The latest Priority Club PointBreaks list is out with 5,000 point room offers good through June 30, 2013.

PointBreaks
Once a quarter, Priority Club releases their list of PointBreaks which allow members to redeem their points for stays at select properties for only 5,000 per night, a huge savings and easily one of the best features of the Priority Club program.  The participating properties are updated each quarter and can present some amazing values, especially at the higher end properties and those in exotic locations.  Each participating property only allots a certain amount of PointBreaks rooms and once they have been redeemed they are removed from the list. What’s the catch?  Popular properties disappear really fast, so you need to be ready to book as soon as the list comes out.

This Quarter’s List (through June 30th)
This quarter’s list isn’t quite as exciting as some previous lists which included properties in Fiji, Mauritius, Phuket, Israel, Marrakech, Cyprus, Goa, Auckland, Johannesburg, and Sao Paulo, though there are a few bright spots. You can see the full list here, including properties in North America as well.

How Do I Obtain Additional Priority Club Points?
If you’re not a Priority Club point collector you can still take advantage of these offers. Points can be transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards on a 1:1 basis . Chase Ink Plus, Chase Ink Bold, and Chase Sapphire Preferred will all earn you Ultimate Rewards points.  Also, don’t forget about the Points & Cash trick to receive discounted Priority Club Points.

Here is the full list of 2013 updates with a few changes in bonus amounts…

Are your credit cards relegated to the back of a drawer once the sign-up bonus posts? While your still in possession of those cards you acquired during your past few churns, why not put them to use and earn some additional miles or points? Remember, holding cards instead of canceling right away makes sense as you can use them as leverage in your next churn, offering to give up the card in exchange for a new card and a new bonus.

Priority Club – 2,013 points after $40 of spend on a single dine within 30 days of registration (registration now closed)
Delta – 1,500 miles after $40 of spend on a single dine within 30 days of registration.
American – 1,000 miles after $40 of spend on a single dine within 30 days of registration.
United – 1,000 miles after $40 of spend on a single dine within 30 days of registration.
US Airways – 1,000 miles after $40 of spend on a single dine within 30 days of registration  (remember these will become AA miles down the road).
Hilton – 1,000 points after $40 of spend on a single dine within 30 days of registration.
Alaska – 500 miles after $30 of spend on a single dine within 30 days of registration.
Southwest – 300 miles after $25 of spend on a single dine within 60 days of registration.

Each promotion is for a “new” profile, meaning both a unique credit card and email address is required (in my previous post reader Elaine noted that she has used the same email address with a different cc for all programs without any problems, YMMV). Additionally, each of the promotions above requires you to complete a review in order to qualify for the bonus. The link to the review is emailed after your dine and is a simple multiple choice survey.

Are your credit cards relegated to the back of a drawer once the sign-up bonus posts? While your still in possession of those cards you acquired during your past few churns, why not put them to use and earn some additional miles or points? Remember, holding cards instead of canceling right away makes sense as you can use them as leverage in your next churn, offering to give up the card in exchange for a new card and a new bonus. I’m usually not a huge fan of the various dinning offers from Rewards Network, but their 2013 promos can get you some decent easy point payouts with AA, DL, UA, US, AS, Hilton, and Priority Club.

Priority Club – 2,013 points after $40 of spend on a single dine within 30 days of registration.
Delta – 1,500 miles after $40 of spend on a single dine within 30 days of registration.
American – 1,000 miles after $40 of spend on a single dine within 30 days of registration.
United – 1,000 miles after $40 of spend on a single dine within 30 days of registration.
US Airways – 1,000 miles after $40 of spend on a single dine within 30 days of registration.
Hilton – 1,000 points after $40 of spend on a single dine within 30 days of registration.
Alaska – 500 miles after $30 of spend on a single dine within 30 days of registration.

Each promotion is for a “new” profile, meaning both a unique credit card and email address is required. Additionally, each of the promotions above requires you to complete a review in order to qualify for the bonus. The link to the review is emailed after your dine and is a simple multiple choice survey. The trick is finding a restaurant that you would dine at anyway. Of all the NYC locations, I was able to find about three restaurants that I frequent, however there were several bars that serve food that made the list as well.

Reader Elaine notes in the comments that she uses the same email for all registrations without any problems. YMMV!

If you saw Jason’s post on MilesQuest yesterday, then you know that that the 1,000 free Priority Club points offer for watching a 90 second Chase marketing pitch has returned. The offer last appeared in May-June and and August of last year. The video is essentially an advertisement for the Priority Club Rewards Select Visa and ends with a link to an application. My video provided a link to a 60,000 points offer, but several have received links to an 80k offer. If you received the 1,000 points previously, you won’t get them again.

1,000 Free Points – Go to http://www.priorityclub.com/visa1000 and enter in promo code FLLNUVUAA37

80,000 Point Visa Offer – Regardless of which offer you’re presented at the end of the video, it’s easy to obtain the 80,000 offer. In fact, reader Antonio emailed this morning that he received the following email offer directly from Chase:

This is actually a great offer and you’ll receive 80,000 points, platinum elite status, a free night every year on your anniversary, no foreign transaction fees, and a 10% points rebate on all redemptions. If you’re not provided the 80k link, simply browse on over to https://www.mychasecreditcards.com/ihg/inhotel80k to sign up. Note, the link won’t list the actual offer but you can read success stories over on Flyertalk.

The most recent Starpicks and PointBreaks were released earlier this week and there are some nice locations on both lists.

Starpicks – Reservations must be booked by this Friday to receive the special rates and you must arrive on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday at hotels over the next three weekends. Stays including a Sunday night require a two-night stay including a Saturday night. The resort options do not have arrival day or minimum stay requirements but you must arrive in the next six weeks. For hotels, the maximum stay is four nights (Thursday-Sunday) and for resorts the maximum stay is fourteen nights. Advance purchase is required and cancellations are non-refundable. All Starpicks qualify for SPG points.

• Le Méridien Angkor – Siem Reap – $105/nt
• Great Wall Sheraton Hotel Beijing – $122/nt
• Le Méridien Etoile – Paris – EUR 149/nt
• W Retreat & Spa Bali – $210/nt
• Le Méridien Barbarons – Seychelles – EUR 160/nt
• Hotel Alfonso XIII, Seville – EUR 159/nt
• Le Méridien Bangkok – $104/nt
• W New York Downtown – $155/nt
• Sheraton Hanoi Vietnam – $69/nt

PointBreaks – Rooms available around the globe at select locations for only 5,000 points per night, valid for bookings through March 31, 2013. If your short on points, remember that Priority Club sells 5,000 points for only $67.50 and you can then use the cash + points trick to accumulate additional points in increments of 5,000 for only $35.

• Holiday Inn Resort Goa
• Intercontinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa
• Holiday Inn Auckland
• Crowne Plaza Johannesburg
• Holiday Inn Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Crowne Plaza DC
• Hotel Indigo Newark

There’s some gorgeous fall weather today in the Northeast, reminding me that I hadn’t yet posted the fall/winter Q4 Priority Club promos. Like the summer promos, the majority of these are targeted via email, yet I’ve never had any problem registering (remember, wait to register until the current quarter is up on Sept. 30th):

• Promo Code 5502 - Stay 3 nights, get 5,000 points
• Promo Code 5504 - Stay 7  nights, get 10,000 points
• Promo Code 5508 - Stay 15 nights, get 15,000 points

You can register for any of these promotions using the registration link.  As with all Priority Club promotions, your points may vary in terms of qualification for registration and posting of points.  It’s worth taking the time to register though.

Looking for other ways to earn Priority Club points including the summer/fall promos? Check out this link

The Chase PCR Visa Select 90 second video awarding 1,000 points for views seems to be working again.  Previously, a unique sign-up code was required, although a few in the forums seem to be hinting that promo code MSPAOQR6F2 will work for unique users this time around.  I tend to think it’s likely that the promo sill requires a unique code, but why not give it a try for 1,000 points and 90 seconds, points post in 4-6 weeks.

There is also a survey awarding 1,000 points, though it too is targeted.  The T&Cs specifically state that you must have received the email in order to qualify for the points, but again worth a shot for under 60 seconds of your time.

Several blog readers became familiar with TopCashBack as a result of the Club Carlson promotions this summer, where the site was offering 10% cash back (thanks to FrequentMiler) on the total bill for all Radisson bookings. The offer for Radisson hotels is unfortunately back down to 5%, but did you know that TopCashBack has an extensive list of other hotel and travel partners, including some of the largest chains – Starwood, Marriott, and IHG? I had never really taken a detailed look at the other vendors but there are some real surprises from luxury to low-cost brands both domestically and abroad:

Cash Back Rates
Accor Hotels – 8%
IHG (Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn) – 6%
Hotels.com 5.5%
BookHotelRooms.com 6%
Starwood Hotels 3%
Choice Hotels 5%
Occidental Hotels 6%
Wyndham 3%
Preferred Hotel Group 3%
Riu Hotels 1%
Radisson 5%
Preferred Hotel Group 3%
Melia Hotels 7%
Expedia (2% Hotels & Car Rentals, 2.75% Vacations, $2.25 flights)
Priceline (3% on Hotels, Vacations, Cruises, and Car Rentals, $5 on flights)
Mercure / Ibis / Novotel – 8%
Sofitel – 8%
Best Western – 5%
Ramada – 3%
Marriott (2.1% Marriott & Renaissance, 3.5% Courtyard, 2.2% Residence Inn, 4.5% Fairfield Inn, 3.9% SpringHill Suites, 3% Autograph Collection, 2.3% TownePlace, 3% AC Hotels)
Baymont – 3%
Studio 6 – 4.5%
CheapOair.com – ($15 hotel, $25 vacation, $8 flights, $5 car)
Fairmont – 5%
Hojo – 3%

The best part about using TopCashBack is that you can still earn an online booking bonus and full points for stays! Since  TopCashBack simply forwards you on to the hotel’s own website, the hotel essentially treats the booking the same as any other booked directly on their website.  In my experience it normally takes about two-three weeks to see any cash back activity post to your account, though sometimes it can take longer.  I just received a posting for 3% back on a Le Meridien stay in mid July. If you travel for business and can book your own hotel, this is a nice extra bonus on those long stays!

TopCashBack also allows you to earn $5 when you refer a friend, once that friend earns at least $10 cash back.  The links in this post include my referral information but please feel free to sign up and post your own referral link in the comments section and we can start a referral conga-line.

UPDATE – Check the comments section for a 16% IHG cashback opportunity courtesy of dealswelike & Gee.  Also, check the comments if you are more interested in receiving Ultimate Rewards points for your bookings courtesy of Grant.

While on a “web browsing break” at work, I was presented with the Earn 1000 Airline Miles advertisement below (scary how well the marketers know me, must be time to clear my cookies).

I clicked on over and saw that they are offering the following – After your first ride you’ll earn 1000 points/miles. It’s that easy. Then each ride after that will earn you 1 point/mile for every $1 spent (points/miles awarded on the base fare). Offer expires 8/31/12. Within two weeks of completing your GroundLink ride you’ll receive an email from Points.com with a claim code. Click through and choose the loyalty program for which you’d like to deposit your points/miles.  Participants include Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, American Airlines AAdvantage, Best Buy Reward Zone, Frontier EarlyReturns, HawaiianMiles, Icelandair Saga Club, LifeMiles, Priority Club Rewards,US Airways Dividend Miles, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club.

According to their website, GroundLink services every US city and 110 countries. In order to take advantage of the offer you need to either enter promo code EARN when booking on their website or mention it to the phone agent when calling in.

This offer is much more generous on the initial ride but not as generous as Carmel’s current offer on future rides when earning with American, Delta, or JetBlue:

Earn 200 bonus miles each trip and 5 (Delta) or 6 (American & JetBlue) miles per $1 spent (outside NYC)
Earn 100 bonus miles each trip and 5 (Delta) or 6 (American & JetBlue) per $1 spent in NYC
Carmel also partners with Alaska, El Al,  United, and US Airways, though those offers aren’t nearly as generous.

Carmel services all US cities and also allows for worldwide reservations.

So for my next trip, I decided to compare pricing between GroundLink and Carmel to see if I could earn the 1,000 miles and essentially still pay standard rates:

NYC – LGA (Full Size Sedan, tolls and tip not included)
$33 – Carmel
$38 – GroundLink
$20 – $30 (from my apartment) – Regular Taxi

NYC – JFK (Full Size Sedan, tolls and tip not included)
$48 – Carmel
$49 – GroundLink
$45  – Regular Taxi

NYC – EWR (Full Size Sedan, tolls and tip not included)
$47 – Carmel
$49 – GroundLink
$45-$55 (from my apartment)- Regular Taxi

*Carmel currently has $3 coupon on their website, so another $3 can be deducted from the prices above*

Not bad, for my next trip to JFK, GroundLink will earn me 1000 miles and I’ll only be paying a few dollars more than a regular taxi or Carmel, definitely worth it.  After the original trip though, it most likely makes sense to stick to Carmel which will earn me 6 AAdvantage miles per $1 spent instead of $1 and 100 bonus miles.

Priority Club is currently running multiple juicy summer promos. While the majority of these are targeted via email, my colleagues have been able to register for almost all promotions below without receiving the solicitation emails:

• Promo Code 9983 (US residents) – $25 Gift Card with every reservation booked via IHG hotel websites now through December 31, 2012. Up to 5 per person.  **There is a similar promo for 5000 points for booking via IHG hotel websites, though the email does not include a promo code.  I’ll update this post if we are able to find a code**
• Promo Code 9983 (UK residents) – £25 Marks & Spencer gift voucher with every reservation booked via IHG hotel websites until 31st December 2012
• Promo Code 9953 – 200 UA miles for every qualifying night through September 3rd at any ICH hotel up to 4,000 miles.
• Promo Code 1576 – Earn 1,000 bonus points or 200 bonus miles for every qualifying night at ICH properties from June 1, 2012 – September 3, 2012 up to 20,000 bonus points or 4,000 miles.
• Promo Code 6815 – 5,000 points for 3 nights at a any worldwide Crowne Plaza through September 30th.
• Promo Code 3168 – 5,000 Bonus Priority Club Points + continued Platinum Elite Status when you complete 5 nights in the Americas and Europe for current Platinum members through November 30, 2012.
• Promo Code 4871 – Stay 3 Nights – Get 5K Points July 1 – Sept 30   *register for this before any of the others above, some have reported problems when done in the opposite order*
• Promo Code 4873 – Stay 7 Nights – Get 10K Points July 1 – Sept 30 *register for this before any of the others above*
• Promo Code 4877 – Stay 15 Nights – Get 15K Points July 1 – Sept 30 *register for this before any of the others above*

You can attempt to register for any of these promotions using the registration link.  As with all Priority Club promotions, your points may vary in terms of qualification for registration and posting of points.  It’s worth taking the time to register though.

Looking for other ways to earn Priority Club points, check out this link

Courtesy of Jason @ MilesQuest and of course his reader, Iron Monkey – 1,000 Priority Club points for checking out a Priority Club Visa video.  Check out his post for further details.  As per the instructions, I emailed Iron Monkey this morning, received a reply a few hours later, and the 1000 points posted immediately upon completion of the video! Thanks to Iron Monkey and Jason for these easy 1000 points!

Looking for more ways to earn Priority Club points check out these previous entries.