Saturday Recap: 15% Off Orbitz Hotel Stays, 5,000 Delta Miles for Donating to American Cancer Society, Linger Longer for Less with Langham, Starwood's Pack Your Getaway Bag Contest, Southwest Airlines Porch Parties

Here's a recap of the interesting points and miles news from this week:

Orbitz offering 15% off on Hotel Stays: Orbitz is offering customers 15% off their next hotel stay when they book through their site. All you have to do is head to the Orbitz site and enter promo code SUNFUN15 when searching for hotels. This will then give you 15% off at participating properties. To be eligible to use this, though, you must book by May 26, 2013 and stay by July 31, 2013. The great thing about this code is that it is combinable with other offers such as as free nights, room upgrades or hotel special offers. Normally I prefer to book through the hotel's site directly since some programs don't award points or elite benefits for booking through a third party, but for 15% off this is definitely something to consider. Hat Tip: Frugal Travel Guy

Earn up to 5,000 Delta Miles for donating to American Cancer Society: Delta Air Lines is a sponsor of the American Cancer Society and is offering bonus SkyMiles to members who donate. Here's how it works: be one of the first 5,000 SkyMiles members to contribute to the American Cancer Society this May to earn 500 bonus miles for a $100 donation; 1,000 bonus miles for a $250 donation; 2,500 bonus miles for a $500 donation; or 5,000 bonus miles for a $1,000 donation. You can also donate through Delta's SkyWish program. Donations help the American Cancer Society fund research and provide help and support to those who need it. The bonus SkyMiles will post 4-6 weeks after this promotion has ended. Delta's "destination" is to end cancer, and your support can make the difference in finishing the fight once and for all. They are also having a virtual luminaria lighting on their Facebook page, where Delta will donate $1, up to $50,000 for each luminaria that is lit.

Linger Longer for Less with Langham Hotels: Langham Hotels is offering guests a promotion called "Linger Longer for Less." The longer you stay the greater discount you'll receive and the more perks as well. Guests can receive up to 25% off the best available rate as well as complimentary internet, afternoon tea, club access and more. This offer is good for stays now through June 20, 2013 at their Hong Kong properties, which include The Langham, Hong Kong, Langham Place Mongkok, Hong Kong, and the Eaton, Hong Kong. To take advantage of this offer, just book through each hotel's direct booking page.

TSA PreCheck Expands Adds International Itineraries and Military: As a recap from earlier this week, the TSA announced that in addition to domestic travel, TSA Pre✓ participants will be eligible for expedited screening on select international travel itineraries. Eligible passengers traveling on Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and US Airways will be allowed to leave on their shoes, light outerwear and belt, keep their laptop in its case, and their 3-1-1 compliant liquids/gels bag in a carry-on. In a New York Times interview, John Pistole, head of the Transportation Security Administration, stated: "We reached an agreement with the European Union, Canada and Australia for them to accept PreCheck passengers from the United States." They also announced this week that military personnel will be eligible. Eligible service members include U.S. Armed Forces service members including reservist and National Guard members, who possess a valid Common Access Card (CAC).

Southwest Airlines Porch Parties: It's that time of the year again, when Southwest Airlines sets up its Porch Parties across the U.S. This year the four cities that will be getting porches are Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, and New York City. For instance, In New York their porch is located in Bryant Park and they are serving food and drinks. There are complimentary board games and even trivia games. In Dallas, the The Southwest Porch can be found at Strauss Square. The newest Southwest Porch just opened in Atlanta at Park Tavern. These are a great way to relax and spend some time outside this time of year. In Atlanta, the Southwest Porch at Park Tavern is serving mother's day brunch. It will be served from 11:00am - 2:30pm, and they'll be giving away a set of roundtrip tickets on Southwest Airlines to one lucky Mom for Mother's Day. Hat Tip: Jaunted

Alaska Airlines Raises Award Redemption Rates on Air France/KLM: Alaska Airlines is raising its award redemption rates when redeeming miles on Air France or KLM. Previously business class awards from the United States to Europe were 100,000 miles, but now they are raising them up 125,000 miles. Also they are raising intra-Europe business class awards as well from 45,000 miles to 50,000 miles. These new prices will go into effect for bookings after June 11, 2013. This is inline with the new Air France/KLM prices which will be increasing to 125,000 miles for business class as well. Lastly, Alaska Airlines doesn't have access to all the Air France availability, so just cause an award may be available to book through Air France, doesn't mean it will be necessarily be available to book as a partner award. Hat Tip: Milepoint

Starwood's Pack Your Getaway Bag Contest: Every year, Starwood announces their SPG Member Favorite Resorts list. This year, SPG members voted for their favorite resorts across all nine brands and over 200 resorts. As part of the release, SPG has partnered with Kate Spade to create a limited edition tote collection inspired by the list. To purchase this tote, head over to the Kate Spade site, where you can get 20% off your tote purchase (use promo code SPGMAY13 for US and SPGCAN13 for Canada). These aren't cheap since they are selling for $198, but if you've been looking for a Kate Spade bag lately, this is a good way to get a discount. In addition, SPG and Kate Spade are running a contest where you can win a dream vacation to any of the resorts. You can enter the sweepstakes here and the winner will get five nights at any resort and two-round trip flights.

Be sure to Register for the Chicago Seminars and FTU Tampa: Just a friendly reminder that tickets are now on sale for the next Frequent Traveler University in Tampa, as well as the Chicago Seminars. The last four FTU's have sold out in advance, so if you'd like to attend, I'd recommend buying your tickets soon. I recently spoke at the sold-out FTU in Tyson's Corner, Virginia and had a great time. In case you missed it, you can check out my presentations, The Points Guy’s Credit Card Thunderdome, and Delta – Status, Upgrades, Awards. FTU in Tampa will be taking place at the Grand Hyatt Tampa from September 27-29, 2013. There is a negotiated rate of $119 per night for the weekend. The event itself costs $100 and is a lot of fun. You can reserve tickets to the event here and you can book the discounted rooms here. The Chicago Seminars will be taking place October 11-13th at the Holiday Inn Elk Grove, outside of Chicago. I spoke there last year as well. Both of these events are great places to meet fellow frequent fliers and learn more about how to maximize your travel rewards.
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