The single best deal of the year | Ep235 | 12-30-23
Dec 30, 2023
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In this episode, Greg and Nick discuss the single best deal of the year in the points & miles space. They cover topics such as the benefits of the Amtrak Preferred Card, earning Bilt elite status, choosing a Marriott reward option, and the amazing Virgin Voyages cruise deals with points. They also talk about Bilt's transfer bonuses to Air France/KLM Flying Blue and Virgin, as well as the Marriott Homes & Villas 40K bonus with 4 nights. The hosts highlight the importance of chemistry in hiring, maximizing rewards with transfer bonuses, and remarkable deals with Mary at Holmes and Villas. They also discuss Choice Privileges College Game Day experiences and status matches offered by Alaska and JetBlue.
Virgin Red offered heavily discounted points rates for Virgin Voyages cruises, providing all-inclusive packages at 80,000 or 100,000 points for two people.
Built and Hyatt partnered to offer a fast track to Hyatt Globalist status, requiring 20 elite nights within 90 days, with a points-back opportunity for every two nights stayed.
Built offered a transfer bonus of up to 150% to Flying Blue, allowing members to transfer points at higher rates for discounted award flights.
A transfer bonus of up to 150% to Virgin Atlantic was available, enabling members to transfer points at highly favorable rates.
Marriott offered a promotion where booking four or more nights with Marriott Homes and Villas earned a bonus of 40,000 points, allowing members to earn elite nights and points at a great value.
Capital One Travel ran a sale with discounts on hotels and flights with no minimum spend requirement, providing incredible deals for cardholders.
Deep dives
Virgin Cruise Deals
Virgin Red offered Virgin Voyages cruises at heavily discounted points rates, including all-inclusive packages for two people at 80,000 or 100,000 points.
Built Hyatt Fast Track Plus
Built and Hyatt partnered to offer a fast track to Hyatt Globalist status, requiring 20 elite nights within 90 days, with the opportunity to earn 3,000 points back for every two nights stayed.
Built Transfer Bonus to Air France, KLM Flying Blue
Built offered a transfer bonus of up to 150%, allowing members to transfer points at higher rates to Flying Blue, which included discounted award flights.
Built Transfer Bonus to Virgin Atlantic
A transfer bonus of up to 150% was offered, enabling members to transfer points to Virgin Atlantic at highly favorable rates.
Marriott Homes and Villas Promotion
Marriott offered a promotion where booking four or more nights with Marriott Homes and Villas earned a bonus of 40,000 points, allowing members to earn elite nights and points at a great value.
Capital One Travel Sale
Capital One Travel ran a sale with discounts of $50 to $200 on hotels and flights with no minimum spend requirement, resulting in some incredible deals for Capital One cardholders.
Capital One Shopping Referral Promotion
Capital One Shopping offered a referral bonus of $200 for both the referrer and the referral after the referral made a $10 purchase. This allowed members to earn substantial bonuses by referring friends and family.
Choice Privileges College Game Day Experiences
Choice Privileges offered exclusive game day experiences for college sports fans, including tickets to games, access to team facilities, and various VIP perks for a redemption of Choice Privileges points.
Capital One Travel Sale
Capital One Travel offered members the opportunity to earn 30 Miles & More miles per euro spent on bookings through Booking.com, providing a lucrative opportunity for earning miles.
Main Idea 1
Booking flights through a 35% rebate on the Business Platinum card for Spirit Airlines was an attractive deal despite some challenges encountered during the booking process. By changing the chosen airline to Spirit, the speaker was able to use Membership Rewards points to book a flight at a net cost of around 40,000 points for a family of four. Even though booking through AMEX Travel resulted in slightly higher pricing compared to booking directly on Spirit.com, the deal still provided good value and savings. The speaker shared their experience with real-time mobile rewards, where they successfully redeemed points for travel expenses through the US Bank Altitude Reserve card.
Main Idea 2
The podcast episode also discussed other notable deals and suggestions from readers, such as the built Hyatt Fast Track, the Chase Ink Business credit card with 90,000-point referral bonus, and status matches for disgruntled Delta elites offered by Alaska and JetBlue. While some deals had limitations or targeted a specific audience, they were highlighted as valuable opportunities for those who could leverage them. The episode concluded with a discussion about the Deal of the Year nominees, with the built 100% transfer bonus to Air France Flying Blue chosen as the standout winner due to its broad applicability, substantial upside, and timing.
Between those deals we have identified and those highlighted by readers, which was the single best deal of 2023 in the points & miles space? This week, Greg and Nick consider the contenders and crown a champion.
00:00 Intro
01:14 Giant Mailbag
05:45 Card Talk: Amtrak Preferred Card
https://frequentmiler.com/amkworld/
10:24 What crazy thing . . . did Bilt Rewards do this week?
