Saturday Recap: British Airways Visa Bonus Ending, 30,000 Bonus American Miles, Aeroplan Bonus Miles and More

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – British Airways Visa Signature Card

Here’s a quick recap of the interesting points and miles news from the week.

Final Week for the British Airways Visa 100,000 Avios Offer

While the British Airways 100,000 Avios sign-up offer has already been extended once, there is no word that it will happen again, so for now, the offer is scheduled to end on Wednesday, July 18, so if you've been thinking about applying, now is the time.

As a reminder, with this offer, you will get 50,000 bonus Avios after your first purchase, 25,000 bonus Avios after you make $10,000 in purchases within the first year of account opening, plus an additional 25,000 bonus Avios after you make a total of $20,000 in purchases within the first year of account opening.

Additional card features and fees:
-New: Smart Chip technology allows you to use your card for chip-based purchases in Europe & beyond, while still giving you the ability to use your card as you do today at home.
- 1.25 miles for every dollar spent on the card
- 2.5 miles per dollar spent on British Airways travel
- No foreign transaction fees
- Companion certificate after $30,000 in spend. This companion ticket allows a second award redemption for free (It's like getting another 100,000 miles). So if you use 100,000 miles for a business class ticket from Los Angeles to London, the second business class ticket costs 0 miles (you only pay taxes and fees). A huge value if used properly.
- $95 annual fee
Application link

$20 Back from Amex for New York City Restaurant Week
New York City's 20th anniversary Restaurant Week is actually more like restaurant three-weeks, running from July 16-August 10, with hundreds of participating restaurants all over the city serving gourmet fare for $24.07 for lunch and $35 for dinner. When you register any eligible American Express card then use that card to pay when you dine out four times (at four different restaurants) during NYC Restaurant Week, you'll get a $20 statement credit. To be eligible, you must register your card by 5pm Eastern Time on August 10. You may register only one card for this offer. Using the same registered Card for each transaction, you must make at least four (4) transactions of $24 or more (excluding beverages, gratuities and taxes) at four (4) different participating restaurants (at least one (1) transaction per restaurant) between July 16, 2012, and August 10, 2012. Only the first transaction made at a participating restaurant will count toward the four required transactions; subsequent transactions at the same participating restaurant will not be eligible. Now that's a way to put your money where your mouth is. Hat tip: Frugal Travel Guy.

Starwood Points Now Transferable to Etihad and Bonus Points in Europe, Africa and Middle East
Per this Milepoint thread, SPG members can now convert their Starpoints into Etihad Guest Miles, and Etihad Guest members can now earn Etihad Guest Miles when staying at Starwood Hotels & Resorts around the world. SPG has also launched an "Earn Your Dreams" promotion at properties in Europe, Asia and the Middle East where members can earn double or triple points up to 3,000 points, valid for stays booked and completed before December 31, 2012. Double Starpoints will be awarded per paid eligible stay on rate code SETPKGBA, triple Starpoints will be awarded per paid eligible stay on rate code SETPKGBB, and 3,000 Starpoints will be awarded per paid eligible stay on rate code SETPKGBC and will be awarded for room revenue only. Starpoints earned on other eligible charges will not be bonused. Only the member's base Starpoints will be bonused. Additional bonuses earned, including but not limited to 50% elite status points or online booking bonuses will not be doubled. View the T&C here.

500 Free Air Canada Aeroplan Miles With Accor Hotel Sign-up
Much like the 500 Delta SkyMiles offer I talked about earlier this week, now through August 31, 2012, Accor Hotels, the loyalty program of Europe’s largest hotel chain with brands like Sofitel and Ibis, is offering 500 free Aeroplan miles when you sign up for a free LeClub account and choose to bank Air Canada Aeroplan miles as your preferred currency. Simply go here -> Click “Join Now” at the bottom -> Join on the next page -> Enter e-mail -> Enter registration information and at the bottom make sure the button is selected for “Option 2: I would like to convert my Le Club Accorhotels points into airline miles automatically”. Enter your Delta information in and finish registration and you should be good to go - no stay required to get the 500 miles. Per the T&C, the offer is good for new and existing Le Club members. Hat tip: View from the Wing.

Up to 30,000 American AAdvantage Miles with a Citibank Checking Account
To set up the checking account, you can use this link, and then enter the code CYKS. Your account must be set up with at least one direct deposit for two consecutive months. You can then qualify for one of the following:

30,000 miles: You have to open a Citigold account and charge $750 to your debit card within 60 days
15,000 miles: You have to open a Citibank checking account and charge $375 within 60 days
5,000 miles: Open a Basic Banking account and charge $125 within 60 days

However, remember, that if you don't have a $50,000 in your Citigold account (for the 30,000 miles), you incur a $30 monthly fee--and since the miles don't post to your account until 90 days after you make your qualifying purchases, you could rack up quite a bill for those miles. Still, if you're thinking of switching banks and have the deposits to do this, you might as well make some miles off it. Also remember, you could end up paying taxes on miles you get for checking accounts from Citibank. Hat tip: View from the Wing.

25% Discount on Purchased American AAdvantage Miles
Now through August 31, you can get up to a 25% discount on American AAdvantage miles you purchase. You get a 10% discount on purchases of 5,000-9,000 miles, a 15% discount on 10,000-19,000 miles, a 20% discount on 20,000-39,000 miles, and a 25% discount on 40,000 miles. So if you purchased the full 40,000 miles, instead of paying $1,100 + $30 transaction fee, you'd be paying $825 + $30 transaction fee. Not great, but if you're looking to top up for a specific award, you might as well score the discount.

ANA Award Search Tool Adds Seven-Day Search View
Using the ANA award search tool has been a great way to find Star Alliance partner airline availability. Just recently, it got even better since it now allows you to search for availability for the routes you want over a 7-day span and displays the results in a matrix, letting you know exactly when your routes are available for the award level you want in the cabin you want. Check out my past post on the ANA search tool for more search strategies. Hat tip: One Mile at a Time.