Live Well, Get Miles: 35 Ways to Earn Miles (Plus a Few More From Us)

Yesterday on my flight, I read a good article on earning airline miles, Live Well, Get Miles. The Budget Travel article by Brad Tuttle provided various methods for earning miles from credit cards use to shopping to earning miles the through use of more traditional methods, such as travelling. The article provided a good overview of the various methods for earning miles but there were many more that were excluded.

Here are my top three options for earning miles that were excluded:

• Hotels - Nearly every hotel program offers the option of converting hotel points to miles. Several programs offer bonuses if a certain number of points are redeemed. There are even some hotel reward programs that offer limited-time promotions that can double or triple the conversion rate for points. Although hotel points are more valuable if redeemed for free hotel nights, redeeming hotel points for airline miles can be a great source for miles.
• Car Rentals - Car rental companies are a great source for airline miles. There are several rental car companies that have very generous airline mile promotions that can result in tens of thousands of miles in mere weeks. Avis is currently offering 5,000 miles for a 4 day rental.
• Airline Promotions - Airlines often have generous offers to entice and retain travelers. Before booking do a search of this site, or other travel sites, to see if there are any promotions that can add free miles to your account. A recent Delta CVG promotion offered 25,000 miles for 5 round trip from the Cincinnati airport within a 3 month period just as long as you signed up. Currently, Delta has a targeted promotion that can result in a 10,000 mile bonus for a round-trip purchase. Being aware of these promotions is the key.

My Prescription

Although stated in the article, being an informed consumer in regards to fare redemption costs, and promotions offered by airlines, hotels, car rental, and credit card companies is important. Just as important, if not more so, is to be a savvy consumer in regards to your credit and purchases. It does not make a lot of sense to have your spending outstrip your income just to earn miles. Nor does it make sense to overpay for items just to earn miles when the miles earned do not outweigh the increase cost to purchase the item. Be a wise consumer and point earner.

Southwest Rapids Rewards Double Credit with Alamo Car Rentals

This promotion is a good way to bump up your Southwest Rapid Rewards credits. If you rent from now until September 30th with Alamo on Southwest.com, you'll receive 1.0 credits instead of .05 credits when you rent a car for more than 2 days.

Terms and Conditions

As a Rapid Rewards Member, you can receive double credit on any rental of two days or longer.

In addition, receive up to 25% off on every rental. All car classes included. For double credit, you will receive one credit per qualifying rental instead of the standard 0.5 credit. This offer is valid in the United States and Canada through September 30, 2009. For reservations, book online at southwest.com. When booking, enter 7012234 in the Corporate ID/Rate field to receive double credit and earn up to 25% off of your rental. Be sure to provide your Rapid Rewards account number at the time of reservation or at time of rental to receive your credits.

Bottom Line

This is a decent promotion to use if you are a die hard Southwest member and rent with Alamo. However the current Delta/Avis 5,000 Delta Skymiles is in my opinion the best value for your car rental options.

Hotel Reward Programs: Hyatt Gold Passport (HGP)

This post is the second in a series that will provide an analysis of the various hotel reward programs. The analysis of the reward programs will include information on the participating hotel chains, ease of earning points, point redemption options and costs, program tiers, and, finally, an overall evaluation of the program. As more programs are reviewed a side-by-side comparison of the programs will be provided along with the program's Martini score, our unique valuation for reward programs that will allow you to effective compare programs.

Hotels

Global Hyatt subsidiaries own, operate, manage or franchise more than 370 hotels and resorts worldwide under the Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt Resorts™, Grand Hyatt®, Park Hyatt®, Hyatt Place®, Hyatt Summerfield Suites® and Andaz™ brands with additional properties under development on five continents. A brief overview of the brands, in order from most luxurious and expensive to least:

• Park Hyatt Hotels - Smaller, luxury hotels designed to cater to discerning travelers.
• Andaz - Our newest brand focused on indulging guests with simple luxuries and unexpected details.
• Grand Hyatt Hotels - Grand in every sense, these hotels feature luxurious accommodations, dramatic architecture and state-of-the-art technology.
• Hyatt Regency Hotels - Our best-known hotels feature stylish, contemporary design, abundant meeting facilities and extraordinary restaurants.
• Hyatt Resorts - Local culture inspires unique experiences rarely found in travel guides at Hyatt Resorts. Experience distinctive architecture, localized spa experiences and gourmet regional cuisine with your stay.
• Hyatt Place - A new kind of hotel that puts style, innovation and The Hyatt Touch® within your reach.
• Hyatt Summerfield Suites - Upscale, residential style all-suite hotels with full kitchens that are more comfortable, more stylish, and more like home.
• Hyatt Vacation Club - Own a vacation of a lifetime from the most trusted name in vacation clubs

The Program

Hyatt Gold Passport is a three-tiered program that is known for its generousity in awarding point and free nights. The program is divided into three tiers (see membership levels below) with Diamond being the highest.

Achieving Platinum status is the key to increased points and it only takes 5 stays to make Platinum. The 15% and 30% point bonuses for Platinum and Diamond, respectively, is a relatively small increase in award points but the special rewards that occur after every third stay, complimentary internet access, and other perks make the Platinum and Diamond statuses appealing. Diamond members also enjoy the following amenities each stay:

Exclusive access to the Regency Club™ or Grand Club™ lounge featuring complimentary continental breakfast and evening hors d’oeuvres.

Daily complimentary full breakfast in hotels without a club lounge

Suite upgrade at time of reservation four times annually on paid room nights

Special welcome point bonus or food and beverage amenity during each stay (500 to 1,000 points award based on propery type).

Earning Points

Hyatt Gold Passport members earn five points for every eligible dollar spent at Hyatt properties. In addition, Platinum members earn a 15% point bonus while Diamond members receive a 30% point bonus. For example, a $100 night would earn 500, 575, and 650 points for Gold, Platinum, and Diamond status levels respectively. These points represent the standard points awarded for your stay.

In addition to the standard points awarded for each stay, there are several other options for earning points: Welcome amenity points, known in the frequent flyer community as "G" codes, promotional points, points earned with car rental partners, and points earned through Platinum and Diamond statuses.

Platinum and Diamond members earn special rewards, Platinum Extra Awards, after every third stay. The amount of the award increases with every sixth stay. Here is a breakdown of the awards:

Stay 03: 1,000 HGP Points

Stay 06: 1,000 HGP Points

Stay 09: 1,500 HGP Points OR 500 travel partner miles

Stay 12: 1,500 HGP Points OR 500 travel partner miles

Stay 15: 2,000 HGP Points, 1,000 travel partner miles, Regency Club upgrade, OR $10 Starbucks gift card

Stay 18: 2,000 HGP Points, 1,000 travel partner miles, Regency Club upgrade, OR $10 Starbucks gift card

Stay 21: 2,500 HGP Points, 1,500 travel partner miles, OR Regency Club upgrade

Stay 24: 2,500 HGP Points, 1,500 travel partner miles, OR Regency Club upgrade

These awards are a nice supplement to the standard and promotional points that can be earned. Even better is the 1,000 points that are available for Diamond members for each stay.

For each stay, there is also an option to earn airline miles directly. Five hundred miles are awarded per stay instead of the standard points per night. If airline miles are more important to you than the HGP points, then consider this option just as long as the miles awarded per stay is less than the 2.5 HGP point to 1 airline mile ratio.

Earning Hyatt Gold Passport Points with Avis and Sixt

HGP points can also be earned by renting cars at Avis and Sixt. Earn 300 bonus points for each qualifying rental at participating Avis or Sixt locations. A Hyatt stay is not required, simply request Hyatt Gold Passport points at the rental counter.

As a Gold Passport member, you can save up to 20% on car rentals worldwide with Avis. Visit Avis.com and provide the Hyatt Gold Passport/Avis Worldwide Discount number K817700 when making your reservation.

At Sixt, Hyatt Gold Passport Gold members receive a 15% discount, Platinum members receive a 25% discount, and Diamond members receive a 35% discount. Discount is valid on all eligible rental rates. Internet rates are not eligible. Call +49 (0) 1805 25 25 25 to book your rental. To receive your discount, be sure to show your Hyatt Gold Passport membership card when you pick up your vehicle. For more information on Sixt car rentals, visit Sixt rent a car.

Redeeming Points

As with most reward programs, hotel reward points can be redeemed for free hotel nights and airline miles. In addition, the HGP program allows points to be redeemed for car rentals. For only 6,000 points per day, an intermediate car can be rented free of charge from Avis® and Sixt Rent-A-Car®.

The most likely and common redemption for hotel reward points are free hotel nights. Hyatt hotels are divided into five categories as illustrated by the chart below. The points required for free hotel nights may seem high compared to competing hotel chains but upon closer inspection of the program, the amount of points that can be earned per stay actually puts the program on par with the competitors.

Hyatt Gold Passport points can also be converted into airline miles. Hyatt has partnerships with many of the leading airlines with a basic redemption rate of 2.5 HGP points to 1 airline mile. Redeeming 5,000 HGP points will result in 2,000 airline miles except with the following airlines:

• Aeromexico/LanChile ------------- 4,000 km
• China Eastern Airlines ---------- 3,200 miles
• Mexicana ------------------------ 2,500 miles
• Qantas -------------------------- 2,400 Points
• Southwest Airlines -------------- 2 Credits
• Virgin Atlantic Airways --------- 3,000 miles

A minimum of 5,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points is required for each conversion request. Additional point conversions can be made in 1,250 point increments. Converting 50,000 points initiates a 5,000 point bonus which results in a total of 25,000 airline miles. Allow up to 4-10 weeks for the miles to appear on your airline frequent flyer account.

The Bottom Line

The Hyatt Gold Passport program is a great program highlighted by the nearly annual Faster Free Nights promotion. That promotion alone makes this program one of the best in the industry. The recent changes to the program should enhance its appeal and make it one you should consider adding to your hotel rotation.

The Park Hyatt Paris Trip Report

To complete the trip report series of our trip to the Seychelles, Mauritius, and Paris I’ll provide a review of the Park Hyatt in Paris.

Arrival/Check In

Out of the cab and into the lobby we were immediately greeted by the bellman that took our bags away and directed us to the front desk. The check in was efficient and the front desk was very friendly. We were given a quick tour of the courtyard, restaurant, bar, fireplace sitting area, and business center. Although no upgrade was available, we were offered a chilled bottle of champagne for being a Hyatt Gold Passport Diamond member.

Hotel

Beyond the hotel entrance is a hallway with elevators to your right, continuing straight ahead will lead you to the business center and check in desks. To the left of the elevators is the breakfast/lunch spot which was packed during our stay. The continental breakfast buffet was a rip-off at 40 Euros per person. The area we really enjoyed was the sitting area next to the fire place. This ended up being a great spot to have an aperitif in the late afternoon and relax from a long day of visiting the city

Room

The room was a standard king and we were on a high floor with a view of the neighboring building. The washroom had a set of sliding doors which could really open up the room. There was metal artwork on the walls near the bed and windows.

The Room

Location

The hotel is located off the Palace Vendome. Just around the corner is the hotel Le Ritz, and the Westin. The end of the street dead ends into the park where the Louvre is located. Plenty of restaurants nearby including an Irish pub just around the right corner when heading out of the hotel. Instead of buying water in the hotel, go around the corner to the pharmacy shop where you can get liters of Evian for 1 Euro. Since we were so close we took the train up to Reims and toured the Champagne caves towards the end of our trip.

Champagne Region Caves

Targeted Delta Promo: Earn 10,000 Miles Per Flight up to 100,000

I just received an email from Delta today about a promotion to earn 10,000 miles on any Delta, Northwest KLM, Air France operated flight from now until December 31, 2009. Maximum point earning ability is 100,000 miles or 10 round trip flights by the end of the year.

The T&Cs state you must register by September 30, 2009. But when I registered for the promotion it says you must book by August 31, 2009. To be safe with this promo book your flights by August 31st.

Here is the email
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Mr. Weeklyflyer,

With the merger of Delta and Northwest, we've created the world's largest airline. In addition to going everywhere you need to, you have the freedom to go anywhere you could ever possibly want to.

Plus, you'll enjoy 10,000 bonus miles for each round-trip flight flown on Delta, Northwest, Air France or KLM between June 25 and December 31, 2009, up to 100,000 miles. Register by September 30, 2009, and book and complete round-trip travel between June 25 and December 31, 2009.

You'll continue to experience exceptional travel when you choose Delta thanks to:

• More than 900 destinations through SkyTeam®, our global alliance


• More Wi-Fi-equipped aircraft than any other airline


• Mobile check-in that saves time at the airport by letting you check in from your PDA or web-enabled cell phone up to 24 hours prior to departure. It's the fastest, most convenient way to check in.


• New airport kiosks that streamline your airport check-in experience, getting you to your gate faster and easier than ever.


• SkyMiles; the best-in-class frequent flyer program that offers a minimum of 500 miles on every flight and a minimum of 500 miles toward Medallion® status on all Economy fares.

They're your miles, and they'll take you wherever you want to go.

Registration Link

Terms & Conditions
Eligibility
Only members who receive this communication directly from Delta Air Lines are eligible to participate in this offer. This offer is non-transferable. To participate in this offer, eligible members must register online at delta.com/yourmiles by September 30, 2009.

Validity
Purchase and fly Delta, Northwest, Air France or KLM marketed and operated round-trip flights between June 25 and December 31, 2009, and earn 10,000 bonus miles for each qualifying round-trip flight flown with a maximum amount of bonus miles earned set at 100,000. Qualifying flights include any Delta, Northwest (includes Mesaba, Pinnacle and Compass), Air France, KLM or Delta Connection® carrier flights. Codeshare flights operated by carriers other than the Delta Connection are excluded from this offer. Bonus miles do not count toward Medallion® qualification or Million Miler™ status.

Mileage
Earn 10,000 bonus miles for each purchased qualifying round-trip flight flown, with a maximum amount of bonus miles earned set at 100,000.

Travel Period
Travel must be between June 25 and December 31, 2009. All travel must be completed by December 31, 2009.

Additional Restrictions
Bonus miles will post to the SkyMiles account of the qualifying member 4-6 weeks following the end of the promotion (December 31, 2009). Taxes and fees for Award Travel are the responsibility of the passenger and must be paid at the time the ticket is booked. Award Travel seats are limited and may not be available on all flights or in all markets. Hotel and rental car additions are subject to the terms and conditions of the service provider. All SkyMiles program rules apply. To review the rules, please visit delta.com/memberguide. Offer void where prohibited by law. Other restrictions may apply. Offer subject to change. Please refer Delta customer service representative to 97063448.

Tickets to Canada are 2 for 1 with United

United Airlines announced a great promotion yesterday for those seeking to visit Canada. This limited time offer cuts the cost of a ticket to as low as $191 roundtrip when buying two tickets. Tickets must be purchased by July 5, 2009 so act now!



The Details

There are a few restrictions but they should not be an issue for the majority of travelers:

• You must call United (1-800-864-8331) to take advantage of this offer.
• Purchase by July 5, 2009.
• A 14 day advance purchase is required.
• Travel is valid daily and must be complete by September 30, 2009.
• A two-night minimum stay is required, and a maximum stay of 30 days is permitted.

To book your tickets call United's reservation office at 1-800-UNITED-1 (1-800-864-8331) and reference our "Canada offer." This companion fare offer cannot be booked online if you are purchasing airfare only. For tickets purchased via reservations for the Canada offer only, the reservations fee will be waived.

If you need sightseeing ideas or more information on popular events, the Canadian Tourism Commission has what you're looking for.

Avis's Delta Promotion - Camaro 2-Day Rental = 3,000 SkyMiles

For those itching to drive the new Camaro, Avis has another promotion: Rent the new Chevy Camaro for 2 days and get 3,000 Delta SkyMiles. Although not as rewarding as the 5,000 miles offer for a normal 2 day rental I wrote about last week, it is a nice way to get a few thousand miles for taking the latest Camaro incarnation out for a little fun in the sun this summer.

To take advantage of this promotion when making rental reservations on Avis.com, add the following code into the coupon code box:

MUAA073 - Camaro 2 day rental --> 3,000 miles

The Details

The unmistakably confident 2010 Chevy Camaro is a marvel of engineering and design. It's all new - and you can rent it only at Avis. Now through August 31, 2009, SkyMiles members can now earn 3,000 bonus miles when renting a Chevy Camaro for 2 or more days. This offer is valid at participating airport locations in the United States. Mention coupon # MUAA073 and provide your SkyMiles number at the time of reservation or at the rental counter to receive your bonus miles. These miles are in addition to the base miles you receive every time you rent with Avis.

My Prescription

If you are willing to pay a premium to rent a car, then give the new Camaro a chance and take home a few thousand SkyMiles along with smiles this car is sure to generate. Could be one of the funnest and most exhilirating ways to earn SkyMiles yet.

Why I Hop

Every day I am on the road I sleep in a different hotel. Every day I check in. Every day I unpack. Every day I pack. Every day I check out. Every day is a trip in itself as I make my way from hotel to hotel. Sometimes the hotels are 30 miles apart. Sometimes the hotels are right next door to each other. Why, do you ask? Why would a sane person subject themselves to this maddening routine? Sadistic? Some obsessive-compulsive disorder? No. I do it for points and status and if you are serious about earning points then you should consider doing it too.

Benefits of Hopping

So how much of a difference can hopping really make? A lot. Most reward program benefits are based on stays not days. To maximize the points provided by these programs you need to transition from staying at a hotel for 4 nights into 4 individual single-night stays. Four 500 point platinum amenities, for the four individual stays, at Starwood will net you an additional 1,500 points for the week. At Hyatt, a 2,500 point MasterCard promotional award coupled with a G2 2,000 point welcome award results in an additional 13,500 points for the week. Not only will more points be earned but you will also be able to achieve program statuses faster and acquire free nights that are often given away after 2 stays.

Help for the Hopper

Having done the hotel hop for quite some time, I have learned a few things that might be of benefit to you:

• Unpack just what you need for that day. My next day's clothes and toiletry bag is all I take out of suitcase. I keep everything else in the suitcase so that I can get check out as quickly as possible in the morning.
• Try to pick hotels near each other. Sometimes this is not possible but when it is it will make your travelling that much easier.
• If you have the luxury of having a car on your trip then the transporting of your luggage between hotels is relatively easy. For those who do not have a car, I recommend bringing an empty duffel bag in your checked-in luggage. To hop between two hotels in downtown San Francisco, Hotel A and Hotel B, I would go to Hotel A on Monday with my all of my belongings. At checkout, I would check-in my suitcase at the hotel and carry with me my duffel bag to Hotel B. My duffel bag contained my clothes for the next day, my toiletry bag, and anything else I might need for the following day. When I return to Hotel A on Wednesday, I would retrieve my checked-in suitcase and then repeat the duffel bag shuffle for Thursday.
• Until you get into a routine I would recommend tracking where you are going to be each day. At the end of a long work day you might not be at your sharpest and as a result you may end up at the wrong hotel. Yes, it has happened to me.
• Hopping can be in the same hotel chain or it can be a combination of hotel chains. Beginning in September, I will be hopping every other night between two Hyatt properties for the pending Faster Free Nights promotion. This is in contrast to my time in Charlotte where I hopped between the Starwood and Hyatt brands in an effort to achieve Platinum and Diamond statuses, respectively.
• Stay up-to-date on promotions and be sure to read them carefully. When I first started hopping there was a Hilton promotion that I thought was going to allow me to earn a fair number of airline miles. After hopping between Hiltons a few times and not seeing any miles, I read the promotion more closely. I was dismayed to learn that the stays had to be at least two days in length. Check the fine print and be sure your hopping doesn't leave you hopping mad.
• I have been upgraded to suites numerous times while hopping. Arriving later in the evening seemed to improve my chances for the upgrade as any potential high-rollers would likely have arrived by then. With only a single night stay, hotels are more likely to give you the suite as opposed to a multi-day stay traveler since they will at least have a chance to rent the room the next day.
• There have been reports that hotels on the same system, such as Dallas Starwood hotels, may not recognize different stays in different hotels. I will look into this further and provide a comment to this post if I can find out more.

My Prescription

If you are serious about points, and what they can provide, then you should consider hotel hopping. It only took me a week or two to adjust to the hopping lifestyle. The transition was made a lot easier with the substantial increase in points, status, and upgrades. I am sure you will agree once you drink the Kool-Aid.

Summer Travel Deals - Expedia CEO Talks about Low Prices

The CEO of Expedia.com, Dara Khosrowshahi, spoke on CNBC about the increased leisure travel demand this summer.

He states that incredibly low prices are spurring leisure travel demand. Las Vegas occupancy rates are estimated to be down 25%-30% year over year.

I'm taking advantage of low Las Vegas occupancy rates with a stay at the Encore(trip report coming soon) later this summer.

Breaking News: CLEAR Ceases Operations

Just received an email that CLEAR, the airport security screening service, has ceased operations. A quick Google news search verified it. CLEAR was only in a handful of airports across the U.S. but it did provide a service to frequent flyers who were looking for a way to get through the airport security screening process faster.

The CLEAR service was known for its special security lanes in airports which allowed its members to bypass long lines and proceed directly to the screening process, which was enabled by background security checks and advanced biometric fingerprint and retina scanning technology used to authenticate the identity of the service subscribers.

Article providing background on CLEAR and CLEAR's ceasing of operations: Back in line, suckers: Clear Lanes closes abruptly, angering fliers everywhere

Hyatt Platinum Challenge Offer

There is a current promotion with Hyatt to earn Platinum Status. If you sign up at Hyatt Gold Passport you'll receive 4 full months of Platinum Status. However you must sign by August 31, 2009 and you must stay 5 nights within 120 days from enrollment.

Platinum Benefits

Here are some of the Platinum benefits as described on Hyatt's website.

• 15% point bonus on eligible stays
• Complimentary Internet access
• Best room available
• Guaranteed bed type
• Exclusive check-in area

Strategy to use Platinum Status Benefits

Consider using this promotion in conjunction with the expected Fall Free Nights promo (FFN).

Faster Free Nights = 1 Free Night for Every 2 Stays

If you take advantage of this Platinum challenge offer and earn Faster Free Nights in the fall you will be able to enjoy Platinum status on your free nights. This is only available for 4 months from signing up. I would suggest waiting until close to the end of the promotion, so that you'll have a maximum window to use the benefits during the Faster Free Nights promotion. Upgrades, more points, and free internet are just steps away.

Bottom Line

This is a great promotion to enjoy the perks of Platinum status in combination with the expected Fall Faster Free Nights promotion.

Starwood Preferred Guest Status Pays

Being loyal to a major hotel chain allows you to gain preferred status, with the status comes unique benefits for the hotel’s frequent guests.

What we received for being a Platinum Member

This year Starwood Preferred Guest Platinum members received a free night as a bonus to the standard benefits awarded.

Starwood Point Value at the Grand Mauritian

Along with the Free Platinum award night we used a 3 night award for total of 36,000 points. Since the rooms were going for around $430 we achieved a point value of $.035. Decent value as most value a SPG point at around $.025.

Bottom Line

It pays to carefully select a hotel reward program and then stay loyal enough to earn status and rewards.

Grand Mauritian Resort Trip Report

This is the 2nd stop on our trip to the Seychelles, Mauritius, and Paris.

We arrived at the Grand Mauritian Resort and Spa to be greeted with a cool towel and a Grand Mauritian specialty drink (Passion Fruit, Rum, & Club Soda). We were directed to a sitting area overlooking the ocean and were quickly greeted by the General Manager. She introduced herself and inquired about our trip to the Indian Ocean. We had a nice chat and we learned she had recently left her job at the Le Meridien in Paris to serve as the General Manager of this brand new resort.

Hotel

The hotel was less than 60% occupied and had a large company group during the first part of our stay. As a result they were assigning guests to one end of the resort. The resort has two infinity pools. We enjoyed the one off to the right of the hotel as it provided more privacy. The beach was man made so we spent most of our time at the pools. The Italian restaurant Brezza was fantastic and waiters were very friendly. Each night we returned and they remembered our names. The last night we tried the Season restaurant which has food from different parts of the world including Thailand, Africa, French, and Indian.

The Pool

The Ocean


Room

Upgraded at arrival to a balcony suite, the largest they had to offer. In our room were the goods, we were given two large bottles of Evian water, a bottle of red wine, a hat with the hotel logo for me, and a beach wrap w/logo for the wife. The first room had a bad mildew smell, and we were quickly relocated to a nearby balcony suite that did not have the same problem. We saw the GM the next day and she apologized for the first room informing us they had recently had a bad storm and some of the rooms had water damage. It had a large bedroom area, seating area and a flat screen TV. The bathroom was large with a walk in shower, Tub and his/her closets. The highlight of the room was definitely the balcony. A few days we watched the sun set from our balcony with glasses of wine from our free bottle of wine.

The Room




The Balcony


The Location

The hotel is on the West side of the island and I believe the beaches on the East Coast or Southwest coast are nicer. There was not much around the resort other than a few other hotels including another Starwood property the Le Meridien.

Overall we really enjoyed our stay at the Grand Mauritian.

Starwood - SPG® Double Starpoints

Starwood just announced a new promotion: Double Starpoints through the end of September. This is a targeted promotion so it may be difficult to sign up for it as they are really clamping down on rogue sign ups. Hopefully that will change in the next couple of days as more people are notified of the promotion. I could not even sign up but rest assured I will keep on trying and will report back to you when I finally get in. In the interim, keep an eye on your inbox for the promotion's invitation.

The Promotion

Double Starpoints are yours through September 30.

It truly is an exciting time to be an SPG® member — especially when you're earning travel rewards twice as fast. This exclusive invitation lets you earn double Starpoints® on every stay this summer between now and September 30, 2009. For Preferred Guest® members, that's four Starpoints per eligible dollar spent versus the standard two. Gold and Platinum members will earn five Starpoints per eligible dollar spent.

Diana's Travel Dilemma: ITA Saves the Day!

Last week, Diana, a colleague, was asked to take an impromptu trip with relatives to Guatemala City for a week in early July. After the initial excitement about the trip's possibilities her excitement quickly turned into frustration and sadness. Sitting next to her, I could not help but hear the frustration in her voice as she contemplated not taking the trip because the best rate she could find was with United Airlines for over $1,100, which would have exceeded her budget.

Knowing that there had to be a better fare out there somewhere, I asked her for the trip details (origin, destination, and time frame for her trip) and set about trying to find her a better deal. The challenge was on!

My Points, Miles and Martinis's partner, The Weekly Flyer, is an astute traveler and knows where to find great rates. Since I really only travel on frequent flyer miles I did not know where to turn so I asked him where I should start. ITA Software was all he said.

ITA Software - Company Background

Founded in the mid 90's by a group of computer scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, ITA Software (ITA) is an airline IT and services provider at the forefront of a new generation of technology that is changing the way the travel industry works. Combining advances in computer science, innovative problem-solving, and deep industry knowledge, the company’s solutions deliver improved power and flexibility to the travel industry and greater efficiency for airlines, travel distributors, and passengers.

ITA Software - The Software

The Software ITA's software searches the public fares published by the airlines very thoroughly, and then presents the answers to you in a form that's easy to read and easy to reorganize, so that you can easily compare the features that are most important to you. We can find and organize more options than a traditional travel agent or travel web site. While we don't have any private fares and will not be able to list fares that are part of special deals negotiated by travel agents or travel websites, we can often beat these private fares with our solutions.

The Challenge

I pulled up Points, Miles and Martinis and clicked on the ITA Software link to enter in her trip information. After hitting the Go! button with her trip information, a few seconds passed by then a list of flights from a variety of carriers came back. Low and behold, there were numerous flights for much less than $1,100 she was originally quoted with several options in the $500 range. In a matter of minutes I was able to cut the cost of her trip in half.

She was ecstatic and I was sold on ITA. The site provided us with the market rates for flights which, in this case, where much less than the original price quoted. There is a reasonable chance that flights could be found for a lower rate (i.e. specials on the airline site, Priceline, Orbitz, Travelocity, etc.) and with this new information, we, and now you, know where to go to see if your flight's cost is on par with competitors or possibly could be lowered. In this case, Diana knew which airlines to investigate further and with the fares ITA provided she was able to find a flight for $50 less with one of the carriers. ITA saved her nearly $600 dollars and what will surely be an unforgettable trip in Guatemala.

My Prescription

Take advantage of this resource. ITA Software is a great place to compare easily and effectively the going rates for flights both domestically and internationally. I found the site easy to use for basic inquiries but for the serious traveler that wishes to use stopovers, open-jaws, or multiple connections through a particular airport learning and mastering the various query options will take some time. To take advantage of this software just follow the link on the right.

Easy Tip to Save 65,000 Points off Your Next Hilton Stay

If you use the Hilton Going Global award you will be able to save 65,000 points off your next Hilton stay.

Trip Summary

Hilton Seychelles - 6 night award for a total of 175,000 Hilton Honors points.

Points w/Going Global Award - 175,000

Points w/o Going Global Award - 240,000

Total Point Savings - 65,000

65,000 Points = 1.375 nights on your next vacation

Good Value

The Hilton Seychelles was selling for over $1000 a night when we booked and it ended up being at 100% capacity during our stay. We achieved a point value of $.034 cents per mile ($1000 per night * 6 = $6,000/175,000 = $.034 cpm).

The Catch

You must be a Hilton Silver, Gold, or Diamond member.

What if I'm not a Silver, Gold, or Diamond Member

Use the Hilton Point Stretcher. This option saves you 40% of points on award nights and is only available at select hotels and was unavailable for use at the Hilton Seychelles.

Hilton Seychelles Report

In this post I’ll describe the overall experience from our stay at the Hilton Seychelles Northolme Resort and Spa during our trip to the Seychelles, Mauritius, and Paris.

Hilton Seychelles

After a 30 hour trip from Tampa including crossing the Atlantic Ocean, a 10 hour layover in Paris, a flight over the horn of Africa, we arrived at Mahe International Airport sufficiently jet lagged (See Flight Trip Report). We had arranged for the hotel to pick us up at the airport. The driver greeted us with ice cold bottles of water and wet towels, a very nice luxury since the humidity was close to 100%.

Check in

We were dropped off at the check in area which was an open aired villa overlooking the resort and Beau Vallon Bay. The manager notified us that all rooms on the resort had great views and offered us an upgrade to an ocean front villa. We declined and were extremely happy with our villa that had a view of Silhouette Island.

The Hotel

The hotel is a gathering of independent villas. Each villa has 2 units (upstairs, and downstairs) except the ocean front villas are standalone buildings. The infinity pool had a fantastic view of Beau Vallon Bay and was a refreshing dip to suppress the heat in the afternoon. There were 2 small beaches but with the limited number of guests (only 40 villas) they were fantastic. No need for snorkeling tours, just off the hotel beach is a fantastic reef which the hotel provides guided tours of upon request. Each day the hotel provided fresh fruit and a specialty drink to the beach and pool guests at no charge. The hotel has 2 restaurants and a bar which is fine given the size of the hotel. We ate at all three and enjoyed the casual setting of the bar the most, however all were good. The hotel had a great mix of guests from all over the world. We observed British, French, Russian, and believed we were the only American’s. Can’t say enough how much we enjoyed the hotel’s small feel and the hotel was at capacity while we were there.

The beach at the Seychelles Hilton















A stunning view of the ocean from the bar.















The Hotel's Infinity Pool















The Room

The room was simply AMAZING! We felt like we were in a house. We had the top floor of one of the villas towards the end of the property. The room had an elevated bedroom area, a separate sitting area, large bathroom with Jacuzzi tub and walk in shower, a separate toilet area w/door, and a large outdoor balcony with wood furniture. We had an amazing view of the ocean and the Silhouette Island in the distance. The owner of the Hilton also owns the resort on Silhouette and they use it to put up guests when they over book the Hilton.

Room




Patio


Location

The hotel is located off Beau Vallon Bay about 2 miles to the north. There is not much around the hotel except a small local run convenient store which was good to stock up on bottled water and wine. Down at Beau Vallon Bay there are a few restaurants including a casual sand floor pizza place right on the beach which we enjoyed one day for lunch.

Hotel Reward Programs: Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG)

This post is the first in a series that will provide an analysis of the various hotel reward programs. The analysis of the reward programs will include information on the participating hotel chains, ease of earning points, point redemption options and costs, program tiers, and, finally, an overall evaluation of the program. As more programs are reviewed a side-by-side comparison of the programs will be provided along with the program's Martini score, our unique valuation for reward programs that will allow you to effective compare programs.

Hotels

Starwood Hotel & Resorts is comprised of over 960 hotels located around the world across nine brands: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Westin, Le Meridian, Sheraton, Four Points, Aloft, and Element. A brief overview of the brands, in order from most luxurious and expensive to least:

• St. Regis® - Luxury full-service hotels, resorts and residences located in the ultimate locations within the world’s most desired destinations.
• The Luxury Collection® - Luxury full-service hotels and resorts. Unique hotels and resorts offering exceptional service to an elite clientele that include legendary palaces and remote retreats to timeless modern classics. These hotels are distinguished by magnificent decor, spectacular settings and impeccable service.
• W® - Luxury and upscale full service hotels, retreats and residences featuring world class design, world class restaurants and “on trend” bars and lounges.
• Westin® - Luxury and upscale full-service hotels, resorts and residences is a lifestyle brand competing in the upper upscale sector in nearly 30 countries around the globe. The hotels are characterized by service and offering among the highest for the everyday business traveler with their famous Heavenly Bed® and Heavenly Bath®, in-room spa treatments, WestinWORKOUT® Powered by Reebok (SM), and healthy menu options.
• Le Méridien® - Luxury and upscale full-service hotels, resorts and residences. A European-inspired brand with a French accent that has a distinctive character driven by its individuality and the Le Méridien brand values. With its underlying passion for food, art and style and its classic yet stylish design, Le Méridien offers a unique experience at some of the world's top travel destinations.
• Sheraton® - Luxury and upscale full-service hotels, resorts and residences is Starwood's largest brand serving the needs of luxury and upscale business and leisure travelers worldwide. Hotels vary from full-service hotels in major cities to luxurious resorts by the water. Sheraton hotels can be found in the most sought-after cities and resort destinations around the world.
• Four Points® - Select-service hotels for the self-sufficient traveler.
• Aloft - Select-service hotels that are a new addition to the Starwood brand that bring a cozy harmony of modern elements to the classic American on-the-road tradition for the business and leisure traveler.
• Element - An extended stay hotels that is also a new addition Starwood brand. The hotels provides a modern, upscale and intuitively designed hotel with an emphasis on nature.

Starwood's 2008 Annual Report provides the following breakdown across property types and locations:

The Program

Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) is the reward program for Starwood brand hotels. The program is recognized as an industry leader having earned numerous Freddies, awards given to the best frequent flyer and hotel bonus programs as rated by frequent flyers, and providing exceptional value to participants. The program is free but be aware that the points will expire if there is no activity on the account for 12 months.

Earning Points

Members at the Preferred Guest® level earn two Starpoints for every eligible U.S. dollar spent at participating hotels or resorts. Gold and platinum members earn three Starpoints for every dollar spent. Per stay, platinum members are awarded a platinum amenity that can include a free on-demand movie, food, or, for the point consensus, 500 additional points. A $100 night at a Starwood property would translate to 200 points, 300 points, and 800 points at preferred, Gold, and Platinum levels, respectively, assuming points are selected as the platinum amenity.

Points can also be earned with the SPG American Express credit card and through partnerships with a few retailers and rental car companies. The SPG American Express card is currently offering a 25,000 point bonus for new cardholders so take advantage of this offer if you are able.

Redeeming Points

The SPG program provides several options for you to redeem points. Free and discounted hotel nights, of course, are a redemption option but Starwood also allows points to be redeemed for airline miles, gift certificates, train travel, and unique experiences such as movie premieres and concerts through SPG Moments program.

Hotels are divided into seven categories ranging from one to seven with seven being the highest level of hotels.

Category 1 - 3,000 Starwood Points
Category 2 - 4,000 Starwood Points
Category 3 - 7,000 Starwood Points
Category 4 - 10,000 Starwood Points
Category 5 - 12,000 to 16,000 Starwood Points
Category 6 - 20,000 to 25,000 Starwood Points
Category 7 - 30,000 to 35,000 Starwood Points

In addition to being able to redeem points for free nights outright, there are options to reduce the cost of hotel stay by using a combination of points and cash, upgrading your room, or reducing the costs of the room by 50%. The best value in most instances is to use your points for free hotel nights especially those in the lower category levels. There are some decent hotel options in the lower levels including a Sheraton in Salt Lake City and a Sheraton near the Baltimore Washington International (BWI) airport.

Points can be redeemed for airline miles on a 1 point to 1 miles basis with most airlines. If 20,000 points are redeemed then a bonus of 5,000 miles are awarded. You can also redeem points for a flight directly from the SPG program. You may pay a premium for the ability to purchase a flight directly with points but the flights are not subject to blackout or restrictions.

Keep an eye on our site for announcements regarding special redemption periods where points can be converted to airline miles for additional bonuses. During the fall of 2008, 20,000 SPG points could be redeemed for 62,500 miles. These opportunities are few and far between but they do occur.

Finally, points can be redeemed for gift certificates. Not the best use of hotel points but the gift certificates do allow you to use points for something besides hotels or airline miles. Gift certificates are available from such retailers as Amazon, GAP, Nordstroms, Westin at Home, Williams-Sonoma, Avis, and iTunes. Flush with free reward nights and ample airmiles, I have converted points to Amazon gift certificates to purchase camera equipment. The best conversion rate for points is 14,000 points for a $150 gift certificate.

The Bottom Line

The hotel reward programs are great for hotels and travelers as loyalty to programs, and the hotel chains that offer them, can increase if the program's value is perceived to be high. Starwood's SPG program is no exception. The various options for redeeming miles and the value of the miles when redeeming is a strength of the SPG program. Especially nice are the hotel options in the lower category hotels that allow you to stretch your points further while still providing a relaxing, enjoyable night stay.

Special Series - Earning Miles & Points Without Travelling

We've received a lot of emails from our readers about this subject so we thought we'd start a series of posts to highlight the reward earning options that don't require you to travel. Earning Miles and Points without traveling is easier than you think, continue reading to find out how.

Airline Dining Programs
Airline dining programs work by allowing you to earn airline miles for every dollar you spend using a credit card or debit card that is registered with their program. First you enroll in a program, provide your credit or debit card details, select the restaurant where you'd like to dine, then start earning miles by using your registered credit or debit card.

Why Should You Sign up for an Airline Dining Program?
This is especially beneficial for our readers who aren't road warriors but like to travel by redeeming Airline award tickets. For you road warriors it can be a great way to top off an account or keep miles from expiring. But we all have something in common, you gotta eat!

So Many Choices
There are many airline dining programs to choose from. You have your traditional mainline carriers such as American Airlines, Delta, United, and then low cost carriers like Southwest. The key to selecting the right dining program is personal preference.

A good choice when selecting a program is to choose an airline program where you are near an award level and have the extra miles from the dining program put you over the top. Another option is to a choose program for an airline that you don't fly often but have miles in their program. This option will renew your airline miles expiration date and reduce the risk of your miles expiring. The most obvious reason to choose a dining program is if you are hub captive. Hub captive means that you live in a city where one airline has significant market share. For you Charlotte residents, your choice will pretty much be US Airways. The mile maximizing option is to find the program which you place the highest point value as an earning option. For example if I value a Delta airline mile at $.01 cents and an American Airline mile at $.014 cents the better option is to choose the American Airlines program since both programs earn airlines miles at the same rates.

Most Programs Earn Miles at the Same Rate

1 mile per dollar - General Member

3 mile per dollar - Online Member

5 mile per dollar - VIP Member

Enrolling in an Airline Dining Program
If you are not already a member its easy to enroll, simply click on the link, enter your information, and begin dining.

Alaska Airlines - Mileage Plan Dining Partner
American Airlines - AAdvantage Dining
Continental - Sorry Continental fans its the only major US based airline without a program
Delta Airlines - Skymiles Dining
Southwest - Rapid Rewards Dining
United Airlines - United Mileage Plus Dining
US Airways - Dividend Miles Dining

Bottom Line
Using an Airlines Dining program to earn extra miles is a quick and easy way to earn awards without traveling, keep miles from expiring, or build up your point balance.

Delta and Northwest Merger: Observations from Cincinnati

In the past few weeks there have been numerous Delta news stories announcing increased reductions in capacity, routes being eliminated, and bleak forecasts as demand for flights decrease and fuel costs increase. This is especially true at CVG, the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

The Merger and CVG

It has been nearly 9 months since the October 30, 2008 merger between Delta and Northwest. With the merger came an overlap in services and routes that has lead to cuts in routes and personnel in an attempt to begin the process of right-sizing the new company. Unfortunately for the new Delta, the swine flu epidemic, higher fuel prices, and a further decrease in demand as a result of the economy have made the transition from two airlines into one a bit tougher.

In March, articles discussed Delta's plans to shrink its overall capacity 6% to 8% by this year's end. The latest news has Delta increasing their reduction in capacity to 10% with international flight capacity being reduced by 15%. The reduction in capacity, as seen by fewer routes and smaller planes replacing larger planes on various routes can be seen at many airports including CVG.

It has recently been announced that routes are to be suspended from CVG to Frankfort and London this fall. These suspensions coupled with recent domestic CVG route cuts does not bode well for CVG remaining a viable Delta hub considering the nearly 50% reduction in flights out of Cincinnati during the past three years. This is the new Delta: A more efficient airline with the Midwest largest Delta hubs being Detroit (DTW) and Atlanta (ATL) and Cincinnati being relegated to secondary hub status.

The Effect on Delta's Frequent Flyers

A reduction in capacity will most certainly result in a reduction in the overall number of seats available for award tickets. With reduction in supply, demand for the seats will likely increase. This is especially true in the current economic climate where people, generally, are looking to stretch their dollars further and take advantage of reduced cost or award ticket options. With the demand increasing and the need for Delta to right their financial ship, I expect the SkyMiles costs for award tickets, on average, to increase.

One bright spot for frequent flyers: a decrease in capacity should lead to higher passengers per plane, the Passenger Load Factor, and an increased chance that flights will be oversold. If more flights are oversold that means there are more chances for being bumped.

My Prescription

If you are flying out of Cincinnati prepare yourself for fewer direct flights, fewer destinations, and more connections through Detroit and Atlanta. For those looking to use their SkyMiles for award tickets, be prepared to find fewer and fewer "deals." I would recommend you use your SkyMiles sooner rather than later as they will likely continue their decrease in value.

For More Information

06/16/2009: Delta details suspended and reduced international services: Minneapolis Airlines/Airport Examiner
06/16/2009: Airline passengers could get a 1-2-3 punch: Los Angeles Times
06/15/2009: May traffic down at CVG: Cincinnati Enquirer
06/12/2009: Delta to cut routes, capacity: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
06/12/2009: Delta, American announce more capacity, job cuts for fall: ATW Online
03/09/2009: Delta takes its time to get Northwest merger right: USA Today

Seychelles, Mauritius and Paris Airline Trip Report

This spring we had the opportunity to redeem airline miles for a trip to the Seychelles, Mauritius, and Paris. A once in a lifetime opportunity. It was all possible by effective use of stopovers and open jaws.

Use of a Stopover and Open Jaw

Let me provide a detailed example how we used both the stopover and the open jaw with the SkyTeam alliance. It was difficult to decide where to celebrate the special ocassion, but we had narrowed it down to the Seychelles or Paris. Then we thought, why not go to both?

The flight to the Seychelles was going to be very long so we thought it would be great to explore an island near the Seychelles, then on the way home stop over in Paris. We settled on an itenerary that would take us through Paris to the Seychelles Islands, then by using an open jaw we'd go to Mauritius. On our return we would fly out of Mauritius to Paris and stay there for 5 nights. Then return back to Tampa by flying through Atlanta.

Our Itinerary

Once we settled on our destinations and routings we searched the SkyTeam network for available flights and came up with the following itenerary.

Outbound Segment(s)
Tampa (TPA) > Atlanta (ATL)
Delta Airlines First Class, 2 Hour Layover in Atlanta

Atlanta (ATL) > Paris (CDG)
Delta Airlines Business Elite, 10 Hour Layover in Paris at the Airport Marriot Hotel

Paris (CDG) > Seychelles (SEZ)
Air Seychelles Pearl Class (Air France Code Share)
6 Nights at the Hilton Seychelles (Trip Report)

Open Jaw
Seycheles (SEZ) > Mauritius (MRU)
This Flight was not included in the award ticket

Purchased 2 separate $220 Tickets on Air Seychelles in Pearl Class

4 Nights at the Luxury Collection Grand Mauritian Resort in Mauritius(Trip Report)

Stopover
Mauritius (MRU) > Paris (CDG)
Air France Affaires Class, 5 Nights at the Park Hyatt Paris (Trip Report)

Return Segment(s)
Paris (CDG) > Atlanta (ATL)
Delta Airlines Business Elite, 2 Hour Layover

Atlanta (ATL) > Tampa (TPA)
Delta Airlines Business Elite

(Great Circle Mapper)

Maximizing the Award Value

A Delta award ticket to Europe in Business Elite would have been 100,000 Delta SkyMiles by itself, and a Business Elite ticket to Africa would have been 120,000 SkyMiles by itself. Since I acomplished visiting Paris through the use of a stop over, and visited Mauritius & Seychelles using an open jaw, the ticket only priced out at 120,000 skymiles per person. This was a fairly complex award ticket to book. I used NWA’s Japan award availability tool to find the SkyTeam availability on each flight separately. Then I called the Platinum award desk to work with the agent to find the availability and put the award together, well worth the $25 over the phone booking fee.

When we issued the award tickets each flight was selling for a little over $9,000. I achieved a point value $.075 cents per mile ($9,000/120,000 miles = .075). Pretty good value for 240,000 SkyMiles. The only drawback was that Air Seychelles doesn’t issue electronic tickets. Our entire itenerary was issued as paper tickets which made us a little uncomfortable carrying around over $18,000 worth of airline tickets throughout our trip.

Bottom Line

Using the Stopover and/or OpenJaw can significantly increase the value of your award ticket and make your vacation more enjoyable by being able to visit multiple places in proximity to your destination. Each carrier has their own rules about these types of tickets so check into your carrier of choice prior to booking.

If you have any questions about your next booking email me and I'd be happy to try to help.

Saving on Airline Tickets Through Use of Stopover And Open Jaw

If you can’t decide between two locations or simply want to maximize your airline mile redemption value consider the use of a stopover or open jaw. Today I'd like to highlight two tricks we use often to maximum value when booking an airline ticket. You can use them separately or in combination to maximize the number of destinations you choose to visit and reduce the points or dollars required to get there.

Stopover

Booking a stopover allows you to fly to your destination and stay for a few days on either the outbound or return segments. This is a very effective dollar/mile maximizing strategy if you want to visit multiple countries or cities on a trip. For instance you could fly from New York to Rome through Paris, and on the way to Rome stay for 5 nights in Paris. Then after 5 nights you catch your continuing flight to you final destination of Rome. When your ready for your return trip home you will simply depart from Rome back to New York. Airlines generally limit stopovers to a maximum of 5 nights. Also keep in mind that its generally not considered a stopover if the layover is less than 24 hours.

Open Jaw

An openjaw is when you leave New York for Paris and return from Rome with no connecting flight between Paris and Rome. The trip from from Paris to Rome is not part of the ticket and it is up to you to arrange transportation between the locations. Getting between the locations is often accomplished on separate award tickets, lowcost carriers, trains, or rental cars. Alternatively an open jaw is when you leave from New York for Paris but return to Chicago. Generally airlines require the open jaw segment distance to be a shorter distance than the shortest leg on your journey.

Bottom Line

Combining the use of a stopover can be a very effective way to save airline miles. In my next post I'll demonstrate a recent example of how it can be used effectively.

Avis's Delta Promotion - 2,500 and 5,000 Miles

Avis currently has three offers of Delta miles to make Avis your rental car company of choice. Two of the offers have been available since March but a recent offer may change your rental car routine for a few weeks. The most recent offer from Avis is for 5,000 Delta miles for a 2 day rental! A great offer! The offer is valid until the end of July 2009 and can only be used 5 times so act now to take advantage of this offer.

Maximizing the Benefits of this Promotion

In addition to the 2 day promotion, Avis currently has Delta promotions of 3 days (2,500 miles) and 4 days (5,000 miles). Great offers in their own right but not nearly as generous as the newest offer.

Here is my plan to maximize miles: For the next two weeks I will change my 4 day rental that was earning me a generous 5,000 miles a week into two 2 day rentals that will earn me 5,000 miles per rental for a weekly total of 10,000 miles. Amazing!

Now, with my one remaining week I am going to wait until the next-to-last week of July when I need to stay an extra day on my business trip. That week I will get a 2-day rental followed by a 3-day rental to meet my 5-day rental need. Combining the two rental offers I will be able to earn 7,500 miles during the 5-day rental week instead of 5,000 miles that I could earn with either the 2-day or 4-day offer.

If you have a weekly 5-day rental need I would recommend the 2-day and 3-day rental combination that will net you 7,500 miles for 5 weeks. Since the promotion can only be used 5 times this is the optimal solution to maximizing your miles.

The icing on the cake is that these promotional miles are in addition to the 500 Delta miles you already earn with Avis. For the two weeks I will have two 2-day rentals that will be 11,000 miles for the week. That is some mighty good cake.

The Details

To take advantage of these promotions when making rental reservations on Avis.com, add one of the following codes into the coupon code box:

MUAA088 - 2 day rental --> 5,000 miles

MUAA132 - 3 day rental --> 2,500 miles

MUAA133 - 4 day rental --> 5,000 miles

My Prescription

Once I have exhausted my five 2-day rental offers I will revert back to my 4-day, 5,000 miles rental routine for the remainder of the year. Until a better offer comes along for earning airline reward miles I would recommend you do the same.

Hilton: A Cooler Room And Cool Deals

Making Hilton Brand Stays Cooler

Ever get stuck in a hotel room where the thermostat just won't go cold enough for you? I've been there too, once the thermostat wouldn't go below 75 on a hot summer day. I'm here to help.

Next time you are in this situation at a Hilton brand hotel give this a try.

While holding down "display"
Press "off"
Then Press "Up" arrow
Release "display" button

If the screen shows "VIP" you are in! This will enter the VIP mode which turns off the motion sensor, and allows a lower range of the thermostat so you can get the room as cold as your heart desires. This only works for INNCOM thermostats.

Hilton Promotion - 1000 Bonus Points Per Night

Hilton has had this promotion out since mid-April and has been discussed in detail over at flyertalk. You will earn 1000 bonus points per night at participating Hilton hotels, but you must hurry, this promotion ends June 30th. I started using this promotion once I had accumulated my target amount of free nights at SPG. A good way to earn points to use at some of the new Hilton properties.

Hilton Discover Waldorf Astoria Collection - 10,000 Per 3 Night Stay

Hilton is also running a promotion from now until September 30th, 2009 offering 10,000 bonus points for every 3 night stay.

Starwood - SPG® Free Weekend Nights

Starwood hotels are my hotel of choice. The Starwood brand is a staple among many business travelers as they provide great value in regards to the earning and the redemption of their reward points. This summer you have another reason to consider staying at Starwood hotel.

SPG® Free Weekend Nights Promotion

Through the end of July, you can earn one free weekend night for every two stays at any Starwood brand hotel with their Free Weekend Nights Promotion. A great deal for a hotel hopper like myself who will be hopping between Starwood hotels on a nightly basis four nights a week for the majority of the promotion. Although there are people out there who consider hoppers like myself a little crazy, it is hard to argue with the two free weekend nights and the points earned on a weekly basis during the promotion. Be aware the weekend nights are not transferrable so if you are not able to use the weekend nights before the end of September consider other hotel programs to supplement your hotel stays.

To redeem a Free Weekend Night Award, Preferred Guest members in the U.S. or Canada should call 866-539-0059. Elite members should call their dedicated Gold or Platinum customer service lines.

Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) Program

If you are not already a member of Starwood's reward program consider signing up. I have found that the value of the points earned are among the best in industry. In addition, they have many redemption options beyond free hotel nights including the conversion of hotel points into a plethora of airline miles and several gift card redemption options including my favorite Amazon.

New Hyatt MasterCard Promotion – 2,500 Points Per Stay

Hyatt’s newest promotion earns a member 2,500 bonus points per stay from June 15th – September 15th, 2009 by paying an eligible rate with a MasterCard. A great promotion for those seeking to add to their Hyatt Gold Passport points.

Maximizing the Benefits of this Promotion

To maximize the benefits of this promotion you should try to increase the frequency of your stays since the promotion provides the bonus based on stays rather than nights. According to Hyatt's website, "A qualifying stay means one or more consecutive nights at any participating Hyatt Hotels & Resorts." So if you have a 4 night reservation this is considered 1 stay. But if you have 4 1-night reservations at different properties this is considered 4 stays. More stays = more points. Here is an analysis of the point diference over 5 weeks assuming you stay 4 nights a week.

Getting to the Point

With just five weeks of one-night hotel stays an additional 37,500 points can be realized. Looking at the Hyatt's award chart this could mean the difference between an additional trip, an upgrade to a more luxurious hotel, or adding a few more nights to your vacation.




Tip

Along with the Hyatt Exclusive offers is the relatively little known or used Hyatt Bonus offer, typically known as “G” code promotions. These promotional codes can be invaluable in your quest to build up hotel points. For example, some of the properties in California are giving 1,000-2,000 bonus points per stay, just by requesting the promotional code be added to your stay. To add these promotional codes to your stay, request the code be added at check-in, enter the code online, or call the Hyatt Gold Passport help line 800-228-3360.

Bottom Line

This promotion is a great way to add Hyatt points to your account. There are 230,000 bonus points up for grabs if you were to stay every night during the promotion period in a different hotel. Ulimately its up to you to read the terms and conditions and consider if the additional points are worth the extra effort before you begin your stays for this promotion.

Hyatt Gold Passport Program

Hyatt is one of the hardest programs to earn points mainly because of their limited properties and the lack of an point earning credit card. However they have some great properties for business and leisure. If you are not already a member, consider joining the program.