- Through May 15, Starwood Preferred Guest members can earn double Starpoints beginning with a second stay. Plus, each stay will count as two toward elite status during this promotion period — so you can qualify for elite status twice as fast. Register online at http://www.spg.com/doubledouble.
- Marriott’s MegaBonus promotion awards most Rewards members with 10,000 points for staying as few as seven nights collectively before May 15. The promotion does require registration, and members will learn the exact amount of points they can earn when registering (rumors swirl that one might earn up to 15,000 bonus points).
Members can register anytime during the promotional period at http://www.marriottrewards.com or by calling (888) 627-7468, and any nights stayed during this period will be retroactively counted toward the bonus.
- United Mileage Plus, Lufthansa Miles & More and Northwest WorldPerks are each offering members a chance to earn free economy-class tickets to anywhere they fly. To get the tickets, members must register for the promotion, then fly on a paid, published first- or business-class roundtrip ticket from the United States to Europe by April 15.
To register for the United promotion go to http://www.united.com or call (800) 541-4184. For Northwest, go to http://www.nwa.com/offers/tatlwbc. And for Lufthansa, go to http://www.miles-and-more.com/free.
- The new Emirates/Standard Chartered Skywards credit card may only be available in Qatar, but it earns mention in these hallowed pages for the richness of its introductory offer.
Successful applicants for the Gold card will receive 25,000 Skywards miles, exchangeable for a free return ticket to Delhi, Mumbai, Karachi, Beirut and many other destinations. Successful applicants for the Standard card will receive 10,000 miles, which is equivalent to a free return ticket to Bahrain, Oman or the UAE.
A free roundtrip for getting a credit card? Not too shabby.
Link: http://www.citibank.com/uae/products/cards/ekpromo.htm
- American AAdvantage, Delta SkyMiles and United Mileage Plus have “ganged up” on low-cost carrier JetBlue in select city pairs. Through April 15, members of each program can fly two roundtrips between Boston and California or Florida and earn an award ticket. Fly four roundtrips and receive two award tickets. Consult each program’s Web site for details and registration, then get up there!
- It’s tough to beat a 50-percent bonus, which is exactly what you will receive when converting Diners Club Club Rewards points to Executive Club miles through June 30. For example, during the promotional period a conversion of 100,000 Club Rewards points will earn you 75,000 Executive Club miles — enough to fly roundtrip in World Traveler Class from the U.S. to London. U.S. residents: to enroll in BA Executive Club, call (800) 754-7561. Once you’re enrolled, call Club Rewards at (800) 234-4034 to transfer your Club Rewards points.
- Though these credit card bonuses rank at number seven on our list, we’re calling them our “Sweet Fifteens” (as in 15,000 miles/points).
Delta SkyMiles: Sign up for the Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card by American Express and earn 15,000 bonus miles with your first purchase. To apply, visit http://www.delta.com or call (888) 225-4311 and use promo code 1NK.
Marriott Rewards: Apply for the Platinum Business card and earn 15,000 bonus points upon first purchase. To apply, visit http://www.marriott.com. And if you apply for the Marriott Rewards Visa Signature card, you’ll not only earn the bonus with your first purchase, you’ll also receive a complimentary upgrade to Silver elite status. Call Bank One at (888) 624-9604 for more information.
- America West is now offering two nonrefundable first-class fares, one with a seven-day advance purchase requirement and one with no advance purchase requirement. Both are 40 to 70 percent lower than the industry average.
To promote the new fares, FlightFund is offering Gold elite status through 2005 to members who fly six first-class roundtrips before Sept. 6 (tickets must be purchased before June 30). Members who fly three such roundtrips will earn Silver elite status.
- Planning on a few nights away from home this spring? It’s tough to beat the 3,000 bonus points (or 500 miles) you’ll earn every third night at an InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn or Staybridge Suite. Earn up to a maximum of 30,000 points or 5,000 miles before April 30, courtesy of Priority Club Rewards. Register online at http://www.ichotelsgroup.com.
- Priority Club Rewards: Sign up for MCI residential or small-business long distance and earn 16,000 bonus points. Call (800) 416-6624. In a day and age when long-distance bonuses are declining, this one seems to defy the odds. Imagine getting enough bonus points when signing up to earn a free hotel room — maybe even two free rooms/nights if you pay attention to their never-ending award promotions as well.
Best Bets – March, 29 2004
