Mileage earning tips

As it has been doing with some regularity, Southwest has upped the sign-up bonus for its Rapid Rewards Premier credit card to 50,000 points.

Until yesterday, American Airlines customers dismayed at the airline’s August 1 pivot to a spend-based mileage program had a fallback option: Earn miles for their American flights in Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan program, which still awards miles the old-fashioned way, according to the distance flown.

Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week.

By traditional measures, Alaska Airlines is a carrier of decidedly modest size, even after its acquisition of Virgin America. Its own flight network is small, compared to those of American, Delta, and United. And it’s not a member of one of the three global airline alliances.

I’m not a fan of flash sales or flash promotions. I understand the motivation from the travel suppliers’ standpoint, but snooze-you-lose offers are manipulative and disrespectful.

Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week.

Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week.

Headed Down Under? Delta has announced a new bonus-mile promotion for Australia flights. But it’s not the only option.

All travel suppliers want consumers to book direct, making their reservations on the company’s website, via the company’s smartphone app, or by phone through the company’s reservations center. Direct booking means the airlines and hotels pay no commissions to intermediaries, so the full price of the flight or room night flows to the provider, not to Expedia or a Main Street travel agent.

Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week.

With almost 1,400 hotels in operation or under development, the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group isn’t the largest of the hotel chains. But with six brands in more than 100 countries, it’s big enough to accommodate the needs of most travelers. That makes its Club Carlson loyalty program a contender.

Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week.

On Friday evening—traditional timing for bad-news announcements that companies hope will go unnoticed by the public and unreported by the media—American published the new mileage-earning rates, effective from August 1, for travel on AAdvantage partner airlines.

Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week.

InterContinental Hotel Group’s next points promotion, Share Forever, begins next month and features bonuses for both the member’s own IHG Rewards account and to share with other program members.

Through October 31, members of the Club Carlson program can earn bonus points for stays at Quorvus Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson Red, Park Plaza, Park Inn, and Country Inns & Suites hotels as follows:

Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week.

While not particularly generous, Club Carlson’s new promotion is at least simple and straightforward.

I recently dubbed Alaska Airlines’ loyalty program, Mileage Plan, the “Best Mileage Program for Average Travelers.” It’s a hard-won honor, awarded for two principal reasons. First, Alaska has chosen to retain Mileage Plan’s distance-based earning scheme, even as most other airlines have adopted less generous spend-based earning. And second, Alaska has cobbled together a roster of earning and redemption partners that rivals those of the world’s largest airlines.

Update from IHG, including effect date for new prices: “All reservations booked beginning Jan. 16, 2018, will use the new Reward Nights point prices. This is part of an annual review into the number of points needed for a Reward Night, and we’ll communicate to members through our regular channels, including email and our website.”

Travel rewards can be an excellent way to save money when you use miles and points correctly. The average credit card rewards point is worth one cent. But some cards, such as business rewards credit cards, offer more bang for your buck. With these suggestions, your rewards points can be worth at least twice the value. Let’s take a look to see how.