Darren Booth, from Frequently Flying (and now CNBC too!), sent me note yesterday to let me know about a press release that he came across from Research Now about a new partnership with the American Airlines AAdvantage program.

I almost missed the announcement (thank you Darren!), and when I did read it, I didn’t immediately recognize Research Now.   After a little Googling, I realized that I did (sort of) know of them, and that they’re the parent organization for e-Rewards, the invitation only market research firm that offers frequent flyer miles in return for participating in surveys.

This is from the press release:

Research Now, the leading global online sampling and data collection company, today announced it has entered into an agreement with American Airlines, providing AAdvantage members with a unique opportunity to earn American Airlines AAdvantage miles.

Starting in May, AAdvantage members who accept American’s invitation to join Research Now’s “By-Invitation-Only” market research panel can earn AAdvantage miles in exchange for valuable time spent participating in online surveys.

Basically, you take surveys and get paid in e-Reward dollars which you can exchange for AAdvantage Miles:

$25 Level = 500 AAdvantage miles
$50 Level = 1,000 AAdvantage miles
$100 Level = 2,000 AAdvantage miles

I’m not sure how you get an invitation, and almost missed mine, but I happend to look in my Gmail SPAM folder last night and found this invite:

Enroll in the e-Rewards Opinion Panel for a chance to win 250,000 American Airlines AAdvantage miles.

• As a member of e-Rewards, you can earn AAdvantage miles just for participating in surveys selected to match your interests

• Plus, earn 250 AAdvantage bonus miles when you enroll, complete your profile and take your first survey within 3 months

Enrolling is quick, your privacy is guaranteed and there’s no cost to participate.

This is definitely a targeted offer. From the terms and conditions:

To enter the Sweepstakes, click on the link in the invitation inviting entry into the Sweepstakes to be redirected to the Sweepstakes website.

So keep an eye on your inbox for an invite.

If you want to learn more about e-Rewards, check out Gary’s post over at View from the Wing.  He wrote an excellent overview of e-Rewards and of some of the other survey-for-miles websites.

You can also find info here on the e-Rewards AAdvantage page, and here in the FAQ section.

Just a short post this morning to tell you about a big summer promotion from Hyatt:

More Stays Means 5X More Miles And Even More Rewards

Make your next stay with Hyatt even more rewarding. Earn 4X more American Airlines AAdvantage miles after your 2nd and 3rd eligible stay and 5X more AAdvantage miles after your 4th through 11th eligible stay, at any participating Hyatt hotels from May 1– August 31, 2012.

To participate in this offer you have to be a Hyatt Gold Passport member. Just follow these instructions:

• Register on this page or by calling 1-800-30-HYATT (provide promotion code AA12S)

• Stay at any Hyatt hotel between May 1- August 31, 2012

• Book an Eligible Rate during each stay

• Ask to earn AAdvantage miles for your stay, provide your Hyatt Gold Passport number and AAdvantage number when you check in.

Go here for complete details or to read the terms and conditions.

Photo: Hyatt at Night – Mumbai
Credit: Mark Hillary on Flickr

I was looking through the most recent American Way magazine and found an offer from Bose that’s better than the one you’ll find at AA.com.  The website displays the usual 2 AAdvantage miles for every $1 spent on a Bose purchase.

Here’s the better offer I found  in the back of the current American Way. 

Earn 1200 American Airlines AAdvantage miles with the purchase of Bose QuietComfort 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones.

Whether you’re mid-flight, at work or relaxing at home, QuietComfort 15 headphones reduce the noise around you—so you’ll enjoy music and movies with fewer distractions.

 The Bose QC15 headphone does a remarkable job keeping out unwanted noise, and they’re great for music and movies.

They’re also great for sleeping. One of my favorite uses is to connect the headphones to my iPad, and then launch my favorite sleep app, Sleep from Red Hammer Software.  

The headphones seal out the world, and the sounds soothe me to sleep.   Only the scent of a chocolate chip cookie being baked on board can wake me.  

(By the way, you’ll find a list of some other sleep aid Apps here.)

But back to the Bose promo:  According to the Magazine ad, the 1,200 Bonus AAdvantage Miles offer expires June 30.  Go here to read the fine print or to place your order.

It’s back (though I’m not sure that it ever went away) but Netflix is offering a new 2,500 AAdvantage Miles promotion to new customers.

Watch TV episodes & movies and earn AAdvantage miles!

• Bonus offer! Earn 2500 American Airlines AAdvantage miles when you become a paying member of Netflix.
• Instantly watch TV episodes & movies streaming over the Internet right on your TV.
• Plus, you can also watch instantly on your computer too!

Offer Terms and Conditions:

• Offer is valid to new Netflix subscribers only.
• Current and previous members are ineligible.
• One redemption per household.
• Miles will be awarded for a new paid subscription only and require, at time of sign up, linking directly from this page and entering a valid American Airlines AAdvantage number.
• Please allow 8-10 weeks for mileage postings.
• Purchase or redemption of gift subscriptions is not eligible to earn miles.

If you’re already a Netflix customer, here’s something that you might enjoy. It’s CNBC’s original Inside American Airlines: A Week In The Life documentary series.  

It aired in 2006 and it just became available for streaming.  Obviously much has changed in six years, but operationally it’s still much the same and it’s fascinating to watch.

Go here to preview Inside American Airlines: A Week In The Life.  Go here to sign up for the Netflix offer.

I was at the Admirals Club the other day and noticed a countertop advertising stand with a 4X AAdvantage Miles offer from Avis.  You won’t find mention of it on AA’s website or at Avis.com, and it’s marketed as an “Exclusive Offer for Admirals Club Members” but nowhere in the terms and conditions does it mention that a membership is required.  

Here are the details:

• Now through August 31, 2012, American Airlines AAdvantage members can earn quadruple AAdvantage miles on rentals of 1 or more days at participating airport locations in the U.S. and Canada.

• Use coupon # MUAA063 and provide your AAdvantage number at the time of reservation or at the rental counter to earn your AAdvantage bonus miles. Quadruple AAdvantage miles are calculated using your AAdvantage base miles multiplied by four for every day you rent with Avis.

• This offer is in addition to your everyday savings of up to 25% when you use AWD # K817170.

The standard Avis earning rate is 50 AAdvantage Miles per day, so with this promotion you’ll earn 200 miles each rental day.  From the terms and conditions:

• Quadruple American Airlines AAdvantage miles valid on a qualifying rental of one or more consecutive days at participating Avis airport locations in the U.S. and Canada.
• Offer of quadruple AAdvantage miles is valid on daily and weekend rentals.
• Mention coupon MUAA063 to get this offer.
• Quadruple AAdvantage miles equal 200 AAdvantage miles per rental day.
• Offer valid on all car groups.
• An advance reservation is required.
• Offer may not be used with any other coupon, promotion or offer except your AWD discount.
• The savings of up to 25% applies to the time-and-mileage charges only.
• Use AWD K817170 to receive this discount.
• Taxes, concession recovery fees, vehicle license recovery fee, customer facility charges ($10/contract in CA) and fuel charges are extra.
• Optional items such as LDW ($35.99/day or less) and other surcharges may apply and are extra.
• Offer is subject to vehicle availability at the time of rental and may not be available on some rates at some times, including some online rates at Avis.com.
• Car rental return restrictions may apply.
• Offer subject to change without notice.
• Holiday and other blackout periods may apply.
• Renter must meet Avis age, driver and credit requirements. Minimum rental age may vary by location. An additional daily surcharge may apply for renters under 25 years old.
• Rental must begin by August 31, 2012.

There’s another offer from Avis of 1,500 AAdvantage Miles for a 3 day rental, which is a better deal if you’re renting for 3 to 7 days.  Single, 2 day, and 8 day rentals will be better off with the 4X miles.

Go here for complete details.

In case you missed it, a shameless plug from yesterday’s post:

Earlier this month, American launched a new Facebook promotion: share your favorite AAdvantage tip for a chance to win 5,000 miles. If you haven’t entered yet, hurry – the deadline to submit your entry is approaching:

Want the scoop on the best ways to maximize your AAdvantage membership? Read these top tips submitted by AAdvantage members like you! Got a tip to share?  Submit your tip now through 5/1 and you’ll be entered for a chance to win 5,000 AAdvantage miles. On or around 5/23, we’ll select our 10 favorite tips to win.

There’s even a blogger component to the promotion: five bloggers (including me) were asked to offer their favorite AAdvantage tip.

Here are the details: the blogger with the tip that gets the most votes will win 5,000 AAdvantage Miles for themselves and 5,000 AAdvantage miles to give away in a reader contest of some kind (for the record, if I win I’ll donate my 5,000 miles to AA’s Miles for Kids program).

I’m flattered that I was asked to take part in a promotion with The Frugal Travel Guy, The Weekly Flyer from Points, Miles & Martinis, Mommy Points, and Matt Long at Landlopers, so this is pretty exciting to me.

There are lots of good suggestions on the AAdvantage Facebook pages, so go read them, submit your own AAdvantage tip, and vote for your favorite expert advice (look for the “Expert Tips” tab)!

Hertz hasn’t had many bonus AAdvantage promotions this year, but the few that they have offered have been pretty generous. Now they’ve just introduced a new bonus that’s better than anything they offered last year:

Hertz – Earn Quadruple Miles and Save Up To 35 Percent

Award: 4x Miles

Dates: Now through September 30, 2012

Discount/CDP/Club Code: 217692
Promotional Coupon (PC): 169676

Offer: Earn 4x the miles per $1 spent (instead of the usual 1 mile per $1 spent) plus, save up to 35% when you rent any vehicle for one of more days in the US, Puerto Rico, Canada, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, and United Kingdom through September 30, 2012.

Go here for complete details of this promotion.

I’ve always been a big fan of Hertz, they usually have the best rental and return locations, their customer service people are friendly and helpful, and if you have Hertz Gold Plus status, they make it easy and quick to go from being dropped off by the shuttle bus to driving yourself through exit gate.

If you don’t have Hertz Gold Status, here’s your chance to get it for at not cost:

Go Gold for Free — No $60 Membership Fee Through June 30, 2012!

Stop waiting in lines and filling out paperwork and start earning points for free rentals. With our Hertz Gold service and Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, booking a car has never been easier or more rewarding.

Speedier Service: No more waiting at the counter. Just pick up your keys and go!

More Value: Get special offers and more value. Your spouse will no longer pay an additional driver fee and you will enjoy discounts on child seats and more

More rewarding: Earn one Hertz Gold Plus Rewards™ point for every qualifying dollar* spent plus bonuses.

Quicker pickup: See your name in lights! Find your name on the Gold Board and locate your car in a snap

Faster return: Just fill out a slip. Leave the car, and you’re off. It’s that easy.

Mobile Gold Alerts: Know which car you’ll be driving and where it’s parked the minute it’s assigned.

Offer expires June 30. Go here to sign up for Hertz Gold Plus Status or to review the complete terms and conditions.

Photo credit: San Diego Hertz Airport Shuttle – view from the floor

Credit: (Guerrilla Futures | Jason Tester) on Flickr

Back in December oneworld member Cathay Pacific opened a new First and Business Class lounge in San Francisco’s international terminal.

The lounge is built with the finest quality Carrara white marble & “China Black” granite, with warm bamboo wood finishes and panoramic windows offering an abundance of natural light. The reception wall is made of Venetian glass tiles by Fabbian of Italy, and backlit, to create a sparkling abstract impression of bamboo, whilst ensuring a consistent look and feel to the airline’s flagship lounges at Hong Kong International Airport.

To enable passengers to relax, there is comfortable lounge seating, including the innovative Cathay Solus Chair. Handcrafted by Poltrona Frau in Italy, the unique and popular Cathay Solus Chair is a specially built unit designed for our single customers offering a space to eat, work and relax.

There’s even a noodle bar offering freshly prepared Dan Dan noodles and won ton soup.

Here’s a video tour that was posted to YouTube last week.

To access the lounges, you’ll have to be traveling on Cathay Pacific in First or Business Class, or have oneworld Sapphire or above status, and through the end of April if you check in with foursquare you’ll get a free gift and a chance to win an upgrade:

We’re taking “check-in” to a whole new level in San Francisco! From now until April 30, passengers can check-in on Foursquare at Cathay Pacific’s First and Business Class Lounge at SFO to receive an exclusive gift and enter for a chance to win an upgrade on your next flight.

For more info, you can follow the details on Cathay Pacific’s Facebook page.

Here’s a toast to Leap Day and to this new AAdvantage Miles Bonus Offer.  

(BTW, I don’t think that this cat is going to leave a tip)

American Cellars Wine Club is offering up to 5,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles when you sign up for membership:

Join American Cellars Wine Club today and enjoy 6 bottles of hand-selected wine. This introductory half case is yours for just $41.94 or $6.99 per bottle plus FREE shipping – you save $69!

Plus earn 2,000 AAdvantage bonus miles with your first wine club shipment then earn 3,000 AAdvantage bonus miles with your second shipment.

Also, earn 5 AAdvantage miles for every dollar spent on all other wine club shipments and orders.

Go here for full details.

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Now that we covered the wine, and the bonus miles, it’s time to get to the dirt.

I’ve been waiting for a good reason to share this video from the O’Connell family of winemakers. If you’re not familiar with them, Joe, Liz, and their son Ryan, moved their very American family from Boston to the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France to pursue their dream of making wines.

Over the years, Ryan has put together some really funny and creative videos about life on the vineyard, food, and of course, wine.

Among his classics:

Petting Zoo Cheese Tasting – This cheese tastes the way a petting zoo smells.

And this one:

Winemaker tastes dirt – True Vin de Terroir Tasting: dirt in a wine bottle

Ryan’s working in California now, and flies back and forth between Napa and the Languedoc (hopefully earning AAdvantage Miles).

If you’re a wine enthusiast, you might want to follow his observations about the winemaking differences between Napa and the Languedoc, or as he explains it:

“A young winemaker kidnapped from his vineyard in the Languedoc to learn the ways of the west coast wine business”

You can find his kid napa blog here.  

Photo: basil dines “You have allowed my glass to become empty…”
Credit: cyrusbulsara on FLickr

Check your email inbox for this new targeted offer from the American Airlines Business ExtrAA program:

Give Your Business a Boost. Earn 1,000 Business ExtrAA bonus points – that’s halfway to a round trip ticket!!

The American Airlines Business ExtrAA program has teamed up with VerticalResponse to offer your business the marketing tools you need to stay competitive — plus you will earn 1,000 Business ExtrAA bonus points after your first purchase of $5 or more before May 31, 2012. With 1,000 bonus points, you will have a great head start on your next round-trip ticket!

Your company can benefit from a variety of VerticalResponse solutions to help expand your business in a dependable, affordable way, with proven results. Try them out for free with a no-risk trial.

Open your business to a whole new audience with marketing programs including:
Email Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Event Marketing
List Building and Management
Postcards
Online Surveys

A 1,000 points is pretty sizable. It’s halfway to a round-trip domestic ticket. It’s an upgrade to first class with enough points left over to get a day pass to the Admirals Club.

I visited the promotion page and took a look at their services and prices and VerticalResponse has some pretty cool tools, and spending $5 is pretty easy.

For $5 you can send out a mailer to about 300 clients. Or for the same price, you can send out 6 post cards. Either way, VerticalResponse had some nicely designed templates and an online assistant to walk you through the process.

Again, it’s a targeted offer. Here’s the fine print:

You received this email because you have opted in to receive emails for Business ExtrAA Account News and Information.

*Based on Economy PlanAAhead award valid for the Continental U.S., Canada and Mexico. All taxes and fees, including reservation fees, assessed at the time of ticketing are the responsibility of the passenger.

This offer is available only to recipients of the email sent by American Airlines to select Business ExtrAA® members and is valid through May 31, 2012. Promotional bonus points available for new VerticalResponse customers only, who provide the requested information using the enrollment site provided via link from this email and complete a qualifying purchase with VerticalResponse of $5 or more between January 26, 2012, and May 31, 2012.

Points will post to your company’s Business ExtrAA account 6-8 weeks after promotion ends

Go here for complete details.

Let the hype begin.  The Super Bowl is less than two weeks away but that’s still enough time to sign up with DirecTV and earn 25,000 Bonus AAdvantage Miles:

Earn enough AAdvantage miles for a round-trip domestic MileSAAver award when you sign-up for DIRECTV
Sign-up for Directv and earn 25,000 AAdvantage miles – enough for a round trip domestic MileSAAVer award!

AMERICAN AIRLINES 25K OFFER: AAdvantage Mile Offer is valid to new DIRECTV customers who provide their AAdvantage number when ordering DIRECTV service.

This bonus offer requires a 24-month agreement.  Some of the other conditions are:

Customers who have a current DIRECTV account, or have been a DIRECTV customer within the last 24 months are ineligible. DIRECTV account must be kept current and in good standing for a minimum of 60 days before AAdvantage miles will be awarded. Please allow 6-8 weeks after 60 day period for AAdvantage miles to post to your AAdvantage account.

You’ll find complete details, including the fine print and pricing, here.

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AAvantage Geek oneworld MegaDo Giveaway

To celebrate the first ever oneworld MegaDo, I’m giving away a different prize in a random drawing each day this week! 

Even if you’re not going to the oneworld MegaDo, this your chance to win some AAdvantage Geek gear.  

Today’s prize:  Was your New Year’s goal to lose weight?  Well, next time your on a flight, you can pass on the Lays Stax potato chips and munch on your very own Inflite Delight snack pack.  

It’s the new, more healthful, Buy on Board afternoon snack sold on some of American routes in and out of California.  Now you can try it without having to fly to LA. 

To enter, all you have to do is post your answer to this question in the comments section.

What you’re favorite American Airlines cornerstone hub?  Dallas, Miami, JFK, Chicago ORD, or LAX

There’s not right or wrong answer.  Just submit your choice.  I’ll have a random drawing in the morning and the winner will be announced tomorrow.   One entry per person.    The deadline to enter is 11:59PM Pacific.

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I know of two other bloggers that will also be giving away some oneworld MegaDo related prizes.

The Weekly Flyer over at Points, Miles & Martinis is sponsoring a contest with prizes for people participating in the MegaDo and as well as prizes for those that aren’t attending.

AJ from Live from a Loung is also offering a reader contest.  So stop by his blog today for chance to win some cool MegaDo related prizes.

Coverage

Gary Leff is going to be busy this week.  In addition to writing his View from the Wing blog, he’s going to be moonlighting over at the Official oneworld MegaDo blog and Tweeting from the events:

I’ll also be live tweeting from @OWMegaDO. Follow that twitter feed for all the live updates, including insights gleaned from airline execs and aircraft manufacturers over the course of the trip. If you’re going to be on the trip, or want to follow others that are, use or search the hash tag #OWMegaDO.

Don’t forget that you can also follow along with these bloggers.  They’ll also be providing event coverage:

Points, Miles & Martinis,
Deals We Like,
Miles from Blighty,
Mommy Points,
AJ from Live from a Lounge,
Gary from a View from the Wing,
Rick the Frugal Travel Guy
Brian The Points Guy,
Eric M. the new Official AAdvantage Mega VIP Video Blogger.

Good luck in the drawing!!
Photo: Super Bowl Gallery at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Credit: Matt McGee on Flickr