Earn Double Miles for Charges to Delta Credit Cards

I can't recall another frequent flyer promotion that offered double miles for credit card use, but only if the cardholder redeems a set number of miles. That, however, is the rather quirky premise of Delta's new Bounce Back promotion.

Offer Details

Between July 1 and September 30, Delta SkyMiles credit card holders will earn double miles for all eligible charges to their cards, except for purchases of Delta tickets, which will earn triple miles.

To qualify to earn the credit card bonuses, SkyMiles members must redeem at least 10,000 miles during the promotion period.

Registration is required.

Deal or No Deal

Delta apparently wants SkyMiles members to redeem their miles. If not, why would they make that a precondition for earning the credit card bonus?

Getting the mileage liability off its books is an obvious financial good for the airline. But I suspect that's not the primary motivator here. Delta has come in for considerable criticism and scrutiny lately, due to a widespread perception that miles are difficult to redeem, especially for cheaper awards.

Delta has assured me—and other journalists as well, no doubt—that the charge of scarce award availability is false. If awards are indeed readily available, as Delta claims, pushing program members in the direction of redemption is one way to get that message out.

So, back story aside, is this a worthwhile offer?

If you're a Delta loyalist who's already planning to redeem enough miles to qualify for the bonus, and you already have a SkyMiles credit card in your wallet, the extra miles will certainly take you further down your chosen road.

No doubt Delta—or more accurately American Express, which issues the Delta credit card—hopes this promotion will encourage more card sign-ups. And for SkyMiles members who are on the fence about committing to the program's credit card, this might indeed be a difference-maker.

But for those who aren't already invested in Delta or SkyMiles, the bonus miles aren't reason enough to realign their overall loyalty strategy.

Reader Reality Check

If you're a SkyMiles member, do you plan to register for this offer?

If you don't already have a SkyMiles credit card, are the bonus miles incentive enough to add a new credit card to your collection?

And if you're not already a member of the SkyMiles program, is this offer sufficient reason to sign up for the program, and the credit card?

JetBlue Triples the Points Between New York and Boston, Chicago

The current shuttle wars were ignited by Delta's triple-mile promotion for flights between New York and Boston, Washington, D.C., and its newest Shuttle destination, Chicago.

American responded by matching the Delta bonuses on its New York-Boston and New York-Chicago routes, and United did the same for its New York-Chicago flights.

That left two airlines with significant exposure to the Delta promotion on one or more important routes: JetBlue and US Airways.

Surprisingly—because their Shuttle competes head-to-head with Delta's between New York and Boston and between New York and Washington, D.C.—US Airways still hasn't weighed in with a bonus to offset Delta's.

But JetBlue has.

Offer Details

Through August 31, members of JetBlue's TrueBlue program will earn triple points—twelve points per dollar spent—for flights between New York and either Boston or Chicago, two of the three routes targeted by Delta in its promotion.

They're also tripling the points between Chicago and Boston, and between Los Angeles and New York or Boston.

Registration is required.

Deal or No Deal

Triple points trump non-triple points any day. But in this case, travelers have other options as well.

The Delta, American, and United bonuses are triple redeemable miles plus triple elite-qualifying miles.

JetBlue has no elite program or elite perks, so they can only offer triple redeemable points.

That's a negative in itself, and also points up the difference between the programs of the mainline airlines and JetBlue's.

Members of American's program, for instance, can earn miles for transactions at more than 1,000 participating companies, both within and outside the travel sphere, both on- and offline. And when it comes to redeeming their miles, AAdvantage members can fly almost anywhere in the world using the program's extensive network of partner airlines.

Members of JetBlue's program, by contrast, can earn points only for JetBlue flights, charges to the JetBlue credit card, Hertz rentals, and Hilton stays. And they can redeem their points only for JetBlue flights.

If you're a JetBlue partisan and would book that airline no matter what, the extra points are a nice windfall. But if you're brand-agnostic and looking for the best frequent flyer program payoff, JetBlue's offer is the weakest of the bunch, because its program is weaker than American, Delta, or United's.

Reader Reality Check

Are TrueBlue points as valuable to you as miles in the programs of American, Delta, or United?

Would you pay more to earn miles in a more robust frequent flyer program?

United Matches Delta, American With Triple New York-Chicago Miles

In my recent coverage of Delta's triple-mile bonus for Shuttle flights, I speculated that US Airways would be forced to match Delta's offer, and that "United might feel compelled to counter with bonuses for New York-Chicago flights as well."

We still haven't seen any response from US Airways, but United has indeed launched a counter-offer for flights on its New York-Chicago routes.

Offer Details

First, let's put the geographic requirement up front: "Offer valid only for Mileage Plus members residing in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, New York, Connecticut, or New Jersey. Residency will be determined by the primary address on the Mileage Plus account at the time the bonus is awarded."

Mileage Plus members who meet the residency requirements will earn triple redeemable miles and triple elite-qualifying miles on non-stop United and United Express flights between Chicago O'Hare and New York LaGuardia completed between June 16 and August 31.

Registration is required before travel begins and must be completed before August 31.

Deal or No Deal

The math is pretty compelling: Six round-trips are worth 26,388 miles, enough for a free award ticket and entry-level elite status. And even if six flights aren't on your travel agenda, triple elite-qualifying miles are always a plus.

Of course, you can earn the same bonus for Delta's newly launched New York-Chicago Shuttle flights, and for American's New York-Chicago flights as well.

With generous bonuses on offer from the three largest airlines, the question for flyers on the disputed routes isn't whether they want bonus miles, it's what kind of bonus miles they want.

Reader Reality Check

Triple miles, anyone?

Earn Up to 10 Miles Per Dining Dollar in 6 Airline, 2 Hotel Programs

There was a time when members of most major airline programs could expect to routinely earn a hefty 10 miles—and sometimes more, with periodic promotions—for every dollar spent at participating Rewards Network restaurants through their programs' miles-for-dining features.

Perhaps such generosity was unsustainable over the long term. In any case, active members—those who complete at least 12 qualifying dines during a calendar year—now earn just five miles per dollar spent, and the opportunities to earn more miles are less frequent, less lucrative, and more demanding.

The current bonus offer, which has just been extended through the end of the year, is a case in point.

Offer Details

This promotion, dubbed "All Double, No Trouble," was scheduled to end on June 30, but has been extended through December 31.

It applies to miles-for-dining in the programs of Alaska, American, Delta, Midwest, United, and US Airways, as well as to the programs of Hilton and InterContinental.

To double the miles or points normally earned for dining, program members must do the following:

• Dine at participating restaurants on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.
• Charge the meal to a credit card linked to their dining miles account.
• Complete a survey evaluating their dining experience within 30 days.

There's no registration required.

Deal or No Deal

The "No Trouble" part of its catchy name must refer to the no-registration-required aspect of the promotion, because the day-of-the-week and survey stipulations are decidedly troublesome.

Still, if you can schedule qualifying restaurant visits for the beginning of the week, and remember to spend an extra few minutes rating the dining experience, earning up to 10 miles per dollar is among the best payout rates available. And, speaking as a foodie, earning good miles for a good meal is a double delight.

Reader Reality Check

Do you dine for miles in your program?

If not, why not?

What Would You Do With 100,000 British Air Frequent Flyer Miles?

Yep, I earned a hefty 100,000 miles in British Airways' on-again-off-again Visa credit card sign-up promotion, the most generous such offer I've ever seen.

First, new cardholders were awarded 50,000 miles after the first purchase.  Then they received an additional 50,000 miles after charging $2,000 during the first three months.

The card comes with a $75 annual fee, but that seemed like a small price to pay for 100,000 miles.  I went ahead and signed up, and then channeled all by purchases onto the card for the next three months.  And this week I discovered that the bonus miles had posted to my account.

(I have heard from at least one person who seems to have met all the terms of the promotion but was denied the promised bonus miles.  That will be the subject of a future blog post.)

And no, I'm not interested in giving the miles away.  Not now, anyway.

What I am interested in -- for my own sake and for others who might be in a similar situation -- is the first-hand experience of British Airways Executive Club members in redeeming their miles for awards.

The onerous fees and fuel surcharges imposed by British Airways for award travel on its own flights make Executive Club a particularly tricky program to navigate cost-effectively.  And because it's not a program in which I've participated, I haven't yet mapped out a viable redemption strategy.

Any advice?

For American AAdvantage Credit Card Holders: Discounted Awards

Airline credit cards have turned up the heat lately in an effort to distinguish themselves from competing cards—both other airline cards and cards outside the airline space—and to give consumers more reasons to use their cards more often.

Most recently, Continental relaunched its cards to feature special perks at more than 650 hotels, the ability of cardholders to redeem Continental miles for hotel stays and car rentals, and primary Collision Damage Waiver coverage (versus the secondary coverage typically offered). Next year, cardholders who are elite OnePass members will be eligible for upgrades when traveling on award tickets, just as they would be when flying on paid tickets.

And Delta, beginning June 1, began exempting holders of its Gold, Platinum, or Reserve SkyMiles credit cards from the first checked bag fee when flying Delta and Delta Express.

The Citibank-issued cards linked to American's AAdvantage program haven't been in the headlines lately, but the cards have long featured a benefit that can represent real extra value, both to holding a card and to program membership generally: discounted award tickets.

Offer Details

Every quarter, holders of the various AAdvantage-affiliated credit cards can book awards to selected destinations at discounted prices.

The discount varies, according to the card type.

For the higher-annual-fee Platinum cards, first-class award prices are reduced from 50,000 miles to 42,500 miles; and coach awards are discounted from 25,000 to 17,500 miles. That's a 15 percent discount for first class and a hefty 30 percent discount for coach.

For Gold cardholders, the first and coach awards are discounted by 10 and 20 percent, to 45,000 and 20,000 miles, respectively.

The list of eligible award destinations for the July - September quarter includes one destination in the Northeast, 20 in the Midwest, 17 in the Southeast, 19 in the Southwest, and two in Canada.

Discounted awards must be booked by phone, so there will be a $20 service charge for non-Executive Platinum elite members.

Deal or No Deal

The discounts range from decent, at 10 percent, to compelling, at 30 percent.

High-demand destinations are notably absent from the list—no discounts on award flights to San Francisco, New York, or Orlando.

But there are some cities well worth visiting. Among the destinations that caught my eye: Key West, Memphis, Nashville, Corpus Christi, Roswell, Ottawa, and Toronto.

And while I have no reason to visit Peoria, you might have relatives there, or a college reunion to attend.

The bottom line here is whether the discounted destinations correspond to your travel needs and wants. If they do, getting there for fewer miles is a no-brainer.

American should consider waiving the telephone booking fee for these awards—forcing customers to pay more to get what they're promoting as a special deal sends a mixed message at best.

Reader Reality Check

Have you taken advantage of these credit card award discounts?

Is the book-by-phone requirement, and the associated $20 fee, a deal-breaker for you?

Are there destinations on the list that you'd like to visit?

5,000 Free Frequent Flyer Miles From Spirit - Worth it?

In the aftermath of Spirit's six-day strike that ended on Friday, June 18, the airline launched a two-pronged effort to make amends with travelers disaffected by the flight cancellations, and by Spirit's handling of the disruptions.

Offer Details

Ripped from Spirit's own press release:

To thank its customers for their support and loyalty, Spirit is offering customers a coupon for $50 off their next flight and 5,000 FREE SPIRIT bonus miles. Spirit is offering customers a coupon to save $50 off their next round-trip purchase for travel from June 18, 2010 through November 17, 2010. Customers can visit http://www.spiritair.com/50off to accept their coupon and book their reservation by 11:59 PM ET on June 18, 2010, and http://www.spiritair.com/5kmiles for their 5,000 FREE SPIRIT bonus miles.

That $50 discount coupon is long gone. It was only on offer for 36 hours or so, guaranteeing minimal take-up.

From the announcement's wording, you might think that the 5,000 bonus miles had disappeared at the same time. They didn't. If you follow the link to the bonus landing page, you'll find that the miles may be claimed any time before June 30.

You'll also find this: "Miles will be posted to your FREE SPIRIT account within 45 days of registration." I have been involved with airline mileage programs in one capacity or another since their inception, in 1981, and I have never seen an airline require 45 days to credit its own miles.

But they're free, right?

Deal or No Deal

It's hard to argue that 5,000 frequent flyer miles are anything other than a good deal. They are free, after all. But remember: These are Spirit miles.

Unless you also have a Spirit credit card—in which case off-peak awards are available for 5,000 miles—you'll have to augment the proffered bonus miles by flying Spirit to reach an award threshold. Is that a likely scenario? Is it a desirable one?

Spirit is the airline that recently made headlines by imposing a fee for carry-on bags, and for its plans to install non-reclining seats on its planes.

Spirit is the airline that advertises eye-popping low prices, and then adds on surcharges for anything and everything that can be priced separately.

And, as just one example of such fee-dinging, Free Spirit is the only airline program I'm aware of that charges a fee ($15) for award tickets requested between 21 days and 179 days prior to departure. Other carriers only charge so-called close-in booking fees for tickets issued within 21 days of departure, and both Delta and United have stopped charging such fees altogether, implicitly acknowledging that they're neither fair nor reasonable.

So the caveat here is a familiar one: You get what you pay for.

Reader Reality Check

What's a Spirit mile worth to you?

And more generally, what has your experience with the company been?

Spirit Is Back in (Monkey) Business

I've written at length about Spirit's dissembling and obfuscation during the just-ended pilots strike.

Now that flights have been resumed, the airline is scrambling to regain traction with travelers.

According to the airline's website:

We want to thank you for supporting us during this time by giving you an unprecedented offer. Jump start your travel plans with $50 off your next flight AND 5,000 FREE SPIRIT bonus miles. We want to thank you for your loyalty, and we hope you accept this gift on behalf of the entire Spirit family.

Of course, this being Spirit, there's more, or less, to these inducements than the promotional copy would suggest.

1. $50 Flight Discount

The terms of that $50 discount:

Just book by 11:59 PM ET on June 18, 2010 and enter 50OFF (all caps, no spaces) in the Promotion Code box on the home page when booking your flight to save $50 off your roundtrip purchase for travel from June 18, 2010 through November 17, 2010.

The strike ended on Thursday and the discounted booking must be made by end-of-day Friday.  So this "thank you" gift will have been offered for all of 36 hours.

2. 5,000 Free Spirit Miles

Sign up by June 30 to receive 5,000 Spirit frequent flyer miles "posted to your Free Spirit account within 45 days of registration."

Spirit called this offer unprecedented.  What is certainly unprecedented is an airline taking 45 days to post miles to frequent flyer accounts.

Jump Through Hoops, or Hurry Up and Wait

So, a snooze-you-lose discount and a long-time-in-coming mileage bonus -- these are Spirit's marketing tactics to restimulate business.

Draw your own conclusions.  And book your air travel accordingly.

American Battles Delta on Shuttle Routes with Triple Miles

American doesn't run a shuttle service between New York and Boston or between New York and Chicago. But it does operate plenty of flights on both routes.

So when Delta launched a triple-mile promotion for its shuttle flights between New York and Boston, Washington, D.C., and Chicago, American had a choice: match Delta on the Boston and Chicago flights, or lose some of its customers to Delta.

Not surprisingly, American chose to fend off Delta with a promotion of its own.

Offer Details

American's offer is a direct match of Delta's.

Between June 14 and August 31, AAdvantage members will earn triple redeemable miles and triple elite-qualifying miles on American or American Eagle flights between New York/LaGuardia and Chicago O'Hare or Boston.

The offer does not apply to elite-qualifying points or segments.

Registration is required.

Deal or No Deal

Triple American miles, that count toward elite status, on two popular routes, for the entire summer. What's not to like?

If American isn't your carrier of choice, there's the original Delta promotion, which includes the New York-Washington, D.C. Shuttle flights as well.

And it's likely to get even better.

With bonuses from American and Delta now on offer, US Airways, which competes head-to-head with Delta in the east coast shuttle markets, is almost certain to enter the promotional fray as well. United also has reason to respond, at least on the New York-Chicago route.

Reader Reality Check

Triple miles anyone?

Priority Club Hotel Stays This Summer: 5,000 Points a Night

It's become semi-standard practice among major hotel programs to periodically offer discounted award nights at selected properties. Naturally, the hotels offered at the cheaper rates aren't generally the snazziest, or in the most desirable locations—they're on the list, after all, at least in part because they have plenty of empty rooms to give away.

Still, they're priced so low that the values can be compelling.

This summer, InterContinental's Priority Club program is offering low-priced award nights, dubbed PointBreaks, at more than 100 hotels.

Offer Details

Through August 31, Priority Club members can book award stays at participating PointBreaks hotels for 5,000 points per night.

In all, there are over 100 hotels on offer at the 5,000-point rate, including more than 80 locations in the U.S., five in Canada, four in Mexico, two in South Africa, 10 in Europe, 11 in Asia, and so on.

Deal or No Deal

At this price—5,000 points, which can be purchased outright for $67.50 on the Priority Club website—almost any hotel night would be a good deal, if not a spectacular one.

As alluded to above, many of the available hotels are lower-demand properties. But if you happen to be going to Anderson, South Carolina, for example, a free night or two at the local Holiday Inn might be just what's needed to keep travel expenses in line.

The PointBreaks rates also represent a chance for opportunistic trips—put together a cheap flight and a cheap hotel stay somewhere you might otherwise never have visited. Be adventurous, and frugal!

And there are some pricier and otherwise more desirable hotels on offer as well. For example, there are a few InterContinentals mixed in among the Holiday Inns, including the InterContinental Chicago O'Hare, InterContinental Grand Hotel Stockholm, and InterContinental Miramar Panama.

The complete list of summer PointBreaks hotels is too long to include here. It's well worth a look.

Reader Reality Check

Have you ever gone somewhere just because it was cheap to go there?