December 17, 2014

Point & Center: 50,000 SkyMiles Offer on Delta Gold Amex, Free Gogo Internet for American Express Business Platinum Cardholders, New IHG “Set Your Sights” Promotion & IHG Buys Kimpton Hotels

It’s only Wednesday but it feels like a lot is going on in the points and miles world this week. Here is a quick summary of some items I haven’t blogged about yet.

1. 50,000 SkyMiles Offer on the Delta Gold American Express – With the new rules from American Express limiting a signup bonus to only once a lifetime for each personal card, it makes sense to only apply for a card now from American Express when the offer is at its peak. Currently, for one week only, the Delta Gold Amex (and the business card as well) is increased to a 50,000 mile offer if you spend $1,000 in 3 months.

This is the highest offer I can remember is quite some time but here are they key details of the offer:

50,000 miles after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months
$50 statement credit after first purchase with Delta in the first 3 months
Free checked bag and priority boarding on Delta flights
Annual Fee of $95 is waived for the first year
Offer expires December 21, 2014

If you are short on Delta miles or have a bunch of Delta flights upcoming in the next year and you want to avoid the checked bags fees, this card could make sense to get now when the offer is the highest. And with Delta introducing one ways awards starting 1/1, I’m hoping Delta miles get a bit easier to you though I’m not holding my breath on that.

Here is the link to the personal card.

Here is the link to the business card.

2. Free Gogo Internet for American Express Business Platinum Holders – Earlier this year, American Express added Boingo internet as a new benefit for personal Platinum cardholders and now they are following suit on the Business Platinum card by offering 10 Free Gogo internet passes annually. Gogo all day passes cost $16 so this benefit could be worth $160 annually if you fly enough. Just remember that Gogo is only on certain airlines including Air Canada, Alaska, American, Delta, United, US Airways & Virgin America (along with a few others).

3. New IHG Promotion “Set Your Sights” – IHG has been on a roll with unique, targeted promotions that have some real value to them if you are able to meet the stay requirements. They just announced their newest promotion, “Set Your Sights” in which each member has a list of requirements to meet to earn potentially 50,000+ points. My offer is below which I don’t think is all that great since it requires 5 nights minimum. I’ve seen offers where only 3 nights could meet all the criteria for the bonus points. Make sure to check out your offer and register for the promotion as it could be lucrative if it meets your travel plans.

4. IHG Buys Kimpton Hotels – In a potentially exciting move for IHG members, IHG has announced it has purchased the Kimpton boutique brand of hotels for $430 million dollars and will incorporate them under the IHG company. This is exciting because IHG members will eventually have the option to redeem points or the annual free night from the IHG credit card on Kimpton properties. Kimpton has 62 hotels, all in the US, but they are known for the uniqueness and willingness to provide great customer service. They have some great locations with exciting hotels including NYC, Aspen, and San Francisco.

I stayed in one in Phoenix for the #westcoastDO and had a nice stay while I was treated great as a top-tier Inner Circle member. My hope is the match top tier Inner Circle member to Ambassador status with IHG but it is too soon to tell how that will shake out.

December 16, 2014

The 140,000 Point Offer on Ritz Carlton Credit Card Is Back!

Earlier this year the 140,000 point offer was available though it was meant to be targeted and you needed a certain code from a mailer to apply (or you could just find the code on Flyertalk). I was able to get the card earlier this year but now the offer is available publicly at this link here. This is the highest ever offer I am aware on the card and even with an annual fee of $395, I will argue it is worth it in the first year even if you never plan to stay at a Ritz-Carlton hotel.

Here are the key details:

140,000 Ritz Carlton Points after spending $3,000 in 3 months. Remember these points can be used freely at Marriott hotels and with the highest Marriott tier only costing 45,000 points a night this signup bonus is worth at least 3 nights at any high end Marriott and anywhere from 4 to 7 nights at mid-tier Marriotts (category 4 to 7). And this is worth even more at low end Marriott properties.
$300 Travel Credit Annually. This is based on a calendar year basis so in your first year of card membership, you could take advantage of this offer twice for a total of $600, which more than offsets the $395 annual fee. Now the actual language of what is covered is “airline lounge day pass, or towards a yearly lounge membership of your choice; airline seat upgrades; airline baggage fees; in-flight internet/entertainment; in-flight meals; Global Entry fees.” However, per Flyertalk and a Saverocity thread, people have been able to redeem this credit for airline gift cards just like the Amex Platinum card (though it requires you to call in and request the credit, unlike Amex which is automatic) though it is advisable to not tell them it was a gift card purchase.
Ritz Carlton Gold Status. This basically gets you free internet, bonus points and a chance at room upgrades.
3 Club Level Upgrades – If you are on a paid stay at a Ritz Carlton, you can use one of these upgrades to get club floor access which includes lounge access, complimentary food and drinks etc..
$100 Hotel Credit – Stay 2+ nights and pay with your Ritz Carlton credit card and you will receive a $100 hotel credit.

I only care about this offer for two things: the 140k points and the $300 annual travel credit. The other benefits are nice but hold no value for me since I don’t plan on having any Ritz Carlton stays (paid or award stays). As I mentioned above, even excluding the points (which is the main draw in this offer), I come out ahead financially with the airline gift cards which I know I will use in the future as there are no expiration dates on these. The 140,000 points are worth at least $.007 cents a point (a little less than the standard 1 point is equal to 1 penny) to me so that equates to a value of $980 for just the points. So the value of the points, $980, + $600 in airline gift cards – $395 annual fee equals a signup value of $1,185 for me. It could be worth more if you value the Gold status and club upgrades at all.

Additionally, an under-reported value here is the flight and hotel package that Marriott offers. Let’s say both you and your significant other signup for this card and earn 280,000 points combined. You can redeem those points for a 7 night stay at a Marriott resort and receive 50,000 to 120,000 miles transferred into the program of your choice (United, American etc) based on the chart below. Or you could have the miles transferred to Southwest and you would only be 10,000 points away from the Southwest Companion Pass!

One option for Flight & Hotel Package

A category 6 hotel costs 30,000 points a night so a 7 night stay will would cost 180,000 points (one night is free when you redeem points for at least 4 nights). With this package however, the hotel comes to the same cost as before but the major perk is you can transfer Marriott points into United (with 10% bonus) or American miles at a 1:1 ratio. This is a great value as Marriott hotels are worth about half that of airline miles. In fact, if you normally wanted to convert Marriott points to miles, the ratio is 4:1 so to get the same 100,000 miles, you would need 280,000 Marriott points. But with this package, it is like getting a 7 night stay free! Of course, I wouldn’t recommend ever converting your Marriott points to airline miles at that 4:1 ratio but you see my point.

Ugly Transfer Ratios

I could go on about this flight and hotel package option but the Miles Professor did an excellent job summarizing this option, along with some great hotel finds including hotels in Aruba, Hawaii etc. I would give her post a read if you are interested in this option.

December 15, 2014

And Now Lots of Hyatt News to Catchup On

I just caught up on the American Express news update but there is also lots going on with Hyatt right now. Here is a quick rundown of what is going on as I’m slowly catching up.

1. Hyatt Gold Passport 2015 Category Changes – Every year, Hyatt (and most other hotel chains) make some changes to their award program, mostly involving re-categorizing some hotels to either a higher or lower category. This year, Hyatt is the first chain to announce their changes and depending on how you redeem your Hyatt points, these changes are a mixed bag. In total, there are 48 hotels moving down a category (or more) and 22 hotels increasing a category. You have until January 22nd to make a reservation, even if it is for a future travel date, to lock in the lower points amount.

Click here to see the complete list of ALL Hyatt Gold Passport Category changes and as a reminder, here is what the Hyatt Award Chart looks like below.

I won’t go over every hotel change but I’ll start with some of the key hotels decreasing by a category:

Park Hyatt Washington DC – Category 6 to Category 5
Gran Hyatt Washington DC – Category 5 to Category 4 (can now use annual free Hyatt night here)
Hyatt French Quarter – Category 5 to Category 4 (can now use annual free Hyatt night here)
Park Hyatt Chennani – Category 3 to Category 2

And here are some of the key hotels increasing by a category:

Park Hyatt Maldives – Category 6 to Category 7
Andaz Amsterdam – Category 5 to Category 6
Park Hyatt Seoul – Category 4 to Category 5 (can longer use annual free Hyatt night here)
Grand Hyatt Sao Paulo – Category 3 to Category 4
Hyatt Regency Nice – Category 5 to Category 6
Grand Hyatt at Bar Mar – Category 4 to Category 5 (this hotel hasn’t even opened yet!)

In short, even if the increases are only a few thousand points in some cases, if you have travel plans next year that involved one of these hotels, book the reservation now. Awards stays are cancelable up to a defined timeframe that varies per hotel (anywhere from a month to a few days before) so there is no downside to lock something in now. I am doing this with the Park Hyatt Maldives (stayed tuned for a future Award Trip Breakdown post on my Maldives trip next year).

2. Hyatt Eliminates My Elite Rate – If you were an elite member with Hyatt (and remember having the Hyatt Visa Card gives you Platinum elite status), you had access to hotel rates that were sometimes 20% lower than the daily rate via the My Elite Rate. Unfortunately, Hyatt is discontinuing this benefit in 2015. This was a new benefit rolled out in 2014 so the Hyatt corporate offices must have not deemed this worthy to repeat in 2015. If you booked a fair amount of paid stays with Hyatt, this could be a significant loss.

3. Points & Cash Awards Will Continue in 2015 – The other benefit Hyatt rolled out last year was allowing customers to book hotel rooms using fewer points with a set co-pay that varied based on the category level of the hotel. The good news is Hyatt is continuing this in 2015 and not making any adjustments to the Points & Cash award chart. I have taken advantage of this benefit several times at the Andaz Maui where a room only costs 12,500 points + $150 which is fantastic for a hotel that can average $600 a night, if not more. This is a great perk and I’m glad it is here to stay. As a reminder, here is what the Points & Cash Award Chart looks like below.

4. Hyatt Guarantees Bed Type to All Customers – Previously, Hyatt only guaranteed the reserved bed type to elite customers so if you reserved a King bed, you would be guaranteed that upon arrival. However, per Hyatt, only 0.1% of all customers didn’t receive their reserved bed type so they are now guaranteeing the reserved bed type for all customers now, not just elite customers. This isn’t especially newsworthy since the odds are so small of it happening but it is a positive (albeit small impacting) change.

December 14, 2014

Lots of American Express News – Here is a Quick Rundown of What You Need to Know

There has been a LOT of news, promotions and changes related to American Express and some of their partners in the past week or so. I’m bit behind in posting about all of these so I’ve consolidated the major announcements below with my quick thoughts on each.

1. There will be no limits on transfers to Delta SkyMiles from American Express – Earlier this year, I posted about a new policy that Delta was going to institute starting January 1st that you would only be allowed to transfer 250k American Express Membership Rewards Points to Delta each year but now Delta is rescinding that announcement.

Delta apparently entered into a new contract with American Express so this seems to be the most likely reason this restriction will no longer be implemented. It was a terrible policy to begin with because 250k is too low a limit to cap transfers at annually – that wouldn’t even cover two business class tickets to Asia or Australia and it literally just covers enough for two business class tickets to Europe. I don’t transfer to Delta often but it is nice to see this policy not enacted.

2. American Express Hilton HHonors Surpass Credit Card 80k Bonus – I first saw this at Doctor of Credit, but American Express increased the bonus on the Surprass credit card to 80,000 HHonors points over the standard offer of 60,000 HHonors points. Here is a link to the offer.

Here are the key details of the offer –

80,000 HHonors Points after spending $3,000 in 3 months
You earn Hilton Gold Status for having this card (i.e. free breakfast, bonus points etc.)
Annual fee of $75 NOT waived in the first year
This card earns 12x points at Hilton hotels, 6x at restaurants, supermarkets and gas stations and 3x everywhere else.

In short, this is a decent offer but not one to jump on unless you need Hilton points. Remember Hilton points are severely devalued and 80k points doesn’t even cover one night at a top end hotel (though can cover 2 nights at mid tier hotels potentially). I still think the Citi Hilton Reserve is a better offer with two free nights. There is also a no fee Hilton card from Amex that currently offers 50k points + $50 statement credit.

3. New Point Earning Structure on American Express Business Gold Rewards Card – Previously, this card offered 3x points on airfare, 2x points on gas, advertising, hardware/software purchases and shipping and 1x elsewhere but now American Express will let you choose which category earns the 3x bonus points! This is a great change as I (and I imagine may others) don’t spend a lot on airfare so it is great to have a different choice to earn 3x points at. The following categories are eligible to be chosen for 3x points and the ones you don’t choose will earn 2x points.

Advertising in Select Media
Gas Stations
Airfare (when purchased directly from the airline)
Shipping
Hardware, Software and Cloud Computing purchases from select vendors

I actually don’t spend a ton on any of those categories so I will most likely choose the gas station option since I already earn 2x airfare from my Sapphire Preferred card.

4. American Express & SPG Team Up for 500 Point Bonuses on Mobile Bookings – If you book your next Starwood stay via their mobile app and pay with an American Express Card (like the SPG Amex) you will earn an additional 500 Starpoints for the booking. Here is the link for more information on this promo.

This bonus can used for up to 3 times and stays must occur between now and March 31, 2015. Make sure to register for this promotion (members are not automatically enrolled).

5. New American Express Partner Air Bnb – Amex has teamed up with Airbnb to allow customers to use Membership Rewards points for Airbnb gift cards. The gift cards are available in $100 and $250 increments and cost 10,000 & 25,000 MR points respectively, yielding a value of 1 cent per point.

I personally won’t use this option and I don’t recommend it either unless you are a heavy user of Airbnb and cannot find any other way to use your MR points. I use my MR points for flights by transferring to British Airways most often. For example, it cost only 10,000 British Airways Avios to fly from JFK to Antigua and I guarantee that flight will always be over $100 (try closer to $300). That obviously is a very specific example but similar values are out there for flights with BA’s program and I’ll take a several hundred dollar flight instead of a $100 credit to Airbnb.

6. $5 for Downloading American Express Mobile App (Targeted) – Some customers are eligible to receive a $5 statement credit for downloading and logging into the American Express app on your phone – tablets/iPads will not work for the purpose of this promotion. Many people reported getting an email about this from Amex but it doesn’t hurt to try and replicate this offer if you didn’t get the email.

If you ever logged into the Amex mobile app, you will not be able to get this $5 statement credit. You must download the app between now and 12/31/14.

December 12, 2014

$25 Statement Credit for Switiching to Paperless Statements for Barclays Credit Cards

I logged into my Barlcays account online tonight and I noticed for the first time a popup that stated if I switched to paperless statements for my US Airways MasterCard, I could earn a $25 statement credit if I purchased something before December 31st, 2014. This was only available on my US Airways MasterCard but not when I clicked on my Arrival + card so I am guessing this might be targeted in some way.

This obviously is a no-brainer opportunity if you are able to see this on your account and you don’t need paper statements to remind you to pay your bills. It didn’t say anything about a minimum purchase amount so buying anything for under $25 and you will make money on this promotion. If you don’t see it right away and you have multiple Barclays cards, try switching back and forth between the cards online – that might do the trick. I’m guessing if you already have paperless statements you will not see this promotion but this is a good example why I still get paper statements until I’m offered something to switch (it happens more than you think).

This interestingly appeared on my brand new US Airways MasterCard and this promotion is perfect for this card. Since all I need to do is make one purchase on the card to earn 50,000 miles, I will buy myself a cup of coffee tomorrow that will satisfy the first purchase requirement for the miles AND trigger a $25 statement credit as well. So in effect, the 50,000 miles will cost me a net of $64 since I will use this $25 statement credit to offset the annual fee of $89 on my first statement. As a reminder, here is my write-up of the better offer for the US Airways MasterCard.

Gotta love easy, money-making promotions!

PointsCentric

Points & Miles Travel Consulting