Promotions

August 19, 2014

American Express 25% Bonus on Point Transfers to JetBlue!

One of the key features of flexible points is the ability to transfer them to a bunch of different airlines or hotels instead of being locked into earning points with just one program. Sometimes there are bonuses to entice you to transfers points and currently, American Express has announced a 25% bonus on all point transfers to JetBlue from now to September 15th!

25% Bonus on Points Transferred to JetBlue

25% Bonus on Points Transferred to JetBlue

Normally, the ratio to transfer American Express Membership Rewards points into JetBlue TrueBlue points is 5:4 and you must transfer in increments of 250 points. Without this promotion, to get 10,000 JetBlue points you would have to transfer 12,500 Amex points but now to get the same 10,000 JetBlue points, it would only cost you only 10,000 Amex points!

Membership Rewards Transfer Page

Membership Rewards Transfer Page

Combining this deal with the separate 25% off JetBlue award flights deal I posted last night, there are some incredible deals to be had! One example is a trip down to Florida – this would normally cost 25,000 miles with all legacy carries (United, Delta, American or US Airways) but with these two promotions from Amex and JetBlue, a roundtrip flight is only 10,000 miles. That is less than a one-way domestic flight on most airlines (which is 12,500 points). That’s a really, really good deal.

This is only 10,000 JetBlue Points which means you could transfer 10,000 Amex MR points to JetBlue for this flight

This is only 10,000 JetBlue Points which means you could transfer 10,000 Amex MR points to JetBlue for this flight

Before transferring any points over to JetBlue though, research the cost in points on JetBlue’s website. There are no blackout dates so every flight is available for points but some are better deals than others. Once you have settled on the flights you want, at that point only, should you transfer your Amex MR points to JetBlue. Transfers between Amex and JetBlue happen instantly so you could book the flight immediately after transferring the points (you might need to sign out and sign back in to see the points).

Please followup with any questions!

August 18, 2014

Quick Deal: Save 25% on JetBlue Point Redemptions for Free Flights!

JetBlue announced a special promotion lasting only today and tomorrow (8/19) that will save you 25% on the amount of points needed for an award flight! The discount is applied automatically when searching for an award flight – there is no code to enter. There are a few restrictions (no Friday or Sunday flights) but this is an excellent time to burn those JetBlue points for some free flights. This promotion can be combined with the 25% transfer bonus from American Express for transferring American Express Membership Rewards Points to JetBlue (details here)!

JetBlue25

The offical terms from the JetBlue website:

Save 25% when you redeem your TrueBlue points for an Award Flight.

Offer Details:

  • Book between now and August 19, 2014
  • Fly September 2 – November 20, 2014
  • Fly Mon. – Thur. and Sat. (not valid for flights on Fri. or Sun.)
  • When you search for an eligible Award Flight, the fare that you see will automatically include the discount. Fares will not be discounted below 5,000 points.
August 11, 2014

Get Free Elite Status with Avis & National Car Rental!

Update: The Avis First hack will also work with MasterCard DEBIT cards as well!

There is a new travel hack out that allows you to get elite status with two major car rentals companies, Avis and National Car Rental, for FREE! The Avis elite status offer is intended for MasterCard World Elite cardholders, but it seems that as long as you have any Mastercard, you can still register to get Avis First. For National Car Rentals, there appears to be no requirements since there is a link in which anyone can signup for Emerald Club Executive status without any restrictions! I doubt this is intentional since Executive status requires 12 paid rentals or 40 rental days so I highly recommend taking advantage of this deal before they pull the link! Here is a summary of how to get the two offers.

Avis First Elite Status

1. Go to this link – Avis First Elite Status
2. Have your driver’s license and MasterCard (credit or debit) ready and register for an Avis account. It will look like you are signing up for Avis Preferred, which is correct. Once you get to the part where you input your MasterCard, it will recognize the elite status to be Avis First which is a tier higher.
3. If you already have Avis Preferred status (which you get if you have an American Express Platinum card and you registered it with Avis), click the small link on the bottom of the page and email Avis a request to be bumped up to Avis First.

Avis First will get you free upgrades of at least 1 category, free weekend rental after every 4 rentals of 2+ days, skip the line and go straight to your car access (Preferred status has this as well) and a special 1-800 number for assistance and reservations. In short, signing up for this is definitely worth doing especially if you are not already a Preferred member so you can skip the lines to pickup your car at the bare minimum.

I did this for Andrea and this is the confirmation page when you finish

I did this for Andrea and this is the confirmation page when you finish

National Emerald Executive Club Elite Status

1. Go to this link – National Emerald Club Executive Elite Status
2. Have your driver’s license and MasterCard ready and register for a National Emerald Club account. It is a direct link to Executive Club status so upon completion you should instantly be an Executive member.
3. If you have an American Express Platinum card, you are entitled to this same status.

Executive Status will get you the ability to pick any car in the Executive aisle if you pay at least a midsize rate, skip the line and go straight to your car (or aisle) access, and a special 1-800 number for assistance and reservations.

The confirmation page for the National signup

The confirmation page for the National signup

Again, I highly recommend signing up for these offers now in case they are pulled which they could be at any moment. Good luck!

(H/T to View From the Wing)