Tag Archives: promos

Don’t Get Too Excited About The Etihad 25% Bonus

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At least not if you are Australian!  Etihad is running one of it’s 25% bonus points when you transfer your partner points to Etihad Guest Miles.  Unfortunately, the main partners we would be using are specifically excluded – Amex Membership Rewards & Flybuys.

 

  • The offer is valid for all Points to Miles conversions made between 1 July and 31 July both days inclusive.

  • Participating points conversion partners: Accor Hotels, ADCB, Radisson Blu, Citibank, Emirates Islamic Bank, Heathrow Rewards, Hilton Honors, Hyatt, IHG, Joyalukkas, Marriott Rewards, NBAD, Shangri-La.

  • Non participating points conversion partners: HSBC, Etisalat Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards (All regions), Starwood StarPoints and Flybuys Rewards.

Full T&Cs here.  This is a good deal if you have Citi Thank You points but only if you plan to use the miles before they expire.

 

How To Use Promo Codes On Hotels & Eco-lodges – Hotels.com

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Every month or so Hotels.com comes out with promo codes that are sometimes targeted or sometimes open to anyone but can give you at least 10% off a booking.  Many eco-lodges now list their properties with Hotels.com and other online booking sites as it gets them a wider audience.  While they do pay a commission to the booking site, they get customers they would otherwise not get if it was too hard to find them and book them.  If you use a promo code issued by Hotels.com, it doesn’t come from their income, it comes from Hotels.com and you pay for it indirectly by not accruing Welcome Rewards.

There is currently a “Get $40 off when you spend $300 or more and use Paypal” coupon.  Use promo code “paypalus40” in the box shown below.  The full T&Cs are here.

Not every property can be used with these coupons but here’s how you can find the ones that work.  In most cases you can exclude chain hotels right off the bat. You can use these instructions for any promo code, not just the Paypal one.

1. USE THE SIDEBAR FILTER AND TICK “REDEEM FREE NIGHTS”

This will get a list of hotels that you can use coupons and vouchers on.  They will be properties that you can pay in advance for.  It doesn’t work if you pay once you check in.  If the word ‘redeem’ is crossed out, try again.

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2. SELECT “CHOOSE ROOM”, THEN THE “PAY NOW” BUTTON hotels3 hotels4

 

3. IF THERE IS A MINIMUM SPEND, THE SUBTOTAL MUST BE OVER THE MINIMUM BEFORE TAXES.

In the example, we need to spend at least $300 to get a $40 discount.hotels5

4. YOU WILL SEE THE DISCOUNT APPLIED BEFORE YOU GO TO THE FINAL PAYMENT SCREEN hotels6

Velocity 15% Bonus Promo – Ends 31 May

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For the last few years, the month of May has been a great opportunity for people to boost their Virgin Australia Velocity points when transferring points from various Australian banks.  For more details, T&C’s and links to the banks, click the image.

Barely back from South America, I still need to plan for Africa next year and Velocity points can be used on Etihad & South African Airways which suit my needs!

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Transfer your points to Velocity between 1 May and 31 May 2016 and receive 15% bonus Velocity Points. You’ll enter a new world of rewards, including flights to over 600 destinations and award-winning Reward Seat availability^.

Scottevest’s Annual 40% Off Sale Through 8 Feb

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It’s that time of year when Scottevest puts some of their most popular items on sale with huge discounts!  I always travel with one and it really helps me get through with carry on only on those airlines that are stingy with weight requirements for carry on bags.  Jackets aren’t weighed!  If you have a city-based trip, there are some more professional looking jackets that allow you to keep your valuables securely pocketed away.

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14 styles including men’s & women’s styles and some jackets suited for the working porfessional – all with the trademark Scottevest pocket system.

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AA Offers Buy Miles Promo – Good For Pre-Devaluation Bookings

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While I am normally not a fan of buying miles (kind of defeats the purpose of free travel from everyday activities), in this case you may want to top up your account to book an award before the 22 March devaluation.

Here’s the offer, be sure to read the T&Cs.  It’s probably the best price you will get and may be worth it if your desired award will be increasing quite a bit and you don’t have time to get the miles any other way.

AA buy promo

Old chart which expires 22 March 2016

AA old chart

Horrendous new chart

AA 2016 chart

TopCashBack Offers $20.16 Per Referral

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I’ve been using TopCashBack (TCB) quite a bit as a portal for booking accommodation (including some eco-lodges!) on Booking.com, Hotels.com, Expedia and sometimes Orbitz.  The hotel rates are the same so you might as well get something back.  I’ve seen cash back as high as 20% but usually it’s around 5-10%!  There is a promotion on until 10 Feb where you get a whopping $20.16 per referral once your referrred friend spends at least $10 using TCB’s portal.  If you are already a member of TCB, you will see this in the “Refer a friend” link at the top and you are already qualified for this offer.  If you are not a member of TCB it’s a great time to join!  If you use my link, I will get the referral bonus and be very grateful!

tcb 2016

60,000 United Miles To Sydney Promo Open For All Until 28 Jan

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A few days ago, I told you about a targeted discounted offer on flights between the USA and Sydney.  I predicted that this deal would soon be open to everyone based on the language of the email I got stating it was a “presale”.

Good news!  Now anyone can get this deal and with the Aussie dollar so low, its the perfect time for Americans to come Down Under!

For a limited time, enjoy a 20 – 25 percent discount on roundtrip MileagePlus® Saver Awards in United Economy® when you travel from the U.S. or Canada to Sydney, Australia. Book by January 28, 2016, and travel between February 2, 2016, and June 22, 2016, to take advantage of the discounted rates.

Discount Days of travel Regular price Reduced price*
25% off Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu 80,000 miles 60,000 miles
20% off Fri, Sat 80,000 miles 64,000 miles

*Some exclusions apply. See terms and conditions for details.

Note: This table shows mileage rates for roundtrip flights. For one-way itineraries, the regular price still applies.

Book: January 7 – January 28, 2016
Travel: February 2, 2016 – June 22, 2016

FULL T&C’S & BOOKING PAGE

Birders – check out my posts on birding in Western Australia, Tasmania & South-east Queensland.

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HT:  Running with Miles

Targeted – Discount Mileage Awards From USA To Australia

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Remember all those fantastic Australian birds I showed you last year?  Well if you need an extra incentive to plan a trip Down Under and are either a United Explorer Visa holder or have Premier status then you can save 20-25% miles for economy award tickets!

CHECK YOUR EMAILS FOR AN OFFER AS THIS IS TARGETED

UA Aus sale

If you have not been targeted, don’t give up as United often extends these promos to the general public after elites and credit card holders have has a chance.  They did say “pre-sale” so I am pretty sure that a “sale” will follow.  I’ll let you know if/when this happens.