Best Western continues to astound. Gold Crown Club International members who stay two times at any Best Western hotel in the world between April 16 and June 20 and pay for their stay in full with a MasterCard card will receive a 1,200 point global free room night voucher. This voucher qualifies for a free night at more than 1,200 properties. GCCI members must register for this promotion in advance of their stay at http://www.goldcrownclub.com or by calling Customer Service at (800) 237-8483.
Do the math: Two free nights for five stays. That’s what Marriott Rewards members get when they stay five separate times at any of more than 2,300 Marriott hotels from March 15 through June 15. To become eligible, members must register for the Marriott Rewards Free Weekend offer via http://www.marriott.com, or by calling 1-888-MARRIOTT. The certificate for a free two-weekend-night stay may be redeemed any Thursday, Friday, Saturday and/or Sunday through Dec. 30.
You can still earn double credit when you book your flight at http://www.southwest.com and fly by June 6, 2003. With double credit you can earn a free flight in as few as four roundtrips. This one is headed to the frequent flyer marketing Hall of Fame. What is amazing is how long they have extended this bonus. Keep clicking and keep flying.
If you’re buzzing around on America West this spring, keep this in mind: With four roundtrips before May 23, you’ll be able to take a friend to Mexico for free. You must book your travel online, be a FlightFund member, register for this promotion online, and complete four roundtrips on America West to qualify. An email certificate and instructions for redemption will be sent to the registrant’s email address approximately two weeks from completion of qualifying activity. The award is good for travel to any America West destination in Mexico, including Acapulco, Cabo/Los Cabos, Cancun, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Mexico City or Puerto Vallarta between May 27 and Sep. 30. Online redemption at http://www.americawest.com is required.
Gold Crown Club, again. These folks just don’t know when to quit! Try this on for size: From April 1 to May 31, GCCI members will earn a 25-percent bonus when transferring their points into Northwest WorldPerks miles. Visit http://www.goldcrownclub.com and click on the Northwest promotion.
Triple miles are always a good thing. But Choice Hotels has made them even better. Why? Because the Choice brands — Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Clarion, Sleep Inn, MainStay Suites, Econolodge and Rodeway Inns — are everywhere. From Dallas to Detroit, from Waukesha to Walla Walla, you’re bound to find one of their 3,500 hotels in the U.S. and Canada. Through April 30, AAdvantage, SkyMiles, WorldPerks, Mileage Plus and Dividend Miles members will get triple miles when they stay. Members of Rapid Rewards will receive triple credits. Reservations at any Choice brand hotel are available at http://www.choicehotels.com or by calling 1-800-4CHOICE.
Last year HHonors tested the idea of allowing members to earn a point bonus rather than the Double Dip (weaning them off their miles). Turned out to be pretty successful, and now all members can try this at home. You can choose to earn a 50-percent bonus on your HHonors base points instead of earning airline miles for your HHonors stays between March 1 and May 31. Two things: If you are a confirmed mileage hog, this is a terrible offset of your ability to earn bonus miles. But if you are a reborn point junkie and now are hustling all the hotel points you can garner, then this is a pretty good promotion, and for the right reader, just what you have been hoping for.
Fifteen thousand miles is the bounty for those who successfully apply for the United Mileage Plus Signature Visa Card. This is by far the largest sign-up bonus that the Mileage Plus program has ever offered (we should know, our same card only earned a 5,000-mile bonus). New cardholders will earn one mile for every dollar charged. A free first-class upgrade and a $25 discount certificate are also included in the deal. The card is offered by First USA Bank. You can apply from the homepage of the United Web site at http://www.ual.com. The card costs $60 annually. While sign-up bonuses don’t get much better, this is real cool: no over-the-credit-limit fee. Only one little catch — the maximum number of miles you can earn with the United Mileage Plus Visa card is 10,000 miles in any single billing period, with a maximum of 60,000 miles per year unless you are a Premier member — then the sky is the limit. We asked them again about an ending date and they would simply smile and say, “It is a promotion.” We think that means that it could end at any time, but then again, it could keep going and going and going!
It’s a good card to have, and now’s a great time to have it. During the entire month of May, the Hilton HHonors Platinum credit card from American Express will earn double HHonors points on all qualifying purchases. Sign up at http://www.americanexpress.com, and start doubling up.
Whether you’re a racing fan or not, Priority Club has a pretty good deal this spring. From April 1 to June 15, your stays — paid with your Visa card, of course — at participating Six Continents hotels can earn you bonus miles or points or racing merchandise. Once you register, you can opt for the “Points or Miles Track” or the “Racing Rewards (merchandise) Track.” Earn 1,500 points (350 miles) or a driver flag or collectible pin set for two stays; 3,000 points (750 miles) or a driver hat or large driver flag for four stays; 6,000 points (1,500 miles) or driver diecast cars or one year subscription to “Track Pass” for eight stays; or 20,000 points (5,000 miles) or a Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure for 20 stays. Registration is a must, so log on to http://www.priorityclub.com/racetrack or call (800) 315-3464.
