Earn Up to 110,000 Miles with US Airways' Grand Slam

The first US Airways Grand Slam promotion I can recall was in 2008. In that version, the maximum number of miles a Dividend Miles member could earn was a modest 40,000.

With as many as 110,000 miles on offer, including up to 10,000 elite-qualifying miles, the latest Grand Slam is decidedly more generous. But you'll have to work hard to hit it out of the park.

Offer Details

Between September 14 and November 14, US Airways Dividend Miles members can earn up to 110,000 bonus miles for completing eligible transactions with participating Dividend Miles partner companies.

As in past Grand Slams, members receive "hits" for doing business with Dividend Miles partners. Examples:

• Earn one hit for buying a new US Airways Club membership or renewing a current club membership (maximum one hit).
• Earn one hit for every mileage-earning stay with any of 11 hotel partners (maximum six hits).
• Earn one hit for buying miles at usairways.com or points.com (maximum one hit).

In all, there are more than 70 possible hit-earning opportunities.

Once earned, hits are converted into bonus miles as follows:

• Four hits = 3,000 miles
• Eight hits = 10,000 miles
• 12 hits = 15,000 miles
• 16 hits = 25,000 miles (2,000 of which are elite-qualifying miles)
• 20 hits = 35,000 miles
• 24 hits = 45,000 miles (5,000 of which are elite-qualifying miles)
• 28 hits = 60,000 miles
• 32 hits = 80,000 miles
• 36 hits = 100,000 miles
• 40 hits = 110,000 miles (10,000 of which are elite-qualifying miles)

Only elite members of Dividend Miles are eligible to earn the full 110,000 bonus miles.

Registration is required and only transactions completed after registering will count as hits.

Deal or No Deal

For those who approach mile-earning with either dead seriousness or as an amusing challenge, the Grand Slam promotion represents an unusually rich opportunity to earn and play. The focus will be on accruing the most hits at the lowest cost.

For average US Airways mileage collectors, there should certainly be some opportunities to pad their mileage balances without any significant changes to their normal travel and purchase behavior. The trick will be to work with the promotion's tiered structure, making sure to complete transactions in multiples of four in order to reach award thresholds.

And for travelers with no allegiance to US Airways and neither the time nor patience to play mileage games, the promotion is a non-starter.

Reader Reality Check

Is this truly a grand slam, or just an annoyingly convoluted ploy to separate consumers from their money?

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