Wednesday, 21 August 2013

Earn 3,000 Bonus Avios on Weekends With Hilton HHonors

hilton-hhonors-iberia-jpg


 


Earn 1,000 bonus Avios for any completed “weekend night” between 1 August 2013 and 16 December 2013. For the purposes of this promotion Hilton defines a “weekend night” as Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Stays at Hampton by Hilton and Homewood Suites will earn 200 bonus Avios per completed weekend night.


 


To participate in this offer, you must


(1) be a member of Hilton HHonors


Join here for free.



(2) select Iberia as your preferred Double Dip Points & Miles Partner in your Hilton HHonors account profile


You earn 10 HHonors Base Points for every US dollar spent on your room. In addition to the base points you can earn bonus points. There are three options:



  1. Points and Points - 5 Bonus Points per US dollar spent on your room

  2. Points and Variable Miles - 1 mile per US dollar spent on your room

  3. Points and Fixed Miles - A set number of airline/rail miles per hotel stay depending on partner. Full details can be found here. If you select Iberia Plus as your travel partner then you will earn 750 Avios per stay


 


(3) select Points and Fixed Miles or Points and Variable Miles as your Double Dip Earning Style within your HHonors profile


Full details on how the Hilton HHonors points system works can be found here.


 


(4) register at HHonors.com/iberiaweekend (English version) or HHonors.com/iberiaweekendes (Spanish version)


You must register for this promotion to be eligible for the bonus Avios.


 


(5) Complete one or more qualifying stays at participating hotels in Europe, Middle East & Africa only between 1 August 2013 and 16 December 2013


The promotion terms and conditions says that only stays booked and completed after registration will be eligible for bonus Avios. However, if you have a nonrefundable stay already arranged at a Hilton then you should still register as I suspect you will still earn the bonus Avios.


 


Allow up to six weeks after qualification and after promotion has ended for miles to be credited to your account.


 


Full details of the promotion can be found here.


 


Hat-tip for this post to Loyalty Lobby.


 


Tuesday, 20 August 2013

One-Day Sale at Hotels.com - Save Up To 50%



 


There are two conditions for this one day sale:



  1. You must book your hotel stay via hotels.com before 21 August 2013

  2. You must stay between 20 August and 9 October 2013

  3. This offer is only available for select number of hotels


 


Up to 50% discounts are available during this one day sale. More information can be found here.


 


In the interests of full disclosure, this blog receives a small commission for all hotel stays booked through our affiliate link. This is a public offer, which is available independently through hotels.com. We appreciate any support you give us.

Sunday, 18 August 2013

12,000 Avios for Tesco Life Insurance

family-wellies-t4c


Tesco Bank is offering 5,000 Clubcard points for new customers who take out a life insurance or critical illness cover before 29 October 2013. You must quote promotional code P4L5K to receive the Clubcard points. Full details of the offer can be found here.


As a word of warning, I will discuss this deal from the prospect of obtaining Avios. If you want/need life or critical illness cover then get a policy that meets your financial needs rather than one that earns you Avios. You can find independent financial advice at unbiased.co.uk.


5,000 Clubcard points can be exchanged for 12,000 Avios. However, Tesco have learnt from previous points and do not give you the Clubcard points easily.The 5,000 Clubcard points will be allocated as 1,250 points over 4 quarterly Clubcard Statements. The first 1250 points will be applied after three monthly premiums have been paid. If you cancel your policy or stop paying premiums within the first 12 months, we will not apply any outstanding Clubcard points.


So, you need to maintain the policy for 12 months to receive the full allowance of Clubcard points. The minimum premium is £5.00 per month. Therefore, 12 months premium will cost £60 to earn 12,000 Avios (1 Avios = 0.5 pence).


I value Avios at one pence per point so I consider this to be a very good deal to earn Avios. The only drawback is the significant time required to earn the full allocation of points.


If you actually want the Life insurance it is important to answer all questions fully, truthfully and accurately. If you want the Clubcard points then make yourself appear as healthy as possible to avoid any underwriting problems.


You can cancel your policy at any time, but if you do, you won’t receive any money back, and if you cancel before 12 months you won’t receive all of the bonus Clubcard points.


It is also worth remembering that you can also exchange Tesco Clubcard points for Virgin Flying Club points if you prefer to redeem for Virgin or Delta flights.


 


Terms and Conditions



  • Maximum two offers per household

  • Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer

  • Only for UK residents and age 18 or over


Saturday, 17 August 2013

Buy Avios and Get Up To 30% Extra

Purchase & Gift Avios Hero Banner






Buy a minimum of 2,000 Avios before 19 September 2013 and boost your purchase by up to 30%. It is a sliding stage; the more you buy the higher the bonus. Here are the full details:



  • Purchase 2,000 – 9,000 Avios for a 5% Avios bonus

  • Purchase 10,000 – 17,000 Avios for a 10% Avios bonus

  • Purchase 18,000 – 23,000 Avios for a 20% Avios bonus

  • Purchase 24,000 Avios for a 30% Avios bonus


You are allowed to purchase up to a maximum 24,000 Avios each year.


You can purchase your Avios through either British Airways Executive Club or Avios.com


If you purchase the full annual allowance of 24,000 Avios you will receive 7,200 bonus Avios for a grand total of 31,200 Avios at a cost of £399 (1 Avios = 1.28 pence).


30,000 Avios plus £50 will get you a Club Europe return to the lovely Croatian city of Dubrovnik. Using the British Airways low fare finder, the cheapest Club Europe return to Dubrovnik is £291.


 





 


If you purchase 9,000 Avios you will receive 450 bonus Avios, which is even enough to book a British Airways return economy class flight to Paris or Rome (plus £35, at a cost of £159 (1 Avios = 1.68 pence)


Using the British Airways low fare finder, an economy return to Paris can be bought for £119 and Rome for £80 (without checked baggage).




 

Therefore, you can see from my examples that you need to have a specific redemption in mind to consider purchasing Avios.


To my mind,  it is only worth buying Avios if you need a small amount to top off your balance to reach a redemption you are saving towards and you don’t have enough time to earn them in an alternative way, or if you want to upgrade an existing eligible ticket you have already purchased and don’t have enough Avios to do so.







Thursday, 15 August 2013

Disaster! Potential End of VISA 3V Pre-Paid Cards!

visa1


 


 


If you are unfamiliar with 3V cards then let me provide a brief explanation.


Tesco offer 150 Clubcard points (360 Avios) when you spend £50 in one transaction on gift cards. In May 2013 this was extended to VISA branded gift cards.


Most UK reward credit cards are American Express, and despite what their advertising says, American Express is not accepted everywhere. So, this new development meant you could pay with your American Express card and earn points or meet a spending requirement for a sign up bonus in places that don’t accept Amex but do accept VISA.


Then another development changed the game even more, National Savings and Investment (NS&I) allow customer to deposit into their savings accounts online using a debit card. This is true manufactured/churn spending. You could buy 3V cards in Tesco with an American Express, earn credit card points and Tesco Clubcard points, then deposit the funds into a NS&I savings, wait 7 working days, then withdraw the funds to a bank account, then repay the credit card.


I have a full explanation here.


 


Now I have explained 3V cards and why they are so lucrative to points-collectors, let me tell you the bad news. I hope you are sitting comfortably. I went to my local Tesco Superstore and stumbled upon a rack of 3v cards. However, when attempting to purchase the aforementioned prepaid cards I was told by the cashier, then store manager, that Tesco’s policy has changed. I could only purchase the cards using a debit card or cash, credit cards are not accepted any longer for VISA gift card purchases. They had received new instructions from head office over the weekend informing them of the policy change.


I hope this is a mistake on their part, or a local instruction affecting this one superstore, I will attempt to find more 3V cards elsewhere to find the truth.


If you have had a similar experience then please write in the comments box below or email me at georgethetravelmonkey[at]gmail.com


 


Tuesday, 13 August 2013

2,400 Avios for Call of Duty at Tesco - Again(!)

Now a promotion from Tesco you can almost set your watch by.


Tesco are offering 1,000 Clubcard points, which can be exchanged for 2,400 Avios, for pre-ordering the latest Call of  Duty game on either Playstation 3 or XBox.


Sound familiar? It should do. Tesco have run a similar promotions many times over the last 12-24 months. Well, here are the details for the latest one.


 callofdutyghosts


The Online Promotion


Get 1,000 extra Clubcard points when you pre-order Call of Duty Ghosts on Xbox 360 or PS3. Full details can be found here.


The price is £40.00.


There are two e-codes that could be used to save money but you aren’t able to use both at the same time,



  • Save £5 when you spend £35 on pre-order games using code TD-G9DW (this code expires on 18 August 2013)

  •  Save £10 when you £75 at Tesco Direct using code TDX-HD6P (this code expires on 26 August 2013)


If you use the first code the price will drop to £35.


You will get 2,484 Avios for £35 (1 Avios = 1.41 pence).


If you use the second code and pre-order two games the cost will increase to £70.


You will get 4,968 Avios for £70 (1 Avios= 1.41 pence).


The release date is 5 November 2013.


Since you will definitely be able to resell these items, either on eBay or the high street, it should be possible to recoup a portion of the cost to buy these items making this a potential worthwhile Avios-earner. However, there is another part of this promotion to explore first…


 


The In-Store Promotion


Now, this is where it gets interesting. In certain Tesco stores, usually the larger ones, you are able to pre-order these games for £5 with no obligation to buy when they are released AND you will the same Clubcard bonus, meaning you are able to buy 2,400 Avios for £5! (1 Avios = 0.2 pence)


You pick up a box in-store for the game you wish to pre-order, go to the checkout, pay £5, then receive a special receipt that can be exchanged on day of release for the game with a £5 discount. However, the Clubcard points are credited with your pre-order purchase so there is no need to purchase the game when it is released.


This promotion is scheduled to end on 18 August 2013 but may end sooner if it proves too popular (can’t think why that would be!) So, act sooner rather than later if you are interested.


 


Word of Warning


Tesco has a history of freezing the Clubcard accounts of people they feel are abusing their program. Always remember the golden rule of loyalty programs, you do not own the points. If you want to participate in this promotion then do so with constraint, not only so others can also participate but so you don’t appear on Tesco’s radar and run the risk of losing all your points and vouchers.


Sunday, 11 August 2013

12% Promo Code for Hotels.com for Mobile Bookings

Hotels.com have a mobile-only promotional code for a 12% discount for booking made via mobile devices.


The promo code is valid for booking made from 12 August to 18 August 2013 for stays between 12 August and 31 October 2013.


 





 


Hotels.com are also in the final week of their Summer Sale, with discounts of up to 40% available. You are allowed to combine the two promotions. So, you may be able to get up to 52% off your next hotel stay. Very nice indeed!


The mobile code is MOB13.


Remember, this code will only work for bookings made via mobile devices.


This blog does earn a small commission for all hotel booking made via our referral links. We thank you for your support. 

 

 

Saturday, 10 August 2013

Join East Coast Rewards and Get 100 Free Points


Reap.


To celebrate their second birthday East Coast Rewards are offering 100 free points if you join East Coast Rewards before 11 August 2013, plus an extra 50 free points if you tell them your birth date. You can join East Coast Rewards here.


The 50 free Points for birthday information will be credited on 16 August to the first 20,000 Rewards members and the 100 joining Points will be credited on 16 August to all new Rewards accounts opened by 11 August.


 



How to Earn Points


Spend at least £22 in any one transaction on train travel at eastcoast.co.uk and earn 1 Point for every £ spent on Standard tickets, or 1.5 Points for First Class tickets. You can buy tickets for any train travel in the United Kingdom through eastcoast.co.uk.


There are no booking fees added to purchases made through East Coast. If you want the tickets posted you pay £1 for first class or £6.22 for special delivery. If you pick up your ticket at a station (and it can be any station not just the one you are traveling from) then there is no additional cost, you will need the payment card and booking reference for collection though. For comparison, RedSpottedHanky, another train rewards site, does not charge for postal delivery.


Season Ticket holders can also join East Coast Rewards on eligible Season Tickets and earn 0.5 Points for every £1 when travelling Standard and 1 Point for every £1 when travelling First Class.


 


What Can I Use The Points For?


Points can be converted to eVouchers at the rate of 1 Point = £0.01 eVoucher. For example, 1,400 Points translates to a £14.00 eVoucher to spend. An eVoucher once issued by East Coast will expire 6 months after issue and can only be used at eastcoast.co.uk.




You can also use points for free onboard Wi-Fi. There are four redemptions levels available, 24 consecutive hours for 50 Points, 3 consecutive months for 1,100 Points, 6 consecutive months for 1,700 Points, and 12 consecutive months for 3,000 Points. For comparison, a Standard Class passenger gets 15 minutes free usage and extra usage costs £4.95 per hour and £9.95 for 24 hours. So, 50 points for 24 hours of Wi-Fi is equal to £9.95 (1 point = £0.20) On-board Wi-Fi is free for First Class passengers.

You can also use points for magazine subscriptions, Marks and Spencer vouchers, wine from Naked Wine, etc. A full list of rewards can be found here.





 


Full terms and conditions for East Coast Rewards can be found here.

Tuesday, 6 August 2013

AwardWallet Can Track American Airlines AAdvantage Again

AwardWalletLogo


AwardWallet is an online database for all your loyalty programs. It stores your account numbers and how many points/miles you have. It supports more than 600 loyalty programs, for airlines, hotel, car rental, credit card and other organizations, including Tesco Clubcard and Nectar. It is extremely useful as you can click one button and it will update all your accounts for you so you can easily keep track of when points/miles get added. You can also upgrade to the premium service and it will tell you when your points/miles expire. AwardWallet can be access via their website or through their Apple and Android applications.


 


One of the problems with AwardWallet was that some of the major airlines (American Airlines, United and Delta) did not allow access for (understandable) security and (more understandably) commercial reasons. Now, American Airlines has had a change of heart. American Airlines AAdvantage accounts can now be updated through AwardWallet. This is particularly useful for those of you who took advantage of the outstanding MBNA AAdvantage credit card offer earlier this year and want to know when the different sign bonuses hit your account.


 


If you have not joined AwardWallet yet then I highly recommend you do so. It is free to join, just click here for more information.


Use code free-jwgced for free upgrade to the premium service (limited availability).


72 Hour Sale at Hotels.com - Save up to 50%




Hotels.com is having a 72 Hour flash sale.


You must book before 8 August 2013 for stays between 6 August to 30 September 2013.


There are discounts of up to 50% off available.



This blog receives a small commission if you book a hotel stay through the hotels.com referral link contained within this post.  We thank you for your support.

 

72 Hour British Airways Sale - Ends 8 August

British Airways 3-2-1 Days to Go Sale


Full details can be found here.







Save up to £150 on a Club Europe Holiday


Book by midnight 8 August 2013 and travel between 1 September and 31 March 2014.


Here are some examples,



  • Barcelona – 3 night on 4* holiday – was £469, now £399

  • Budapest – 3 night on 4* holiday – was £525, now £449

  • Berlin – 3 night on 4* holiday – was £560, now £479

  • Prague – 3 night on 4* holiday – was £575, now £499

  • Tenerife – 3 night on 4* holiday – was £609, now £539







Save up to 50% in the Caribbean


Book by midnight 8 August 2013 and travel valid until 21 July 2014.


Book a holiday to a Sandals, Beaches or Grand Pineapple hotel across 6 islands including Antigua, St Lucia, Bahamas, Jamaica, Turks and Caicos and Grenada.



  • Antigua – 4* Grand Pineapple Beach – all inclusive – save up to 50%

  • Turks and Caicos – 5* Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort Village and Spa – all inclusive – save up to 30%

  • St Lucia – 5* Sandals Grande St Lucian -Spa and Beach Resort – all inclusive up to 25%


Win 10,000 Avios When You Exchange Tesco Clubcard vouchers into Avios

British Airways Executive Club is offering the chance to win 10,000 Avios when you exchange Tesco clubcard vouchers for Avios.


To enter, exchange a minimum of £10 worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers for Avios before 31 August 2013.


If you are part of the auto opt in where your Tesco Clubcard vouchers are automatically changed for Avios then you will be entered for the prize draw so long as you have a minimum 1,000 Clubcard points exchanged for Avios before 31 August 2013.


The prize draw will take place no later than the 16 September 2013 and the winner will be notified by the 30 September 2013. The 10,000 Avios will be credited to the winner’s British Airways Executive Club account within 28 days.


Terms and conditions can be found here.



 


This competition is only worth entering if you are planning to exchange Clubcard vouchers for Avios anyway. If you don’t need Avios for planned redemption then it is much better to wait for a bonus conversion rate.


Monday, 5 August 2013

Win a Eurostar Trip to Paris and 2 Tickets for the Palais de Tokyo

Eurostar


 


This Eurostar competition has two prizes.


1st prize:

2 return Eurostar tickets from London to Paris in Standard class + 2 tickets for the Palais de Tokyo.


2nd prize:

75 pairs of tickets for the Palais de Tokyo.


The tickets for Palais de Tokyo are valid any time during exhibition opening times up to 9 September 2013.


 


To enter you must answer the following question, Tokyo is the capital of which country?


I’ll let you work that one out for yourself.


You can enter the competition here.


 


The closing date for entries to this competition is Thursday 8 August 2013 at 6pm.


The winner will contacted by email on Monday 12 August 2013.


 


Full terms and conditions can be found here.


 


 


Win Tickets for War Horse in LA with American Airlines
















Win tickets to see War Horse in LA


American Airlines are offering a pair of tickets to see The National Theatre’s production of War Horse in Los Angeles, at the Pantages Theatre on 12 October 2013. The prize includes two return flights to LA and three night’s stay.


You must answer the following question, what is the name of the horse in the production?


If you don’t know the answer then read the information box above the entry form.


Enter the competition here.


 


The National Theatre's Airline Partner American Airlines


 


Term and Conditions


The competition consists to two tickets to War Horse on Saturday 12 October, 2  flights in the Main Cabin on American Airlines on  October and 3 night’s stay in a central LA from 11 October to 14 October 2013.


The winner will be notified on Friday 23 August by telephone and must acknowledge and accept by August 23.


Full terms and conditions can be found here.


 


 



Friday, 2 August 2013

2,000 Bonus Avios in London this Summer with Marriott Hotels

London Eye




Up to 2,000 Bonus Avios in London this Summer with Marriott Hotels


 

You will receive 2,000 bonus Avios for a 5 star hotel stay and earn 1,000 bonus Avios for a 4 star hotel stay at a Marriott hotel in London this summer.


This offer is valid for stays completed before 22 September 2013.


You must enroll with Marriott Rewards, select British Airways Executive Club Avios as your earning preference and use booking code JY4 when making the necessary reservation.


Bonus Avios per stay will be credited to your British Airways Executive Club account within 4 to 6 weeks of your stay


Base Avios will be earned for each paid stay in addition to the 1,000 or 2,000 Bonus Avios.





Not a Marriott Rewards member yet? Sign up at MarriottRewards.co.uk. It is free to do so.


 


Participating Hotels



 


 


Offer found at FrequentFlyerBonuses