Mileage Specials offered by World Hotels on Partner Airlines

This one's a little different since many of us are loyal to a small number of hotel chains, but it's worth checking out. You may not associate independent hotels and local chains with frequent flyer programmes, but with WORLDHOTELS you can reap the benefits of a luxurious night’s sleep while still enjoying the service and individuality our members are known for.

As a frequent flyer, each time you stay at one of the participating member hotels worldwide at a qualifying rate, you can earn 500 miles (or equivalent) per stay through the mileage programs of their airline partners.

Just present your frequent flyer card at check-in and, if your rate qualifies, we will automatically credit your airline mileage account.

US Airways Special Promotions:

For Dividend Miles members:

5000 miles per night in a Suite!
500 miles per night
2000 miles per stay!
1000 miles: Miles, Fruit, Wine & More - Take to Italy!

For more details regarding our other airline partners click here.

US Airways Race to Preferred Status

Get ready for the fastest, easiest way ever to get (or keep) Preferred status. Just fly between October 1 and December 25, 2009 on any US Airways or US Airways Express flight, and you'll earn Preferred status faster than ever before. The more you fly, the more you'll earn. Think of it as an end-of-the-year shortcut.

Here’s how it works:
Fly 7,500 miles or 10 segments and earn Silver Preferred status
Fly 15,000 miles or 20 segments and earn Gold Preferred status
Fly 22,500 miles or 30 segments and earn Platinum Preferred status
Fly 30,000 miles or 40 segments and earn Chairman’s Preferred status

Don’t worry, the miles you fly will also count towards the total miles you flew for the year – you’ll be awarded the highest status between the two. So if you fly 55,000 Preferred miles for the year but only end up flying 8,000 Preferred miles during the promotion period, you’ll still earn Gold status for the year.

US Airways will determine and award your Preferred status on January 10, 2010. You don't need to register (we'll keep track of your flights). Hard to believe, but that's what it says.

Not a Dividend Miles member? Join now.

Terms & Conditions:

Only Preferred qualifying miles and segments earned on flights operated by US Airways and US Airways Express can be applied towards this promotion. Only base flight miles and segments, including Preferred segment minimums, count toward this promotion. Preferred-qualifying bonuses, e.g. class of service bonuses and miles earned on flights operated by US Airways’ partners, are not applied toward qualification criteria. Retroactive mileage credits will not count towards your status unless they are applied before December 29, 2009. Enter your Dividend Miles number at time of booking to receive your miles into your account. This promotion is subject to all Dividend Miles program terms and conditions.

Fly more and save more with United

United Airlines has come up with an inventive way of reducing flight costs in 2010 allowing individuals to earn an electronic certificate for up to 50% off a domestic flight.

How it works:
Simply register for this promotion, and with each qualifying itinerary you’ll increase your discount, as shown in the chart below. You can start earning your savings as soon as you book and fly.

- Offer valid in all paid, published fares in United First®, United Business® and United Economy® classes.
- Electronic certificate will be sent via email within 4-6 weeks after the end of the offer period.
- Your Mileage Plus account must include a valid email address in order to receive the electronic certificate. Update Profile

Terms and conditions of e-certificate:
To qualify for this offer, registered members must purchase and complete at least one paid, qualifying roundtrip flight on United® or United Express® operated flights within the following ticketing and travel periods. For this offer, roundtrip travel is defined as two each-way segments with outbound travel from an origin city to a destination city and return travel from the original destination city to the original departure city. All segments must be on United or United Express, booked under one reservation and on one ticket. Open jaw and circle trips do not qualify.

Offer valid for members residing in the U.S. (including Hawaii), Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Ticketing period: September 14 - December 31, 2009
Travel period: September 14 - December 31, 2009

Not combinable with other noncombinable offers.
Registration requirement: Registration is required anytime prior to travel, or within 30 days after travel, but must be completed by December 31, 2009 in order to qualify for the program. To register for the offer, go to www.united.com/offer/mpd579.

Passenger must be a member of United’s Mileage Plus frequent flyer program in order for travel to qualify for this offer.

A maximum discount of 50% may be earned for 6 or more paid, qualifying roundtrips on United or United Express operated flights taken within the qualification period.

E-certificate is valid for travel between February 1, 2010 and May 31, 2010. Some blackout dates may apply.

E-certificate is valid for travel within the United States, or between the United States and Canada, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Jumping Up Zones on Star Alliance

I know we all try to stay loyal to a couple airlines in order to maximize our miles and achieve the all mighty top echelon of status, but no matter how hard we try there are some instances where we just can't travel our preferred carrier. Which usually means last on the list as far as boarding goes equating to "give me the ticket so when you gate check my bag I have some way of locating it after the handler forgets to put it on the plane".

This doesn't necessarily always have to be the case. If you're flying on a Star Alliance carrier and at least Gold level status with one of the members, the others will let you board with their preferred/elite members. Giving you that precious head start on overhead bin space. I'm Gold with US Airways, but end up on United some of the time. I've used this process every time with no problems yet. The process is pretty simple.

When you book your flight, make sure that your membership number with the carrier holding your elite status is included instead of the membership number at the lesser carrier. You can't always do this through the website. I usually hit up the gate agent and he/she will exchange my ticket. One time I was running late and just showed the agent my card on the way through the line and away I went.

Give it a shot. It works.

1000 US Airways Miles with each Starwood Stay

For all you US Airways and Starwood fanatics out there (I know there must be more than just me), check out the latest joint promotion awarding 1,000 Dividend Miles per a stay at select Starwood properties. This offer is valid on stays through December 31, 2009. To reserve, book online or call 866-716-8137 and ask for rate plan FDAILY0.

Terms and Conditions

The fine print is a little too much to list out here, so I’m just hitting the key points. The see the entire terms and conditions check them out here.

• Offer valid for Airline Direct DepositSM participants for stays at participating hotels & resorts in Arizona, California and Nevada consumed by December 31, 2009 using rate plan FDAILY0.
• To receive the bonus miles, guest must be a member of Starwood Preferred Guest®, and have selected UA Airways Dividend Miles as their currency of choice in advance at MoreMiles. With Airline Direct Deposit, the Starpoints® earned from only hotel stays and select bonus offers will be converted automatically to the member's airline account and may not be transferred back to Starwood Preferred Guest.
• Please allow 6-8 weeks for US Airways Dividend Miles to be posted to your airline account.

Wyndham: An Easy 10,000 Airline Miles

Wyndham Hotels currently have a promotion where 10,000 airline miles can be earned for stays at three different hotel brands. The promotion is currently active and you must register by September 10. Stays must be completed by October 10. Amtrak and the following airlines are taking part: Air Canada, American, Continental , Delta, Midwest, Northwest, Spirit, United, and US Airways. Sun Country is offering 100 UFly points.

Sign up for Wyndham Rewards and set your account to earn miles instead of points.

My Prescription

If you are hungry for airline miles then you could have 10,000 in just three days by staying at just three of the hotels 11 brands: Days Inn, Super 8, Ramada, Travelodge, Howard Johnson, Knights Inn, Baymont Inn, Hawthorn Suites, Microtel Inn, and Wingate Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. Here are the participanting hotels. Worth investigating.

Delta Double Miles Promotion

Received an email from Delta offering double miles if I opt to travel at a higher fare class. Here is the relevant portion of the of the offer:

Here's your chance to travel in style—and get rewarded in the process. Book a higher fare class on your next round-trip Delta or Northwest flight and you'll earn double miles. Register for this offer, then book and complete your round-trip flight by September 7, 2009 to land the double miles.

You can even get double miles for moving to the higher Economy classes. But you have to register, book and complete travel by September 7, 2009 to get the double miles. Hey, this may open up a new way of flying for you. Book your Delta or Northwest flights today.

Here is a breakdown of the bonuses:

Hilton Promotion - Earn Delta & Northwest MQMs

Hilton has a new promotion where you can earn Delta or Northwest MQMs with every two night stay from July 15th, 2009 through October 15th, 2009. The promotion requires you to stay a minimum of two nights. You must set your Hilton Double Dipping earning option to points and miles.

There are two options to earn MQMs, variable and fixed. The variable gets you 1 MQM per dollar spent, and the fixed option gets you 500 points per stay. If you plan on spending less than $500 per two night stay I would recommend you booking your stays using the fixed point earning option, since the variable only gets you 1 MQM per dollar spent.

Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions: To be eligible for this offer, you must (1) select Delta SkyMiles or Northwest WorldPerks as your Double Dip earnings partner in your Hilton HHonors Profile Account (you may only earn miles on Delta Air Lines or Northwest Airlines, not both); (2) register online at HiltonHHonors.com/deltanorthwest before your stay; and (3) complete a minimum two-night stay at a Hilton Family hotel from July 15, 2009 through October 15, 2009. You must be a Hilton HHonors member to earn points and miles for hotel stays. Bonus Delta Mileage (Variable Miles Members): Earn 1 bonus mile + 1 Medallion Qualification Mile (MQM) for every U.S. dollar spent on a qualifying stay, up to maximum of 5,000 MQMs. Bonus Delta Mileage (Fixed Miles Members): Earn 500 bonus miles + 500 MQMs per stay. Bonus miles are not eligible to earn MQMs. Allow up to six weeks after qualification and after promotion has ended for MQMs and bonus miles to be credited to your account. Bonus Northwest Mileage (Variable Miles Members): Earn 1 bonus mile + 1 Elite Qualifying Mile (EQM) for every U.S. dollar spent on a qualifying stay, for up to 5,000 EQMs. Bonus Northwest Mileage (Fixed Miles Members): Earn 500 bonus miles + 500 EQMs per stay. Bonus miles are not eligible to earn EQMs. Allow up to six weeks after qualification and after promotion has ended for EQMs and bonus miles to be credited to your account. MQMs/EQMs are used for Medallion/Elite Status qualification and are based on calendar year activity. For 2009 Silver Medallion/Elite status, members must earn 25,000 MQMs/EQMs; 50,000 MQMs/EQMs for Gold Medallion/Elite status; and 75,000 MQMs/EQMs for Platinum Medallion/Elite status. All SkyMiles and WorldPerks program rules apply. To review the rules, please visit delta.com/skymiles or nwa.com/worldperks. Hilton HHonors membership, earning of Points & Miles and redemption of points are subject to HHonors Terms and Conditions. Other restrictions may apply.

Hyatt: Earn 3,000 Airline Miles Per Two-Day Stay‏

Although this promotion that has been available for several weeks this one is worth mentioning in case you were not aware of it: Hyatt is offering 6x the airline miles per 2-day stay. The total amount of miles awarded per stay is 3,000 miles for a majority of the airlines. The offer is valid until August 31, 2009. Click on your airline program of choice from the list below to enroll:

Airlines

Air Canada (Aeroplan) - 3,000 Miles
Alaska Airlines - 3,000 Miles
American Airlines (AAdvantage) - 3,000 Miles
Continental (OnePass) - 3,000 Miles
Delta (SkyMiles) - 3,000 Miles
Midwest (Midwest Miles) - 3,000 Miles
Southwest (Rapid Rewards) - 3 Rapid Rewards Credits
United (Mileage Plus) - 3,000 Miles
US Airways (Dividend Miles) - 3,000 Miles
Virgin Atlantic (Flying Club) - 4,500 Miles

Rail

Amtrak (Amtrak Guest Rewards) - 3,000 points

The Terms and Condition of the American Airlines Offer (although they are all similar):

Stay 2 Nights and Earn 3,000 Miles! You can now earn 6 times the miles, for a total of 3,000 American Airlines AAdvantage(R) miles, on every Hyatt stay through August 31, 2009. To earn six times the miles:

• Enroll in Hyatt's Gold Passport program if you are not already a member.
• Stay at any Hyatt worldwide through August 31, 2009.
• Provide your Hyatt Gold Passport and AAdvantage(R) account number upon reservation and check-in.
• Request AAdvantage(R) miles at check-in for each of your eligible stays.

My Prescription

As stated in my review of Hyatt Gold Passport Program last week, Hyatt usually offers a conversion of points to miles at a 2.5 points to 1 mile ratio. To really leverage your Hyatt stays be sure to utilize the G code offer and the MasterCard promotion. With these promotions you will be able to earn over 3,500 points per stay in addition to the 3,000 airline miles. The 3,000 miles being offered per stay is equalivent to 7,500 points which, along with these promotions, is equalivent to getting 3+ one-day stays in a two-day stay.

Delta Double Miles Promotion

As I was reading the hard-hitting, thought-provoking USA Today this evening, I was pleasantly surprised to see a new offer from Delta. For the remainder of the year, Delta is offering double miles on Delta and Northwest flights. The promotion is from July 1 to December 31 and registration for the promotion must be completed by September 30.

It appears that you do not have to use your Delta SkyMiles credit card to purchase the flight(s) based on this statement: "Delta and Northwest tickets may be purchased with any form of payment to qualify for the bonus offer." Take a look at the terms and conditions for yourself to reach your own conclusion. I will purchase tickets with and without the card and report back on the results. Regardless, this is a great and easy way to earn miles. Go sign up!

Terms & Conditions

• Eligibility: To participate in this offer, you must be a new or existing Basic Delta SkyMiles Credit Cardmember from American Express and you must register online delta.com/double by September 30, 2009. The SkyMiles account associated with the primary Delta SkyMiles Credit Card account is the only account eligible for this bonus.
• Bonus Offer: Earn double flown miles on all qualifying Delta and Northwest marketed and operated paid flights flown between July 1 and December 31, 2009. Qualifying flights include any Delta, Northwest, Northwest Airlink (includes Mesaba, Pinnacle, and Compass) or Delta Connection® carrier flight. Codeshare flights operated by carriers other than the Delta Connection and Northwest Airlink carriers are excluded from this offer. Bonus miles are based on the actual flight miles flown or the 500-mile minimum, whichever is greater. Class of service bonus or other elite bonus miles are not applicable. Tickets purchased prior to July 1, 2009, but flown between July 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009 will also earn bonus miles. Delta and Northwest tickets may be purchased with any form of payment to qualify for the bonus offer.
• Travel Period: Travel must be between July 1 and December 31, 2009. All travel must be completed by December 31, 2009.
• Award Travel: 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.
• Additional Restrictions: Promotion is limited to Basic Cardmembers with the Classic, Gold or Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card, the Delta SkyMiles Options Credit Card, the Delta Reserve Credit Card, as well as the Gold and Platinum Delta SkyMiles Business Credit Card and the Delta Reserve for Business Credit Card.
• Miscellaneous: Bonus miles will post to the SkyMiles account of the qualifying member 6-8 weeks following travel date. All SkyMiles program rules apply. To review the rules, please visit delta.com/memberguide. Offer void where prohibited by law. Other restrictions may apply. Offers and benefits are subject to change without notice. This offer cannot be combined with other Delta/SkyTeam® offers. Please refer Delta customer service representative to 97061348.

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.