RECENT POSTS
  • Credit Cards

    Marriott and SPG Credit Card Eligiblity Confusion

    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. What’s still confusing are the credit card and bonus eligibility requirements of each card. Can you get the Amex SPG Luxury card if you have the Chase Marriott Premier Plus card? The answer isn’t always apparent. And if you read the Offer Terms, you’re left even more confused. I’ve written a questionnaire to cut through the eligibility legalese in each card’s offer terms. Simply choose the card you intend to apply for, answer the ensuing questions, and I’ll tell you if…

  • Disney World on Points
    Miles and Points

    Booking a Disney World Vacation With Points: My Experience

    A family vacation to Disney World in Orlando FL can be very expensive. I can certainly vouch for that as I have a trip planned for this upcoming Spring. In this post, I’ll show you how I reduced my out-of-pocket cost by over 90% using points and benefits I’ve earned from having various credit cards. There’s a lot to cover in this post, so forgive the length. I have a family of 5 spread out over 2 home airports, we’re starting at one hotel then moving to another, and we’ll be visiting the Disney Parks as well as a side-trip to Universal Studios. That’s a lot of moving parts, so…

  • Miles and Points

    How to Combine SPG Starpoints Between Accounts

    Here’s a lesser-known but generous feature of the Starwood Preferred Guest program: members of the same household can combine SPG Starpoints into one account. If you alone don’t have enough SPG points for a redemption, pool points with a family member for that upcoming vacation. I did exactly that, and I’ll show you how. What are SPG Starpoints? Starwood Preferred Guest is a hotel loyalty program where you earn points for each stay. These SPG Starpoints are a favorite for travelers: they have high value when you redeem at Starwood properties like Sheraton, Westin, and W Hotels, they can be transferred directly to miles in a huge list of frequent flyer programs,…

  • Uncategorized

    Targeted: SPG Amex 5000 Bonus Points After $5000 Spend

    If you have the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express, check your email for a targeted offer. You may be able eligible for an extra 5,000 Starpoints. You can also check to see if you’re targeted by clicking this link and logging in to your American Express account. The Offer American Express is offering 5,000 Bonus Starpoints after spending $5,000 in qualifying purchases on your enrolled SPG card between the time you complete enrollment and May 31, 2017. The enrollment period ends on March 31, 2017. Qualifying purchases can be made by the cardholder and any authorized users and do NOT include fees or interest charges, balance transfers, cash advances, purchases…

  • 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…

  • Credit Cards,  Miles and Points

    Chase Adds Flying Blue to Ultimate Rewards Partners

    Chase has added a new partner to its Ultimate Rewards program. Effective immediately, you can now transfer your UR points to Flying Blue, the frequent flyer program of Air France and KLM. In addition to those airlines, Flying Blue miles can be redeemed for reward flights on SkyTeam Member Airlines like Delta, AlItalia, and AeroMexico. Flying Blue had already been a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Citi Thank You Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest. As with all of Chase’s other travel partners, UR points transfer to Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio in increments of 1,000 points. FlyingBlue adds to the current list of Chase Ultimate Rewards airline partners:…