Longtime readers of my blog know that my husband and I make excellent use of Scottevests to safeguard our valuables while traveling and avoid having to check bags in risky situations. Dodgy baggage handlers are getting worse all the time!
The Tropiformer is on sale only today.
You have until 18 June to take advantage of the Father’s Day sale. Be sure to use the promo code as shown to get the discount!
This expires 12 June so don’t leave these free easy miles sitting on the table!
The lucrative BOGO award night that comes with the Club Carlson Visa will be gone in 6 hours. However there is an overlap with a new promo to save 25% on Latin American hotels that you can take advantage of if you are quick. Two nights at the Radisson Summit for 11,250 points!
Most Club Carlson hotels in India went down as of 1 June so there is a small window of opportunity for a BOGO award there too!
Over the last month it may have looked like business as usual at MTTW because I scheduled a pre-written post to appear each day. But we spent most of April in Thailand and Malaysia for a relaxed birding trip with plenty of R&R time in Chiang Mai and Koh Samui while maximising a United Airlines award between Australia and South-East Asia. Then we went to see my husband’s friends & family in the Cook Islands (which also have great birding on some of the islands like Aitutaki & Atiu).
I’ll start blogging about this trip as soon as my series on Africa is finished. This will be our only overseas trip this year as we have some much needed home renovations to take care of but we will do a short road trip for birding in Outback Queensland later this year. And there’s no rest for the wicked as I need to get flights for the very extensive trip to Ecuador, Colombia, Caribbean and USA in 2016 booked before AA devalues their program so the race is on!
There have been huge changes that happened in the miles and points world while we were gone.
The Club Carlson Visa devalued by losing the last night free benefit. You have until 1 June to book an award night that gets the 2nd night free. This was somewhat expected as the bonus was unsustainable but disappointing still. I had used this quite a bit in places like Panama, Tahiti, Port Elizabeth, Israel & France. I also discovered that my planned redemption for next year is no longer available since the San Juan Radisson closed down so I need to figure out what to do with my remaining Club Carlson points. They just don’t seem to have properties where we plan to travel! I just paid my annual fee on this card but called in to complain and got 7500 points compensation. But next year I’ll be saying Adios to Club Carlson and this card.
Chase Ink lost the Lounge Club benefit. This is not a deal breaker because of the 5x feature on office supply stores, internet, phones, etc but disappointing as we did use these lounges in BKK and PVG to get free internet and snacks in airports we otherwise didn’t have access to lounges as we flew economy this trip. Our Lounge Club memberships expire end of July and they won’t extend them to end April 2016 so we can use them next year. Best I can do is reapply and hope they give us new cards but it’s a punt at best. 30 April 2015 is the last date to apply.
British Airways Avios devalued which doesn’t really affect most of us as the best use of Avios – short haul economy redemptions is still the same.
Southwest Airlines devalued in some markets. This airline was previously just a domestic US carrier so of limited interest to eco-tourists but they are expanding to the Caribbean and Central America. Since they fly to SJU they are on my radar for the trip next year. My dummy runs shows scarce availability for award tickets using AA or UA miles between SJU and the mainland USA so I need to have alternatives in mind.
And just to end things on a positive note – AA is giving 1000 free miles just for watching some videos about the program and answering some easy questions. Experienced miles & pointers will already know the answers and can scroll ahead through the video. Newbies should watch the videos, it only takes 10 minutes and does give a nice synopsis of the program.
One of the most frustrating things for people who live outside the USA is the high cost of shipping. Luckily Scottevest has occasional sales where they reduce to price of international shipping. If you have your eye on one of their products, use the promo code to save on the shipping!
For once Aussies are getting a really good deal! Singapore Airlines is giving 5000 miles free to new accounts who register between 4 – 31 March 2015, insert the promotional code “KFACQPU” in the communication preferences area of the form, and you will earn 5,000 Bonus KrisFlyer miles to count towards your next trip.
Double your rewards and earn an additional 5,000 bonus miles when you book and complete your first return journey within six months of your enrolment date.
My previous account had been deleted several months ago for non-activity within 18 months so I re-registered myself and also signed up my husband yesterday around 6pm-ish. This morning I woke up and found the 5000 miles already posted to both accounts. I still haven’t decided whether to keep the SQ miles or convert them to 3403 Virgin Velocity points, that will depend on what trips I need to book but the options are there.
UPDATE: The deal is dead and the codes are no longer being accepted by Expedia.
HT: Doctor of Credit for this fantastic deal! It’s only one use per account and you have to stay at least 3 nights and most of our trip is one night or 2, but it worked out cheaper to just book 3 nights and check out in the late afternoon on the 3rd day rather than pay 2 nights.
Receive an instant $100 coupon discount on a qualifying hotel booking of three (3) or more consecutive nights at select hotels when you use the offer code DISCVR105. Receive an instant $150 coupon discount on a qualifying hotel booking of four (4) or more consecutive nights at select hotels when you use the offer code DISCVR151. Receive an instant $200 coupon discount on a qualifying hotel booking of five (5) or more consecutive nights at select hotels when you use the offer code DISCVR201. Please find a list of hotel properties excluded from this offer below.
There are a lot of eco-lodges you can book through Expedia so here’s a great chance to save money where you normally wouldn’t! I just wish our trip to Ecuador & Colombia for next year was in booking range!
If you can use this deal, don’t take too long. Although it is valid until March 15, 2015 for travel completed by no later than August 31, 2015; I have seen promos like this get shut down earlier due to massive response.
This was emailed to me by Qantas, good deal for those who have travel plans they can book at such short notice.
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For 7 days only, we’re offering 15% off Qantas and Jetstar Classic Award flights in Economy to all Australian domestic destinations and selected international destinations*.
Hurry, offer ends 25 January 2015 at 11:59pm (AEDT)! Just be sure to book your Classic Award seat (including any connecting domestic Australian flights) on Qantas or Jetstar operated flights with a QF or JQ flight number within the promotional periods to receive the discount.
How can I book?
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Anyone who can either churn credit cards or manufacture spend won’t be interested in this, especially since the days of the 100% buy/give miles promos are over. But since I have readers in many different countries who can’t access US credit cards, I still decided to share this. These miles will be merged to AAdvantage in the 2nd quarter of 2015.
Remember, you shouldn’t buy miles on spec as devaluations can be sudden and unpredictable. Only buy them if you need to top up for an award and planning to redeem immediately.
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I waited ages for this one as I had seen so many people on Flyertalk get it but I never did.
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In normal circumstances this would be an easy one to do – except the email came 2 days after we left for Africa and I didn’t bring this card with me. It’s not one I normally use on an overseas trip due to the forex fees, but I would have made the sacrifice for this type of promo.
After getting home I sent Barclays a secure message asking to postpone the promo to Dec, Jan & Feb since I had been traveling in Africa but no dice! Now I have to decide whether to keep or cancel. They did recently confirm that they would keep the 10,000 anniversary bonus even after the merger with AA so I am inclined to keep it.
