This afternoon, the finalists of the 20 participating Boarding Area blogs were in a drawing for the grand prize of the Gold Coast contest.

The winner of the Australia Trip for Two is Istvan, who posted to the Things in the Sky blog.

We here at the Miles Quest blog were rooting for Kevin to win so that not only would he have experience a once in a lifetime trip but also because I would have been the proud owner of an ipad.

That’s quite alright as I logged on to Delta.com today and it says 21 days until departure. I can’t wait for my upcoming international trip.

Using random.org, the lucky number picked was #50.

That correlates with reader Kevin Maher who gives us the tip:

Focus on a single airline alliance and hotel chain as much as possible, having 50,000 miles in one program is infinitely better than having 10,000 in 5 different programs. It sounds basic (they’re loyalty programs after all) but the first decision as to which program to focus on is the most important.
Go ahead and collect the scrap miles/points for the others too, but donate them to charity or order magazines or other cheap redemptions.
Also – burn those points as soon as they reach a significant value you can use! Saving money today is better than maybe saving slightly more in six months.

Congratulations Kevin – you now move on to the final drawing of 20 people for the trip.

I’ll send you a confirmation email and will be rooting for you to win!

Okay – it’s finally here.

This giveaway is sponsored by American Express Premier Gold Card Rewards card and the travel experts at BoardingArea.

The prize: Seven nights/eight days hotel accommodations, transportation, meals, activities and round-trip airfare for two people to the Gold Coast of Australia (Queensland).

Total value = $10,250!

Those that can enter: The contest is open at all United States residents, 18 years and older (void in US territories). For the complete list of full contest details and rules click here

How to enter: Post a comment on this blog post with an answer to this question: “What is your top tip for travelers who want to earn and use their loyalty points?”

You can enter between March 22, 2010 and March 28, 2010. Increase your chances of winning by posting a comment on the other 20 BoardingArea blogs that are participating. Only one entry per person per blog.

After March 28, 2010, I will randomly select one of the comments from this post to move on to the final drawing pool of 20 winners. So go ahead and comment!

Your chances of winning here are excellent, I’ve seen my Google Analytic traffic report!

UPDATE:

Thanks to Musings of the Global Traveller for providing links to the other posts on the other blogs.

• Flight Diversions
• Fly Gracefully
• Flying with Fish
• The Gate
• Loyalty Traveler
• Marshall Jackson on Travel
• Musings of The Global Traveller
• One Mile at a Time
• Pearls of Travel Wisdom
• Plane Reality
• Points Miles and Martinis
• Points Wizard
• Road Warriorette
• Things in the Sky
• TM Travel World
• Unroadwarrior
• View from the Wing
• The Wandering Aramean
• Wing and a Prayer

Tomorrow the American Express giveaway for the trip for two to the Gold Coast of Austrlaia starts.

I will be making an official post and all that you will have to do is to comment on the entry with an answer to the question I will pose.

The official website is here for all the details.

Come back tomorrow!