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) CheapTickets.com will give you up to $30 CheapCash per flight booked by March 28th, 2017. Details here Obviously, it’s a very good deal on cheap routes.
2) Another week, another promo from SYWR portal. Spend $30, get $15 back in points until 3/26. I did a short post on my experience with SYWR portal and outlined why it can be very lucrative when buying discounted gift cards from Raise. Basically, if you are willing to invest a little bit of time, you can get junk for free. Free! (hat tip to DoC)
3) Last call on Marriott Travel Package/Southwest Companion Pass arbitrage opportunity. Remember, the points have to hit your Southwest account by March 31st, so redeem them now.
4) The Alaska Companion Certificate is Now Valid on Virgin America by OMAAT. This is definitely good news for those who live near an airport served by Virgin America. It could be a good chance for East Coasters to save on tickets to Hawaii. The non-affiliate link for Alaska co-branded card with $100 credit is listed on this page.
5) Through May 3rd, you can get up to 100% bonus points when you purchase Hilton currency. You’ll have to sign in here and check your individual offer. I would never buy Hilton points speculatively, but it could definitely be worth considering for certain properties. Hilton has revamped its program, and now the award rate is revenue-based. This could work to your advantage if you plan to travel off-season. I’ve seen a few bargains since the changes were implemented, and at some point plan to put together a post.
6) I got an email reminder from Chase, so wanted to pass it along: “Earn a total of 10% Cash Back on up to $2,500 in combined hotel and car rental purchases made through Chase Ultimate Rewards Offer valid on purchases made March 1 – March 31, 2017, at 11:59 p.m.Eastern time.”
7) Potential free 10K MR points for choosing “Pay over time” option on your Amex card. DDG blog has all the details in this post I logged in and turns out, my account was targeted! My husband’s account wasn’t, for some reason. I called and enrolled in this offer, so hopefully, should be getting 10,000 MR points in a few months. Definitely check your account.
8) Increased public sign-up bonuses on both Hilton Amex cards, according to their rep:
- New Hilton Honors Card (no annual fee) members will earn 80,000 Hilton Honors Points after spending $2,000 in first 3 months.
- New Hilton Honors Surpass Card ($75 fee) members will earn 100,000 Hilton Honors Points after spending $3,000 in first 3 months and a free night on their Card Membership anniversary. Nice!
- Additionally, Hilton Honors Card Members can earn a Member Get Member bonus for each new Hilton Honors Card application that results in an approved account. For Hilton Honors Card Members that bonus is 20,000 Hilton Honors Points and for Hilton Honors Surpass Card Members it’s 25,000 Hilton Honors Points. Use this link to generate referrals.
Both cards pay us commission if you apply through this site. You have to pull the trigger by May 31st. I’m actually considering getting Surpass due to the fact that Amex will give a free weekend night on your first anniversary (one time thing, not recurring). Very interesting development!
9) Colorado Train Travel: Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad An idea for those who haven’t yet made travel plans this summer. My son is a train fanatic, so he would love this sort of thing. Nancy, who is originally from Colorado, this one is for you!
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.
I went on that Durango-Silverton Train when I was a kid! If you are ever in the Denver area over the summer, another one I recommend is the Georgetown Loop: https://www.georgetownlooprr.com/. It’s closer to Denver and kinda cool, with an optional stop at a mine halfway through. I still think that Colorado is an under-rated vacation destination, especially in the summer.
@Nancy Thank you for your recommendation. We actually plan to be in Colorado next year. We’ll only have a few nights in the area, but I wonder if we can squeeze in a train ride. My son would love it, for sure.
I agree, the state of Colorado is highly underrated as family-friendly destination. I love the scenery around Colorado Springs!