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This promotion has ended early. Translation: We didn't expect it to get this much attention OR this was simply a brilliant marketing ploy.
Ok, so Garuda Indonesia has just done something that will leave airline executives choking on their morning coffee and travelers rubbing their points wallets with glee. Throughout the year, it is not uncommon to see airlines offering redemption discounts, sometimes up to 50% off. Well, Garuda has just laid their cards on the table in spectacular style, since they are now offering a 90% discount on award tickets.
Yes, Really 90% Off
The offer is valid for bookings made until December 31, 2016, for travel dates between the 1st of February 2017, and the 31st of May 2017. The offer is available to Garuda members and applies to First Class, Business, and Economy redemptions. This can yield some incredible value since you can pick up a ticket in First from Amsterdam to Jakarta for only 19,000 miles instead of the standard 190,000 miles.
However, there was some confusion earlier in the day with the difference between Asian/European language nomenclature. Since in the US and Europe it is customary to write an offer as the percentage you will get off; i.e. an item with 70% discount would mean you only pay 30% of the price, while in a lot of Asian countries it is written in reverse so the same discount would be advertised as a 30% offer.
Not So Fast Though
The terms and conditions are relatively straightforward, apart from the dates, there is no registration required for Garuda members. As with any offer this good, there is limited availability for the tickets on offer. In addition, although Garuda introduced the ability to book redemption rewards online, this is not an option with this offer, you will have to book through their call center or from a Garuda sales office.
Deal of the Century?
This is a truly stunning offer, and if you already have some Garuda miles, then most travelers will be jealous. Especially since in the last couple of years Garuda has made a big push to become a major player in the Premium airline market and offers some truly exceptional and innovative services. If you have some Citi ThankYou Points they do transfer to Garuda, however, the transfer is not instantaneous, and will likely take 2-3 days (the weekend and holiday may extend the time as well), so you will want to think carefully before committing to the transfer, since the offer might be over by the time they post to your Garuda account.
Full details along with some experience others have had at the source.
Source: Point Me to the Plane/Enoch
The comments on this page are not provided, reviewed, or otherwise approved by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Howie,
Even though this deal is dead, it’s great that you are scouring around to find amazing deals like this in the myriad flying universe. Hope you can find more like this!
This was probably too good to be true. Did anyone actually manage to book anything before they pulled the promotion?
can’t register an account, sad!
It is 9:45PM Eastern time. I just read elsewhere this deal is dead. I hope not though.
It is dead.
this is a great deal and anyone who can use this should have no complaints about the lengthy process of dealing with them to book the ticket.
Unprecedented discount going on here, let’s hope other airlines follow Suit!
Does anyone know if you can book this deal through Garuda but for flights on other Sky Team partners?
Garuda equipment only
Everything I’ve read suggests that these rewards are a nightmare to book which leads me to wonder, forgetting about the 90% discount, what Garuda members must normally put up with and whether anybody has ever bothered to move Citi points to Garuda before today!
Sounds really great if you are American who can sign-up for those various credit cards with crazy bonuses and then transfer them across the world to companies such as Garuda. For the rest of us it’s just not very feaseable unfortunatelly.
Wow! That’s a great deal.
I am sure the call center hold times to book awards will be long.
No matter how great the offer might be, if it involves having to deal with a call center then I think I’ll pass on it.
Good luck though to anyone who manages to take advantage of it.
I have just read that this promo is 100% unredeemable so is it a hoax?
Not a hoax.
This sounds like a great deal. Does anyone know if i can use Chase Sapphire preferred points on this offer?
You cannot. Only miles from Garuda Indonesia’s loyalty program can be used.
Best deal ever!
Thanks for posting this!
This is a crazy discount, definitely unheard of but the window of booking dates is pretty tight
I’ve been following this news on several blogs today. The misinformation on a lot of the blogs is incredible. Thanks for taking the time to weed out the misinformation. While this isn’t a good option for everyone, if you can jump through the crazy hoops, there is some serious benefit to this promotion!
This is insane. Would totally book it if I had access to Garuda points. Unfortunately all mine are with Chase, Marriott and SPG.
More I have dug into this it appears that you basically have to be in indonesia to actually get the tickets booked.
You absolutely don’t need to be in Indonesia, but it certainly has several caveats that’ll make this more complicated than most bookings. I just hope we see some success of someone getting a booking.
Thought buying miles would be a good option here, but it appears this can only be done manually – might miss out on award availability.
Yes, it’s true.
Well, I can’t participate so.
What’s a pit. It was a wonderful offer!
I wish I had Garuda points with me right now 😉
And people say Citi TYP aren’t as valuable!
Wow…incredible.
I’ve never seen any deal like this before.