Richard Branson’s Necker Island FREE* for Valentine’s Day
* FREE = 1.2 million miles
If you have 1.2 million Virgin Atlantic miles sitting around, here’s the ultimate Valentine’s Day gift for your loved one. Richard Branson’s Necker Island, located in the British Virgin...
IHG Priceless Surprises on track for more than 40K points despite hiccup
In November I wrote about an opportunity to earn tens of thousands of IHG points by filling out and mailing in 3X5 cards to enter the "IHG Priceless Surprises" contest: More than 40,000 IHG...
Analysis of Marriott Travel Packages: 5 Night vs. 7 Night
Last week I wrote “Marriott 5 Night Travel Packages exist, but they’re secret.” 5 night Marriott Travel Packages aren’t advertised. They’re meant only for Marriott Vacation Club owners. But, in some cases, Marriott Rewards...
Choice Privileges point expiration policy improves. Here’s why I’m excited.
Choice Privileges is the loyalty program for Choice Hotels which includes mostly low-end brands such as Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Econo Lodge, etc. I can’t remember the last time I’ve stayed at a Choice...
Marriott 5 Night Travel Packages exist, but they’re secret.
UPDATE: Since this post was originally written, it has become increasingly difficult for those who are not Marriott Vacation Club owners to book 5 night packages. People still report success every now and then,...
The best way to use Chase points to book hotels
A reader recently asked me about booking a hotel with Chase Ultimate Rewards points. She had found a Marriott property that had good reviews and was available for a free night award for 30,000...
How much are those 100,000 Crystal Visa Infinite points worth?
On October 1, we published a Quick Deal for a 100K credit card signup offer: New Crystal Visa Infinite Offer – 100K Points, $250 Airline Credit, Free Lounge Membership & Waived 1st Year Annual...
How to book US Bank Club Carlson e-cert free nights (it may be harder...
The Club Carlson Premier Rewards Visa and its business card twin used to be among my favorite cards. In fact, I have one of each, and my wife has the personal card. Until May...
AccorHotels to acquire Fairmont, Raffles and Swissôtel
AccorHotels has issued a press release stating that they will acquire the collection of hotels that include Fairmont, Raffles and Swissôtel.
You can find the full press release here.
No word yet on how this will...
SPG Nights & Flights vs. Marriott Travel Packages
When Marriott announced their acquisition of Starwood Hotels, most SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest) loyalists were not happy. Where SPG is often regarded as one of (if not the) best loyalty programs, Marriott’s program is...
To and from Santiago Chile, my favorite Diamond upgrade ever, and a weird Centurion...
On October 8th, my wife and I were discussing options for Thanksgiving week travel. She and my son would be free from work and school as of Monday afternoon before Thanksgiving. Maybe we should...
How to book a free week on Necker Island
Richard Branson’s Necker Island is available to rent in-whole for a party of up to 30 people for an astronomical sum. Or, one can book an individual room on Necker Island for two people...
Hyatt Diamond status: the first benefit of the Marriott SPG merger
Early last week, Marriott announced its acquisition of Starwood Hotels and Resorts. And, even though Marriott says that they will preserve the best of both loyalty programs, I’m not too optimistic. Mergers like these...
Convert SPG points to miles? How to play the Marriott merger.
On Monday we learned that Marriott will be buying Starwood in 2016. Under the assumption that Marriott’s rewards program will be the surviving program after the merger, I made a plea to Marriott: Hey...
