Miles and e-Rewards are websites that reward visitors with miles or fun money for filling out surveys in a wide range of categories.
Southwest Announces New Fees That Make Perfect Sense
December 20, 2012
According to this thread on FlyerTalk and this thread on Milepoint, Southwest will now start charging a no-show fee for those who fail to cancel their tickets before the flight departs.
Extra fees, especially on traveler-friendly Southwest, are never a good thing. But I am shocked that a fee like this wasn't in place before. Now that it is, I honestly can't blame them for implementing it. It makes sense to penalize when Southwest could resell the seat for a higher price at the last minute.
Marriott Reveals New Lifetime Status Requirements–You’re Happy
December 20, 2012
Marriott Hotels announced that they are changing the requirements for lifetime elite status. The FlyerTalk thread discussing Marriott lifetime benefits can be found here. Shockingly, the changes are all positive. When word came from a Marriott Rewards forum post that lifetime elite criteria would be changing, there was some apprehension. However, I can tell you that the changes are actually beneficial to travelers.
Hyatt Publishes Award Chart Update; Hold the Pitch Forks
December 20, 2012
According to this thread on FlyerTalk, Hyatt has tweaked the award chart category for 17 of its properties. Hyatt's complete award chart can be found here for reference. These changes will go into effect on February 7th. Room reservations booked prior to this date will still be at the previously published award level.
The complete list of changes:
At first glance, none of these changes stick out as drastic. The Hyatt 48 Lex in New York City changing from a category 4 to a category 5 might be disappointing to Chase Hyatt Visa cardholders.