Friday, 28 June 2013

New IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks List

International Hotel Group (IHG) is a global company with 9 hotel brands. It has over 4,600 hotels and nearly 674,000 rooms in nearly 100 countries around the world. The following brands are part of IHG.

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts

Hualuxe Hotels and Resorts

Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts

Hotel Indigo

EVEN Hotels

Holiday Inn Hotels

Holiday Inn Express Hotels

Holiday Inn Resort

Holiday Inn Club Vacations

Staybridge Suites

Candlewood Suites

If you were to book an InterContinental through IHG Rewards Club it would set you back 50,000 points a night. However, if so often, IHG Rewards Club set out a list of hotels which can be booked for 5,000 points a night called PointBreaks. This offers amazing value! Here is the latest list of participating hotels.

Africa & Middle East

Egypt

Holiday Inn Cairo City Stars

Jordan

InterContinental Aqaba (Resort Aqaba)

Kuwait

Crowne Plaza Kuwait City

Oman

Crowne Plaza Sohar

Saudi Arabia

InterContinental Dar Al Hijra Madinah

South Africa

Holiday Inn Express Pretoria-Sunnypark

Holiday Inn Sandton-Rivonia Road

Europe

Belgium

Holiday Inn Hasselt

England

Holiday Inn Ipswich

Holiday Inn Express Leeds-East

Holiday Inn Stevenage

Holiday Inn Swindon

Holiday Inn Express Redditch

Holiday Inn Basildon

Holiday Inn Express Lichfield

Holiday Inn Runcorn

Holiday Inn Express Burton Upon Trent

Holiday Inn Express Antrim-M2, Jct. 1

Holiday Inn Leeds-Garforth

Finland

Holiday Inn Turku

France

Holiday Inn Express Lille Centre

Holiday Inn Garden Court Reims City Centre

Holiday Inn Garden Court Clermont-Ferrand Centre

Georgia

Holiday Inn Express Amiens

Holiday Inn Tbilisi

Germany

Holiday Inn Mindin

Holiday Inn Wolfsburg City Centre

Greece

Holiday Inn Thessaloniki

InterContinental Athenaeum Athens

Italy

Holiday Inn Express Parma

Holiday Inn Milan-Assago

Holiday Inn Express Foligno

Ireland

Crowne Plaza Dundlak

Lithuania

Holiday Inn Vilnius

Netherlands

Holiday Inn Express Moerdijk

Poland

Holiday Inn Warsaw-Jozefow

Portugal

Holiday Inn Express Porto-Exponor

Romania

InterContinental Bucharest

Russian Federation

Holiday Inn Moscow-Vinogradovo

Spain

Holiday Inn Express Madrid-Tres Cantos

Holiday Inn Express Barcelona-Montmelo

Turkey

Holiday Inn Bursa

Asia

Australia

Crowne Plaza Canberra

Cambodia

InterContinental Phnom Penh

China

Crowne Plaza Dandong

Holiday Inn Express Beijing Wangjing

Holiday Inn Express Shaghai New Hongqiao

Crowne Plaza Guangzhou Huadu

InterContinental Chongqing

Holiday Inn Temple of Heaven Beijing

Crowne Plaza Zhanjiang

Crowne Plaza Changshu

Japan

ANA Hotel Matsuyama

India

Holiday Inn Manali

Nepal

Crowne Plaza Kathmandu-Soaltee

Vietnam

InterContinental Asiana Saigon

Crowne Plaza Danang

Vanuatu

Holiday Inn Resort Vanuatu

North & South America excluding United States

Argentina

Holiday Inn Express Rosario

Holiday Inn Cordoba

Brazil

Holiday Inn Express Cuibaba

Crowne Plaza Belem

Canada

Holiday Inn Hinton

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Surrey

Holiday Inn Winnipeg-Airport West

Holiday Inn Halifax Harbourview

Holiday Inn Express Suites Saint John Harbourside

Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Mississauga

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Brampton

Holiday Inn Express St. Jean Sur Richelieu

Crowne Plaza Gatineau-Ottawa

Crowne Plaza Montreal Airport

Chile

Holiday Inn Express Puerto Montt

Colombia

InterContinental Medellin

Costa Rica

InterContinental Real San Jose-Costa Rica

El Salvador

Crowne Plaza San Salvador

Guatemala

InterContinental Real Guatemala

Honduras

InterContinental Real Tegucigalpa

Mexico

Holiday Inn Express Irapuato

Crowne Plaza Toluca-Lancaster

Staybridge Suites Guadalajara Expo

Crowne Plaza Xalapa, Ver

Crowne Plaza Tuxpan

Panama

Holiday Inn Panama Canal

United States

Alabama

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Sylacauga

Arizona

Holiday Inn Express Prescott

Crowne Plaza Phoenix North

California

Staybridge Suites Silicon Valley-Milpitas

Holiday Inn Express Delano Hwy 99

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Porterville

Holiday Inn San Clemente (Camp Pendleton)

Crowne Plaza Silicon Valley-N. Union City

Colorado

Candlewood Suites Craig-Northwest

Holiday Inn Express La Junta

Connecticut

Holiday Inn Express Branford-New Haven

Delaware

Holiday Inn Express Seaford-Route 13

Florida

Candlewood Suites Jacksonville

Candlewood Suites Miami Airport West

Crowne Plaza Melbourne-Oceanfront

Georgia

Holiday Inn Express Fayetteville

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Rome-East

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Hinesville East-Fort Stewart

Iowa

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Council Bluffs-Conv. Ctr. Area

Holiday Inn Express Pella

Idaho

Candlewood Suites Idaho Falls

Holiday Inn Express Lewiston

Illinois

Holiday Inn Chicago SW-Countryside Confctr

Candlewood Suites Elgin NW-Chicago

Holiday Inn Hotel & Suties Chicago-Carol Stream (Wheaton)

Staybridge Suites Rockford

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Jacksonville

Indiana

Candlewood Suites Merrillville

Candlewood Suites Indianapolis Northwest

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Tell City

Kansas

Candlewood Suites Topeka

Missouri

Crowne Plaza St. Louis Airport

Kentucky

Holiday Inn Express Morhead

Holiday Inn Louisville Airport South

Louisiana

Staybridge Suites Lafayette-Airport

Holiday Inn Morgan City

Holiday Inn Express Minden

Massachusetts

Crowne Plaza Boston-Newton

Candlewood Suites West Springfield

Maryland

Crowne Plaza Baltimore North-Hunt Valley

Holiday Inn Express Pocomoke City

Maine

Holiday Inn Bangor

Michigan

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Belleville (Airport Area)

Minnesota

Holiday Inn Express & Suites St. Paul NE (Vadnais Heights)

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Worthington

Missouri

Holiday Inn Express Fulton

Candlewood Suites Kansas City Airport

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Festus-South St. Louis

Staybridge Suites Kansas City-Independence

Texas

Holiday Inn Denton University Area

Mississippi

Holiday Inn Express Canton

Holiday Inn Express West Point

Montana

Holiday Inn Helena

North Carolina

Candlewood Suites Huntersville-Lake Norman Area

Candlewood Suites Wake Forest Raleigh Area

North Dakota

Holiday Inn Express Devils Lake

Nebraska

Staybridge Suites Lincoln I-80

Staybridge Suites Omaha 80th and Dodge

New Hampshire

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Rochester

New Hampshire

Holiday Inn Express Hampton South-Seabrook

New Jersey

Candlewood Suites Bordentown-Trenton

Crowne Plaza Edison

Holiday Inn Express Woodbridge

New Mexico

Candlewood Suites Roswell New Mexico

Staybridge Suites Albuquerque North

Nevada

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Carson City

New York

Candlewood Suites Nanuet-Rockland County

Holiday Inn Express West Point-Fort Montgomery

Holiday Inn Utica

Candlewood Suites Watertown-Fort Drum

Ohio

Holiday Inn Express Toledo-Oregon

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Lancaster

Holiday Inn Express London-I-70

Crowne Plaza Cincinatti North

Oklahoma

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Altus

Staybridge Suites Oklahoma City Airport

Oregon

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Klamath Falls Central

Holiday Inn Express Roseburg

Pennsylvania

PennsylvaniaHoliday Inn Express Bentleyville

Candlewood Suites Harrisburg

Rhode Island

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Warwick-Providence

South Carolina

Staybridge Suites Greenville I-85 Woodruff Road

Candlewood Suites Sumter

South Dakota

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Winner

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Sturgis

Tennessee

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Morristown

Holiday Inn Express Ooltewah Springs

Texas

Staybridge Suites Dallas-Las Colinas Area

Staybridge Suites Brownsville

Holiday Inn Express Port Arthur Central-Mall Area

Candlewood Suites Longview

Candlewood Suites Galveston

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Center

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Tooele

Utah

Candlewood Suites Salt Lake City-Airport

Virginia

Candlewood Suites Richmond North-Glen Allen

Candlewood Suites Chesapeake/Suffolk

Candlewood Suites Manassas

Candlewood Suites Richmond Airport

Crowne Plaza Richmond Downtown

Crowne Plaza Old Town Alexandria

Vermont

Holiday Inn Express White River Junction

Washington

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Moses Lake

Candlewood Suites Lakewood

Wisconsin

Staybridge Suites Milwaukee West-Oconomowoc

West Virginia

Holiday Inn Express Charleston-Southridge

Wyoming

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Douglas

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Lander

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Torrington

PointBreaks awards go very fast for the best hotels on the list so book now and you can always cancel later as with any normal reward night.

New IHG Rewards Club PointBreaks List

Thursday, 27 June 2013

Spend £10 or More and Get £5 Back with American Express - Shop Small

I received a lovely email from American Express. They will relaunch their Shop Small campaign from 1 July to 31 July 2013.

You will find the list of participating shops here, and you can register your American Express cards here.

How Does Shop Small Work?

When you make a transaction of £10 or more at a participating merchant from 1 to 31 July 2013, you will receive a £5 statement credit. You can receive one statement credit per merchant at up to 10 different locations, thereby receiving up to a maximum of £50 in statement credits. Participating merchants can be found at amex.co.uk/shopsmallmap

This is an important change from last time. Previously there was no limit so this change has a dramatic effect on the lucrative nature of this deal. It is unclear at this point whether the £50 limit is per account or per card with supplementary cards having their own limit. This will have to be tested once the campaign commences. Still, you can register every American Express card you and/or your partner has. So, if you have five cards you can earn up to £250 worth of statement credits.

The second major change from last time is you will receive £5 statement credit after a purchase of £10 or more. Previously, you earned £5 statement credit after £5 purchase, which, if used correctly, resulted in £5 worth of free stuff. American Express have clearly seen the madness of their ways. You are still getting a 50% discount on your £10 purchase so this is clearly still a very good deal, particularly as this deal covers places that will typically not have discount schemes already in place, such as your local pub!

How Do I Register?

To be eligible for the £5 statement credit, you must register your American Express Card at amex.co.uk/shopsmall and use your registered Card for full payment. Transactions must be made in-store in order to receive the statement credit. Online transactions are excluded from this offer

Make sure you register ALL of your American Express, including supplementary cards, just in case.

What American Express Cards Can I Use?

This offer is open to existing American Express Cardmembers with a UK issued Credit or Charge Card. American Express Corporate Cards and Prepaid Cards do not qualify for this offer

This deal covers all American Express personal cards, such as Platinum, Gold, Starwood, Lloyds TSB, British Airways, Diamond Club, American Airlines, etc. If it’s American Express then you can register it, including supplementary/additional cards.

When Will I Receive The Statement Credit?

Statement credits are generally issued within three to five business days after your qualifying purchase, but may take up to eight weeks to be applied to your account

Keep a record of your purchases so you can always send a chasing email to American Express if it’s taking too long to process your statement credit.

Do I Earn Rewards For My Spend?

The £5 statement credit does not count toward any rewards associated with your Card. This means that if you spend £15, any rewards points will be calculated on a net transaction of £10

Sadly your statement credits won’t earn Avios, Starwood points, American Express membership reward points, etc, depending on your card type. The rest of your purchase will though, and will count towards any minimum spend requirement if you’re chasing a sign up bonus.

What Happens If My Card Is Stolen/Lost?

If your Card is issued directly by American Express and is lost or stolen during the campaign, American Express will automatically update your replacement Card with any campaigns that you have registered for. If your Card is issued by MBNA or Lloyds TSB, you will need to re-register your Card at amex.co.uk/shopsmall.

An important piece of information if your card is unfortunately lost or stolen.

My final note is based on my experience with the Shop Small promotion last time. Not all the participating merchants on the American Express website will actually be participating. So, always check if they do, in fact, accept American Express as a method of payment, and if they plan to add a surcharge.

Spend £10 or More and Get £5 Back with American Express - Shop Small

Wednesday, 26 June 2013

Partnership Between Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic - What It Means For You

On 11th December 2012, Delta announced they would acquire a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic from Singapore Airlines.

Virgin and Delta have now announced a new strategic alliance. Delta Airlines flights will be available to book with Virgin Atlantic from 29 June 2013, for travel from 3 July 2013.

The new alliance means fliers will enjoy reciprocal frequent flier programmes, meaning both airlines will be able to acquire and redeem miles on both carriers. They will also have access to Delta Sky Clubs and Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse lounges and convenient connections between the carriers.

So, what does this all mean?

It means you will earn Flying Club miles and tier points on any Delta flight and can redeem Virgin Atlantic flights with Delta SkyMiles.

Earn Miles

First Class – 150% of miles flown

Business Class – 200% of miles flown

Discounted Business Class – 150% of miles flown

Economy Class – 100% of miles flown

Tier Bonus

Flying Club Silver members will receive 50% bonus of the base flown miles

Flying Club Gold members will receive 100% bonus of the base flown miles

Eligible Booking Classes

First Class: F

Discounted First Class: P, A, G

Business Class: J, C

Discounted Business Class: D, I, Z

Economy: Y, B, M, S, H, Q, K, L, U, T, X, V, E

Miles will also be earned when travelling on Virgin Codeshare flights operated by Delta Air Lines.

Earn Tier Points

Economy Class Under 3,000 Miles = 1

Economy Class Over 3,000 Miles = 2

Business Class Under 3,000 Miles = 3

Business Class Over 3,000 Miles = 5

Redeem Miles

From UK – USA = 40,000 in Economy and 90,000 in Business/First

Within Continental USA, Alaska & Canada = 25,000 in Economy and 45,000 in Business

From USA to Hawaii = 40,000 in Economy and 75,000 in Business/First

From USA to Caribbean, Mexico & Central America = 35,000 in Economy and 60,000 in Business/First

From USA to South America = 45,000 in Economy and 90,000 in Business/First

From USA to Africa, Middle East & Asia= 80,000 in Economy and 120,000 in Business/First

From USA to South West Pacific = 100,000 in Economy and 150,000 in Business/First

All mileage is for a return ticket excluding passenger taxes, duties, fee, charges and surcharges, rewards cannot be booked on a Delta marketed flights operated by another carrier, and no one way rewards permitted.

In comparison, an Avios redemption booked via American Airlines offers significantly greater value for short distance within continental USA since a one-way New York to Boston would cost as little as 4,500 Avios compared to 25,000 miles under this Virgin/Delta programme.

Delta fliers can use the existing Delta redemption charts found here.

Remember, you can only earn miles in one scheme for any particular flight. So, you will have to chose between Delta SkyMiles and Virgin’s Flying Club. If you are UK-based then presumably this will be an easy choice since you will be more likely to fly Virgin and earning Virgin miles is much easier through their credit cards or transferring Tesco Clubcard points or American Express membership reward points.

Will Virgin Join SkyTeam Alliance?

From Virgin’s press statement, “Virgin Atlantic is evaluating potential entry to the SkyTeam alliance, of which Delta is a member. However, SkyTeam entry is not essential in order to realise the immediate and substantial benefits of the joint venture.”

So, it appears the answer to that question is a wait-and-see.

Partnership Between Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic - What It Means For You

Monday, 24 June 2013

British Airways Silent Picturehouse is Returning

“In partnership with BAFTA, British Airways Silent Picturehouse is returning to the enchanting arches of London’s Vinopolis this summer, where five of the very best travel-inspired films will be shown simultaneously across five screens. All you need to do is decide which of these fantastic movies you wish to watch, and with the aid of wireless headphones you can immerse yourself in the joys of cinema.”

Silent Picturehouse will be showing:

Skyfall

Top Gun

The Beach

Jaws

Fans’ Choice

This unique cinema experience can be enjoyed from 22 July to 26 July 2013 and tickets are now available.

Tickets are charged at £15.00. The price includes a choice of travel inspired films, 1 glass of champagne or soft drink, hotdog, popcorn, ice-cream, sweets and treats. Cash bar is available throughout the event

Please select the number of tickets you would like to purchase @ £15.00 each:

British Airways have partnered with Disney to also bring you ‘Silent Picturehouse Kids’. There are five family-friendly films being shown:

Cars 2

Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland

Oz the Great and Powerful

The Muppets

This unique event is aimed at children between the ages of 3 to 14 years of age. Every two children must be accompanied by at least one responsible adult over the age of 18.

Tickets are priced at £12.50 for children and include a drink, hotdog, snacks, sweets and treats

The accompanying adults pay a reduced price of £7.50 to attend with children. Ticket price still includes a soft drink from the bar, hotdog, popcorn, ice cream and other treats.

Terms and Conditions

Each ticket purchaser may purchase up to a maximum of six tickets in total

Each Eligible Person’s e-ticket confirmation email must be shown on arrival (in either printed or electronic form) at the Event along with valid ID of the ticket purchaser or the named Eligible Person if not the ticket purchaser. At BA’s discretion, each other Eligible Person must also produce valid ID

Event tickets will be provided at the Event Box Office upon presentation of the e-ticket confirmation email

British Airways Silent Picturehouse is Returning

New Foursquare / American Express Offer - June 2013

American Express

I had a lovely email drop through my virtual mailbox with the wonderful news of a new American Express / Foursquare offer. If you have not previously heard about the relationship between American Express and Foursquare then please read my previous post found here.

To be eligible for Foursquare offers, you must sync your American Express Card within the Foursquare app, or online at sync.americanexpress.co.uk.

New Foursquare Offer

Enjoy a £10 statement credit when you spend £50 or more on your American Express Card at D&D Restaurants.

Log into Foursquare and tap the ‘Check-in Special’ then load the offer directly to your Card.

Offer available to the first 1,500 Cardmembers and valid between 24 June and 5 August 2013.

According to American Express, “D&D has always stood for exceptional food, seasonal and sustainable produce and renowned wine cellars at every one of its 26 stylish London and Leeds restaurants.”

In addition, American Express Cardmembers can enjoy additional Membership Rewards points when you spend at any D&D London restaurant between 24 June and 5 August 2013. You earn 1 additional Membership Rewards point for every £1 spent.

This promotion is not open to American Express Corporate Cards.

It is nice to see the return of Foursquare offers for American Express Cardmembers. Unfortunately, this is not the most lucrative offer but let’s hope it is the start of some exciting summer deals. We might even see a return to the ‘spend £50, get £50 statement credit’ days of old.

New Foursquare / American Express Offer - June 2013

Saturday, 22 June 2013

Free Le Club Accorhotels Platinum Sign Up - Act Now! (June Edition)

Another Le Club Accorhotels Platinum Sign Up link via Loyalty Lobby

To get platinum status enter your email address and then click verify.

Le Club Accorhotels

Sofitel

Pullman

MGallery

Grand Mercure

Novotel

Suite Novotel

Mercure

Adagio

ibis

ibis Styles

Thalassa sea & spa

Platinum Benefits

Double Le Club points for each stay

Room upgrade - if available

4pm checkout – if available

Complimentary drink

Complimentary welcome gift

Priority check-in desk

Even if you do not plan to stay at any of those hotels then Platinum status is still useful for status matches. A status match is where you ask another hotel loyalty program if they can grant a similar status level if their program as you enjoy in a rival program. The reason they are receptive to matching other status levels is because they want regular hotel users to switch to their program and regular users will be more inclined to switch if they will receive similar benefits to which they enjoy in the program they are leaving.

I have personally used Le Club Accorhotels Platinum status to match to Hilton Gold and Club Carlson Gold. I explain how I status matched to Club Carlson in this post.

If you do want to take advantage of this link then act now! These public links do not last very long. If the link is already dead when you read this do not despair too much. These links tend to appear every 3-4 months and be assured I will let you know as soon as another link is available. You could also contact Loyalty Lobby for a private link.

If you want more information about how to book cheap hotel rooms then click here.

Free Le Club Accorhotels Platinum Sign Up - Act Now! (June Edition)

Friday, 21 June 2013

Low-Cost Air Fares: How Ticket Prices Fall and Rise

Interesting article from BBC News,

By Erica Gornall

Prices on routes from London to major European cities including Rome, Barcelona and Berlin on three major airlines were monitored every day for six weeks.

The findings show that fares can actually fall and then rise a number of times during the period leading up to a flight.

The price of a Ryanair flight from London to Rome in the middle of April, for example, fell on six separate occasions in the six weeks before departure.

You could therefore have saved money by waiting for a day or so, and in a couple of cases, the saving was quite substantial. Between 14 and 15 March, the price fell from £40.14 to £28.14. And between 1 and 2 April it fell from £78.91 to £54.99.

“We will know whether we are over or below [the target for passengers buying seats],” says Michael Cawley, Ryanair’s deputy chief executive.

“And if we are above it, we can increase the fare, because we need to slow down the rate of booking, or if we are below it, we need to reduce the fares,” he explains.

This is classic demand management, of course. But it makes particular sense for the low-cost airlines, because their business models depend as much on selling extras – hotels, refreshments and car hire – as they do on selling tickets.

As they say at Ryanair, it is all about “bums on seats”. Fewer passengers means fewer opportunities to sell gifts on board.

Low-cost air travel takes people to places they had never thought of visiting – but not necessarily because they are fulfilling their travel ambitions. Often, it is just because the destination is the cheapest on offer.

“Passengers generally have a budget, and are in many cases indifferent to where they go, so long as it’s a sunshine destination or a historic destination depending on their preference,” says Ryanair’s Michael Cawley.

“So if it’s Krakow or Prague it really doesn’t matter. Or if it’s Alicante or Malaga, it doesn’t matter. It’s the price that determines that demand.”

This results in the peaks and troughs in the prices. In the space of just four days, a ticket from London to Barcelona with the Irish airline went from £57.99 to £35.34 to £28.14 and then back up to £41.74.

At Easyjet it is all about “buckets”. On each flight, groups of tickets are sold in a series of “buckets”, with the buckets sold closer to the flight having higher prices, explains UK director Paul Simmons.

But while in general the later buckets have higher fares, to sell all the tickets in a particular bucket, prices may be cut to boost sales and move on to the next, higher priced bucket.

And if there’s low demand on a flight, the system may never reach the higher priced buckets.

“It doesn’t accelerate through the buckets at all if it’s a low-demand flight, so it may never get to the final buckets, it may just carry on at a lower trajectory,” says Mr Simmons.

The research for the BBC programme, Flights and Fights: Inside the Low Cost Airlines, showed that if you had booked on 13 March for a flight from London to Rome you would have paid £90.99. But on 10 April, just two days before the flight, the fare had gone up by just £9 to £99.99.

So how can you try to get the best fare?

“Days of the week do vary. Tuesdays would be our weakest day from a revenue point of view,” says Paul Simmons. “So if you are flexible, say you can fly on your summer holiday Tuesday to Tuesday, rather than Saturday to Saturday, you’d probably save money.”

Also, check comparison sites because British Airways, often considered a more expensive “full service” airline, was sometimes cheaper than those known as “low-cost” airlines.

On the route to Barcelona, for example, BA was cheaper than Easyjet for most of the period. It would only have been cheaper to fly Easyjet six weeks before the flight and for a few days right before take-off.

And although Ryanair was still consistently the cheapest, they often fly to different airports, further from the centre of the city.

Simon Calder, who has monitored the industry for many years, warns consumers not to confuse “low-cost” airlines, which operate as cheaply as possible, with “low fares”, which is what the customers pay to fly.

“‘Low-cost airline’ means an airline whose costs are low, not necessarily an airline whose fares are low,” says Mr Calder.

“A low-cost airline can have very high fares. A high-cost airline can have very low fares. The crucial thing about low-cost airlines is that the lower your costs, the more likely it is that you will be able to make a profit and offer – most of the time – decent value to your customers.”

Flights and Fights: Inside the Low Cost Airlines, will be broadcast on BBC Two on Thursday 20 June at 21:00BST.

Low-Cost Air Fares: How Ticket Prices Fall and Rise

Thursday, 20 June 2013

50% Summer Offer at Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza or Hotel Indigo

REWARD YOURSELF WITH 50% OFF A TWO NIGHT STAY

The InterContinental Hotel Group is offering 50% off two nights at any participating Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express Crowne Plaza hotel or Hotel Indigo at a limited choice of locations.

Book between 3 June and 31 July 2013 for stays between 24 June to 8 September 2013.

To book click here to view participating hotels or call 0871 423 4870. Quoting: 50% Summer Offer.

Terms and Conditions

Offer applies to stays on Friday, Saturday or Sunday nights, with some limited mid-week availability

Bookings must be made at least 7 days in advance of date of the first night of stay

Offer is based on stays of a minimum and maximum of two consecutive nights based on two adults sharing standard twin/double room, on a room only basis

Bookings for individuals will be charged at the same rate

Up to two children under the age of 18 as at the date of booking can stay in the room at no extra cost when sharing with up to two adults if suitable accommodation is available, to be determined at the sole discretion of the hotel and subject to notification to the hotel at time of booking

Full payment is required at time of booking and is non-refundable.

50% Summer Offer at Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza or Hotel Indigo

Monday, 17 June 2013

Bonus 2,400 Avios for iPad2 plus £20 Discount Code

Tesco Direct has a special deal on iPad2 - 1,000 bonus Clubcard points, which can be exchanged for 2,400 Avios at the standard conversion rate.

This can also be combined with £20 discount code.

There are four iPad2 available within this deal. Here are the details and links;

Apple iPad 2 16GB Wi-Fi White Tablet

£319.00 – £20 code = £299 = 299 standard points plus 1,000 bonus points = 3,117 Avios (1 Avios = 9.59 pence)

Apple iPad 2 16GB Wi-Fi 3G Black

£419.00 – £20 code = £399 = 399 standard points plus 1,000 bonus points = 3,357 Avios (1 Avios = 11.89 pence)

Apple iPad 2 16GB Wi-Fi Black Tablet

£319.00 – £20 code = £299 = 299 standard points plus 1,000 bonus points = 3,117 Avios (1 Avios = 9.59 pence)

Apple iPad 2 16GB Wi-Fi 3G White

£419.00 – £20 code = £399 = 399 standard points plus 1,000 bonus points = 3,357 Avios (1 Avios = 11.89 pence)

£20 Discount Code

eCoupon code TDX-KQ9V gets £20 off on spend over £100 on selected electrical items. Valid until 26 June 2013.

CashBack

TopCashBack offer 2.02% cashback for Technology and Gaming purchases.

Bonus 2,400 Avios for iPad2 plus £20 Discount Code

Saturday, 15 June 2013

New TripIt Pro - Free 2 Month Trial

TripIt is a program that organises and stores your travel information allowing quick and easy access to important data when you need it most. TripIt have launched a new Pro version with extra bells and whistles and are offering a free 2-month trial to attract new customers.

The Pro-Version has the following benefits:

Instant alerts about flight delays, cancellations, and gate changes sent right to your phone

Help finding alternative flights to a destination

Set seat alerts to be notified when the seat you really want becomes available

Point-tracking system, including account information, balances and expirations dates.

Refund alert so if your airfare is eligible for a refund, you’ll be the first to know

Share automatically your travel plans with people who need to know exactly where you are and where you’re going

Complimentary 1-year memberships to Hertz #1 Club Gold and Regus Gold

You will have enter your credit card number to secure the free 2-month trial and you will automatically be charged $49 for an annual subscription to TripIt Pro if you do not cancel before the end of your trial period. So, if you want to try this then mark your calender and set a reminder for the date when you need to cancel.

New TripIt Pro - Free 2 Month Trial

Thursday, 13 June 2013

Free Upgrade to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Silver Status

This one has been discussed quite widely, first posted at HeadforPoints, then picked up by major blogs such as View From The Wing and Million Mile Secrets, but in case you have missed it I will post the details of how to get Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Silver status here.

To earn free Silver upgrade click the following link.

Enter your membership number then a confirmation page should load and a confirmation email will be sent.

Next time you log in to your Virgin Atlantic Flying Club account it will show Silver status.

This link comes from an expired targeted offer that may not work for all members and will probably be closed shortly due to all the attention it is receiving so if you want to do this then act now rather than later. It may also require a UK address so be careful you are resident of another country.

If you have not joined the Flying Club yet and have an upcoming flight then get a friend to refer you and you will both earn bonus miles depending on the ticket class you are flying. If you would like me to refer you then email georgethetravelmonkey@gmail.com

Virgin Atlantic Silver Status offers three significant benefits

50% extra base flown miles on every flight

Premium Check In

Priority if the flight you’d like to book is already full, you’ll be bumped up the queue. So if anyone fails to show up, you’ll be one of the first people we offer a seat to

To stay silver you need to earn at least 10 tier points in your membership year. Your fixed membership year will be 12 to 13 months dependant on the day you reached Silver.

A one-way on Virgin Atlantic Little Red (UK domestic service) earns 1 tier point, one-way on Virgin Atlantic cheap economy (V,E,Q,X,N,O class) earns 2 tier points, and the most expensive premium Upper Class (J,C,D class) earns a maximum 6 tier points.

So, if you want to re-earn silver for the following year then you could fly five cheap economy returns.

Virgin Atlantic is merging with Delta airlines at some point in the near future so you may be able to match Silver status to SkyTeam status, though this is definitely a wait-and-see area.

Free Upgrade to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Silver Status

Wednesday, 12 June 2013

Accor Hotels Super Sale - 50% Off!

Le Club Accor is offering up to 50% discount with their Super Sale!

This offer is open between 12 June and 21 June 2013 for Le Club Accorhotels members and between 17 June and 21 June 2013 for the general public. It is free to join Le Club Accor and this sale offers a 40% discount for members but only a 30% discount for non-members so it would be crazy not to join. With the Le Club Accorhotels program, Accor rewards your loyalty at over 2,500 hotels ranging from luxury to budget: Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Suite Novotel, Mercure, Adagio (excluding Adagio Access), ibis, ibis Styles and Thalassa sea & spa. I discussed how to get free platinum status with Le Club Accor here. Booking must be prepaid online at www.accorhotels.com and this offer applies to all stays between 6 July 2013 and 1 September 2013. A full list of participating hotels can be found here.

Cashback

Top CashBack offers between 2.1% to 10.5% depending of the brand of hotel.

Accor Hotels Super Sale - 50% Off!

Hotels.com Summer Sale - 40% Off!

Book between 12 June to 20 August 2013 and stay between 31 May and 30 September 2013 and save up to 40% off any hotel booking at hotels.com.

Here is a list of some of the hotels offering 40% off:

Trafalgar Hotel, London

Hilton Canary Wharf, London

Doubletree by Hilton, Westminister, London

Le Boulevard, Venice

Hotel Quarteirasol, Quarteira, Portugal

Park Inn, Stockholm

Hilton Malmo City, Malmo

Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina, Dubai

AlHamra hotel, Sharjah, UAE

This deal can be combined with hotels.com‘s loyalty program Welcome Rewards. I discuss the Welcome Rewards program in more detail here.

And if you are interested in hotel reward programs I discuss them in more depth here.

In the interests of full disclosure, this website will receive a small commission for any hotel stays booked through the links on this post. This commission goes towards the running costs for the website. We thank you for your support.

Hotels.com Summer Sale - 40% Off!

3-2-1 Days to Go - British Airways Flash Sale!

British Airways have launched several 72-hour flash sales.

Save up to 30% on Club Europe holidays. Book by midnight 13 Jun 2013.

Berlin for 3 nights in 4-star hotel for £369 pp

Barcelona for 3 nights in 4-star hotel for £389 pp

Agadir for 7 nights in 4-star holiday for £419 pp

Save up to £300 per couple when you stay a minimum of 7 nights in Mauritius, the Maldives, or Sri Lanka. Book by midnight 13 Jun 2013.

Mauritius – travel between 11 June and 15 December 2013 - up to £300 per couple

Maldives – travel between 1 August and 15 December 2013 – up to £200 per couple

Sri Lanka – travel between 11 June and 15 December 2013 – up to £175 per couple

Save up to £300 per booking when you book a Las Vegas holiday at all 4-star and 5-star hotels when staying a minimum of 4 nights. Book by 13 Jun 2013.

The Venetian – stay between 1 November and 30 November for £749 pp

The Palazzo – stay between 1 October and 30 October for £999 pp

Mandarin Oriental – stay between 1 July – 31 July for £999 pp

Book a holiday to Dubai and save up to 35% and get a free upgrade to Half Board. Available at the below hotels when staying a minimum of 7 nights. Travel between 9 July and 30 September 2013. Book by 13 Jun 2013.

5-star Jumeirah Zabeel Saray

5-star Jumeirah Beach Hotel

5-star Madinat Jumeirah Al Qasr

5-star Madinat Jumeirah Dar al Masyaf

All holiday prices are based on 2 adults sharing and include return British Airways flights from London Gatwick or London Heathrow.

3-2-1 Days to Go - British Airways Flash Sale!