Miles and Points Recap: Daily Getaways, Virgin America, Winner of My Gift Card Giveaway, Tax Advice and More!

1)Quick advice for next week of Daily Getaways. First, here are the details:

The deal that might be worth it for some families will be sold on Monday. Check this page for “T and C,” FAQ and  link to participating properties. Basically, for $525 you are buying  a 5-night certificate valid at 71 properties (1-bedroom unit). This deal does have “double occupancy” language, but I’m not sure if it’s enforced. Most units will fit up to 4 as long as you don’t mind putting the kids on a sleeper sofa.

There are some very nice properties participating, though I see that the one in Hawaii is now excluded. I imagine hobbyists swarmed it like locusts during the previous years. Still, this can be a good deal under certain circumstances, especially when it comes to beachfront accommodations. That said, notice the language in the offer:

• Certificate expires May 13, 2017.

• Reservations are subject to availability.

• Diamond Resorts reserves the right to select alternative accommodations, such as hotel, motel or condominium.

• Certificate may be subject to high season, holiday and other blackout periods depending on destination.

I suggest you research it ahead of time by contacting the properties you are interested in, and only buy if you can redeem the certificate  immediately. They are counting on folks waiting till the last minute and consequently, flushing  $525 down the toilet. I also strongly suggest you have  a Plan B, and don’t get your heart set on one specific property. Set a  reminder alert if interested because there are only 200 packages available.  I suspect it will sell out within a day or two, in spite of restrictions.

Hitlon points:

Only buy if you can use the points immediately. This deal could be worth it for those who are looking to burn points at category 1 and 2 properties. Those cost 5,000 and 10,000 points respectively. That said, a much better option is to consider signing up for one of Hilton credit cards. There are two terrific Amex bonuses available at the moment, and you can read about them here

Non-affiliate link on Citi Hilton card that comes with 75,000 points  bonus is also working for now. Of course, not everyone is able to sign up for a new credit card, so this Daily Getaways deal might be the next best thing for you.

Hertz points:

I’ve never bought this deal, but folks rave about it, especially when it comes to one-way rentals. That said, there are very few packages available, so it’s unlikely you’ll be able to snag one. Read more on it in this post on DansDeals.

2) The application for AT& T credit card is once again available. Read this post for more details and links to overview of the product. Definitely a hot deal if you are willing to do some work or are looking for a new phone.

3) I’ve mentioned before  that I used to work as a tax professional. Even though I don’t  focus on pure finance  in my blog, I believe it’s closely connected to the world of miles and points.  More money= more opportunities  to spend it on travel. Tomorrow is the last day to contribute to an IRA, and I recommend you definitely consider setting one up. For a middle-class family it would be a win-win situation because you may qualify for Saver’s credit. Even if you’ve already filed your taxes, you can do an amended return and claim the credit. Read more on this topic here 

4) Virgin America Elevate points now transfer from SPG 1:1. This is a  big deal! You can fly from San-Francisco to Maui roundtrip for only 20,000 points on Hawaiian Airlines, its partner. You can also fly from Las Vegas or Phoenix to Honolulu for the same amount. To put it in perspective, a family of four can potentially fly to Hawaii for only 65,000 SPG points total once you factor in transfer bonus. Wow. Lots of “sweet” spots, so  I’ll try to do a more detailed analysis later on. For now, head on over to this post on OMAAT

5)  The winner of my giveaway was Eric (with a c). I’ve already sent him  $30 gift card. There were 9 people who entered, and random number generator picked number 9. So, the last commenter took the prize! Thanks to everyone who entered, I appreciate the feedback.

Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses