RECENT POSTS
  • Marriott Bonvoy Meet The Future
    Credit Cards

    New Lineup of Marriott Bonvoy branded Credit Cards

    Marriott’s new combined rewards program has been named Marriott Bonvoy and will go live in February. This consolidates the Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and SPG programs under one unified brand. This new branding will be reflected across Marriott’s entire line of credit cards offered by American Express and Chase. Points earning rates and benefits will remain largely unchanged, with the exception of a few new ones. Here’s a rundown of all of the new Marriott cards. American Express Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card The SPG Amex card will become the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card and will close to new applicants on February 12. The card’s benefits and annual fee will…

  • Southwest Airline Plane Fin with logo
    Travel Rewards

    Southwest Delays Companion Pass Change

    On January 1 with no notice given, Southwest made qualifying for its Companion Pass a more difficult. After much negative feedback from customers, Southwest has temporarily delayed the change until March 31, 2017. As a reminder, the Companion Pass lets you choose one person to fly free with you every time you purchase or redeem points for a flight.  To qualify for the pass, you need to earn 110,000 Qualifying Points in a calendar year. You could do that by transferring points from a hotel loyalty program like Marriott Rewards. Southwest decided to immediately disqualify points from hotel transfers. This change with no notice angered Southwest’s most loyal customers. Many had…

  • Southwest Airline Plane Fin with logo
    Uncategorized

    Southwest Companion Pass Now Tougher to Get

    The Companion Pass is a great perk for Southwest Airlines flyers. It lets you choose one person to fly free with you every time you purchase or redeem points for a flight. Southwest has made qualifying for the pass a little more difficult. The basic rule hasn’t changed: earn 110,000 Qualifying Points in a calendar year, and you’ll earn Companion Pass for the following full calendar year, plus the remainder of the year in which you earned it.  So what’s changed? The definition of Qualifying Points. Southwest defines Qualifying Points as follows (I’ve highlighted the change in bold): Companion Pass Qualifying Points are earned from your revenue flights booked through…

  • Miles and Points

    My SPG Moments Experience in a Madison Square Garden Suite

    When you think of points earned from credit cards, you generally think of free flights or cash back. But with SPG Moments, your Starwood Preferred Guest points can reward you with great experiences as well. The Moments program gives SPG members VIP access to concerts, culinary experiences, premier sporting events and more. Starwood has luxury suites at New York’s Madison Square Garden, the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, and the O2 Arena in London. You can purchase or bid on events at these and many other venues using your SPG points. I recently purchased an SPG Luxury Suite New York Rangers package and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Background I’ve been…