This is a brief news recap from last week. For faster updates, follow Miles For Family on Twitter or check the feed on the right side of the blog.
1)Aeroplan has a 35% bonus on hotel points conversions, made between November 6th-December 11th. More details here
SPG program is the best option, by far, since you are already getting 5k miles bonus on each 20k transfer. If you plan on flying United to Canada or Continental US (including Alaska), it will cost you 12,500 miles one-way as long as low-level redemption is available via United.com Be aware, the transfer can take a week or longer to go through.
2) I wouldn’t go out of my way for this promotion, but it’s decent enough if you have plans to stay in one of Wyndham properties:
See more details and register here Remember, you can redeem 15,000 points on one night in New York, Chicago and even all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean.
3) SPG promo on buying points:
If you participate, your cost will work out to be 2.27 cents per point. I am definitely sitting this one out as I speculatively value SPG points at around 1.5 cents apiece. That said, if you need to top off a mileage account for a specific award, it could make sense to purchase points rather than earn them through everyday spending.
Participating in this promo could also make sense if you are interested in low-category SPG hotels. Few examples: Four Points By Sheraton Niagara Falls Fallsview, Sheraton Lake Buena Vista Resort, Four Points by Sheraton Studio City. All of these properties are category 2, so a 2-night weekend getaway in one of them will cost you 6,000 points per room. If you purchase SPG points via this promo, it will amount to $136.50 all-in. That’s a pretty good deal, especially in Niagara Falls area during summer months.
4) Possible stackable promo from Club Carlson If you can combine 15,000 points bonus after one stay with 50% off future redemption, it would certainly be worth it to consider switching your reservations to Club Carlson property.
5) Air France will apparently overhaul their frequent flyer program next year. The only thing I care about is the redemption side. We don’t know all the details yet, but there are strong indicators that some awards will be revenue-based. So, you may want to book those tickets to Tahiti soon. Those cost 30k miles one-way (plus relatively mild fuel surcharges when originating from US). If you can find low-level Delta award flight from your home city, you may be able to add it to LAX-PPT route at no charge. Air France program is a transfer partner of Chase UR, Membership Rewards, Citi Thank You as well as SPG programs.
6) A really great offer on Jet Blue co-branded credit card: 60k points after spending $1,000 in 3 months. Wow! If you’ve been waiting to apply, now is the time. Direct link Jet Blue program is similar to Southwest where the cost in points is tied to revenue fare. Read my post for more information. (Hat tip DoC)
7) Endings and new beginnings by PointsMilesLife blog. A beautiful story of how one blogger and his wife adopted three (yes, three!) kids from Costa Rica. And yes, there is a miles and points angle. In the world full of disturbing news items, it’s nice to read something happy for a change.
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.
Ian is a friend of mine. So excited for him to get his kids! Kinda neat to see his blog (which I follow) mentioned in your blog (which I also follow)!
David, I’m so happy for these guys! I know there will be challenges ahead, but it’s such a beautiful thing they are doing. It was a moving story, for sure.