I stumbled across a post in my newsfeed about a British Airways’ instant-win slots game on Facebook called “Instant Avios“ where you can win up to 60,000 Avios (complete T+C). You may enter daily until May 13, 2013, and you can earn more “tokens” simply by inviting friends to play.
Unfortunately, even with 5 tokens to start with, I didn’t have much luck… no prizes for me. How about you?
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A vice characteristic of mine is that I am an extremely impulsive person. It’s not uncommon for me to just go out and do things on a whim “just because”. In fact, my “about” section on Facebook pretty much describes me to a T. And we all know that if it’s Facebook official – it’s real, right? Right.
To justify a bit, I haven’t been on an airplane since June, and I have this incurable disease called the travel itch, so hear me out. It’s not helping that summer is winding down, so I guess I’m subconsciously thinking of ways to preserve it. Did I mention that sun, sand, and palm trees are some of my favorite things to daydream about year round? It doesn’t do a travel-addict any good when airlines sometimes make it too easy to redeem miles for award flights… oh boy, spontaneity got to the best of me…
I had a nice stack of BA Avios tantalizing me from the generous Nordstrom promotion back in February, and with round-trip flights from NY to Miami costing only 15,000 Avios + $5 in taxes in fees, it was pretty hard to resist. I gave into temptation.
Tiffany and I decided to book an impulsive cruise, leaving from Miami in less than 2 weeks. Total out-of-pocket costs? $241.80 – cruise, flights, and taxes included. I have not been on a cruise since 2008, and cruising to me is not really anything extravagant, but it’s still exciting to look forward to meeting new people and eating non-stop. That alone sounds like the perfect excuse for a little getaway!
The Game Plan:
To sum it up, I was being silly and booked a cruise for no reason what-so-ever. Yup, in the middle of hurricane season…
But I have faith that the weather will hold up!
Have you ever been impulsive with your miles? I know you have… let’s hear the confessions!
P.S. – There’s currently a 40% transfer bonus from American Express Membership Rewards (which you can earn from AmEx cards such as the American Express® Gold Card and The Platinum Card® from American Express) to British Airways Avios going on from now until September 27. That should be enough of an incentive to tempt you to be impulsive with your BA Avios too!
Happy weekend! Here’s a quick round up of some points, miles, and deals:
American Airlines 10% off Airfare Komen: As an official sponsor of Komen Race for the Cure, American Airlines is offering 10% off select airfare to and from race destinations. Check your inbox for your race’s promotional code. The promotional code for the NYC September 9 race is 7392BG. Complete offer T+C and details can be found here.
For a 10% off code that’s not race-related, you can use code SCRATCH10 to save 10% on an eligible American Airlines vacation package booked by September 30, 2012.
1000 Free British Airways Avios: You can still sign up for a BMI Diamond Club Program and receive 1,000 British Airways Avios via coupon code “1JA1KD”. Here’s how: upon joining you, will receive 1,000 BMI miles. You can then combine the BMI account to your BA account to transfer the points over to British Airways Avios. With this offer, you can get up to 7,000 British Airways Avios if you create a Household Account and combine everyone’s BA points into one account. Details about how to transfer the BMI miles to BA Avios can be found in this great step-by-step post.
$328 RT First Class Flights to Hawaii: By purchasing miles through Icelandair’s Saga Club, you can fly first class to Hawaii for as little as $328 round trip. I spent some time thinking about jumping in on this deal, but I’ve come to the conclusion that it would just be too much of a hassle from the east coast, so I’m sitting this one out. However, this is a great way to fly first class from Hawaii for as little as $328 round trip from many west coast cities. Head on over to Online Travel Review for the complete details.
20% Off Virgin America Coupon: Virgin America and Banana Republic have partnered and are offering a 20% off coupons via direct mail and this Facebook game.
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Jet Blue Sample Sale: Jet Blue is having a one-day “sample sale” today for travel between July 31-October 31. Fare examples include: Las Vegas to Long Beach for $39, NYC to Washington DC for $55, and Fort Lauderdale to Nassau for $58.
2,500 Avios With Child Iberia Account: Gary shares that opening a child account with Iberia comes with a bonus of 2,500 Avios, which can be transferred to British Airways Avios and put into your household account. Talk about selling your kids for a great way to earn miles.
1,000 US Airways Miles with Sheraton Club Room Stays: Sheraton and US Airways are currently having an on-going promotion where you can earn 1,000 US Airways Dividend Miles on every Sheraton Club stay between now and December 31, 2012.
I’m hoping everyone had a chance to register for Radisson’s Big Night Getaway, Country Inn & Suites SOGO promotion, and Park Inn’s “One Plus One” promotion for the opportunity to earn a total of 138,000 bonus points (and that’s not even including base points from the stay, online booking bonus points, and elite % bonus) after completing a stay at each of those brands during the promotional period.
This is one of the most exciting hotel promotions to date and my personal favorite because it basically gives us the opportunity to redeem our points at any Club Carlson property worldwide (including some great and exclusive Radisson Blu properties).
Here are just some quick reminders about the promotions:
If you haven’t done so already, create a Club Carlson account here and receive 2,000 points just for joining.
Then be sure to register for each of the promotions at the following links:
If you have status with another hotel chain, simply send an email to goldpointsplus@carlson.com asking for a status match and providing a screen shot that shows your pre-existing status with another hotel chain.
Sample email I sent:
Hi there,
I am already a loyal Club Carlson member, but I am also a Platinum member with Hyatt GoldPassport I was wondering if you could match my status. I have provided a screen shot showing my Platinum status with Hyatt. My Club Carlson account number is: 601***********. I look forward to including Club Carlson in my future travel plans.
Thanks!!
Angelina A.
Next, be sure to create a MrRebates.com account, where you can receive 5% cash back on all Radisson, Country Inn & Suites, and Park Inn bookings (yes, you will still get the online booking bonus points as well). You can also use TopCashBack to get 10% back. Since TopCashBack is new and I have not been paid-out any rebates from them yet, I can not personally vouch for it at the moment. My MrRebates have been successfully paid to me in the past.
Once you complete your stay, and your points have posted, take a look at how you can redeem your points at Club Carlson properties worldwide. Free award nights start at just 9,000 points. There’s also great points+cash redemption options to consider.
Redeeming Club Carlson Points for British Airways miles (25% bonus bonus from now through June 20).
Say you’d love to take part of the promotion, but you’d rather use your points for airline miles and flights instead of free hotel award nights. The good news is, between now and June 20, you can transfer your Club Carlson points into your British Airways Avios Account and receive a 25% bonus.
Let’s take a look at the transfer-ratio chart:
As you can see from the chart above, 100,000 Club Carlson points would convert to 18,000 British Airways miles. With the 25% bonus, that becomes 22,500 miles. Since British Airways’ award flights are now distance-based, this option could be more valuable to some people, especially since last minute air travel can be extremely pricey. Aside from that, some destinations that are short distance tend to be very expensive to begin with (for example, a weekend flight at the end of June from JFK to Toronto on British Airways’ partner, American Airlines, prices out to be over $580 round trip – yikes).
Sample Flight Possibilities Using British Airways Avios on Partner Flights:
Feel free to play around with the British Airways Avios Calculator here to see what flight possibilities are available from your location.
Hungry for more British Airways Avios? Keep these time-sensitive reminders in mind:
May 31, 2012 (this Thursday) is the last day for the 50% bonus when transferring your American Express Membership Reward points to British Airways Avios points. Don’t have a American Express card with membership rewards yet? You might want to consider the American Express Premier Rewards Gold Card:
American Express(R) Premier Rewards Gold Card: This is a great card with lots of flexibility, and the first year is free. You’ll earn 3x on airfare, 2x on gas and groceries, and 1x on everything else. Dad loves taking advantage of the Membership Rewards transfer bonuses when converting MR points to dozens of airline and hotel partners. For example, there is a 50% transfer bonus to British Airways Avios miles. Dad transferred 50,000 of his points to 75,000 British Airways miles, which are excellent for short-haul domestic travel (flights starting at 4,500 miles). Be sure to check out the complete offer details and application here.
The British Airways Visa Signature Card: my very first Chase card. I applied for an was approved for this card in May of 2011 when there was a 100,000 British Airways miles (now called Avios) sign-up bonus. If you’ve been following the blog recently, you probably know that Kevin and I recently traveled from NY to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific’s legendary first-class cabin (related post). Wow! What an experience that was; with tickets costing up to $10,000 each, I was THRILLED to be able to redeem British Airways miles (and about $300 in unavoidable pesky airline taxes) for that unforgettable experience. Here’s a little except about the card if this card has on your radar at all:
British Airways Visa Signature Card: Earn up to 100,000 bonus miles — 50,000 after first purchase, 25,000 after $10,000 in spend within 12 months, and 25,000 more after the second $10,000 in spend within 12 months. Earns 1.25 points per dollar, and if you spend $30,000 in a calendar year on the card, you earn a valuable free companion award ticket for use on British Airways, where the second passenger flies for no additional miles. $95 annual fee.
How do you plan on using your Club Carlson points? Personally, I lucked out and was able to earn tons of BA Avios during the February Nordstrom 36x promotion by treating myself to a designer bag (related post), so I’ll be saving my Club Carlson points for free award nights to hopefully use on a fall family trip to Istanbul!
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Ah, what a beautiful crisp day in NYC today! After spending the last 2 weeks commuting back and fourth from Philly to work on a film project, I’m happy to kick back in NYC with my Chase British Airways Visa.
One of the perks of having the card is that you can dine at some of NYC’s hot spot restaurants for “free” with their Michelin Dining promotion.
The offer: Use your British Airways Visa Card at any NYC MICHELIN Guide 2012 star-rated restaurant today through July 31, 2012. Dine once and receive a $50 statement credit. Dine twice and receive another $50 statement credit for a total of $100. Minimum purchase of $50 each time you dine.
I’ve been meaning to take part in this dining promotion for some time now, and today just happened to be the day I put my card to work by grabbing lunch at Laut in Union Square.
Before gratuity, the bill was $47.91. Once the gratuity is factored in, and the $50 statement credit posts, this great lunch will only end up costing me a little over $5! I’m happy.
Here’s a complete list of participating restaurants. Yes, some of them are extremely pricey, but after examining some of the menus, I’ve concluded that two could easily dine for “free” at Laut (Malaysian), Tamarind (Indian), and Minetta Tavern (American).
My Chase British Airways Visa picked up the tab
More Perks With The Dining Promotion:
Here are a list of restaurants that offer a special “amenity” — which is, basically, a glass of champagne:
I’ve had my British Airways Chase Visa card for a year now and was planning to cancel my account because I use my other Chase cards more often than this one in particular; however, when I called to cancel a few weeks ago, they applied a $95 statement credit to my account as a retention bonus for keeping the account open, essentially allowing me to have another free year with the card. Great!
Have you made use of this card member perk yet in NYC? If so, where did you dine?
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Sadly it’s a wrap on our fantastic Asia trip, but I’m excited to share all of our experiences when I get settled back home. As we wait to board our homeward-bound [economy] flight at Singapore’s Changi Airport, I figured I’d take full advantage of their awesome free wifi and bang out a quick post.
One of the highlights of the trip itself was flying first class on Cathay Pacific (which was beyond amazing… I think I’m spoiled now). With our first class itinerary, we received an invitation to visit British Airways’ first class lounge, located in Terminal 7 at JFK. We arrived at the airport at around 9:30 pm for our 1:20 am flight to Hong Kong and headed straight to the lounge to really indulge in all it had to offer.
I must say I was very impressed with this lounge overall. It was rather large, quiet (at one point there were only 6 people there), and appeared to be newly-renovated. There were plenty of snacks and drinks available, a separate dining room featuring a hot-food buffet, comfy lounge chairs, large televisions, and even a spa inside. Take a look at the pictures below, and I’ll let them do the talking now.
Directly after exiting the security checkpoint, you can take the escalator up one flight to the lounge.
Inside the lounge lobby
Kevin & I by the lounge front desk
Plenty of room to drop off bulky luggage.
Newspapers and flight information
A very large business center with computers and laptop stations.
Lots of sitting area.
Another shot of the spacious sitting/waiting area.
The fresh fruit-infused tea was delicious and refreshing!
The center "courtyard".
The cappuccino/espresso/specialty coffee machine.
Making myself a cappuccino!
Coolers filled with sodas, drinks, and yogurts.
A nice assortment of chips, snacks, and teas.
More single-portion snacks.
...and more snacks.
A self-serve bar of juices and beer.
The Elemis spa offers complimentary 15 minute treatments. Too bad it closed at 10 PM and we didn't get to experience a treatment. There's always next time, right? :)
The Elemis spa inside the lounge is open 4 PM - 10 PM daily and offers complimentary spa services.
A very large and modern full self-service bar.
Selection of liquors available at the self-service bar.
Another shot of the bar where you can help yourself to wine, juices, beers, and other beverages.
A very soothing/tranquil water fountain can be found in the middle of the lounge.
An abundance of chairs in another sitting area.
Hot food buffet in the supper room.
A close-up of some of the food available in the supper room.
...more food.
A nice selection of cheese and desserts.
Lots of dining space within the supper room.
...more dining space.
Close-up of some of the wines offered in the supper room.
Nicely-stocked wine and beverage bar in lounge the supper room.
We really enjoyed spending time at the British Airways Terraces Lounge at JFK prior to our flight. Have you visited this lounge too? If so, how was your experience?
When two of my favorite drugs come hand in hand (miles and shopping), it’s really hard to say no to temptation, especially when Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and I have some bargaining leeway with Kevin (just kidding- I’m self-sufficient, I swear).
Last Friday, The Points Guy posted an insane offer – Triple Points at Nordstrom through British Airways e-store using promo code NORDX3 (P.S. – reader Joseph just told me that now you might have to manually type out the promo code letter by letter if code doesn’t work via copy & paste). Since the normal earnings-rate was 12 points/$1. Multiply that by 3 and you have a lucrative 36 points per/$1 spent at Nordstrom! You can sense my excitement about this offer by seeing the text message conversation I had with Kevin in my previous post.
With that said, it was time to go shopping! I decided to go through with purchasing a designer bag I’ve been eyeing for a year or so. When I think about the price, I feel an anxiety attack coming on, so I’ll pretend it didn’t cost $1,395. I’ll have to keep thinking about the free flights that come along with it, and frankly, that makes me more excited than the bag.
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| The purse I chose was the Chloe Ethel satchel. |
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| Seeing this many pending miles makes my heart flutter <3. |
When British Airways changed their miles program last year, the program received a lot of harsh criticism because there was a significant and obvious devaluation of the miles when redeeming for some major International routes (thank God we booked our upcoming first-class Hong Kong trip literally days before the program changed).
However, there is an obvious ribbon of hope when it comes to using Avios with short-haul domestic flights, which I decided would be great for some last minute getaways (I love those), or if I should need to travel on the spur of the moment for an audition or work.
For example, traveling from JFK to Toronto only “costs” 4,500 Avios each way plus minor taxes. A flight to Miami or Chicago from JFK is 7,500 Avios one way, and getting to Cancun from JFK is only 10,000 Avios each way. You get where I’m going with this.
Just when you though you’ve had the best, another easy offer of 3,000 Avios comes through. Thanks again to The Points Guy, you can now earn 3,000 additional Avios just by signing up with a free trial of RealtyTrac and canceling before 7 days (they will bill you after your trial is over).
Since 5.3 million other travel blogs have already covered the breakdown of the deal, I won’t go into specs. I’ll leave it to Brian, The Points Guy to explain.
[EDIT] Feb 9 11:42 AM EST: As of last night, we found out that the RealtyTrac BA offer was actually unauthorized by RealtyTrac. Take a look at TPG’s very recent post about this matter here.
For now, I’m crossing my fingers that I book this Samsung Galaxy commercial that I’ve been put on first refusal for (acting lingo defined: client’s strong consideration). I mean I do have to pay for the purse somehow…
ANGELINA AUCELLOHi! I'm Angelina, and it's safe to say that I'm addicted to traveling. Over the course of the year, I've earned over a million hotel points and airline miles that I've redeemed for free travel, and my blog documents my personal journey as "just another points traveler". By occupation I'm an actor, and by hobby (or in this case, life) I'm an avid traveler and bargainista. Combine the two and you get a points & miles fanatic who takes too many vacations.
