Best Bets – June, 27 2003

by Randy Petersen

Best Bets – June, 27 2003
  1. The Faster Free Nights promotion is back for Hyatt Gold Passport members. Through Aug. 31, all you have to do to earn a free award night is make two qualifying stays at any Hyatt and pay with your MasterCard. Register for this promotion by visiting http://www.goldpassport.com or call (800) 51 HYATT.
  2. Northwest’s Fly Free Faster is back. To earn 10,000 WorldPerks bonus miles, register online between May 15 and Aug. 31, and perform one of the following activities between June 1 and Aug. 31:
    • Take a qualifying flight
    • Successfully apply for and pay the annual fee for a new WorldPerks Visa
    • Sign up for MCI, Nextel, EarthLink or AT&T Worldnet Service
    • Purchase a new Worldclubs membership
    • Purchase a minimum of 5,000 miles through WorldPerks Buy & Gift Miles at nwa.com

    Then earn five partner credits from non-air WorldPerks partners. Visit http://www.nwa.com/offers/fff3 to register.

  3. You can still earn double credit when you book your flight at http://www.southwest.com and fly by Dec. 31, 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.
  4. Diners Club Club Rewards is reintroducing its 2:1 Diners Club/British Airways promotion, effectively yielding a 1:1 conversion ratio of Diners points for BA Executive Club miles. The offer will be available on the Diners Club Web site and is offered through to Aug. 31.
  5. All summer long. That’s the length of time for the latest and great bonus bonanza from Priority Club. Members who register will earn 5,000 bonus points or 1,500 bonus miles for every third qualifying stay, up to a total of 25,000 points or 7,500 miles. This promotion runs from June 16 through August 31. So, Fly Three, Get One Free from the airlines and even more from Priority Club. Did we mention this promotion lasted all summer long? Just in case. Register at http://www.priorityclub.com/lucky.
  6. Through Aug. 31, Hilton HHonors members who book online at hiltonhhonors.com earn double base points if they pay with a Visa card. That’s three months to earn double points with a card just about everyone has. Check it out online at http://www.hiltonhhonors.com.
  7. Fly Three, Fly Three. The latest frequent flyer promotion has swept the industry by storm. Every one of the Big Six, along with Alaska Mileage Plan, have joined the dance, and most are giving you until the end of September to get it done. Who’s got the best deal in this “Fly Three, Fly Free” madness? That depends on what you’re looking for. For thrifty passengers looking to fly on the cheap, we’d recommend United — the ones who started it all. United’s offer is good for all classes of service. The only restriction is that economy-class travel cannot include a Saturday night. Register and fly before Sept. 30.
  8. Alaska Mileage Plan has always done things a little differently, which might explain its recent “Program of the Year” Freddie Award. Mileage Plan was one of the last programs to join the “Fly Three, Fly Free” game, but it was certainly not least. The beauty of the Mileage Plan offer is that you earn miles, not a free ticket. As a result, no obnoxious restrictions will cramp your style. Alaska is offering 20,000 and 40,000 bonus miles for three and six flights, respectively. Register and fly before Sept. 30.
  9. Premier United Mileage Plus members can earn as many as 29,000 elite qualifying miles with United’s latest offer. Premier members can earn 3,000 elite qualifying miles just for faxing Mileage Plus one of their frequent flyer statements from a competing program. Members will earn 2,000 bonus miles that qualify toward elite status for every incremental United segment they fly between May 15 and Aug. 15. And members will receive two free personalized luggage tags just for registering for this promotion. The 3,000 elite qualifying miles will not count for award redemption, they will only count towards elite qualification. This offer is only available to Premier members. Check out http://www.unitedgreatoffer.com for the low-down.
  10. And you thought earning miles from car rentals was passe (or at least very slow). From now until the end of the year, British Airways Executive Club members can earn up to 6,000 miles by renting a car with Avis. Members who register at www.avis.com will get an additional 500 miles on their second rental, 1,000 miles on the fourth, and 1,500 miles on their sixth. Blue members, use code B335100; Silver and Gold members, use B335300.

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