Weekend Roundup
Some quick weekend updates:
Hotel Points
IHG is offering double points in January, plus 2k bonus points if you stay at multiple brands during the month.
If you don’t have a Hilton account, now’s a great time to sign up, because with their current offer you can get 1,000 bonus points after your first stay and 2,000 more after your second. Once a member, you can use their Points Plus promotion to earn up to 2.5k extra points on each stay through May 1st.
If you prefer Marriott but haven’t joined Bonvoy yet, remember you can get some extra points anytime you sign up via a referral.
Airline developments
United Airlines is encouraging cobranded cardholders to spend more in 2024 to earn Premier Qualifying Points toward status qualification by increasing the PQP earning rate. Delta now also lets you earn its similar Medallion Qualification Dollars via its premium cards. Southwest, JetBlue, and American also have ways to spend your way towards status.
Delta is moving to paper cups to reduce plastic waste.
Speaking of Delta, there was a lot of drama late last year as the carrier made big changes to its frequent flyer program and lounge access rules, and then made some big changes to those big changes in the face of criticism. The whole saga was part of a series of changes airlines have made to make rewards less valuable after consumers invested time and money into their programs, and the airlines have attracted some unwanted attention from Congress and the DOT.
I got upgraded on my most recent Delta flight so they remain in my good graces for now…
Etc.
Thrifty Traveler waited until right after my review to announce several new features. These include text message alerts for “unicorn fares,” “nerd alerts” for unique trips for those who are interested, more filters (airline alliance, departure cities, price thresholds, month of travel, cabin class, etc.), and the ability to select certain airports only for international deals (e.g., if you wouldn’t drive to the airport 2.5 hours away for a cheap regional flight but would for a $300 flight to Sweden).
Dining programs are great, as I’ve said before. AA’s welcome offer on its program has been at 500 points for a long time, so if you want to support us and pick up some easy points just for eating out, use our referral link to sign up HERE.
We’ve watched a few movies via Cinemark’s Movie Club lately, and I have to shamelessly plug my referral code: click HERE for 50% off your first month. There’s no reason to pay for tickets at the counter these days when you can sign up for Movie Club or a similar service. The membership costs less than the price of a ticket, and you get discounts on theater snacks and tickets for companions. Plus, you can just cancel anytime.