Category Archives: Miles and Points

Newbie Guide: Using A Credit Card Sign-on Bonus For Eco-tourism

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If you are new to the wonderful, crazy world of miles and points you may have been intimidated with all the information that is out there.  You’ve probably read blogs and seen photos of people in first class cabins going to exotic places all over the world.  You may have seen my albums on Facebook and wished you could go see some of those stunningly beautiful birds in person.  Everyone has to start somewhere and you can do it too!

Although this is a “newbie guide” by my definition, I am not going to spoon feed anyone!  I have designed a set of steps to follow with an example included so you can set your own goals, determine which credit cards will get you those goals and learn how to find the best offers on those credit cards!

If you look like this, I will spoon feed you. Otherwise, read and learn!

Once again, this page is of more use to USA based readers simply because that is where all the best credit card offers are.  I will be doing a series for Australians afterwards.

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GET OUT SOME PAPER AND A PEN.  YOU NEED TO DO ALL THE STEPS BEFORE YOU APPLY FOR A CREDIT CARD

STEP 1 – EVALUATE YOUR CREDIT WORTHINESS

Evaluate your personal finances, credit card scores and ability to pay your cards off each month to avoid interest.  There’s not much point to getting free miles if you spend $100’s in interest!  Some people are adept at personal finance, others may wish to consult a professional financial manager.  Sign up for Credit Karma & Credit Sesame to get an approximation of your credit scores.  You’ll need at least a score over 700 to get most travel credit cards.  If you don’t have at least a 700, this probably won’t work for you.

STEP 2 – WORK TOWARDS A SPECIFIC GOAL

Set your travel goal.  Don’t just start applying for cards willy-nilly, you want to make sure you have the right points in the right programs.  If you have never done any independent travel and want to get your feet wet, I highly recommend Costa Rica for your first birding adventure.  The bird list is amazing, it’s easily accessible from the USA, it’s cheap to travel in, you can book most things online and they have a strong tourism infrastructure.

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STEP 3 – WHICH AIRLINES CAN GET YOU THERE?

Find out which airlines fly there and how much it costs in both miles & taxes which you have to pay in cash.  Using our example of Costa Rica, let’s check the 3 major airlines who have credit cards available in the USA.  I used my own accounts to do a dummy booking for Chicago (but could be anywhere in the USA the airline flies to) to San Jose, Costa Rica.

UNITED AIRLINES

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AMERICAN AIRLINES

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US AIRWAYS

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OK we now have the following figures to play with:

United Airlines – 35,000 miles + $49.26

American Airlines – 35,000 miles + $50.51

US Airways – 30,000 miles (for a credit card hold which you would be) + $86

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STEP 4 – MAKE A SHORT LIST OF SUITABLE CREDIT CARDS

Find out which credit cards can get you miles in those 3 airlines.  Use my handy credit card reference page to see which banks offer which cards.  The figures I listed are from the bank’s own page and represent the minimum they offer, so use only as a guide.  In step 5, I will show you how to look for better offers.  Write down the bank, name of credit card and bank’s offer.  Don’t forget to check credit cards with transferable points to your airlines such as Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex SPG & Amex Membership Rewards.  I will save you a bit of time and tell you that Amex MR don’t transfer to American, United or US Airways so let’s leave those cards for the time being.  They can wait until you are a bit more advanced.  Also leave business cards for next time unless you are already using them as a small business owner.  For a first time, try to keep it simple.

Here is what the list will look like for the Costa Rica trip and the airlines we are considering:

UNITED AIRLINES (Ultimate Rewards transfer to United at 1:1)

  • United Mileage Plus Explorer – 30,000 sign up – $1000 minimum spend – Annual fee $95, waived first year.
  • Chase Freedom – 10,000 sign up – $500 minimum spend, No annual fee.
  • Chase Sapphire – 10,000 sign up – $500 minimum spend, No annual fee.
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred – 40,000 sign up – $3000 minimum spend, $95, waived first year.

Do not use SPG for United as they only give half the rate they give for AA & US.

AMERICAN AIRLINES

  • AAdvantage Citi Gold – 25,000 sign up – $750 minimum spend, $50, waived first year.
  • AAdvantage Platinum – 30,000 sign up – $1000 minimum spend, $95, waived first year.
  • SPG (transfers to AA) 25,000 sign up – $5000 minimum spend – Annual fee $65, waived first year.

US AIRWAYS

  • Barclays – 30,000 miles – awarded on first purchase, $89 fee not waived
  • SPG (transfers to US) – 25,000 sign up – $5000 minimum spend – Annual fee $65, waived first year.

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STEP 5 – RESEARCH FOR BETTER OFFERS

Now that you have the names of the credit cards and which banks issue them, you now need to look for better offers on these cards.  There are several sources you will need to check before you finally pull the trigger on your application for the card.  Yes, this all takes time so set aside a weekend to do your homework and be very thorough.

  • Targeted emails and snail mail which may have been sent to you inviting you to apply for a card.
  • The airline’s website, they may be running a campaign for new sign ups which will beat the bank’s offer.
  • FlyerTalk (my favourite resource).  Usually the credit card offers threads are so popular, they will be on the first page so just scroll down.  If you don’t see them, you can do a search, you don’t have to be a member or logged in to search.

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Once you find the thread which deals with the credit card, then read the thread’s first few pages, the wiki at the top (if there is one) and always read the last few pages for the latest information.  I tend to trust FlyerTalk as a resource because they do not allow affiliate links. Since no one has anything to gain financially by sharing information, it tends to be more reliable and trustworthy.  I will show you how to evaluate the Citibank AAdvantage cards, then you will need to go through the same process with each card you short-listed in Step 4.

This thread has a wiki with a summary of the latest offers so read it thoroughly including the FAQ at the bottom.  Check out all the offers and links.  Expired links will be crossed out but left on the wiki for people who used them when they were active.

Also read the last few pages of each credit card’s master thread (go back at least a couple weeks) to see what people’s recent experiences are.  Are they getting instant approvals (indicating a bank is in a generous mood)?  Are they having to call the reconsideration department and beg for the card?  Are they being denied and why?

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Now we can easily see that there are better offers here than what the bank is offering on their page.  Instead of 30,000 AA miles for a $1000 spend in 3 months, we can get 50,000 miles for a $3000 spend in 3 months.  Most people have enough everyday expenses they can put on a credit card such as food, gas, utilities, internet, car repairs, home renovations, etc to make this target.  There are ways to boost spending but those are advanced techniques better for when you are more experienced.  For the first time, go with a card where you can make the minimum spend with normal expenses.

You will need to repeat this procedure with each credit card you listed in Step 4.  Write down all the best offers, you will need them for the next step.  If you do this step, then wait a couple weeks, you need to do it again as offers come and go all the time without warning and you need to be current.

Also be sure to read the T&Cs of each credit card on the application and make note of any extras included such as anniversary bonuses, club passes, elite status, free checked bags, priority boarding, etc.

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STEP 6 – EVALUATING THE OFFERS

You should now have a list of your short-listed credit cards from Step 4 but with the best possible offer you can get.  To continue with the example, I will complete the list as of this date, 12 Jan 2014.  I am going to assume that the average American can manage a monthly spend of at least $1000 to meet a minimum spend.  If you can’t do this, then go for a card with a lesser minimum spend.  I am going to put the better offers in italics.

LIST ADJUSTED WITH BETTER OFFERS

UNITED AIRLINES (Ultimate Rewards transfer to United at 1:1)

  • United Mileage Plus Explorer – 50,000 sign up – $2000 minimum spend – Annual fee $95, waived first year.
  • Chase Freedom – 10,000 sign up – $500 minimum spend, No annual fee.
  • Chase Sapphire – 10,000 sign up – $500 minimum spend, No annual fee.
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred – 40,000 sign up, 5000 extra for adding authorized user – $3000 minimum spend, $95, waived first year.
  • Do not use SPG for United as they only give half the rate they give for AA & US.

AMERICAN AIRLINES

  • AAdvantage Platinum – 50,000 sign up – $3000 minimum spend, $95, waived first year.  You also get 10% rebate of miles you redeem.  So your 35,000 mile ticket to Costa Rica will get a rebate of 3500 miles.
  • SPG (transfers to AA) 25,000 sign up – $5000 minimum spend – Annual fee $65, waived first year.

US AIRWAYS

  • Barclays – 40,000 miles – awarded on first purchase, $89 fee not waived
  • OR  35,000 miles – awarded on first purchase, $89 fee waived, 10,000 miles anniversary bonus.
  • SPG (transfers to US) – 25,000 sign up – $5000 minimum spend – Annual fee $65, waived first year.

As you can see, I found better offers on some of the cards.  The other cards do occasionally do better offers but none are active at this time.  Historically, SPG does a 30,000/$5000 minimum spend offer in late summer.  Chase Freedom had a 20,000 offer in Dec 2013.  Sometimes you get lucky and the timing is right!  If you are in no hurry for an SPG Amex, I would leave it until late summer.

WHICH OFFERS GET YOU THE MOST TRAVEL WITH THE LEAST COST?

I am going to now list the offers in order of which ones I would choose and why.

  1. Barclays – 40,000 miles – awarded on first purchase, $89 fee not waived  OR  35,000 miles – awarded on first purchase, $89 fee waived, 10,000 miles anniversary bonus.   Choose whether you would rather have 5000 extra miles and pay the $89 or take fewer miles, no fee and hopefully an anniversary bonus if US Airways is still offering this card in a years time.  They are merging with American Airlines but no one knows how long this card will be around.  This card gets top marks for not having a minimum spend.  Barclays is a bit fussy so you should apply for their card first if you are applying for more than one.  As a cardholder, you need 30,000 miles for the trip so you will have 10,000 left over which will eventually become AA miles when the merger is final.
  2. United Mileage Plus Explorer – 50,000 sign up – $2000 minimum spend – Annual fee $95, waived first year.   This card is giving the 2nd most miles for the least minimum spend.  You only need 35,000 miles for the trip and you will end up with 52,000 after your minimum spend leaving 17,000 miles towards a future trip.
  3. Chase Sapphire Preferred – 40,000 sign up, 5000 extra for adding authorized user – $3000 minimum spend, $95, waived first year.  I’m putting this card ahead of the AA card because the Sapphire gives you double miles on spend in the travel & restaurant categories and it has no forex fee if you use it overseas.  Transfer 35,000 miles to United for the trip, leaving 13,000 miles in your Ultimate Rewards account for a future trip.
  4.  AAdvantage Platinum – 50,000 sign up – $3000 minimum spend, $95, waived first year.  You also get 10% rebate of miles you redeem.  So your 35,000 mile ticket to Costa Rica will get a rebate of 3500 miles.  I ranked this card last because of the forex fee.  If you are only spending in the USA, then this won’t be an issue.  The rebate means that after you do your spend and end up with 53,000 miles, spend 35,000 for the trip, get your 10% back, you will have 21,500 miles towards a future trip.  There are no category bonuses except for spend on AA.

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STEP 7 – TO APP-O-RAMA OR NOT

An app-o-rama is when someone applies for several credit cards all at once to avoid having subsequent issuers see that you have hard inquiries on your report.  I have managed to do up to 5 card app-o-ramas and get approved though I do have to struggle for some.  If this is your first time, I would say go for the US Airways card and make sure you book your flights before they leave Star Alliance on 31 March.  If you get that card with no problem, since there is no minimum spend, then add on one of the 2 Chase cards.  I would go for the Chase Sapphire Preferred to gain access to the Ultimate Rewards Mall where you can earn points by shopping online or spend points on travel (including eco-lodges) by booking through Ultimate Rewards.  You will also get the double points on spend in the travel category so that would include eco-lodges.

These two cards would have a minimum spend of $3000.  If you can afford more minimum spend within 3 months, then by all means, go for another card but do these two cards in this order first.

Once you have completed ALL the steps, you are now ready to apply for the credit cards YOU need using the best offer links YOU found!

If you have any questions, please comment below!  I am not a financial expert but I do have several years experience in the miles & points credit card game!

2014 List Of Miles & Points Credit Cards – USA Edition

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ARE YOU NEW TO MILES & POINTS CREDIT CARDS?  READ MY NEWBIE GUIDE TO LEARN HOW TO USE THEM TO FULL ADVANTAGE!

  • This is simply a list of which travel credit cards (airlines, hotels, travel points) cards are in existence and where you can look for more information.

  • This is not a list of current best deals on offer.

  • Do not apply for any of these cards until you have checked all resources to make sure you are getting the best deal.

  • You should also check on the airline or hotel’s website and FlyerTalk to see if there are any better offers going.

  • Cash back cards are not included in this list.
  • The links are to the bank’s page and are not affiliate links.
  • I’m not going to list cruise cards as they are such a bad deal, you are better off with a cash back card.
  • The figures may have changed by the time you read this.
  • Cards will be listed by bank issuing them in alphabetical order.
  • Although some cards may be “churnable”, meaning you can get the same card more than once, it is best to assume they are one-time only bonuses and keep you eye on FlyerTalk to see if others are currently churning a card.

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I am only listing the name of the card, sign up bonus, minimum spend and annual fee (waived or not) for each card.  Some cards will have extra benefits such as category bonuses, free checked bags, priority boarding, elite benefits, lounge passes.  To see these, click on the card’s link.  Some cards also have business versions, please click on the respective links for details.

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AMERICAN EXPRESS (MEMBERSHIP REWARDS & CO-BRANDED TRAVEL CARDS)

THESE CARDS EARN MEMBERSHIP REWARDS

Amex Platinum Card – 25,000 sign up – $2000 minimum spend – Annual fee $450, not waived

Amex PRG (Premier Rewards Gold) – $25,000 sign up – $2000 minimum spend – Annual fee $175, waived first year

Mercedes Benz – 10,000 sign up – $1000 minimum spend – Annual fee $95, not waived

Most people wouldn’t sign up for the next two but downgrade an existing card to avoid the annual fee and keep collecting Membership Rewards.

Amex Gold Card – No sign up bonus/minimum spend – Annual fee $125, waived first year.

Amex Green Card – No sign up bonus/minimum spend – Annual fee $125, waived first year.

CO-BRANDED CARDS: POINTS POST DIRECTLY TO PARTNER’S PROGRAM

Gold Delta SkyMiles – 30,000 sign up – $1000 minimum spend – Annual fee $95, waived first year.

Platinum Delta SkyMiles – 35,000 sign up – $1000 minimum spend – Annual fee $150, not waived.

Delta Reserve – 10,000 sign up – No minimum spend – Annual fee $450, not waived.

Jet Blue – 20,000 sign up – $2000 minimum spend – Annual fee $40, waived first year.

Hilton HHonors – 40,000 sign up – $750 minimum spend – No Annual fee.

Hilton HHonors Surpass – 60,000 sign up – $3000 minimum spend – Annual fee $75, not waived.

Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) – 25,000 sign up – $5000 minimum spend – Annual fee $65, waived first year.

BUSINESS CARDS AVAILABLE:  PLATINUM, GOLD, DELTA, SPG

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 BANK OF AMERICA

Alaska Airlines – 25,000 sign up – No minimum spend – Annual fee $35-75, not waived.

Asiana Airlines – 10,000 sign up – First purchase         – Annual fee $99, not waived

Spirit Airlines – 15,000 sign up – First purchase             – Annual fee $19-59, not waived.

Virgin Atlantic – 20,000 sign up – First purchase            – Annual fee $90, not waived

BankAmericard Travel Rewards – 10,000 sign up – $500 minimum spend – No annual fee.  Points can be used to pay any travel expense on your statement, not transferable to airlines.

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BARCLAYS

Be careful with this bank.  They will deny you if you have what they deem to be “too many recent inquiries” or “sufficient credit with them”.  They have a lot of partners (see link above), most of which don’t represent a good deal.  I wouldn’t waste an inquiry on Aer Lingus, Best Western, Choice, China Airlines, Iceland Air, Wyndham unless they come out with a major sign up promo.  They do have a couple good partners such as US Airways but this card will likely disappear once the merger is final.  Barclays is also fond of bait & switch.  You apply for a signature card and get a gold card for example.  They also advertise what looks like good sign up bonuses, then in the fine print, you need to do a balance transfer to get a lot of it.

Balance transfer points are not included below.  Check on FlyerTalk before applying as this Bank is constantly changing bonuses and terms.

Frontier– 40,000 sign up – $500 minimum spend            – Annual fee $69, not waived. No fee card available with lesser bonus.

Hawaiian Airlines (new) –

Lufthansa Miles & More – 20,000 sign up – First purchase            – Annual fee $79, not waived unless elite with LH.

US Airways – 30,000 sign up – First purchase         – Annual fee $89, not waived.

BarclayCard Arrival – 40,000 sign up – $1000 minimum spend, $89, waived first year.  Points can be used to pay any travel expense on your statement, not transferable to airlines.

BUSINESS CARDS AVAILABLE: FRONTIER & US AIRWAYS

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CITIBANK

These cards can be churned, usually by waiting until Citibank thinks you are a “new” customer again.  This can take anywhere from 15-24 months.  Best advice is in the FlyerTalk thread, where you can usually find much better offers as well.  I haven’t listed the “Thank You” series of Citicards as they are more cash back than travel orientated.

AAdvantage Citi Gold – 25,000 sign up – $750 minimum spend, $50, waived first year.

AAdvantage Platinum – 30,000 sign up – $1000 minimum spend, $95, waived first year.

CitiBusiness AAdvantage World Mastercard – 30,000 sign up – $1000 minimum spend, $95, waived first year.

Hilton HHonors Reserve – 2 weekend nights, $2500 minimum spend – Annual fee $95, not waived.

Hilton HHonors Visa Signature – 40,000 sign up – $1000 minimum spend, No annual fee.

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 CHASE

Chase is probably the miles & points collectors’ favourite bank.  They have a wide variety of Ultimate Rewards cards and Co-branded cards.  Ultimate Rewards can transfer to various airlines & hotels or be used to pay for travel or statement credits.  You need a card with an annual fee to be able to transfer Ultimate Rewards points out.  Co-branded cards directly sweep to the partner’s program after each statement.  Using a combination of United Airlines cards and Ultimate Rewards cards it is pretty easy to get enough from a sign up bonus for even long-haul business class awards or several shorter flights.

ULTIMATE REWARDS CARDS

Chase Freedom – 10,000 sign up – $500 minimum spend, No annual fee.

Chase Sapphire – 10,000 sign up – $500 minimum spend, No annual fee.

Chase Sapphire Preferred – 40,000 sign up – $3000 minimum spend, $95, waived first year.

Ink Cash – 20,000 sign up – $3000 minimum spend, No annual fee.

Ink Classic – 20,000 sign up – $3000 minimum spend, No annual fee.

Ink Bold – 50,000 sign up – $5000 minimum spend, $95, waived first year.

Ink Plus – 50,000 sign up – $5000 minimum spend, $95, waived first year.

CO-BRANDED CARDS

British Airways Visa – 50,000 sign up – $2000 minimum spend         – Annual fee $95, not waived.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier – 25,000 sign up – $1000 minimum spend         – Annual fee $99, not waived.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus – 25,000 sign up – $1000 minimum spend         – Annual fee $69, not waived.

United Mileage Plus Explorer – 30,000 sign up – $1000 minimum spend – Annual fee $95, waived first year.

United Mileage Plus Club Card – $100 Statement credit after first purchase, United Club membership – Annual fee $395, not waived.

Fairmont Visa – 2 free nights, $1000 minimum spend – Annual fee $95, waived first year.

Hyatt Credit Card – 2 free nights, $1000 minimum spend – Annual fee $75, waived first year.

IHG Rewards Club – 60,000 sign up – $1000 minimum spend – Annual fee $49, waived first year.

Marriott Rewards Signature Visa – 30,000 sign up – $1000 minimum spend – Annual fee $45, waived first year.

Marriott Rewards Premier Signature Visa – 50,000 sign up – $1000 minimum spend – Annual fee $85, waived first year.

Ritz-Carlton Visa – 70,000 sign up – $2000 minimum spend         – Annual fee $395, not waived.

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US BANK

Although their cards are with foreign airlines, two of them are very useful to eco-tourists:  Avianca Lifemiles & LANPass.  They also have one of the best hotel cards on the market, the Club Carlson Visa.  Most of their cards have anniversary bonuses built in, see card’s web page for details.

U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Travel Rewards Visa – 20,000 sign up – $3500 minimum spend         – Annual fee $49, not waived.  Award travel starts at just 20,000 FlexPoints (up to a $400 ticket value) on over 150 airlines with no blackout dates or redemption fees.2 List of available airlines.

AeroMexico Visa Card – 15,000 sign up – No minimum spend – Annual fee $45, waived first year.

AeroMexico Visa Signature Card – 20,000 sign up – No minimum spend – Annual fee $80, waived first year.

LANPASS Visa – 15,000 sign up – No minimum spend – Annual fee $45, waived first year.

LANPASS Signature Visa – 20,000 sign up – No minimum spend – Annual fee $75, waived first year.

Lifemiles Visa – 15,000 sign up – No minimum spend – Annual fee $45, waived first year.

Lifemiles Signature Visa – 20,000 sign up – No minimum spend – Annual fee $75, waived first year.

Skypass (Korean Airlines) Visa Classic – 5,000 sign up – No minimum spend – Annual fee $50, not waived.

SkyBlue Skypass – 5,000 sign up – No minimum spend – No annual fee.

Skypass Visa SIgnature – 15,000 sign up – No minimum spend – Annual fee $80, not waived.

Club Carlson Visa Signature – 50,000 Gold Points after your first purchase plus 10,000 points once you spend $1,500 on your card within the first 90 days – Annual fee $50, not waived.

Club Carlson Premier Visa Signature – 50,000 Gold Points after your first purchase plus 35,000 points once you spend $2,500 on your card within the first 90 days.  Annual fee $75, not waived.

ALL CLUB CARLSON CARDS -Bonus Award Nights – When you redeem Gold Points for 2 or more consecutive Award Nights, your last night is free.  Exclusively for cardmembers!

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In future posts, I will be referring back to this list in showing you how to strategize best use of these credit card sign ups to get the points you need for YOUR trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earn United Miles With Nutrisystem

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Sometimes birding is laid back and easy!

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Sometimes it takes a bit of work!

IMG_7707If you have some challenging hikes ahead of you, this is a great chance to lose weight, get fit and earn miles at the same time!  United Mileage Plus Shopping has a deal to earn 15 miles per dollar on 28 day Nutrisystem plans!  Be sure you are logged into your Mileage Plus account and have cookies enabled so the promo tracks.  You must click from your account to Nutrisystem so I won’t provide a link here.

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NutriSystem: Not eligible on purchases made with coupon or discount codes that are not found on this site. Eligible only on new 28-day auto-delivery plans. Not eligible on gift cards or for recurring shipments. One-time only/per customer. Monthly charges not eligible. †See site for details.

SORRY, THIS DEAL IS ONLY AVAILABLE IN USA & CANADA

The women’s programs start at $229 for 28 days.

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USA Based Amex Card Referrals

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It’s no secret that credit card sign up bonuses are currently the biggest source of acquiring frequent flyer miles.  You have probably seen numerous posts on travel blogs about them.  I rarely blog about credit cards but just thought I would share this deal.  American Express has a special deal where existing card members can get a bonus if they refer friends and family for cards they have.  For example, I have the SPG Amex and the Amex PRG and can offer referrals for either one of them.  This is what the offer currently looks like.

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The offer of bonus points you get looks like these.

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I can’t refer for cards I don’t have such as any of the Platinum cards.  The offers above are equal to the best offer currently on the market for this card so you don’t lose anything by letting me refer you and you help me to keep traveling, birding and writing if you do use my links.  I need your first name, last name and email address to refer you so it would be best to do this privately.

The benefits of the Amex PRG include the Membership Rewards program and the ability to transfer your points to many different partners.

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This is my go-to card for airline fees as I get the 3x.  Even when booking award tickets, there will be taxes & fees.

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With the SPG card, your points will automatically sweep to your SPG account so you should have one set up before you apply.  Once they are in you SPG account, you can use them for hotels or transfer them to any of their airline partners.  It is best to transfer in lots of 20,000 points because you get a bonus 5000 miles in the program you have transferred too.  For example you transfer 20,000 SPG to American Airlines.  You will get 25,000 miles in your AAdvantage account.

If you have friends and family who want to get started in the miles & points game, once you have your own card, you can get a referral link of your own and start referring them!

REQUEST A REFERRAL FROM ME HERE

 

Miles & Points Promo Reminders

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As 2013 draws to a close and people start to look forward to new adventures in 2014, here’s a quick reminder about some miles & points promos that will be ending soon.

ENDING 31 DEC

Avianca-Taca Lifemiles bonus

Pointshound LIMITED-TIME BONUS: Earn 50% more points or miles through January 1st!

Get 20% more Avios when you transfer (USA CARDS) Membership Rewards® points to your British Airways Executive Club account by December 31, 2013.

AAdvantage Shopping Portal 2,500 Holiday Bonus

MileagePlus Shopping Portal 2,500 Holiday Bonus

ENDING 31 JAN

La Quinta Facebook game-get free points.  (My referral link to join game)

Last chance to book award tickets on United before price increases kick in.   (not a promo, just a reminder)

US Airways Emails An Update On Alliances & Codeshares

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This is great news as it means you will still be able to book certain Star Alliance airlines after the merger with AA takes place.  It’s also good news for people who have already made a booking for travel that will take place after the merger as US will still have access to award seats and a relationship with these airlines in case of irrops.  Here is the full email.  I bolded the most important facts you will want to remember.

American Airlines | US Airways
An update on our alliances and codeshares
We’re excited to be a part of the new American and look forward to bringing you a stronger airline. In early 2014, we’ll be entering into a codeshare agreement with American, which means that you’ll be able to seamlessly book travel throughout the US Airways and American network.
On March 31, 2014, we plan to join the oneworld® alliance, so you can look forward to mileage earning and redemption opportunities, reciprocal elite benefits and lounge access on oneworld carriers. Some of these benefits will be phased in as we work toward full integration.
There are a few important changes to keep in mind for future travel:
We’ll be exiting Star Alliance on March 30, 2014. You’ll be able to earn and redeem Dividend Miles on Star Alliance carriers until that date. Any existing reservations for travel on a codeshare flight with a Star Alliance partner after March 30, 2014 are safe, however, you’ll be rebooked with a new flight number from the carrier operating the flight and you’ll no longer earn Dividend Miles or receive Star Alliance Gold or Silver benefits.
Since the legal close of our merger with American on December 9, 2013, we no longer offer codeshare flights for sale with United Airlines. When we exit Star Alliance on March 30, 2014, we will no longer offer codeshare flights for sale with Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa or SWISS. Any existing reservations are safe, but you will not earn Dividend Miles for flights on these carriers after March 30, 2014.
We plan to continue relationships with the following airlines, so you can continue to earn and redeem Dividend Miles on these select partners even after we’ve exited Star Alliance: Aegean, Air China, Air New Zealand, Avianca, Ethiopian Airlines, Eva, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, TAM, TAP and Turkish Airways.
US Airways customers with Star Alliance Gold status will no longer have access to Star Alliance lounges after March 30, 2014.
You can learn more and stay up-to-date by visiting usairways.com/arriving.

Air India Joining Star Alliance Soon

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The Indian national carrier was originally accepted as a future member of Star Alliance in December 2007, but the integration process was halted in July 2011. The suspension was a joint decision which allowed Air India to focus on completing its merger with Indian Airlines, without the distraction of the work required for full integration into the Star Alliance network.

With India being a country that boasts many fantastic national parks and eco-tourism ventures, this is great news!  It’s also great news for Indians who are seeking more airline miles opportunities for their own travel plans and want to use a local credit card to earn miles.

A date has not been confirmed yet but the full story is here.

I just got back from a birding trip to India & Sri Lanka which I will be blogging about in the New Year.

Air India website

Domestic Routes

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International Routes

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If you live in India, you may wish to investigate the ways they have to earn frequent flyer miles.  I see 2 co-branded credit cards and various other partners.

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Live from a Lounge is a blog based in India and has more detailed information on Air India along with a free 1000 miles promo link to join Air India’s program.

La Quinta Facebook Game Wins Free Points & Stays

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Since La Quinta only has domestic USA properties, it will be of limited use to eco-travelers unless you need an airport stay or a stay for some other reason.  There’s a LQ less than a mile from my Mom’s house so they come in very handy for me!  Free points are free points!  The game continues until 31 Jan and most people get 1000 LQ points the first day and between 100-300 points every subsequent day so you will end up with at least enough points for a free night at a lower tier property.  A list of all properties is on the La Quinta website.

Using my link to join the game gets me 30,000 tokens (30 spins).  You will then get your own link to share on Facebook or Twitter.  If you are not already a member of La Quinta Rewards, the game will prompt you to sign up or log in if you are already a member.

A few lucky people will win instant free nights!

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You get 5000 tokens (5 spins) per day.  The bonus wheel can give you more tokens.

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After you win some points, answer an easy question for more points.

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Share on Facebook or Twitter to double your points.

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Industry News About US-AA Merger

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While I was away, more details have been released about the timeline of the merger.  The most important thing for eco-tourists to note is the date US leaves Star Alliance, especially if you have plans to visit Central America, South America or Australia/New Zealand.  Currently these zones are better served using a US Airways Dividend Miles award so you will want to book your trip by 30 March, 2014 so travel ends by 22 Feb, 2015.  You would still be able to use your US miles on One World airlines but these areas have better options with Star Alliance.

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US Airways to join oneworld on 31 March 2014

US Airways will join oneworld® with effect from 31 March 2014, following completion today of its merger with alliance founding member American Airlines.  All its regional affiliates, operating under the US Airways Express brand, will also transition to oneworld at the same time.
Their entry into oneworld with effect from the first flights on 31 March 2014 will follow immediately upon their exit from the Star Alliance with the final flights on 30 March 2014.  All parties are taking every effort to ensure that the alliance transition is as seamless as possible for customers.

US Airways to Leave Star Alliance March 30, Join Oneworld March 31, Begins Integration of Frequent Flyer Accounts

In a letter to employees, Parker said that customers will soon be able to earn and redeem rewards miles on both program.  The US Airways program, Dividend Miles, will eventually be merged into American’s AAdvantage program.  In addition, in early January, the AA code will be placed on all US Airways flights and vice versa, as the combined airline aligns its schedule.

Another significant change for customers will be the co-location of American and US Airways in airports, starting with its hubs.

In addition, US Airways said that it will continue numerous relationships with airlines in Star Alliance after it leaves at the end of March.  Flyers will be able to continue earn miles on the following airlines: Aegean, Air China, Air New Zealand, Avianca, Ethiopian Airlines, Eva, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, TAM, TAP, and Turkish Airways.

Avianca Lifemiles – Buy Miles 2×1 Is Back!

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This has been out for a while, just getting caught up after my trip.

Dear Tara Tuatai :

Buy Miles 2×1 is back!

We want you to live twice as much and because you deserve more, for each block of 1,000 miles you buy between December 3rd and 30th, 2013, you will receive the double!

Enjoy this bonus of 100% more that LifeMiles gives you. Is very easy! Buy now at LifeMiles.com and your miles will be accrued in your account automatically.

Remember you can enjoy your miles flying to more than 1,300 destinations and with our vast partner network: Hotels, Car rentals, products of our LifeMiles Catalog, songs from the best Universal Music artists and much more.

Read more about Lifemiles here.  

With  US Airways Dividend Miles merging into AAdvantage, Lifemiles will become more important as a source of Star Alliance awards so worth considering.