Up to 25% bonus AAdvantage points on transfers

Transferring points between accounts is generally a pretty bad value but if you’re going to do it anyways may as well take advantage of any promos which come along. This time around it is American Airlines offering up a deal, up to 25% bonus (depending on how many are transferred) for either the giver or the recipient (depending on which link you click).

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To get the bonus for the giver use this link.

To get the bonus for the recipient use this link.

The rate for transfers is fixed at $50 for every 5,000 point increment. Even if you give fewer than the 5,000 increment you pay the same rate. May as well actually give all 5,000 if you’ve got ’em and are going to be doing this anyways. And note that the $30 fee and 7.5% excise tax will cost you extra. The promotion is valid through 30 September 2012.

Like I said, not a great deal, but better than not having the deal if you’re going to transfer anyways.

Double points on Hawaiian Airlines to Australia

Hawaiian Airlines is offering double miles on flights from their North American gateway cities to both Brisbane and Sydney, the two destinations they serve in Australia. The deal is valid on all bookings made via http://www.hawaiianairlines.com/SpecialOffers/Pages/Sept-Australia-Double-Miles.aspx during the month of September; travel must be completed by March 31, 2013.

A world map showing flight routes from various cities in the United States to Honolulu (HNL) and from Honolulu to Brisbane (BNE) and Sydney (SYD) in Australia. The U.S. cities include Seattle (SEA), Portland (PDX), Oakland (OAK), Sacramento (SMF), San Francisco (SFO), San Jose (SJC), San Diego (SAN), Phoenix (PHX), and New York (JFK). The routes from the U.S. to Honolulu are marked in red, and the routes from Honolulu to Brisbane and Sydney are marked in blue.

Depart from New York, NY, Las Vegas, NV, Los Angeles, CA, Oakland, CA, Phoenix, AZ, Portland, OR, Sacramento, CA, San Diego, CA, San Francisco, CA, San Jose, CA, or Seattle, WA and connect on to Sydney or Brisbane on the next available flight (no extended stopover in Honolulu) in order to be eligible. The double points are for award redemption only, not for Pualani Gold or Platinum elite status.

US Airways offers double EQMs on Shuttle flights

US Airways has announced a promotion running through the end of October for double EQMs on their Shuttle flights.

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The promotion requires registration prior to travel and is valid on connecting itineraries, though only the Shuttle segment will earn the bonus. And the bonus is only on the base miles. So not a ton of extra points with each trip, but every little bit helps, right?!?

Get a 40% bonus on transfers from AmEx Membership Rewards to Avios

American Express and British Airways run a promo like this every few months, it seems, but don’t let that take away from the value it presents. The pair are offering a 40% bonus for US customers transferring Membership Rewards points to Avios running through September 27, 2012.

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This promotion doesn’t suddenly make Avios an awesome redemption value across the board. That said, they do have their purpose in the points ecosystem (we discussed them in episode 6) and getting 40% more of them for free is not such a bad deal.

Another advantage of this promotion is that the bonus points are built in to the transfer ratio rather than credited at some point after the fact. Combine that with the instant transfer timing from AmEx to Avios and it means actually booking an award with the bonus points is pretty easy to do.

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One, two, Free is back from National

The incredibly popular 1, 2, Free promotion from National Rent-a-Car is back to close out 2012 and start off 2013. The promotion is one of the more simple to understand in the world of points and, depending on travel habits, one of the most potentially lucrative as well.

imageThe premise is quite simple: After registering for the promotion a free rental day will be awarded to all members following every two qualifying paid rentals. In order to qualify a paid rental must be a midsize or larger vehicle, picked up at a participating location in the USA and must be for two days or longer. The promotion is currently active and runs through January 31, 2013.

Fulfillment of the promotion is via email and the website, with the earnt free days tracked at www.emeraldclubpromos.com/12Free/2012 starting in mid-September. The free days can be redeemed on a car in the compact through full-size categories starting in September and through June 16, 2013. The maximum number of free days applicable to any one rental is three.

Another consideration with the free rental days is that National allows the free days to be redeemed for one-way rentals. This can lead to tremendous savings in certain areas; it is one of the most valuable aspects of these award days.

If you’ve got a lot of single-day rentals the deal from Hertz might be more valuable this fall/winter. But this one certainly doesn’t suck.

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Double AAdvantage Points to Mexico this fall

As part of their celebration of 70 years serving Mexico, American Airlines is offering double award miles for all flights marketed and operated by AA to or from Mexico. The offer covers flights between September 4 and November 13. Registration is required prior to travel but not prior to purchase from what I can see on the T&C.

American serves the following markets in Mexico from its U.S. hubs:

  • Chicago O’Hare – Cancun, Cozumel, Puerto Vallarta, San Jose del Cabo and Mexico City.
  • Dallas/Fort Worth – Mexico City, Aguascalientes, Cancun, Chihuahua, Cozumel, Guadalajara, Leon, Mazatlan, Monterrey, Morelia, Puerto Vallarta, San Jose del Cabo, Queretaro, San Luis Potosi, Torreon, Veracruz, Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo and Puebla *.
  • Los Angeles – San Jose del Cabo
  • Miami – Mexico City and Cancun.
  • New York JFK – Cancun

* Service to begin in November 2012.

Earn triple points from Hertz this fall

With a number of airlines offering significant bonuses on earning with rental car companies these days it is nice to see the car companies come back with some decent promotions for customers who prefer to collect points towards car rentals rather than hotels or airlines. To that end, Hertz has announced their promotion for this fall, offering triple points on all rentals.

The promotion is open to members who live in the USA or Canada and who select earning Hertz Gold Plus Rewards as their earning method of choice for rental. Registration is required to participate in this promotion.

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One interestingly generous aspect of this promotion is that elite status bonuses are included in the base on which bonus points will be earnt. From the T&C:

Only rentals made after the date of registration will qualify for the promotion. Only your base rental points and President’s Circle® (25%) or Five Star® (10%) bonus will be tripled. All other bonuses will not be tripled.

The promotion period covers rentals picked up between September 4 and December 15, 2012.

Save up to 25% on AAdvantage Miles purchases

American Airlines has a sale going on though the end of August offering up to 25% off on purchased points. The discount varies based on the number purchased:

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The outright purchase price on this deal is still above 2 cents per mile so not particularly a great value, but it is better than not having the deal at all if you’re in a pinch and need to buy the miles.

Sometimes it is better to just buy the points outright

UPDATE: This redemption option is no longer available. It sure was fun while it lasted.

It is rare that buying miles is a good value. Maybe a thousand here or there to top off an account or something like that, but buying a whole award’s worth outright is not usually a smart idea. Then again, the Icelandic economy did collapse a couple years ago thanks to unfortunate arbitrage plays so maybe their airline is just trying to catch up on the fun. Reading OnlineTravelReview this afternoon it seems that a very interesting opportunity has arisen to play games with the exchange rate between the Icelandic Krona and dollars or Euros as well as the redemption rate of Saga Club points for travel on Alaska Airlines.

The gist of it is that 30,000 Saga Club points is enough for a first class return ticket on Alaska Airlines metal. Anywhere they fly. And from now until September 28th you can purchase points in the Saga Club program and get a 20% bonus. The cost to purchase 25,000 points – netting 30,000 with the 20% bonus – is only about USD $328. That’s a tremendous bargain. Assuming availability (I’m a bit less inclined to book from the East coast because of that) a trip to Hawaii in first class is going to run you roughly $370. That’s not bad at all.

More details and the original math can be found here.

Save 20% on United mileage upgrades

United Airlines has, somewhat quietly, launched a sale for mileage-based upgrades into BusinessFirst on most routes the carrier flies. Passengers can save 20% off both the miles and any cash co-pay required on travel between the US-49 or Canada and Europe, Japan, North Asia, Middle East, Central/Southern Africa or Southern South America. This promotion applies only for upgrades requested online through July 28, 2012. Even if the request is waitlisted due to no award inventory available at the time of request the discount will apply.

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The notable destinations which are excluded from this promotion are Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok and Taipei. All destinations in North America, the Caribbean and northern South America are also excluded, though these are not routes marketed with BusinessFirst service so less surprise there.

The discounts are nice but it is still a stretch to consider cash+miles upgrades a decent value.

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