(EXPIRED) [Update: Not Loyalty Points] Bonus 5,000 miles on some Rocketmiles bookings

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Update 10/28/22: Unfortunately, reader Troy reports that (as I feared) the 5,000 bonus points did not post as Loyalty Points. This is consistent with what we were told when the program began — bonuses do not post as Loyalty Points. In this case, booking confirmations show that the extra miles here are base points, but clearly they aren’t posting that way. Perhaps you could make the argument with American Airlines that your booking confirmation shows a certain number of base miles / Loyalty Points to be earned, but if you’re not up for that fight then only do this deal if you value the redeemable miles.

A reader posted a great tip in our Frequent Mile Insiders Facebook group last month and I had missed it in the 3 Cards 3 Continents aftermath, but it still appears to work: you can get a bonus 5,000 airline miles on many Rocketmiles bookings by starting at Pointshound.com (through your choice of many different airline programs). This deal will mostly be useful for single night stays and can apparently only be used once per account. Note that bookings through a third-party online travel agency like this typically do not earn hotel points, elite night credit, or qualify for elite benefits. Still, if you don’t care about those things for a one-night stay, this could represent an excellent return.

a white background with text and a dog

If you go to Pointshound.com, you’ll see the message above indicating that Rocketmiles apparently acquired Pointshound at some point. You’ll automatically be redirected to Rocketmiles.com. When that happens, some hotels will show an increased payout that includes 5,000 bonus miles at some properties.

For instance, before going to Pointshound, I price-checked this property for a stay this coming Monday in Chicago, IL. If I choose to earn American Airlines miles, I could earn 5,000 American Airlines miles at The Chicago Hotel Collection Wrigleyville.

a screenshot of a hotel

If I start at Pointshound.com and wait to be redirected to Rocketmiles and then choose American Airlines as my preferred earning partner, I see messaging indicating 5,000 bonus miles at this property.

a screenshot of a hotel

My understanding is that only base miles count as Loyalty points, not bonuses. I would therefore expect that the booking above would earn 10,000 redeemable American Airlines miles and only 5,000 base miles / Loyalty Points. Sill, an extra 5,000 miles is nice.

Earnings rates can vary by partner. For instance, if you choose to earn Turkish Miles & Smiles miles, the same property would earn a total of 12,000 redeemable miles after the bonus — nearly enough for a one-way domestic business class award on United (if United would ever open any saver availability).

a screenshot of a hotel

If you’re just looking to effectively buy miles, you can do better than the above. For example, here is a hotel selling for $209 (before taxes and fees) that comes with 11,000 Turkish miles.

a screenshot of a hotel

That’s still not a price where I would mattress run this promotion, but it’s probably not the best deal available.

Note that the 5,000 bonus miles do not get added to all properties (and in some cities I don’t see any properties qualifying for the bonus). The reader who posted this speculated that it’s only properties offering at least 5,000-7,000 miles that get the bonus 5K. I haven’t seen a property cheaper than the $209 Hilton shown above that include the bonus 5K miles, but neither have I searched extensively by any stretch.

There don’t appear to be extensive terms, but it looks like this deal is valid for bookings through 12/31/22 (I assume this means stays completed by that date) and it is apparently only valid one time per account (not specified in the terms but reported to work that way).

H/T: Benjamin in Frequent Miler Insiders

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