- Through March 31, British Airways Executive Club members who convert Starwood Preferred Guest points into Executive Club miles will be able to do so at a 1:2 rate (one Starpoint converts to two BA miles), double the standard 1:1 conversion rate. What’s more, British Airways will also double the standard 5,000-mile bonus Starwood awards when transferring in 20,000-point increments, meaning a transfer of 20,000 Starpoints, which would normally convert to 25,000 Executive Club miles, will now convert to 50,000 miles.
Executive Club has also teamed up with Marriott Rewards.
Through the end of March, Marriott Rewards members can turn just 55,000 Rewards points into 25,000 Executive Club miles, or 95,000 points into 50,000 miles. Normally, members would be required to transfer 70,000 and 125,000 Rewards points respectively to earn the same number of Executive Club miles.
There are several more transfer options available through the promotional time period. For a complete list, visit http://www.britishairways.com or call (800) 442-3354.
Note: If you are not yet a British Airways Executive Club members, you won’t be able to simply enroll to take advantage of these super offers, new members have restrictions — inquire.
- 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 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!
- If pairs work among the big frequent flyer programs, then they work for the little (soon to be big) guys. Here’s another pair of great bonuses:
ATA Travel Awards: Through Marrch 31, fly five nonstop roundtrips between Newark or New York/La Guardia and San Francisco and earn a free ticket to Hawaii. For more information, visit http://www.ata.com.
JetBlue TrueBlue: Through June 30, book your flight online at http://www.jetblue.com and receive double credit.
- 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.
- 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.
- It’s hard to ignore the promotions coming out of Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. Through March 15, take any qualifying flight on Alaska Air, Horizon Air or American Airlines and earn double miles. Register prior to travel at http://www.alaskaair.com and use promo code 103116.
- 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 – February, 24 2004
