Here are two easy ways to add 3,000 Priority Club Reward points to your account via a profile update and On the Go registration (Visa required), an additional 5,000 with any stay by July 31st, an additional 1,000 points for a dining activity.

Profile update for 2000 points

Update your profile…

Never miss a point with Priority Club Shopping, Priority Club Dining and Priority Club Cruises. Just complete your online profiles and register your credit or debit card by May 31, 2012 to earn up to 2,000 points. Accelerate your earning power and get closer to your next free night!

Remember as per the DINE terms above – receive an additional 1000 points for a dine of $30 or more within 45 days!

On the Go registration for 1,000 Points plus an additional 5,000 for a stay by 7/31

On the Go Registration

Just enroll your eligible Visa card to get special offers sent to your mobile phone via text message. Enroll by 5/31/12 and you’ll earn 1,000 bonus Priority Club points. Plus earn another 5,000 bonus points when you stay at any IHG U.S. hotel by 7/31/12. IHG hotels include Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, and Holiday Inn.  This same offer was available in both July and October of last year and the T&Cs state that the current bonus is for new PC On the Go members only.

For those of you unfamiliar with the PC Rewards redemption levels, see the chart below. However, an amazing value for these points is the Priority Club PointBreaks program which provides redemptions around the globe at only 5,000 points per night!

Last weekend, I introduced the “Say What? Overheard on the Plane” weekly entry to document some of the most ridiculous conversations overheard during my frequent travels up in the air .  The reader email response has been amazing, it’s clear that everyone has a hysterical or truly outrageous story to share.  Keep them coming!  This week and every weekend going forward, I’ll be including some of our reader stories and a monthly prize winner will be determined via reader votes.  All stories can be emailed to adam@pointmetotheplane.com, please include as many relevant details as possible including the flight routes and class of service.  You can also check out the comments section of each post for those readers who couldn’t wait to share their double takes!

Delta Flight 172 (Tokyo NRT – New York JFK) Business Class
American Tween Male Passenger:  Are you Japanese?
Male Asian Passenger (early 30s): Nah
American Tween:  Oh, are you Korean?
Male Asian Passenger (early 30s): Huh?
American Tween Male Passenger: Sorry, Indonesian?
Male Asian Passenger (early 30s): Dude chill, I’m American
American Tween male Passenger (turns around): Mom, we were both wrong!

EasyJet Flight (London LGW – Barcelona BCN) All Economy courtesy of PlaneLuv56
Female Passenger (early 20s) – …and do you have any children?
Male Passenger (60 something) – No, no kids.
Female Passenger (early 20s) – What about grandkids?

Delta Flight 2288 (Atlanta ATL – Boston BOS) Economy Class courtesy of Bryan23Lex
African American Male Passenger (late 20s): Yea, I’m studying Law but my passion is producing Hip Hop.  You into Hip Hop?
Caucasian Male Passenger (late 20s) : Hells yea, I’m from the south.

American Flight 655 (New York JFK – St. Thomas STT) Economy Class while testing a new credit /debit device for in-flight food purchases
Flight Attendant – Mam, you have to confirm your purchase.
Elderly Female Passenger – How do I do that?
Flight Attendant – With the device your holding
Elderly Female Passenger -  (picks up the cc device to speak) – I confirm

ANA Flight 007 (San Francisco SFO – Tokyo NRT) Business Class courtesy of 2184Letmefly3
UK Male Passenger: Do you happen to have the time?
Japanese Female – Yes
SILENCE

USAirways 4128 (Baltimore BWI – Philadelphia PHL) All Economy courtesy of CEOwarriorette
Male Passenger – I’ll have some coffee with two sugars please.
Flight Attendant – Sorry sir, no hot beverages due to the short flight duration.
Male Passenger – Iced coffee will do then.

RyanAir Flight (Ibiza – Dublin) All Economy 
Female Passenger (to her two seatmates) – Kylie / Jennie, is it just me or does it hurt when you pee too?

Detla Lounge JFK T2
Male Passenger (suited up) – Yea, we are getting ready to board the flight for Iceland.  My buddies and I are taking part in a charity fishing tournament.   Going to be great fishing conditions up there.
Female Passenger – Oh wow, that’s great!  What charity will this benefit?
Male Passenger – It supports one of the …isms
Female Passenger (rolls eyes)

Who knew the Freddies crowd could party?  Just arrived back home at 345am EST after a great night.  As a new blogger it was great to meet and chat with some of my mentors – Ben Mutzabaugh from Today In The Sky, Frugal Travel Guy Rick Ingersoll, and of course Frequent Flyer Guru Randy Petersen.  Not to mention my fellow Boarding Area bloggers including Mommy Points and The Weekly Flyer and everyone at our esteemed table 35!   It was also fascinating to speak with some of the leaders of our favorite loyalty programs, more on those conversations in a future post. Hosting duties were handled by Robert Wuhl from HBO’s Arliss.

Full analysis tomorrow but American’s AAdvantage swept the Americas category winning Program of the Year, Best Promotion for Earning, Best Customer Service, & Best Elite Program. I definitely agree with the assessment, I constantly find AAdvantage miles the easiest to redeem on both AA and their partners, especially when compared to Delta SkyMiles.

SPG swept the Europe/Africa category winning Europe/Africa Program of the Year, Americas & Europe/Africa Best Promotion for Earning, Best Promotion for Redemption Europe/Africa & Middles East/Asia/Oceania, and Best Customer Service & Best Elite Program Europe/Africa. I was honestly surprised that SPG did not win more Americas awards.

Marriott won big in the Americas with Program of the Year, Best Promotion for Redemption, Best Redemption Ability, Best Customer Service & Best Elite Program.

The Delta SkyMiles American Express card won best loyalty card.  I’d venture to say that the Chase cards have had better promotions and provided greater value last year, though of course I am always partial to my trusty SPG AMEX card.

What are your thoughts on the winners?  Any surprises?

PS  – Why not sample the benefits of the big winner?  American is offering a DIRECT STATUS MATCH for United fliers discontent after the merger. No flying is required.   Check out Getting Status for the full details.

Every little bit counts when collecting points and miles, so today a few small offers to top off your account balances for SPG, Delta, UA, US, Hilton, Virgin America, and Priority Club.

Audience Rewards
Audience Rewards is the official awards program of Broadway.  You can earn audience rewards points for ticket purchases, however even if you have no intention of attending a show, you can still earn SPG, Delta, and US Airways points via their trivia program with new questions updated almost weekly.  Here’s how:
1) Join Audience Rewards 
2) The questions are updated almost weekly and you earn between 10-30 points in each program per week. To access the questions, click on your program of choice, remember you can participate in all three (updated 7/12 – you can now only earn in one program, to get around this, create separate Audience Rewards accounts for each of the different partners):
Starwood
Delta
US Airways 
3)Click each link above  and then scroll to the bottom left hand corner looking for PointsPlay.
4)Click the link and answer the questions, if you need assistance check out the milepoint forum for some assistance.
5)Points typically post to your account within a week.

Thanks to the milepoint forum!

TOPGUEST
Topguest allows you to earn points with UA/CO, Hilton, Virgin America, Priority Club, Wyndham, and Best Western for linked check-ins on Facebook, Foursquare, Twitter and Instagram.
1) Join TOPGUEST
2) Check in with your linked accounts at any of the sponsors above and earn points in that program, typically 50 for the hotels and 25 for Virgin America. Remember to use their map function to ensure your property qualifies for check-in points.
3) Check out the milepoint forum for full details.  UA/CO is not listed on the Topguest homepage, but several users are receiving points for those check-ins, usually the same day or even within a few hours.  However, other programs can take much longer.  There also some other interesting details to take note of…

Again, thanks to the milepoint forum.

Finally, I wanted to remind everyone of the Venetian and Palazzo suite deal at 1pm today courtesy of Daily Getaways and AMEX.
Via Daily Getaways sponsored by American Express

Stay in a Piazza View Suite at the Venetian for $540 (10% off when you use any AMEX) $486 or $243 per night (inclusive of taxes and resort fees)

Estimated value: $980 – Two nights in 1,400 square feet of luxury in a Piazza View Suite at The Venetian good through April 1, 2013.

50 Available @ 1pm EST today

I checked the rates for a random June weekend (June 8-10th) and Piazza View Suites are going for over $550 per night.  Make sure you do your research to get the best value from this deal.  On these dates the value is higher than the estimate above.

Spend two nights at The Palazzo in a Sienna Suite for $680 (10% off when you use any AMEX) $612 or $306 per night (inclusive of taxes and resort fees)

Estimated value: $1,170 – Spend two nights in style in a Siena Suite at The Palazzo Resort good through April 1, 2013.

43 Available @ 1pm EST today

Again, I checked the rates for June 8-10th and Piazza View Suites are going for over $709 per night.  Obviously do your research to get the best value from this deal.  On these dates the value is higher than the estimate above.

In response to my post last week, Why the British Airways Card Offer Still Makes Sense,  I’ve received several emails asking for recommendations on uses of Avios points for long-haul flights, unfortunately there aren’t many of value!  Again, I’d take a look back at that post for short and medium haul options that present a much higher return on your points.  However, in this post we’ll take a look at a few of the long-haul options.

Given the outrageous surcharges on flights to Europe, redemptions from North America to South America are a great value with no fuel surcharges on any LAN or American operated flights.

JFK – EZE (Buenos Aires, Argentina) or GRU (Sao Paulo, Brazil) or GIG (Rio, Brazil) on American-> 25,000 each way in coach (2X in Business and 3X in first) and $23.70 in charges.

JFK – LIM (Lima, Peru) on LAN -> 20,000 each way in coach (2X in Business and 3X in first) and $45.70 in charges

JFK – SCL (Santiago, Chile) on LAN -> 25,000 each way in coach (2X in Business and 3X in first) and $23.70 in charges

Another decent value proposition are Cathay and JAL awards to Asia.  On these redemptions it’s important to keep in mind that  AA awards normally require fewer miles on these routes and BA charges surcharges on both carriers.

YVR – HKG (Hong Kong) on Cathay -> 30,000 each way in coach or 60,000 in Business and $186.39 in charges

These same one-way flights on the exact date were $5130 in Business and $2989 in Coach.  If purchasing round-trip the flights were $8297 in Business and $5960 in Coach.

YVR – NRT (Tokyo, Japan) on JAL -> 25,000 each way in coach or 50,000 in Business and $337.29 in charges 

These same one-way flights on the exact date are $4989 in Business and $1029 in Coach.  If purchasing round-trip the flights were $5067 in Business and $1649 in Coach. While neither the HKG or NRT option are the best use of your points, they do present a significant savings if you were to outright purchase a business class fare. As stated in the short-haul post, it’s also important to set a value for the BA Avios points you’ve received. One should keep in mind that essentially only a $95 annual fee was paid for the 100,000 Avios points.

Now, it seems that almost all of the emails I received want to know better ways to redeem their points to Europe for a summer holiday.  Take a look back in the short-haul post for the Aer Lingus redemption options, which are by far the best value for your Avios points when redeeming for Europe, thanks to One Mile at a Time for the info.  However, let’s see just how bad the BA redemptions are…

BOS – VCE (Venice, Italy) flying on BA or Iberia -> 55,000 each way in business + $439.48 or 27,500 each way in Coach and $290.67 in charges

These same ROUND-TRIP flights on the exact same mid summer dates are $3780 in Business and $1366 in Coach.  At the one way prices above, you’d be using your miles AND paying $878.96 in Business and $581.34 for Coach.  A savings of $2901.04 in Business but only $784.66 in Coach.  At these levels I’d definitely advise against coach, however business is not a horrible deal.  Yes, you are spending $878 for a ticket but the same ticket would cost almost $4000 on these dates.  For those of you really wanting to fly business to Europe this summer, it’s not a horrible value. Keep in mind the value proposition changes based on the city you are flying into.  Venice is one of the most popular tourist destinations.  Let’s take a look at Rome…

JFK  – FCO (Rome, Italy) flying on BA or Iberia-> 55,000 each way in business + $456.40 or 27,500 each way in Coach and $301.40 in charges

These same ROUND-TRIP flights on the exact same mid summer dates are $2841 in Business and $1359 in Coach.  At the one way prices above, you’d be using your miles AND paying $912.80 in Business and $602.80 for Coach.  A savings of $1928.20 in Business but only $756.20 in Coach.  At these levels I’d probably forgo both options, however similar to what I mentioned above, for those set on flying business to Europe this summer it isn’t horrible.  You will be paying $912.80 for a business class round-trip ticket to Europe during the prime tourist season.  Again, if you accumulated these points by signing up for the BA card, you’ve only spent $95 out of pocket.

To conclude, I’ll continue to use my Avios points for the short hops to the Caribbean and Hawaii as well as to South America (and potentially Asia).  However, when redeeming for business tickets on select routes, you can certainly make a European trip this summer work for you.

Does anyone have any other enticing long-haul options using Avios?

Last Saturday American improved the functionality of their online booking tool by allowing members to search for award availability on two additional partners, British Airways and Hawaiian Airlines. They join Alaska Airlines which began showing availability on the site earlier in the year.   One of the biggest advantages of this update is the ability to now book award flights to Australia online. The most common request I receive on Juicy Miles is for business or first class awards from the US to Sydney.  While Qantas is normally the preferred carrier for those with AA mileage, Hawaiian offers flights via Honolulu. I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when I went to fulfill a request for December 2012 and the calendar indeed correctly displayed the Hawaiian availability.  I booked a round-trip flight from New York to Sydney in Business for 125,000 AA miles and $129 USD in taxes and fees…though a overnight in HNL was required.

Economy was available as well for 37.5k each way.  While it’s definitely nice to see Australia awards available on AA, I’ll still be calling AAdvantage to book Qantas when available.  Most prefer the non-stops from LAX and DFW, the ability to fly the A380 to Sydney, and being able to fly direct to Brisbane or Melbourne. However, I will definitely be using AA.com to book Hawaiian awards to Hawaii, especially for the direct JFK to HNL flight.

British Airways award availability was also added on Saturday, just remember to keep in mind the fuel surcharges and taxes.  When booking a trip from the US to Cape Town, South Africa, the taxes and fees on a one-way economy class ticket (37.5k miles) are $469.80 or $763.20 (75k miles) on a business class ticket.  Again, a great feature to now have on the site, just make sure that you are aware of the total cost.

Alaska availability has been up on the site for some time and is usually quite good, especially from LAX.

AAdvantage has stated that they are working hard to continually enhance the online booking tool to include the rest of the oneworld partners throughout 2012. I’d most like to see Cathay, Japan, LAN, and Qantas awards added for OW as well as Air Pacific, Air Tahiti Nui, and Etihad.

Have you been able to snag any great flights using the new online functionality?

Did you know that at select airports in the US when flying American or Delta you can keep your shoes on and liquids and laptops in your bag?  I recently had the opportunity to take advantage of these benefits in Atlanta (ATL) and Las Vegas (LAS).

In Vegas I was pleasantly surprised when the TSA agent handling the Sky Priority lane scanned my boarding pass and then directed me to the TSA Pre✓ lane, away from the 40+ people in the normal priority line.  A lane that included two extremely friendly TSA agents, NO other passengers, and NO full body scanning. Only a few days earlier I had flown from Tallin, Estonia, where I had been working, directly to Vegas via Amsterdam and Los Angeles for a friend’s bachelor party.  My carry-ons included both my work and personal laptops and several liquids, yet I cleared security in less than 30 seconds and even got to keep my belt and jacket on.  It was one of the best security screening experiences I’ve had outside of some extremely lax foreign countries where setting off the detectors seems to indicate you’re clear to board…

How does the program work you ask?

According to the TSA website:

Certain frequent flyers from Delta and American Airlines and certain members of Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP’s) Trusted Traveler programs, including Global Entry, SENTRI, and NEXUS, who are U.S. citizens, are eligible to participate in this program, which could qualify them for expedited screening at select checkpoints with the following airlines:

American Airlines – Dallas/Fort Worth International, Las Vegas’ McCarran International, John F. Kennedy International, Los Angeles International, Miami International and Minneapolis-St. Paul International airports

Delta Air Lines – Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, LaGuardia Airport, Las Vegas’ McCarran, Minneapolis-St. Paul International and Salt Lake City International airports

How do you become one of the selected frequent fliers?

Delta

According to the Delta, several of their top tier U.S. citizen frequent fliers, Platinum and Diamond, were sent emails months ago with a link to opt-in for the TSA Pre✓ screening.  I can’t remember if I responded to the offer or not.  However, as per Delta’s website, you can log into your SkyMiles profile and store your Secure Flight Passenger Data (SFPD) for future use and opt in to be considered for TSA’s Pre-check expedited screening program.  I took a look at my profile and it appears that my SFPD is stored and I’m opted into the program.  For those worried about storing personal information, the SFPD currently only includes your full name and date of birth as well as the sharing of your itinerary with the TSA Pre✓.  The Delta agent I spoke with indicated that regardless of Platinum or Diamond status, if you are a SkyMiles member, opt-in to the program, and pre-enter your SFPD data at least 72 hours prior to your flight, you may be selected for the pre-screen.

American

As per American’s website:

Who Is Eligible

You can participate in the TSA expedited screening trial if you are a U.S. citizen and meet one or both of the TSA’s current eligibility criteria:

• You are an AAdvantage® program member who is determined eligible by the TSA and received an opt-in invitation email from AAdvantage
• You are an existing member of a CBP Trusted Traveler program, including Global Entry, SENTRI, and NEXUS

How It Works

By opting in, you are automatically entered in the trial program. By doing so, you give American Airlines permission to share the following with the TSA Secure Flight System:

• Your AAdvantage Program tier status and /or U.S. CBP Trusted Traveler Program information
• Your passenger reservation information

Once the TSA determines that a passenger is eligible for expedited screening, information is embedded in the barcode of the passenger’s boarding pass. The TSA reads the barcode at designated TSA airport locations and eligible passengers may be directed to a lane where they will receive expedited screening.

How Can I Become A Participant?

If you’re an AAdvantage program member:

• Go to AA.com, select My Account and log in
• Within My Account, go to the Personal Information and Password tab
• If you are eligible to participate in the program, you will see an opt-in field for the TSA Expedited Screening Program
• To opt-in, simply check the box

Eligible AAdvantage members may also opt-in by calling AAdvantage Customer Service.

Global Entry
Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers (US citizens and permanent residents) upon arrival in the U.S. Though intended for frequent international travelers, there is no minimum number of trips necessary to qualify for the program. Participants may enter the United States by using automated kiosks located at select airports.  The application fee is $100 whether you are approved or not.  If you are approved you are also qualified for TSA Pre✓ regardless of your status with Delta or AA.  Just remember to indicate this in your frequent flier profile with either airline.

The most important caveat

Qualifying using any of the methods above only gives you the OPPORTUNITY to be selected for TSA Pre✓. For obvious security reasons the program must remain random.   However, I’ve now been selected both times I passed through Atlanta and my one time in Las Vegas.  I’ll respond back with my LaGuardia experience later this week.

What if the other members of my party aren’t included

At ATL I saw a wife ask the TSA agent if she could take the carry-on bags from her husband and child.  She was allowed and thye proceeded through the normal security check with no bags at all.  Meanwhile the TSA agent placed all of the family’s bags directly through the TSA Pre✓ x-ray machine without removing any contents.

But I don’t fly AA or DL or travel into the airports above

Already live at:

• Atlanta (ATL): T-South Checkpoint (Delta only)
• Chicago (ORD): Terminal 3, Checkpoint 8 (American only)
• Dallas (DFW): Terminal C, Checkpoint C30 (American only)
• Detroit (DTW): Checkpoint 2 on the ticketing level (Delta only)
• John F. Kennedy (JFK): Terminal 8 Main Checkpoint (American only)
• LaGuardia Airport (LGA): Delta Main Checkpoint (Delta only)
• Las Vegas (LAS): D Gates First Class Checkpoint (American and Delta)
• Los Angeles (LAX): TSA Pre✓ screening lane (American only)
• Miami (MIA): D2 Checkpoint (American only)
• Minneapolis (MSP): Lindbergh Terminal, Checkpoint 4 (American and Delta)
• Salt Lake City (SLC): Terminal 2 Checkpoint (Delta only)
• Washington D.C. (DCA): Terminal B, South Checkpoint for gates 10-22 (Delta and Active Duty U.S. Military only)

No word yet on what other airlines will be included in the trail.  However, there will be a significant increase in the cities with Pre✓. In 2012, according to the TSA website, TSA plans to expand TSA Pre✓ for eligible passengers flying on participating airlines at the following airport locations:

• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI)
• Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
• Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)
• Denver International Airport (DEN)
• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)
• George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
• Honolulu International Airport (HNL)
• Indianapolis International Airport (IND)
• Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL)
• Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY)
• Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU)
• Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
• Orlando International Airport (MCO)
• Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
• Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)
• Portland International Airport (PDX)
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
• Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
• Tampa International Airport (TPA)
• Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC)
• Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)

The TSA has a good Q&A section at http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/faqs.shtm

Have you used the program?  What do you think?  Was your experience as easy as mine?

One of the “perks” of flying so often is having the privilege to overhear some ridiculous conversations in the air.  As part of a weekly weekend post, I’ll be sharing some of these conversations.  If you too have done a double take after hearing the outrageous, shoot me an email at adam@pointmetotheplane.com for inclusion in a future post, the more the better!

Flight from Dublin to JFK
Male Passenger 1 (late 20s) – What are you guys looking to see in the city?
Female Passenger 1 (early 20s) – We want to hit up some of the famous clubs
Male Passenger 1  – Oh I can make you a list of all the hot clubs right now
Female Passenger 1 – Not those type of clubs
Male Passenger 1 -  Oh comedy clubs, I’ve only been to one but there are tons of people handing out flyers for them all over times square.  You’ll easily find them.
Female Passenger 1 – Not those type either, me and my girls like the strip clubs

Flight from Barbados to JFK
Female Passenger 1 – Wow, you got so much color down here, how long were you in Barbados for?
Female Passenger 2 – I was here for 6 nights but this is my natural color
Female Passenger 1 – I wish I could get that dark
Female Passenger 2 – No, natural as in I’m black
Female Passenger 1 – I know I can see, I’m totally jealous.  So do you get this color in New York during the summer as well or it’s the Caribbean sun?
Female Passenger 2 – (rolls her eyes and puts on her headphones)

Flight from Dublin to Porto
(after tea and coffee had just been served)
Female Passenger 1 – Can I have some warm water for my baby’s formula?
Flight Attendant 1 – (rolls her eyes), this is another reason why you should breastfeed!

Flight from Mumbai to Goa
Male Passenger 1 – Why can’t they turn on the A/C while we are parked at the gate?
Flight Attendant 1 – Cost savings
Male Passenger 1 – I’ve been on this flight several times before and the air is always on prior to departure from the gate
Flight Attendant 1 – Sir, obviously there is a problem with the A/C and we are working on it
Flight Attendant 1 (picks up microphone to make an announcement) – Attention passengers, the safety card in the back of your seat also functions as a fan

Flight from JFK to Athens
Female Passenger 1 – What happened to the caramel sauce that comes with the sundaes?
Flight Attendant 1 – Oh, you didn’t hear? We are trying to be healthy now

Flight from JFK to Paris
Connecting Passenger 1 – Sorry to disturb you, this is our first time on a plane overseas.
Flight Attendant 1 – How exciting.  What can I help you with sir?
Connecting Passenger 1 – We both want to watch Two and a Half Men
Flight Attendant 1 – That should already be loaded in your personal tv units
Passenger 1′s wife – Yes, we both found it and clicked play but we can’t hear anything
Flight Attendant 1 – Neither of your headphones are working?
Passenger 1′s wife – We have to use the headphones? We wanted to watch together

As many have already mentioned, Chase has finally brought back the 100,000 sign-up bonus offer for the British Airways Visa Signature Card.  Unfortunately, the spending requirements are significantly steeper than the previous 2011 offers and many feel that the switch from BA miles to Avios points (the new mileage currency at BA) has already watered down the value of each point earned.  However, there is still great value to be had with this offer, especially for short haul domestic travelers who would normally feel guilty redeeming their miles for such trips, international business travelers looking to take a weekend trip from their foreign based work location, international leisure travelers seeking to add another leg to their trip, and North American travelers looking to score a  getaway to the Caribbean or Hawaii.

The Short Haul Guilty Redeemers

One of the most common pieces of advice I give to friends, family, and JuicyMiles.com clients is to never waste their miles on short haul domestic trips.  I  even chastise those who request assistance booking a New York to Florida trip, instead supplying them with a cost / benefit analysis of their proposed mileage redemption compared to the cost of a purchased itinerary. Except for rare last minute travel, the value proposition in redeeming for short haul trips is normally appalling.  In full disclosure, I only redeem my personal miles for business or first class international travel, usually on airlines I normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to travel on.  I also redeem my miles for family vacations every holiday season to the Caribbean.  While this may appear to be a contradiction, 35,000 AAdvantage miles to the Caribbean is a great value when taking into account roundtrip flight prices during winter break.  With the Avios distance based redemptions, short-haul travelers no longer need to feel guilty when redeeming points for domestic itineraries. I took a look at some of the redemptions I’ve recently assisted with and compared them to standard program costs:

New York – Miami

Cost using American AAdvantage MileSAAver Award -> 25,000 roundtrip

Cost when booked with BA Avios -> 15,000 roundtrip

Dallas – Cancun, Mexico

Cost using American AAdvantage MileSAAver Award -> 35,000 roundtrip

Cost when booked with BA Avios -> 15,000 roundtrip

New York – Toronto

Cost using American AAdvantage MileSAAver Award -> 25,000 roundtrip

Cost when booked with BA Avios -> 9,000 roundtrip

Avios required can be calculated on BA’s website using their calculator.  Remember that while the distance-based system makes short-haul trips  more reasonable, it has increased the points required on several medium and long-haul routes.  More on ways around this in a later post…

Weekend Trips and Add-Ons for International Travelers

Business Travelers

Another great use of Avios is for last minute travel when working abroad.  Let’s say you are working in London and want to explore another location in Europe for the weekend.  You may have no idea if you can take that weekend trip until late Thursday night and by that time even the discount airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet have outrageous prices.  The same goes for travelers in other OneWorld cities who need to book last minute travel when low fares have all but disappeared.   I’ve been able to book several short hop trips from work locations to destinations all over Europe using the distance based awards we discussed above.  Some recent bookings include:

London, UK – Nice, France

Cost when booked with BA Avios -> 4,500 – 9,000 roundtrip (depending on how much tax you want to pay).

Helsinki, Finland – Moscow, Russia

Cost when booked with BA Avios -> 9,000 roundtrip

Madrid, Spain – Marrakech, Morocco

Cost when booked with BA Avios -> 15,000 roundtrip

Leisure Travelers

Leisure travelers can use the same approach if they decide last minute that they want to tack on an additional trip to their itinerary.  Consider:

Quito, Ecuador – Lima, Peru

Cost when booked with BA Avios -> 15,000 roundtrip

Sydney, Australia – Melbourne, Australia

Cost when booked with BA Avios -> 9,000 roundtrip

*For both business and leisure travelers, it’s important to review the prices for both the full service and low cost discount carriers on the route prior to utilizing these short-hop awards*

Hawaii & The Caribbean

For those of you on the West Coast, Avios offers some great redemption options to Hawaii:

Los Angeles – Kahului/Maui, Kona, or Honolulu

Cost using AAdvantage MileSAAver Award -> 45,000 (peak) and 35,000 (off peak)

Cost when booked with BA Avios -> 25,000 roundtrip

New York – St. Thomas, Antigua, St. Kitts, San Juan, or Turks & Caicos

Cost using AAdvantage MileSAAver Award -> 35,000 (peak) and 25,000 (off peak)

Cost when booked with BA Avios -> 20,000 roundtrip

I’ll soon be posting about some decent long-haul opportunities that still exist using Avios for business and first class travel.  In the meantime, check out Lucky’s blog post on a great deal using BA partner, Aer Lingus, to get to Europe from North America for 25,000 points in coach or 50,000 points in business.

NYC Dining Credits – MY FAVORITE NON MILEAGE PERK OF THE CARD!

If you are in the NYC area there is another great reason to get the card, the MICHELIN $100 back dining offer.  Essentially, you can use the card at any NYC MICHELIN star-rated restaurant through July 31^st and receive a $50 credit after you dine once and another $50 statement credit upon your second use as long as your bill is $50 or more.  I took advantage of this offer in 2011 and now again in 2012.  The offer itself completely offsets the $95 annual fee for the card.  You can also book your tables online at opentable.com to earn those points as well.  Check out the offer here.

The Card Specifics

• The offer is initially good through June 7, 2012.  You’ll receive:
  • 50,000 bonus Avios after your first use of the card.
  • 25,000 bonus Avios after you make $10,000 in purchases within the first year of account opening.
  • An additional 25,000 bonus Avios after you make an additional $10,000 in purchases also within the first year of account opening.
  • Bonuses are noted for first time applicants only.
• You can apply directly here, all referrals are very much appreciated.
• The card includes smart chip technology and no foreign transaction fees (something I’ve taken full advantage of).
• You earn 2.5 Avios for every $1 spent on British Airways purchases, and 1.25 Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases.
• The card comes with Visa Signature benefits including extended warranty coverage and purchase protection.
• The annual fee is not waived and is $95

Wow, the first entry and I am extremely excited to introduce Point Me to the Plane to the world.  My name is Adam and I’m a consultant at a New York based company. Travel has always been a passion for me and points and miles are the currency that allows me to explore the world from a comfortable business class seat and a luxurious hotel room.  While I may actually pay for flight and hotel costs associated with my frequent international business travel, point collection continues to fuel my personal travel obsession.

In order to prevent those less obsessed co-workers from squandering their point collection opportunities, I started a weekly email to update colleagues on upcoming promotions, maximize their points, assist with redemptions, and provide air, hotel, and sightseeing advice.  The email distribution has quickly expanded to family and friends.  My hope is to transition the weekly email content into a series of daily blog entries.

The blog will provide a young professional’s perspective on the latest point offers, industry news, and redemption opportunities.   Trip reports will be unique in that local colleagues in each country introduce me to restaurants, bars, clubs, and sights, providing a culturally diverse and non-touristy experience.

Why blog?  With earned elite status across all three alliances and the largest hotel chains, I ensure that I am always up to date with the latest offers and news. I often receive advanced notification directly from the loyalty programs, which I’d love to share with the blog readers.  In terms of travel experiences, the goal was to hit 30 countries prior to my 30^th birthday…at 65 I’ve more than doubled that!   Finally, award redemption assistance has always been one of the most common requests from colleagues, family, and friends and I receive daily experience with the frustrations that go along with securing the ideal award.  Similar to Gary and Lucky, I had to create a website in order to organize and prioritize the numerous requests and I now manage Juicy Miles – www.juicymiles.com.

Looking forward to earning, sharing, and traveling together!

adam