US Airways 3,000 Mile Avis Rental Bonus Posting

I posted here, about the great US Airways 3,000 mile promotion with every 3 day Avis rental. While there are a few other rental car promotions out there that get you airline miles, this is my preferred promotion given my rental style.

The miles are beginning to post and I'm starting to rack up the US Airways miles:

Bottom Line

YTD I've earned 6,349 US Airways miles without even taking a single flight. Keep an eye out for the Delta 5,000 mile per Avis rental promotion that usually comes out towards the end of February.

Earn Triple Delta Miles with Avis Rentals

You can earn triple miles with Delta on Avis Rentals.

• Mention coupon # MUAA053 to earn triple miles.
• Mention Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD) # K817600 to receive discount.
• Provide your SkyMiles number at the time of reservation or at the rental counter.

Book here to earn the miles using the code above.

3,000 USAirways Dividend Miles with Every Avis Rental

As I mentioned in my last post the rental car promotions for 2010 are being announced. So far we have a few Delta promotions for 1,500 and 2,010 miles.

Now USAirways is getting in on the game. They are offering 3,000 Dividend miles for every qualifying rental of 3 days or more through March 31, 2011!

Just book using the link below and enter promotion code: MUAA044


Details

Earn more miles when you rent with Avis!

• From January 1, 2010, through March 31, 2011, Dividend Miles Preferred Members can earn 3000 bonus miles on qualifying rentals at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S. and Canada.
• Rent for 3 days or more and receive 3000 bonus miles when you use Coupon # MUAA044.
• Provide your Dividend Miles number when making your reservation. This offer is in addition to your everyday savings of up to 25% when you use Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD) # K024300.

Terms and Conditions

• 3000 bonus miles on all car groups is valid from January 1, 2010, through March 31, 2011, on a qualifying rental at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S. and Canada.
• Please mention coupon MUAA044 to take advantage of this offer.
• Dividend Miles Number must be mentioned at the time of reservation or at the rental counter to receive bonus miles.
• Bonus miles are in addition to the base miles you receive each time you rent with Avis.
• Offer valid on daily, weekly, weekend and monthly rates with a 3 day minimum length of rental.
• An advance reservation is required.
• Offer may not be used with any other coupon, promotion or offer except your AWD discount.
• Offer subject to vehicle availability at the time of rental and may not be available on some rates at some times.
• The savings of up to 25% applies to Avis leisure weekly and weekend rates and is applicable only to the time and mileage charges of the rental.
• Taxes, concession recovery fees, vehicle license recovery fee, customer facility charges ($10/contract in CA) and fuel charges are extra.
• Optional items such as LDW ($35.99/day or less) and other surcharges may apply and are extra.
• Car rental return restrictions may apply.
• Offer subject to change without notice.
• Renter must meet Avis age, driver and credit requirements.
• Minimum rental age may vary by location. An additional daily surcharge may apply for renters under 25 years old.
• Frequent Flyer surcharge of up to U.S. $0.75 per day may apply.
• Mileage accrual structure subject to change.
• Rental must begin by March 31, 2011.

2,010 Delta Skymiles with Every Avis Rental

The 2010 bonuses for rental cars are starting to be announced. We already have the 1,500 Delta miles with ever Avis rental.

Now Avis and Delta have released a promotion where you earn 2,010 Delta Skymiles with every qualifying rental of 2 or more days. Book with the link below, and use the promotion code: MUAA039 to earn your 2,010 Skymiles for rentals through 2/28/2010.


Details

Kick off the New Year with 2,010 bonus SkyMiles® exclusively for Delta SkyMiles members. Plus receive up to 25% off your rental.

• From January 1 through February 28, 2010, SkyMiles members can earn 2,010 bonus miles on qualifying rentals of 2 or more days at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S. and Canada.
• Mention coupon number MUAA039.
• Provide your SkyMiles number when making your reservation. This offer is in addition to your everyday savings of up to 25% when you use AWD # K817600.

Terms and Conditions

• 2,010 bonus miles valid on a qualifying rental of two or more consecutive days at participating Avis airport locations in the US and Canada.
• Bonus miles offer valid on all car groups.
• Provide your SkyMiles number at the time of reservation.
• An advance reservation is required.
• Offer may not be used with any other coupon, promotion or offer except your AWD discount.
• The savings of up to 25% applies to the time and mileage charges only of the rental.
• Taxes, concession recovery fees, vehicle license recovery fee, customer facility charges ($10/contract in CA) and fuel charges are extra.
• Optional items such as LDW ($35.99/day or less) and other surcharges may apply and are extra.
• Please mention coupon number MUAA039 to take receive bonus miles offer.
• Offer is subject to vehicle availability at the time of rental and may not be available on some rates at some times, including some online rates at Avis.com.
• Car rental return restrictions may apply.
• Offer subject to change without notice.
• Renter must meet Avis age, driver and credit requirements. Minimum rental age may vary by location. An additional daily surcharge may apply for renters under 25 years old.
• Frequent flyer surcharge of up to $0.75 USD per day, may apply.
• Rental period valid from January 1, 2010 through February 28, 2010.
• Reservations and rentals must be completed by February 28, 2010.

1,500 Delta Airline Miles with Avis Rentals

Avis has a promotion out where you can earn 1500 Delta Airline miles for rentals of 3 days or more by 3/31/2010.

Make sure you use coupon # MUAA135 to earn the miles.


Details

The more you rent, the more miles you earn!

• Now through March 31, 2010, Delta SkyMiles members can earn 1,500 bonus miles on rentals of 3 or more days.
• Offer valid on all car groups at participating airports in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Caribbean, Mexico, Australia, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa.
• Use coupon # MUAA135 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.
• This offer is in addition to your everyday savings of up to 25% when you use AWD # K817600.

Terms and Conditions

• 1,500 bonus miles valid on a qualifying rental of three or more consecutive days at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, Mexico, Australia, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
• Bonus miles offer valid on all car groups.
• An advance 24-hour reservation is required.
• Offer may not be used with any other coupon, promotion or offer except your AWD discount.
• The savings of up to 25% applies to the time and mileage charges only.
• Taxes, concession recovery fees, vehicle license recovery fee, customer facility charges ($10/contract in CA) and fuel charges are extra.
• Optional items such as LDW ($35.99/day or less) and other surcharges may apply and are extra.
• Please mention coupon number MUAA135 to take receive bonus miles offer.
• SkyMiles Number must be mentioned at the time of reservation or at the rental counter to receive bonus miles.
• Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other promotion or offer.
• Offer is subject to vehicle availability at the time of rental and may not be available on some rates at some times, including some online rates at Avis.com.
• Car rental return restrictions may apply.
• Offer subject to change without notice.
• Holiday and other blackout periods may apply.
• Blackout Dates for Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa: 12/14/09-12/31/09, 1/1/10-1/3/10, 3/27/10-3/31/10.
• Blackout Dates for Latin America, Mexico and Caribbean: 12/19/09-12/31/09, 1/1/10-1/10/10, 2/12/10-2/21/10, 3/26/10-3/31/10.
• Renter must meet Avis age, driver and credit requirements. Minimum rental age may vary by location.
• An additional daily surcharge may apply for renters under 25 years old.
• Frequent flyer surcharge of up to $0.75 USD per day, may apply.
• Rental must begin by March 31, 2010.

Car Rental Promotions for 2010

Back in June of 2009 we posted about the Avis / Delta promotion where you could earn 5,000 miles for every 4 day Avis rental or 2,500 miles for every 3 day Avis rental. Then we also saw the Budget 3,000 miles for every 1 day rental.

Here are my stats from the 2009 Avis / Budget Delta Promotions

27-4 day Avis rentals for (5000 x 27) = 135,000 Delta Miles
4-3 day rentals for (2500 x4) = 10,000 Delta Miles
2-1 day rentals for (3000 x 2) = 6,000 Delta Miles

Total Miles Earned in 2009 through Car Rentals = 151,000 Delta Miles

So as 2009 comes to a close we need to think of whats in store for car rental promotions in 2010. What car rental promotions are you considering for 2010?

Thoughts On Budget Fast Break

Back in September I posted about a Budget promotion where you earn 3,000 Delta miles with every qualifying rental of 1 day or more. So I decided to take a break from the Avis 5,000 Delta mile promotion and try this out.

First let me point out that I am an Avis Presidents club member and also a Budget Fast Break member.

My Experience

The first thing I noticed with Budget is that they assign you a group number as opposed to a rental car space as Avis does. The group number indicates the type of car you rented where those types of cars are parked. You simply walk up to the group of cars and pick anyone that you'd like to drive for the day or week. This seems odd as it requires additional action on the part of the customer to get the car off the lot. This additional action doesn't exactly fit with "Fast" in the Fast Break.

So after I picked my car for the week, you drive up to the exit and hand the check out person your slip that was hanging from the mirror. This slip has nothing related to your reservation on it or name. So you must hand over your ID and credit card to start your checkout process.

This is the point that is significantly different and more time consuming than Avis. At Avis you would have walked up to your pre-reserved parking space with car that has your rental agreement in it. When you leave Avis you simply hand them the agreement and they tear half it off, and off you go.

But at Budget, they have to take your credit card to run it, then it appeared they generated a rental agreement. The odd thing was I was never handed a rental agreement what-so-ever before leaving the lot. So all I have when leaving is the car and a set of keys.

Bottom Line

The promotion for 3,000 Delta SkyMiles is great if you have a week that requires you to have a rental of fewer than 4 days (which is what is required to earn the 5k at Delta). But overall I found the Budget process to be less transparent, and more time consuming.

New Smoke-Free Fleet from Avis

I don't know about some of you, but there's nothing worse after a long flight than hopping in a rental car that wreaks of smoke and bad deodoerizer. I was glad to see Avis's latest move to a completely smoke-free fleet. The policy goes into effect as of October 1, 2009 for every make and model. The company went as far as implementing a new inspection policy and $250 fee for smoking in one of its vehicles.

Where are My Delta Points Avis?

This weekend I was checking my Delta SkyMiles account to see how ridiculously high the balance is getting from the slew of promotions Delta is running and I came across something odd.

I had only received 200 miles for my recent Avis rental instead of the 5,000 per rental outlined in this promotion. Recently Avis has come out with multiple promotions where you can earn 5,000 or 3,000 Delta SkyMiles per rental.

I wanted to share with you how to get the proper number of miles posted to your SkyMiles account if this happens to you.

First pull up your Avis account and get the rental agreement number from your past rentals. Then call up Avis Customer service at 800-352-7900, Mon-Fri 7:30 AM - 7:30 PM Central Time. Ask them to verify that you had the proper promotion code tied to the reservation. Once they verify that ask them to submit for the miles.

Bottomline

It pays to stay on top of your mileage accounts. Had I not checked my Delta SkyMiles account I would have missed two rentals where Avis didn't credit the proper amount of miles. At 5,000 per rental that is a total of 10,000 miles, almost half way to a domestic coach.

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.

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.

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.

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.