Amex Membership Rewards has a lucrative transfer bonus to British Airways Executive Club. You can get a 30% bonus on the points you transfer to British Airways if you transfer by 11:59pm MT on September 30, 2024.
While British Airways has devalued quite a bit recently, you can combine Avios from British Airways with Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Finnair Plus, and Iberia Plus which each have some great sweet spot redemptions.
I do not recommend speculative transfers for most people.
Amex Membership Rewards has launched a transfer bonus to Hawaiian Airlines HawaiianMiles. If you transfers Amex points to Hawaiian by 11:59pm MT on August 31, 2024, you can receive a 20% bonus.
HawaiianMiles are pretty niche but they can be used to book Hawaiian's own flights. Oddly enough, using miles to upgrade to first class (it's really business class), can be a great way to book - especially if there isn't award space.
Of course, if Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines' planned merger is finalized, you may end up with a bunch of Alaska miles. This is not something I would gamble on currently.
I do not recommend speculative transfers for most people.
If you transfer Capital One Miles to Qantas Frequent Flyer by 6:59am ET on September 1, 2024, you can receive a 20% transfer bonus.
In general, Qantas doesn't have great award rates relative to other oneworld carriers, but there are some sweet spots. With this 20% transfer bonus, it might be worth booking with Qantas points on a few more routes.
I do not recommend speculative transfers for most people.
View From The Wing: "Twenty years ago front cabins domestically were about full with about 10% paid fares. Delta was first to drive sales of domestic first class up over 70% using a variety of pricing tactics including small dollar upgrades. That’s the biggest reason upgrades have been so hard to come by for elite frequent flyers. Your loyalty isn’t worth $59 to your preferred airline – even if you’re spending $20,000 or more per year with them."
"One reasonable strategy is to just lean into discounted first class buy up offers. Pay for coach, even if you want first. Then wait for an upgrade offer. If you don’t get one, cancel the ticket and as long as you didn’t buy a basic economy fare just use the flight credit to buy the first class seat you wanted. But you’ll often wind up sitting up front for much less."
The Bulkhead Seat: "On October 27th, Spirit will no longer just sell the BIG FRONT SEATS® as an add on, but will classify them as an entirely new offering. The seats will be sold as “Go Big” fares and will be the equivalent of Spirit’s First Class."
Go Big fares will include:
American Express is running a targeted Amex Offer in which you can get $300 back as a statement credit if you spend $2,000+ on Qatar Airways flights.
Important Details
Thrifty Traveler: "Delta is bracing for a $500 million financial hit from its historic meltdown, CEO Ed Bastian said on Wednesday. But even after canceling more than 5,000 flights long after other carriers resumed flying smoothly, Bastian continued to pin the blame squarely on the global CrowdStrike outage earlier this month."
"The goal is clear: Delta wants CrowdStrike to foot that $500 million bill. Bastian confirmed that Delta is preparing to sue the cybersecurity provider."
Newegg is offering $50 off $500 Carnival Cruise gift cards if you use the code SSMDJLYDU294. That's a nice 10% discount.
Gift cards can be used to help purchase a Carnival cruise or for onboard/shore activities as well as onboard for gifts, drinks, etc. You can buy up to 3 Carnival Cruise gift cards during this promo.
Please note that this offer ends in several hours.
God Save The Points: "In the UK, British Airways struck a deal with Amex where cardholders receive enhanced seat availability when they look to redeem an earned companion voucher through the credit card, which can either cover the points for a second person, or be used to halve the number of points needed for one."
"How much more? On a recent trip to New York, my search went from four seats available all day across – like one scattered across all flights for a standard searcher — to more than 4 seats on most British Airways flights all day, giving me more like 40 seats to choose from. On some dates it was the difference in no seats at all, and many seats."
Hyatt: "Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H) in collaboration with Maya Rio Development announced today plans for the first Hyatt-branded hotel in Belize with The Placencia Resort, which is entering the Hyatt portfolio as an affiliated hotel before joining the Destination by Hyatt brand and World of Hyatt loyalty program late next year. Nestled south of Mexico, east of Guatemala, and next to the Caribbean Sea, The Placencia Resort is located on the Placencia Peninsula, a verdant, 13-mile long beach in southern Belize near the largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere."
"By late 2025, The Placencia Resort is expected to offer 90 reimagined guestrooms, suites and beachfront villas following a $10 million dollar renovation including an enhanced arrival experience with playfully refined public areas. Shortly after, guests can expect a new dynamic three-meal restaurant, indoor/outdoor event space perfect for social gatherings, an overwater signature restaurant and bar, and a refreshed pool and pool bar experience."
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