Frequent Miler

This offer is 15% savings on the cash portion of Points & Cash bookings at IHG hotels globally and 20% savings on the cash portion of Points & Cash bookings at Iberostar Beachfront Resorts (the “Offer”). This offer is only available to IHG One Rewards members who book...

IHG giving 15%-20% off Points & Cash bookings (buy IHG points for less than 0.5cpp)

Hilton’s recent incorporation of hundreds of new SLH (Small Luxury Hotels of the World) properties got us excited. One of the most attractive options is Grand Hotel Victoria next to Lake Como in Italy which Nick visited a couple of times when SLH was still with Hyatt. Award availability...

Grand Hotel Victoria Lake Como has wide open award availability

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Herbie J Pilato

Actor Buddy Ebsen, who died at age 95 in 2003, found fame by starring in two of the most popular classic television shows in history: The Beverly Hillbillies (CBS, 1962 to 1971) and Barnaby Jones (CBS, 1973 to 1980). On the Hillbillies, he played former Tennessee country mountain-folk-turned-wealthy Beverly Hills resident Jed Clampett. On Barnaby Jones, he was one of TV's most senior, slyest, health-conscious detectives. Ebsen, however, almost became even more famous for a certain big-screen classic film in which he ultimately did not appear.

'Beverly Hillbillies" Actor Buddy Ebsen Was "Bitter" about not playing the Tin Man in 'Wizard of Oz'

Earn 25,000 bonus points when booking packages including a 4+ night stay with Vacations by Marriott Bonvoy. Promotion is valid for reservations booked through Vacations by Marriott Bonvoy between July 1 – July 31, 2024, for travel July 1 – December 31, 2024, at all Marriott International properties.

Vacations by Marriott Bonvoy promo: Earn 25k bonus points on 4+ night packages

Before I dove into the points & miles game (circa 2011), I was a bit of a Hilton fan. At some point they had given me free Gold status through some kind of promo with Delta Airlines. And I found that I really liked the free breakfasts and room upgrades that Gold status offered. So, when all else was equal, I picked Hilton for my hotel stays. Once I was deep into points & miles, though, I developed a taste for luxury — especially when I could get a good deal with points. Several programs offered ways to stay at luxury properties for reasonable numbers of points. Hilton offered that too, but they didn’t have many highly rated luxury properties. I found myself instead staying at Hyatt, Marriott, and Starwood (now Marriott) hotels. And Necker Island too. Over time, my wife and I canceled our Hilton cards and invested our point earnings in other programs. We rarely stayed at Hilton hotels over the past 12 years. But now, things have changed. Hilton has expanded its high-end portfolio with luxury brands such as LXR Hotels & Resorts, Signia, and Curio Collection; added new hotels to their existing Waldorf Astoria and Conrad brands; and purchased the luxury lifestyle brand NoMad. Most significantly, Hilton has partnered with SLH (Small Luxury Hotels of the World) with nearly 300 luxury properties already integrated and more to come.

Hilton Honors is winning me over, but I’d like one more enhancement…

In honor of its 50th anniversary, Wyndham Hotels brand Super 8 is “bringing back the iconic 1974 room rates of $8.88” for a limited time. At 8am on 8/8, you’ll be able to “book” one of 800 “throwback” rates of $8.88 plus tax at www.super8.com/50Years. This promotion is actually selling points — and it’ll be a great deal if you can snag it.

Super 8 50th anniversary promo: Reserve (i.e. buy 15K points) for $8.88 on 8/8

Hilton did a giant cannonball into the center of the points and miles pool when it added Small Luxury Hotels of the World to its loyalty program earlier this Summer. While we were cautiously optimistic in the Spring after hearing pre-launch details from Hilton, the reality post-launch has far outpaced our expectations.

How to maximize your Hilton cards (with upgrades and downgrades)

Delta shows Southwest how a real “air line” melts down, a trick to avoiding AirBnb conversion fees and the another Lufthansa downgrade story. All that and more in this week’s Saturday Selection, our weekly round-up of interesting tidbits from around the interwebs (links to the original articles are embedded in the titles).

How to avoid AirBnB fees, a Lufthansa First Class downgrade and Delta now meltdown champion (Saturday Selection)

Click the card names below to go to our card-specific pages for more information and to find a link to apply. 75K Miles + up to $250 in statement credits ⓘ Affiliate. Limited-time offer: For a limited time, earn 75,000 Miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months of account opening, plus receive a one-time $250 Capital One Travel credit in your first cardholder year - that's equal to $1,000 in travel. Also, earn unlimited 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day.

Higher Capital One Venture Rewards welcome offer: 75k points + $250 Capital One Travel Portal credits

In the post What’s in Greg’s Wallet? 2024 Edition, I explained that I have three Custom Cash cards which I use exclusively for grocery purchases. Since these cards earn 5x on the category you spend the most, but only up to $500 per billing cycle, I can maximize earnings by using them only at grocery stores and only up to $500 each per month. Instead of keeping track of this myself, I used the Curve card to manage my Custom Cash spend. Whenever I spent more than $500 on a single Custom Cash card, I used Curve’s “Go Back in Time” feature to move the charge to another Custom Cash card. That was easy. But now, in the US, Curve is dead.

How I pay for groceries now that Curve is dead

Choice Privileges is a bit of red-headed stepchild in the world of points and miles, as the majority of the chain’s properties involve budget to midrange lodging. No one ever waxes rhapsodical about their recent stay at a Quality Inn. That said, Choice has a massive footprint in the...

What are Choice points worth?

Ever wanted to gift a free hotel night to someone else? In today’s episode of Frequent Miler on the Air we’ll discuss the ways you can do this!. Watch the full episode below, or listen on your favorite podcast platform. You can click the timestamps below to navigate directly to a specific part of the episode within YouTube.

Podcast: How to gift free hotel nights | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep265 | 7-26-24

Florida State

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Jacksonville Today

Gov. Ron DeSantis has issued a state of emergency in Northeast Florida and across much of the state as a tropical system appears almost certain to develop. The National Hurricane Center said Friday morning that a tropical wave has a 90% chance of developing into at least a tropical depression over the next seven days. Most models show it moving into the Gulf of Mexico and then coming ashore and crossing the state, possibly moving over Northeast Florida.

Tropical system is nearly certain to develop

The Alaska Airlines shopping portal is offering the following three-tiered promotion:. During the “Back-to-School Bonus” offer, which runs from 7/17/2024 through 8/5/2024 at 11:59:59 pm ET (the “Bonus Period”), Member will receive a one-time bonus of up to 1,000 Mileage Plan bonus miles on qualifying purchases made through the Mileage Plan Shopping mall or from purchases made through Mileage Plan Shopping in-store offers.

Alaska Airlines shopping portal promo: Earn up to 1,000 bonus Mileage Plan miles by 8/5

Costco is offering a $100 InKind gift card for $59.99. That could be a great deal if you have upcoming plans to dine at an InKind restaurant. Costco.com is offering a $100 InKind gift card for $59.99. If you’re new to InKind, you can get a $25 reward to use...

$100 InKind gift card for $59.99 at Costco.com

Air Canada Aeroplan recently added yet another airline partnership, this time with Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings. At first glance, I was confused as I’d booked and flown a flight on Eurowings Discover during our most recent team challenge, but View from the Wing points out that Eurowings is a separate entity from Eurowings Discover (now branded as Discover Airlines). This opens up some additional destinations in Europe, essentially increasing the odds that Aeroplan can get you where you need to go.

Aeroplan adds partnership with Eurowings (earn & redeem points)

Save 10% on up to $200 in purchases at Walmart.com with a targeted Amex Offer. Other variations may exist. These are targeted offers. Look for it under “Amex Offers” in your online account. Expires 9/29/24.

Walmart.com Amex Offer: Save 10% on up to $200 in purchases (targeted)

There’s another link available that allows you to check if you’re targeted for the 250K Membership Rewards offer on the Amex Business Platinum card that’s been floating around for a few months. This offer can be triggered several different ways (in fact, some folks have even found a 300K offer), but occasionally someone finds a direct link, like DDG did earlier this week.

New link for the Amex Business Platinum 250K welcome offer (targeted)

Sick of paying the annual fee on your credit card? Before you cancel it, consider whether you may be able to product change to a card that better fits your needs and/or has no annual fee. Downgrading / product changing your card typically keeps your account history intact and it can be a smart strategy for maintaining a relationship with the bank. It can also preserve future options to upgrade to a card you want but can not get as a new cardholder for one reason or another.

Downgrade paths: How to keep your card but break up with your annual fee or find a better fit

Peacock TV announced the other day that it’ll be increasing subscription fees for existing users next month. While the increase isn’t a huge amount on a monthly basis, it might mean that you’ll now be coming out of pocket for the service if you’ve been using the Amex Platinum card’s Digital Entertainment Credit.

Peacock TV increasing subscription price (affects Amex Platinum Digital Entertainment Credit)

NewsBreak

W Edinburgh Hotel (by Marriott): Bottom Line Review

The W Edinburgh is a hotel that can be thankful for the old cliché that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. That’s because the...

W Edinburgh Hotel (by Marriott): Bottom Line Review

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