Weekly Review: March 19, 2016

Weekly Review: March 19, 2016

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I just got back from a fantastic week in Mauritius and London, which was ultimately planned around being in London for an Adele concert, which I was able to redeem Starpoints for. It was a fantastic use of points, and I love Adele more than ever.

I’m now back in the US for a while, and am spending the weekend trying to redeem the last of my American AAdvantage miles before the devaluation kicks in. 😉

SPG-Suite-The-O2-9

I assume I’m not the only one spending my weekend redeeming miles, so good luck to everyone else as well!

Featured Stories

Starwood Signs Deal To Be Acquired By Chinese Investors

St-Regis-Mauritius-Pool

Starwood has signed a deal to be acquired by Chinese investor group Anbang for $78 per share in cash.

Marriott now has five days to respond, and is apparently expected to make a counter-bid. This is going to get interesting!


Are Starwood Nights & Flights Packages A Good Deal?

Disney-DolphinThrough March 30, 2016, we’re seeing the biggest ever sign-up bonus on the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express and Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express.

There are several great options for using these points, and one of the more interesting is basically a hybrid between redeeming Starpoints for hotel stays and converting them into hotel points — it’s called Nights & Flights.


Why You Should Pay Your Taxes By Credit Card

You probably give a lot of thought to how you spend this...Tax season is in full swing in the US, with federal income taxes being due in a bit over a month. No one likes paying taxes, though at a minimum we should do what we can to get the most out of our contributions to Uncle Sam.

While a vast majority of people pay their federal income taxes in cash, you can (and in most cases, should) pay by credit card.


One Week at a Time Logo

TIPS: Earning Miles & Promos

$20 Back On Dining Through LivingSocial Restaurants Plus
Getting Approved For Chase Cards Could Soon Be More Difficult
Earn Double Starpoints For Dining
A Roundup Of Pretty Good Business Class Fares
Hot Deal: $467 Flights From New York To Milan!
Increased Sign-Up Bonus On Amex Blue Cash Cards
New Promo: Earn SPG Free Nights For Staying At Design Hotels
Earn Up To 2750 United Miles For A Hertz Car Rental
Why You Should Pay Your Taxes By Credit Card
Register To Earn 5x Points At Grocery Stores
Request Missing IHG Priceless Surprises Plays NOW!
Don’t Forget! Register Today For 5x Points On Gas And Uber
Should You Convert Points To Aeroplan For A 55,000 Mile Bonus?

TRICKS: Redeeming Miles

Are Starwood Nights & Flights Packages A Good Deal?
Please Don’t Redeem Starpoints At Caesars, Even For 40% Off
How To Easily Search Hyatt Cash + Points Availability Online
Why SPG Mileage Transfers Are A Great Value
Citi Points Now Transfer To Air France Instantly

TRAVEL With Ben (Lucky)

Why Can’t All American First Class Crews Be This Good?!
What Should A First Timer Do In Dubai?
Should Airline Employees Be Able To Fly First Class For “Free?”
12 Secrets To Emirates First Class
The Story Of KLM’s Dutch Houses
This Is Hospitality: St. Regis Mauritius Edition
My First And Last Time In A London Black Cab
What Should A First Timer Do In Hong Kong?
Le Meridien Dubai Follows Up Regarding TripAdvisor

REVIEWS & Trip Reports

Review: Redeeming Starpoints To See Adele At The O2
Review: NY-LON Lounge At The O2 London
An Open Letter To Hyatt: Your Toiletry Game Needs Work
4 Reasons I Prefer Business To First On American’s Transcon Flights

NEWS & Updates

Breaking: FlyDubai 737 Crashes In Russia, Killing All 55 Onboard
You Can Now See Your More Detailed Uber Score
Here’s What Starwood Is Telling Employees About The Takeover Bid
BREAKING: Starwood Signs Deal To Be Acquired By Chinese Investors
Update On Starwood’s Chinese Takeover Bid?
SEC Investigating America’s Most Corrupt Airline
US Further Eases Travel Restrictions To Cuba
American Sentenced To 15 Years Of Hard Labor In North Korea
Claim Your American Executive Platinum Uber Code
American Reduces Free Baggage Allowance For First Class Passengers
All Female Crew Lands In Country Where They Aren’t Legally Allowed To Drive
Could New Bid Threaten The Marriott & Starwood Merger?


I hope everyone has a great weekend filled with lots of successful mileage redemptions!

Conversations (5)
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  1. Nemokota Guest

    I bought miles when AA had a good bonus offer and was banking them for my trip to ANTARCTICA. At first I was too far out to ticket and then I seemingly waited too long. It took me a couple days, one long phone call to AA, some hours figuring out how to do it myself and $800 to complete every leg of the journey from PHL to Ushaia and then back from Punta Arenas...

    I bought miles when AA had a good bonus offer and was banking them for my trip to ANTARCTICA. At first I was too far out to ticket and then I seemingly waited too long. It took me a couple days, one long phone call to AA, some hours figuring out how to do it myself and $800 to complete every leg of the journey from PHL to Ushaia and then back from Punta Arenas via Santiago Chile. I got business class to Buenos Aires and back from Santiago on miles. Had to pay for the domestic flights in Argentina and Chile.
    I am grateful for the reminder to book last week and I am fairly happy with the outcome. I used all but 3,000 miles.

  2. Susan Member

    @John - you're right! Getting my "C" banks mixed up!

  3. John Guest

    Susan, I thought Citibank puts out the AAdvantage cards, in Visa, Mastercard and Amex? I don't think Chase has any AA cards.

  4. Susan Member

    I've been waiting for 5 weeks for my AA miles to be credited from my sign-up bonus of my Chase Advantage card. I'm afraid the points will post too late for me to take advantage of pre-devaluation spend. :(

  5. Markj Guest

    I got my last Cathay First flight booked yesterday ago after checking daily for two weeks. Overall two flights in the Etihad "Apartment" and two Cathay First flights booked before devaluation. I am happy with that.

Featured Comments Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).

The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.

Nemokota Guest

I bought miles when AA had a good bonus offer and was banking them for my trip to ANTARCTICA. At first I was too far out to ticket and then I seemingly waited too long. It took me a couple days, one long phone call to AA, some hours figuring out how to do it myself and $800 to complete every leg of the journey from PHL to Ushaia and then back from Punta Arenas via Santiago Chile. I got business class to Buenos Aires and back from Santiago on miles. Had to pay for the domestic flights in Argentina and Chile. I am grateful for the reminder to book last week and I am fairly happy with the outcome. I used all but 3,000 miles.

0
Susan Member

@John - you're right! Getting my "C" banks mixed up!

0
John Guest

Susan, I thought Citibank puts out the AAdvantage cards, in Visa, Mastercard and Amex? I don't think Chase has any AA cards.

0
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