Category: Hotels

  1. Accor has two promotions for properties in the Americas that stack:

    – 2x rewards points on stays booked by August 8 and stayed by September 8
    – 30% off stays booked by May 19 and stayed by December 17

    Accor options in the Americas aren’t as diverse as in Asia or Europe, but there are great properties on the high end like Fairmont hotels, and reasonable properties on the low end like Ibis Styles Laguardia. Also I checked and this is the first time that “reasonable” and “Laguardia” were ever used together in a serious sentence.
  2. Choice Hotels has a promotion for 8,000 bonus points after two stays booked by July 6 and stayed by July 7, registration required.
  3. American Express updated its business cards’ coupon books a bit:

    – Business Gold loses its FedEx as a Flexible Business Credit redemption in October
    – Business Gold and Platinum get $300 ChatGPT credit per calendar year, enrollment required

    ChatGPT’s Business plan requires a minimum of two users and costs $50 per month (or $40 with a discount code) or $600 per year. Going monthly and switching cards after six months is likely the best option.
  4. Two Incomm gift card sites have fee-free gift card promotions through the end of May:

    – MasterCardGiftCard.com: Fee-free $50+ gift cards with promo GRAD26
    – VanillaGift.com: Fee-free non-charity $50+ gift cards with promo VGGRAD26

    My best advice for Incomm gift cards as graduation gifts for non-manufactured spenders: Only give them to grads that you dislike.

Happy Wednesday friends!

The other known instance of Laguardia and reasonable.

  1. Do this now: Register for IHG’s promotion for 2,000 or 8,000 bonus points for two or four night stays, respectively through August 31. There’s also an offer for 2x points for IHG Business Rewards members through December 31.
  2. Do this now: Register for I Prefer’s promotion for a $50 reward certificate for a 2+ night stay at each of their properties, as long “each” means five or fewer.
  3. Raley’s, Nob Hill, and Bel Air stars have 15x points on Lowes and One4All gift cards, some of which convert to Home Depot, through Tuesday.

    This is an outstanding deal.
  4. American Express offers has new offers for:

    – Expedia: 10% back on prepaid Hotels through August 4
    – Cambria Hotels: $100 off of $300+ through September 1
    – Choice Ascend Hotels: $50 off of $200+ through September 1

    Gamers gonna game.
  5. Capital One checking has a $400 new account bonus with promo code FLASH400, provided that you receive at least two direct deposits within 75 days of account opening. A few notes:

    – Don’t do this if you play games with Capital One, the banking side might cause you to lose your credit cards
    – If you have Discover checking or savings, consider closing those accounts quickly so you can either avoid those banking shutdowns, or get this sign-up bonus in the future
    – Business account ACH pushes often look like direct deposits
    – Please close these accounts after you get the bonus

    For more on holding checking accounts at Citi, Chase, and Capital One especially, see SideShowBob233’s opus.

Happy Thursday!

Since we shared SideShowBob233’s opus, we might as well share his award winning art.

  1. Do this now: Check for targeted Hyatt Q2 promotions on your ‘My Offers’ tab. Offers reportedly include award redemption rebates, earned points multipliers, and double elite nights.
  2. Over the weekend, discount codes for Synchrony’s offer for $100 off of $100+ on bookings through the Synchrony travel portal were sent. As expected, there’s no minimum booking value to use the code and rental cars work. Eligible cardholders can still register.
  3. Office Depot / OfficeMax stores have a promotion for $15 off of $300+ in Visa gift cards through Saturday. As usual:

    – Look for the lower fee Everywhere cards if you know how to liquidate them
    – Even multiples of $300 work even better
    – Yes, zero is an even number if you want to be technical, but you’re trying too hard

    These are Pathward / BlackHawk Network gift cards.
  4. Applying for a Chase Freedom Unlimited via Rakuten has $25 or $75 additional cash back depending on whether or not you’re an existing Chase customer.
  5. Citi ThankYou Points has a 25% transfer bonus to Leading Hotels of the World through May 16, putting the transfer ratio at 1,000:250. Leading Hotels redemptions are typically worth between 7.0 and 8.5 cents each, making each ThankYou point redemption value between 1.75 and 2.12 cents per point.

Have a nice Monday friends!

The other Synchrony coupon.

  1. Do this now (if you like camping I guess): Register for Hyatt’s promotion for 2,000 bonus points per night at Under Canvas locations through July 1.
  2. The Chase Hyatt Business Visa card has an increased sign-up bonus of 80,000 Hyatt points after $10,000 spend in three months.

    This bonus is available for referrals too, and remember that good things happen to 5/24 dreamers when new Chase business card bonuses come out.
  3. The American Express issued Marriott cards have increased sign-up bonuses available direct and via referrals:

    – Brilliant: 200,000 Bonvoy points after $6,000 spend in six months
    – Bevy: 175,000 Bonvoy Points after $5,000 spend in six months
    – Business: Five free night awards after $9,000 spend in six months

    Of course use a referral instead of a random link on ye-olde internet.
  4. Kroger stores have a 4x fuel points promotion on third party gift cards other than Amazon and flexible fuel cards today through Sunday.

    The current state of gas prices seems to be good news for resellers.
  5. American Express has targeted spend offers worth between +0.25x and +1.5x on between $20,000 and $30,000 spend.
  6. Marriott Bonvoy raised the free night award top-off limit to 25,000 points, 10,000 higher than before. According to my future-news-o-tron, next week Bonvoy will raise average award redemption costs by 10,000 points.
  7. Giant, Giant Food Stores, Martin’s, and Stop & Shop stores have 2x rewards on Mastercard Gift Cards through Thursday, limit $1,500 per account at Giant and $2,000 per account otherwise.

    These are Pathward / BlackHawk Network gift cards.

Have a nice weekend friends!

The all new, always sophisticated, future-news-o-tron 2,000.

Hyatt announced a major change and some minor changes yesterday, scheduled to start in May. The gist:

  • Each category will have five price points based on demand, prices will be:
    • Category 1: 3,000-9,000 points per night
    • Category 2: 6,000-15,000 points per night
    • Category 3: 8,000-20,000 points per night
    • Category 4: 12,000-25,000 points per night
    • Category 5: 15,000-35,000 points per night
    • Category 6: 20,000-40,000 points per night
    • Category 7: 25,000-55,000 points per night
    • Category 8: 35,000-75,000 points per night
  • The price of the middle tier for each category is going up between 20% and 38%
  • No changes to existing certificates or upgrade instruments
  • You’ll be able to share points digitally
  • “Early award night availability” for card members and elites

The commentary out there on these changes is wild, including words like “death”, “brutal”, “devastating”, “read it and weep”, and my personal favorite, “elitism“. Look, I agree devaluations suck, and I agree that this one does too. But let’s put a few things in perspective when the rage-o-meter drops a bit:

  • In 2014, a Hyatt Place that I used to frequent cost $67 per night, and was 5,000 points
  • In 2026, the same Hyatt Place costs $144 per night, and is still 5,000 points (standard)
  • Over the same 2014-2026 time-frame, US dollar inflation is +39%
  • Hyatt was probably paying about $25 for my award night in 2016, and about $55 in 2026
  • The same phenomenon affects high end properties too, probably worse
  • Ink card bonuses, which are Hyatt point producers) are about double what they were in 2014
  • A six-pack of soda on sale in 2014 cost about $2 and earned me, best case, 3 Hyatt points
  • A six-pack of soda on sale in 2026 costs about $4 and earns me, best case, 12 Hyatt points

Ultimately, inflation means that I’m earning more for the same spend, and Hyatt’s paying more for my redemptions. Whether it’s Hyatt or any other program, that means devaluations are coming. There’s only one way to avoid losing much when this happens, and it’s in the site’s title:

Earn and Burn

Miles and points lose value over time, so burn ’em when you get ’em. Or, maybe (definitely) I suffer from elitism.

Happy Thursday!

Next up: How many points did an out of place rotisserie chicken earn in history?
Data will include varieties both with and without salmonella, because elitism.

  1. Do this now: Register for Marriott Bonvoy’s Q1 promotion for 2,500 bonus points and an additional elite night for each Marriott brand with a completed stay by April 26.

    For those keeping track at home, 2,500 Bonvoy points are worth approximately the same as a six pack of sharpies and a Laurence sanga. The elite night credit’s value is very much in the eye of the beholder.
  2. Radisson Rewards has a Q1 promotion for 500 bonus points after your first stay, 3,000 bonus points after your second stay, and 3,500 bonus points after your third stay through April 9, registration required. This is the non-Americas version of Radisson.
  3. The Chase Southwest personal Visa credit cards have improved offers for:

    – Plus: 20,000 points plus a Companion Pass through February 2027
    – Premier: 30,000 points plus a Companion Pass through February 2027
    – Priority: 40,000 points plus a Companion Pass through February 2027
    – Pretend: 50,000 points plus I made it up

    These are available via referral, please use P2’s or a friend’s instead of a random link on the internet.
  4. JetBlue and United’s Blue Sky alliance announced that each can book revenue tickets for the other airline on their own ticket stock.

    Traditionally new partners mean that there are booking code and pricing arbitrage plays, but who knows this time.

Happy Wednesday friends!

TIL: This is a Laurence sanga.
(Thanks to Larry)

  1. Do this now: Register for 25,000 bonus Bonvoy points at Marriott Homes and Villas for bookings in February and stays through September 1.

    Am I the only one who thinks “bonus Bonvoy” sounds derogatory?
  2. The Chase IHG Premier card has a heightened bonus of 175,000 points after $5,000 spend in three months.

    Use P2’s another churner’s referral for maximum win.
  3. Kroger brands have a digital coupon for 4x fuel points on third party gift cards in store, excluding Amazon and flexible gas cards through Tuesday, February 17.

    The fuel point and gift card resale market are currently strong for a February, make sure you shop around.
  4. Kroger has a digital coupon for a fee-free variable Visa or Mastercard loaded with $150+ through Tuesday.

    These are Pathward / BlackHawk Network gift cards.
  5. The Incomm sites have Valentine’s Day fee-free gift cards:

    – TheGiftCardShop 100% off of purchase fees through February 15 with promo code LOVE26
    – MasterCardGiftCard 100% off of purchase fees through February 14 with promo code VDAY26
    – VanillaGift 100% off of purchase fees through February 14 with promo code VGVDAY26

    VanillaGift chose to use the tagline “For the Love of Gifting”, which I hope makes the floosies laugh.
  6. Delta has an award sale for non-basic economy main cabin travel to and from Europe booked today for 26,000-28,000 miles round-trip.
  7. Spirit has 90% off of base fares booked today with promo code 90PCT for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday travel through March 11.

    In case you’re wondering, which I’m sure you weren’t, I think you’ll get a bigger discount than the odds I’d give that Spirit hasn’t ceased operations by March 11. (Thanks to FM)
  8. Breeze Airlines has 26% off of base fares for weekday round-trip travel booked today for flights through September 15 with promo code WEEKDAY.

    Let’s call out the square for the next round of Breeze Route Bingo: Brownsville (BRO) to Orlando (MCO)! Today only, you get a bonus middle square if you already knew where BRO was – I sure didn’t.

Have a nice Thursday!

BRO airport (probably)

  1. The American Express Delta cards have heightened sign-up bonuses, all of which are available via referrals too so go that route instead of using a blog link, P2 will thank you:

    – Business Gold: 90,000 SkyMiles after $6,000 spend in six months, annual fee waived
    – Business Platinum: 100,000 SkyMiles after $8,000 spend in six months
    – Business Reserve: 125,000 SkyMiles after $15,000 spend in six months
    – Personal Gold: 90,000 SkyMiles after $5,000 spend in six months, annual fee waived
    – Personal Platinum: 100,000 SkyMiles after $6,000 spend in six months
    – Personal Reserve: 125,000 SkyMiles after $9,000 spend in six months

    There’s also a Personal Gold link for 60,000 SkyMiles and a $500 statement credit after $3,000 spend in six months with a waived first year annual fee during the ticket booking workflow, you don’t have to actually buy the ticket to get it.
  2. Four of the Chase United family of cards also has increased sign-up bonuses, and these are available for referrals too, so it’s either your best churning buddy or P2’s time to shine!

    – Personal Explorer: 70,000 miles after $3,000 spend in three months, annual fee waived
    – Personal Quest: 80,000 miles after $4,000 spend in three months
    – Business MileagePlus: 100,000 miles after $5,000 spend in three months
    – Business Club: 100,000 miles after $5,000 spend in three months

    What’s the difference between the last two? A few things, but also an extra $495 for unlimited cheese cubes at any United Club location. I hope you like cheese!
  3. Kroger stores have a digital coupon for 4x fuel points on third party gift cards excluding fuel points cards and Amazon, and on fixed value Visas and Mastercards between Friday and Sunday.
  4. The Rove Miles Shopping Portal that also has a travel booking engine has several promotions including: 4x on Visas and Mastercards at GiftCards.com, 10x at Viator, and 2x when purchasing Alaska Atmos or AirCanada Aeroplan miles. Increased bonuses run through Sunday.

    Obviously you should sign up for Rove with either P2 or a churner buddy’s referral.
  5. Stop & Shop, Giant, and Martins  have 10x points on Home Depot cards through Thursday, and Giant Food earns 6x during the same period. You’re limited to $2,000 or $1,500 per loyalty account depending on the brand.
  6. If you want to go all in on Accor ALL, there’s an interesting Accor ALL Signature+ subscription now available world-wide. The important parts:

    – Pay 1,149 Euros for a one year subscription
    – Earn 1,500 Euros worth of Accor ALL points (75,000 annually / 6,250 monthly)
    – Earn 12,000 status points (1,000 monthly)

    Gold status requires 7,000 points and Platinum requires 14,000, so earning Platinum becomes almost trivial. Effectively, if you were going to spend 2,000 Euros on Accor hotels in 2026 you’ll come out ahead by about 350 Euros and have Platinum status when you’re done. (Thanks to LL)

Have a nice weekend friends!

Gearing up for Player 2 referral shenanigans.
(Thanks to smirley)