While nothing has been announced officially, my friend and I have confirmed with multiple Hilton representatives on the phone and on Twitter that some free night certificates (FNC) are extending by some time. The exact detail seems murky still, but expect something to be announced soon. He and I each have a FNC currently expiring Aug 31, 2021. They have been … [Read more...]
Survival Tip: How to “go back” on a miles & points blog page
It's a well-established fact that reading good miles and points blogs is essential for survival. So when a basic functionality stops working, our well-beings are at jeopardy. That's why I'm here to share a tip, in hopes of restoring order to our lives. Recently, a new signature has emerged for the VIPs of miles and points blogs. At several such important … [Read more...]
Sedona Rouge Hotel back to 15,000 Wyndham points!
Sedona Rouge Hotel and Spa is a 4-star hotel in gorgeous Sedona. With a great location in town, it's part of the Wyndham Trademark Collection, which has some of the best hotels in the Wyndham group. Since the devaluation last year (which came after the massive devaluation 2 years ago), most (if not all) of them went up to 30,000 points per night, including Sedona … [Read more...]
Sedona – a Magical Place of Vast Beauty
October 2020. I visited Zion National Park for the first time. When I reached the town of Springdale and the Zion canyon wall appeared before my eyes, it was a sight I'll never forget. I thought: surely this is the most majestic of all red rocks in the country, other than maybe the Grand Canyon? Less a month later, after spending 4 days in Sedona, a new thought … [Read more...]
Low Category IHG Redemption – Staybridge Suites Palm Springs
In a normal year, I'd tell you about some great low category hotel redemptions around the world. But in the year of Covid, I have been checking out things near my base of Southern California. I wanted to share a good points redemption at home. I'm talking about Staybridge Suites Cathedral City Palm Springs. It's a limited service hotel, so don't expect … [Read more...]
Extend Old Cathay Pacific Asia Miles during Covid
TL;DR: Transfer 3000 miles from 2 different partners; miles will be extended after 36 hours. I had a sizable amount of Asia Miles expire Jan 31, 2021, I just extended them and now they have the "new" 18 months expiration policy (resets with activity). It's not straight forward, so I wanted to share the process. First of all, shame on Asia Miles for not automatically … [Read more...]
50k MR or $500 Retention Offer on NEW Amex Platinum, No Spend Required
This is the most generous retention offer I've ever encountered. Today I called Amex to see if there was any retention offer on my Aspire card, since I barely used the benefits this year. There was a marginal offer of 10k Hilton points with no spend required, which I value at around $50 now that Hilton improved points value. But that's not why I'm … [Read more...]
PSA: Use Firefox to link Rakuten to your Amex account
Rakuten is in the news a lot lately. Between various 15% cashback deals at stores like Saks 5th Avenue, and the 90-100% cashback on the LifeLock, there are some good deals. Furthermore, you can elect to earn Amex Membership Rewards points instead of cashback, at the generous rate of $0.01 per point. However, there's an obstacle. You have to link your … [Read more...]