One or more of these credit card offers may no longer be available. See our Hot Deals page for the latest offers.
This is a news recap from last week, tailored to regular families. For faster updates, follow Miles For Family on Twitter or check the feed on the right side of the blog.
1) IHG has announced its new Accelerate promo for stays between January 1st-April 15th, 2017. Register here I’m sitting this one out. The offers aren’t terrible, but they definitely didn’t blow my socks off (yes, I said it).
Here is my offer:
If you have an identical offer, here is the easiest way to take advantage of it:
a) Stay at two different Holiday Inn Express properties for one night.
b) Stay at two other IHG brands (one night at each hotel). Keep in mind, Holiday Inn is a different brand.
c) In the end, you’ll pay for four nights and collect 63,700 IHG points, plus earnings on your stays.
It’s a decent deal, especially if you have to pay for hotels anyway. But this promo doesn’t align with my existing plans, and I’m not inclined to sink money into mattress runs. As much as I love IHG points (and I do), I love my savings account even more. That being said, I absolutely recommend you at least consider this promo.
If you are a new reader, I suggest you check out these two posts on things to be aware of:
The definitive guide to IHG “Into the nights” promo
Is the juice worth the squeeze on new Accelerate promo from IHG?
2) Get 8,000 Lufthansa miles after booking a 2-night hotel stay by December 31st. Keep in mind that Lufthansa miles are redeemable on United-operated flights. You only need 12,000 miles for one-way redemption within Continental United States.
3) Citi 24-month churning rule explained in detail by Chuck at Doctorofcredit. If you are confused on how Citi rules work (and who isn’t?), then this post is for you. Keep in mind, with Citi it’s always YMMV kind of thing.
4) How to know if the travel info you find is legit by Nomadic Matt. This is a really good article. With so much information on the internet, how do you know what you can really trust? Personally, I look on TripAdvisor for an overall idea on properties. That being said, the site is full of fake reviews, so buyer beware! I also 100% trust recommendations given by my favorite travel bloggers, but only if the posts are not sponsored.
5) New Avios pricing to Ireland from 9 cities! Via TPG, you can fly from US to Ireland on Aer Lingus using BA Avios for just 13,000 points during the off-season (which includes early summer dates). I’m excited that Chicago is one of these cities, as I (Nancy) can usually find cheap flights from Dallas to Chicago.
Keep in mind that Boston-Dublin route will now cost 13,000 Avios during off-season and 20,000 Avios during peak dates. It used to cost a flat 12,500 Avios one-way. See this peak/off-peak calendar
6) A reminder that through 12/31/2016, you can get a bonus on transfers from Amex Membership Rewards to Iberia Avios program. So, 200 MR points=250 Avios. This is definitely a good deal for some readers. See my post on why Iberia can be a great option for award flights to Europe, specifically, those in business class. You may also consider this option if you want to transfer Iberia Avios to British Airways Executive Club. Keep in mind, both accounts have to be open for at least 90 days.
7) Decent mileage bonuses for shopping via certain airline portals. As always, I recommend you take advantage of these type of deals only if you are thinking about making purchases anyway.
8) Application link for AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite MasterCard (issued by Barclays) is once again available online. Direct link You’ll get 40,000 miles after your first purchase and payment of $95 annual fee. A good deal with virtually no barrier to entry. This offer belongs on my Hot Deals page. Important! Here is what “T and C” says:
“This one-time AAdvantage® bonus mileage offer is valid for first-time cardmembers with new accounts only. Existing cardmembers, existing accounts, and previous cardmembers with accounts closed in the past 24 months may not be eligible for this offer.” Hmm, a sign of things to come?
(Hat tip to Dannydealguru)
9) Since I recently completed minimum spending on one of my cards, it was time to find another victim. You know how they say: “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me?” Well, if you use the word “deny” instead of “fool”, the same principle applies to miles and points hobby.
I don’t know what I was thinking, but I decided to apply for Capital One Venture Rewards again. Nevermind the fact that they clearly don’t want me. After all, this bank rejected me twice, and each time pulled all three credit agencies. But I’m stubborn and hate rejection. So, I applied again hoping for a miracle. Fail. When will I learn?
Few months ago we converted my husband’s Barclaycard Arrival Plus card to Rewards Plus product. So, I thought, maybe we should try to get Arrival Plus again and help ourselves to 50,000 points (redeemable towards $500 off travel purchases). I didn’t have much hope, especially when my husband’s application went to pending. But lo and behold, he got approved! Of course, it doesn’t mean he will actually get the bonus. Both Capital One Venture Rewards and Barclaycard Arrival Plus offers are listed in my Hot Deals page. Developing…
Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses
Author: Leana
Leana is the founder of Miles For Family. She enjoys beach vacations and visiting her family in Europe. Originally from Belarus, Leana resides in central Florida with her husband and two children.
My IHG offer is super lame. 37.5k points after like 25 stays. 3500 for one stay is a part of the offer tho so could be worth a stay if I have business travel. I did get about 7500 points out of their last offer so maybe that’s why this offer stinks for me? Did you do much with the last one?
I’m keeping an eye on the aviator card. Like many, we had the US airways card converted to it and never closed the card. Hoping people report back that those in my position get the bonus. We just recently decided we are holding off on travel in 2017 after about 15 trips in the last 3 years, and we’ve got a stash of about 600-700k points for our 10 year anniversary trip in 2018 so I’ll be very judicious with applying for cards this next year. I’ll be a regular at Chase locations over the next few months to check on our pre approvals but plan on being patient.
I do have 4 free Hyatt nights burning a hole in our pockets, but as strange as it sounds, I’m actually tired of traveling and just want to focus on the home front. Wel probably use to Hyatt nights in Chicago, but nothing like grand Hyatt Kauai as planned.
Yeah, that’s definitely a lame IHG offer you got there. I honestly don’t understand their targeting criteria. They must know you are a business traveler, which is why they are dangling such a pathetic carrot. I wouldn’t bother to switch my stays for only 3,500 points, but it’s up to you. Maybe you’ll get a better offer next time if you totally ignore it. We haven’t participated in this scheme for about a year, but our offers seem to be be fairly similar each and every time.
On Aviator card, my feeling is that folks will get the miles in spite of this verbiage, though I have no way of knowing it for sure. As a rule, Barclays is pretty lenient with giving out repeat sign-up bonuses.
I’m sorry that Kauai trip fell through. Oh well, it’s not going anywhere. Maybe in few years you’ll be more inclined to give it a shot. It is a long flight, so letting the kids grow up a bit may not be a bad idea. I do understand feeling weary about travel. I’m a restless person and love to explore, but packing, flying, switching hotels… it CAN get old. Not to mention, expensive.
If you do feel like flying to Florida, burning your free nights at Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa would be a fine use of your certs. I honestly think you guys would enjoy it. Of course, Florida has many nice Hyatt properties. Also, I’ve heard good things about Hyatt Andaz Papagayo in Costa Rica, though, of course, it’s more expensive and difficult to get there.
After a slight snafu on Hyatt application timing last year I ended up with two free nights burning a hole in my pocket too. Every option seemed like a lot of effort but on a whim I used them at Hyatt Ziva Cancun since I’d never been to Mexico before. Since I really wasn’t looking to explore Mexico but just wanted something easy I thought it was a good time to try an all-inclusive too. It was perfect and really relaxing since it was just my husband and me. Other than transportation from the airport no additional costs and no time change. I think four nights would be perfect. I’ve stayed at Grand Hyatt at Kauai and it is spectacular, but that is a whole other ball of wax.
@Kelly I think all-inclusive is quite possibly the best option for using Hyatt certs from sign-up bonus. It’s questinable value if you have kids over 3, since surcharge is idiculous. But for a couple getaway, it’s a fantastic option, especially during high season.
Good point. I plan on doing a few nights at the grand Hyatt kauai in 2018. Cancun is pretty easy to get so I’ll keep an eye out on flights.