Noobtraveler here with a couple of rewards quick hits. Enjoy.
Up to 30% bonus when you buy Hyatt Points
This promotion has just been released. You will receive a different bonus percentage based on the amount of Hyatt Gold Passport points you buy.
Here are the details:
Purchase points from January 31 through February 6, 2013, and receive the following bonus:
- Purchase 1,000 to 9,000 points and get a 10% bonus
- Purchase 10,000 to 29,000 points and get a 20% bonus
- Purchase 30,000 to 40,000 points and get a 30% bonus
For example: If you wanted to max out this promo and buy 40,000 points + 12,000 bonus = 52,000 points, it would cost you $960. I could find over a $1,000 in value easily at Park Hyatt or Andaz properties, but it would be cutting it close in some situations. Standard rooms start at 22,000 points for category 6 properties, so that’s almost 2.33 nights.
Purchasing Gold Passport points can be better than paying cash for a room in some cases, but in general I would only buy them if I needed to top off my account for a booking. However, this is assuming I didn’t have any Ultimate Rewards points, which transfer over to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio. I would be crying myself to sleep at night if my Ultimate Rewards balance was ZERO.
US Airways 100% Bonus
A couple of weeks ago, and many months before, I blogged about the 100% US Airways promo. But, the last promo was only extending to members who have bought miles in the past.
This time around, the 100% bonus is being extended to people who hold the US Airways Mastercard and use it for purchasing miles. Makes sense that they would reward you for using their branded credit card. Here’s my post comparing the two US Airways cards.
I’ll keep my same position as usual concerning buying US Airways Dividend miles. It’s great if you’re topping off an account or buying premium cabin tickets on a normal basis, especially to take advantage of their off-peak award chart and Envoy class.
Bluebird hits the mainstream media
If you surf the web or watch TV, then you’ve definitely come across American Express and Wal-Mart marketing their new online checking account Bluebird. And if you are a rewards travel fiend, then you have d e f i n i t e l y come across a blog post or two about the magical wonders of Bluebird, Vanilla Reloads, Office Depot gift cards, and the stores to purchase prepaid cards that can fund Bluebird.
Well, now the major media is on to Bluebird and how it can be maximized to earn cherished miles and points. We be lusting after some miles!
Lifehacker had an article earlier this week, which is where I first saw that US News had written an article mentioning Bluebird.
What does this mean?
Maybe nothing. Maybe more.
I’ve been using Bluebird with great success for a few months now to pay bills that I wouldn’t earn miles and points on otherwise. I do pay some credit card bills with Bluebird, and use the ATM sparingly. I also use my Bluebird debit card for daily purchases here and there.
And of course I’m loading my Bluebird account with Vanilla Reload cards. I’m still using Visa gift cards from Office Depot (Ink cards give you 5x points for office supplies) to purchase my VRs. If you’re doing this as well, make sure 1) you swipe it as a credit card, and 2) you load $496.05 or less to cover the activation fee.
If I’m trying to meet a spending requirement threshold on a card, I will purchase VRs to help. Simple.
It varies from store to store if they let me use a prepaid (Visa gift card) or credit card, so don’t stop trying if one CVS or local store won’t allow you to make a purchase. In some cases, it also seems to matter which cashier helps you.
Last night, I was told by a CVS clerk that there’s a new $1,000 a day limit on purchasing Vanilla Reloads, but I have no other data points to confirm this. Just like the rest, it’s probably a ymmv situation.
I haven’t seen any significant changes in the last couple of months at my local stores, but I will let you know if I do.
I know this way of earning miles and points can end anytime (like the Mint deal did after it received national media), but for now – it’s business as normal.
Please leave any comments below if you have any experiences you would like to share.
Noobilicious.
— Geoff Whitmore