Saturday Recap: Get 50% more miles on Points Hound, Discounts for SPG Escapes, Fly the New American Airbus A321, $25 Membership Fee For El Matmid Frequent Flyer Mile Program Waived, and More

Dec. 28, 2013

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5 min read

Saturday Recap: Get 50% more miles on Points Hound, Discounts for SPG Escapes, Fly the New American Airbus A321, $25 Membership Fee For El Matmid Frequent Flyer Mile Program Waived, and More

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

PointsHound Is Offering A 50% Bonus On All Miles Earned For Bookings Made By January 1st: Get a 50% bonus on all miles earned when you book before January 1, 2014. The additional miles are included in the amount shown when you search for hotels. Simply create an account, search for a hotel and earn points for your preferred frequent flyer mile program.

SPG Escapes Offers Weekly Discounts: SPG members who take advantage of these deals can save 25% off the daily rate, while non-members will receive a discount of 20% off. These will be going on each week from Wednesday through Saturday, so make sure to check out the deals for this week and book. Some of the deals this week include (pricing is per night): the Westin Chicago River North for $99, the Le Royal Meridien Abu Dhabi for $87, the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites Los Angeles for $127, and many more.

The A321 starts flying from JFK to LAX on January 7, 2014.

American Introduces New Airbus A321 In January: American Airlines will introduce brand-new premium Airbus A321 planes on its transcontinental routes from New York to Los Angeles beginning January 7, 2014. A huge upgrade from the AA's current 767-200s, American plans to be the only carrier to offer a three-class cabin, plus fully lie-flat First and Business Class seats including all-aisle access from every First Class seat on the Airbus A321. The planes will also offer the option of up to six more inches of legroom with Main Cabin Extra seating. Flights on the new planes from JFK to SFO will begin March 6, 2014. Just look for "32B" listed as the aircraft type and be one of the first onboard.

The $25 application fee is waived for El Al. — The $25 application fee is waived for El Al's Matmid program.

Join El Al's Frequent Flyer Mile Program El Matmid For Free: Normally joining El Matmid will cost you $25, but for a limited time this fee is waived when you sign up using the promo code here. You can also join for free via the AMEX Membership Rewards portal. Once you are a member you will be able to check award availability online. You can use American Airline miles to book El Al flights as well, but that must be done by calling American.

Forbes Picks Best Airlines For Business Travelers: A good business airline gets you where you want to go and gives you a variety of times and options to get there. I was quoted in this article talking about American Airlines and why I think it is one of the best options for business travelers, because they are updating their fleet and have not yet devalued their frequent flyer program. Another pick is Delta for their inflight WiFi availability and frequent schedules across many networks. It often comes down to which airline hub you live close to, as this can easily affect which airline options are best for you.

Win one of three trips to South America.

Win A Trip To South America: Simply enter your information and you could win a trip to one of three South American destinations on LAN or TAM airlines. The three prize trips are: Luxe Adventures in Chile, Legandary Escapes in Peru and Ecuador, and Epic Discoveries in Brazil. You must enter by January 3, 2014.

Vote for your favorite Tablet Hotel and win free nights. — Vote for your favorite Tablet Hotel and win free nights stay.

Vote For Your Favorite New Tablet Hotel To Win Free Nights: Pick your favorite Tablet Hotel on Facebook and win a free hotel stay with VIP treatment. On Facebook, first you must like the Tablet Hotel Facebook page and then you have the option to pick. After you choose your favorite, you have the option to invite your friends to pick their favorite. Every time a friend enters, you also get one bonus entry. Enter soon as this contest is valid for a limited time only!

Win a Two Night Stay at the Beverly Wilshire: The Four Season Beverly Wilshire hotel is giving away a two-night package valued at $2,000 for two people, tweets @JohnnyJet. The package includes: two nights accommodation in a Signature Room, dinner for two at the BLVD Restaurant, and two one-hour custom massages at the hotel spa. Enter by signing up for the Johnny Jet newsletter, and follow him on Twitter and Facebook for additional entries. You can use the form to follow the Beverly Wilshire on Twitter and like their Facebook page for more entries—and for one last entry, you can agree to send out a preset tweet noting that you’ve entered. You have until midnight on December 31, 2013 to enter.
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