Tag: Using Points

Mother's Day Surprise: Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa

September 11, 2021 11

Do you see warm sandy beaches, lush tropical vegetation, delightful pools, and a beautiful resort in your future? If so, the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa might be a perfect choice! In this post, we’ve got a case study on how to use points and miles, credit card perks, and elite status to book an amazing getaway at a huge discount.

Joe Petrovic

Earning and Burning Aeroplan Points Through the New Gulf Air Partnership

September 6, 2021 8

Air Canada Aeroplan announced that Bahrain flag carrier Gulf Air is now a partner. You can now earn and redeem your Aeroplan points on Gulf Air flights. Points earning rates are based on the distance flown and fare class. Redemptions between Bahrain and Paris or London cost 25,000 points in economy or just 45,000 points in business class!

Sam Helmy

30+ More Destination by Hyatt Residences Now Bookable With Points (Plus a New Award Room Type)

August 12, 2021 20

In addition to booking hotels and resorts, Hyatt's "Destination by Hyatt" brand also includes vacation rentals. Until now, only a couple of these residences were bookable with points. Now, you can redeem your World of Hyatt points for free nights 32 more of these unique properties. But, along with this addition, Hyatt is rolling out a new room award type: the Premium Room.

Toni Southam

British Airways Devalues Award Redemptions on Japan Airlines and Cathay Pacific

August 6, 2021 18

Yet again, British Airways devalued its Avios frequent flyer program. For the second time in just over 4 months, British Airways has increased the number of Avios travelers will need for select partner award redemptions. Here is just how many more Avios you'll need for flights on Japan Airlines and Cathay Pacific.

Max Prosperi

Last Opportunity to Save Up To 7,500 Miles Using American Airlines Reduced Mileage Awards

August 4, 2021 363

American Airlines just released its latest (and last) list of Reduced Mileage Awards discounted destinations. Eligible Citi and Barclays American Airlines cardholders can get up to 7,500 miles off a round trip ticket by taking advantage of this great offer. Eligible destinations vary on the month, so be sure to check before booking an American flight within the U.S. and Canada.

Ross Denkin

Marriott Makes Changes to Points Advance Feature

July 11, 2021 14

Marriott recently made a change to its Points Advance feature. Members can no longer use Points Advance to book an award nearly a year out and accumulate points over the next year to pay for that stay. While this seems like a devaluation of a popular feature, this may be a positive change for some points travelers.

Max Prosperi

Hilton Honors Increases Standard Award Points Max From 120,000 to 150,000

May 23, 2021 23

Using Hilton points is a great way to redeem free nights at aspirational properties like the Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi. But Hilton recently upped the maximum number of points needed for a free standard award night, making a stay at this high-end property much less achievable. Here are some other ways to get a free night there without shelling out 150,000 points per night.

Toni Southam

Capital One Adds New Redemption Options – Restaurants, Streaming Services, and Phone Services

March 10, 2025 49

As travel came to a standstill in April 2020, Capital One offered Venture and Spark cardholders another use for their travel-oriented miles: using them for restaurants and streaming services. This promotion has been extended multiple times since and is now valid through June 30, 2021. Here's what you need to know about using your miles for these alternatives.

Patrick Stouffer

You Can Now Book Etihad Awards Using Aeroplan Points — Including 'The Apartment'

April 24, 2021 39

In June 2020, Air Canada Aeroplan partnered with Etihad Guest, allowing reciprocal earning and redeeming opportunities. Now that Aeroplan has relaunched as a new program, we are revisiting this partnership. While both programs can offer solid value, we're particularly excited about how this partnership makes booking Etihad's premium-class cabins a little more accessible for award travelers.

Patrick Stouffer

Alaska Flights Now Bookable Online With British Airways Avios

April 17, 2021 17

With Alaska's Oneworld membership now official, British Airways introduced the new ability to search and book Alaska award flights on its website. Now you no longer need to call a British Airways phone agent to search award availability and book Alaska flights with Avios.

Patrick Stouffer

Southwest Devalues Rapid Rewards Program, More Points Now Needed for Award Flights

April 15, 2021 23

Southwest Airlines just made some very unwelcomed changes to the airline's Rapid Rewards program. Without notice, Southwest reduced the value of Rapid Rewards points. You'll now need more Rapid Rewards points to make the same award travel redemptions.

Max Prosperi

You Can Now Fly ANA Business Class to Japan for Just 45,000 Virgin Points One-Way

April 7, 2021 17

One of the sweetest sweet spots just got even sweeter! Flying Club members can now redeem Virgin points for one-way ANA awards in any class of service. Combined with this partnership's unbelievable award pricing, this opens incredible opportunities for flights to/from Japan. But don't delay — deals this good don't tend to last forever.

Patrick Stouffer

Etihad Guest Adds New Redemption Partner: Saudi Arabian Airlines

March 30, 2021 15

Etihad Guest is one of our favorite under-the-radar mileage programs. So, we were excited to see Etihad Guest add a new mileage partner: Saudi Arabian Airlines. Here are the new redemption rates, sweet spots (and which redemptions to avoid), ways to accumulate Etihad Guest miles, and other options for booking Saudia award flights.

JT Genter

Chase Expands Peloton Partnership, Extends Pay Yourself Back and Travel Credit Flexibility

March 30, 2021 22

Chase just announced a new facet to its partnership with Peloton, adding new earning bonuses for large Peloton purchases made with the Sapphire Preferred and Sapphire Reserve. Plus, Sapphire cardholders can now continue to utilize several popular Covid-era features for longer than expected, such as the just-extended 'Pay Yourself Back' tool and Sapphire Reserve travel credit flexibility.

Patrick Stouffer

British Airways Increases Avios Needed for Short-Haul Award Flights

March 19, 2021 13

British Airways just quietly devalued its Avios frequent flyer program. Now, redemptions on select short-haul flights will require you to burn through even more Avios. Here's what you need to know about this British Airways Avios devaluation.

Max Prosperi

Book Over 15k Vacation Rentals for 15k Wyndham Points Through Vacasa Partnership

March 13, 2021 4

The largest property management company in North America (Vacasa) recently acquired Wyndham Vacation Rentals. Through this partnership, Wyndham Rewards members can now book over 15,000 vacation rentals for just 15,000 Wyndham points a night.

Toni Southam

American Airlines Travelers Can Now Redeem AAdvantage Miles for COVID-19 Testing

February 25, 2021 37

Starting today, American Airlines travelers can redeem AAdvantage miles for an at-home COVID-19 PCR testing kit. You'll need to redeem 12,000 AAdvantage miles for the PCR test. Here's the process on how to do so — and why you might want to skip this redemption option.

JT Genter

Delta SkyMiles Further Devalues Partner Awards to Europe and Asia

February 12, 2021 37

Delta Air Lines has done it again. For reasons unknown, it's just raised partner award prices to Europe and Asia for the second time in four months. To make matters worse, these aren't small, forgettable price hikes. These are significant, balance-busting increases that make certain partner awards laughably expensive. Let's go over this and see if there's anything salvageable.

Patrick Stouffer

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Devalues Many Delta Awards

February 9, 2021 9

Just as the calendar turned over in 2021, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club very quietly changed its redemption scheme for flights operated by Delta. Long-haul and premium cabin travelers will be disappointed to find out their points won’t take them nearly as far anymore. However, there's a silver lining in these changes for domestic and other short-haul flyers.

Ross Denkin

5 Ways You Know You’re Winning in Travel and Loyalty Programs

January 24, 2021 21

Are you worried that you aren't doing the miles and points game right? Let's flip the script and look at five of the ways to know when you're actually coming out ahead in travel and loyalty programs.

Joe Petrovic

How to Redeem United Miles for Maximum Value

December 6, 2020 41

United miles are incredibly useful. You can use them for award travel on 35+ partner airlines with some of the lowest out-of-pocket costs of any program. In this post, I cover some of the best ways to maximize United Miles for amazing award travel.

Patrick Stouffer

Why I’m So Excited About Flexible Point Currencies Right Now

November 9, 2020 23

Low cash prices and increased earning opportunities are making flexible points more valuable than ever before. With these points, you have a choice between transferring to airline and hotel partners or redeeming for a fixed, cash value. The conventional wisdom is to transfer points for higher value. Today, I’ll explain why that advice might not be true right now—and how to make the right choice on your next redemption.

Joe Petrovic

Emirates Will Block First Class Awards From Partners Starting in April 2021

November 6, 2020 16

It appears that Emirates will block partner airlines from accessing first-class awards. A notice on Alaska Air's website states that starting April 1, 2021, Emirates will no longer give partners the ability to book Emirates first class awards. In this post, we cover all the details of this change and how you can book an incredible award before this restriction goes into place.

Patrick Stouffer

Mr and Mrs Smith Hotels Now Bookable With IHG Rewards Points

October 31, 2020 18

IHG has (finally) begun to roll out its long-awaited partnership with Mr and Mrs Smith Hotels. Now, IHG Rewards Club members can earn and redeem IHG points at 100 Mr and Mrs Smith hotels, with 300 more expected by the end of November. In this post, we show you some of the incredible new opportunities available with IHG points.

Patrick Stouffer

Citi Introduces Shop With Points at Select Shell, BP, and Amoco Gas Stations

October 24, 2020 11

This week, Citi released a new way to redeem your ThankYou® points. Now, ThankYou® point collectors can redeem points right at the pump at Shell, BP, and Amoco gas stations using Citi's 'Shop with Points' feature. But before you take advantage of this, you'll want to make sure you don't have a better use for your points.

Patrick Stouffer

Why Now is a Great Time to Book a Dream Trip to French Polynesia

October 15, 2020 18

While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to make traveling difficult, one dream destination has already re-opened its borders to all travelers. If you've ever heard of Tahiti, Bora Bora, of French Polynesia, chances are you've dreamed of vacationing there. Thanks to significant safety precautions and generous award availability, now could be the perfect time to make that dream a reality. We will show you how to do so in this post.

Patrick Stouffer

The Best Ways to Book United's New Routes to Africa, India, And Hawaii

October 27, 2022 14

United has announced 7 exciting new routes for 2021 to Hawaii, Africa and India. Although details are slim on some routes, others are already on sale. So, we at AwardWallet dug into the best ways to book these new routes with miles and points. Here's how to book United business class to Hawaii from 15,000 miles each way, Africa starting at 52,000 miles each way, and India for as little as 52,500 miles each way.

Ross Denkin

Chase Extends Pay Yourself Back, Expands to Ink and Freedom Cards

September 29, 2020 12

Chase has announced the extension of its popular 'Pay Yourself Back' feature, which was initially set to expire on September 30. Even better, Chase is expanding the feature to certain Ink and Freedom credit cards and offering several new eligible purchase categories. In this post, we cover all the details, including why we think 'Pay Yourself Back' is here to stay.

Patrick Stouffer

JetBlue Adds New Cash + Points Redemption Option

July 6, 2020 9

Are you a few points shy of being able to book an award ticket? Want to save some money on a cash fare now? JetBlue recently rolled out a flexible new program for TrueBlue loyalty members to use Cash + Points to book flights. We take a look to see if it makes sense to use this option.

Michelle Molloy

9 Ways That I Saved Money on My Road Trip, and You Can Too

July 5, 2020 16

When we think of maximizing points and miles, we generally imagine luxurious vacations in exotic locations around the world. With international travel on hold, using points and miles for these traditional redemptions isn't an option. So, I took my family of 6 on a road trip around Utah to visit national and state parks. Here's how we did it for minimal out-of-pocket costs, and you can too.

Toni Southam