Bonus AAdvantage & Alaska Miles, Delta Deals and More

Aug. 01, 2015

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6 min read

Bonus AAdvantage & Alaska Miles, Delta Deals and More

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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express, Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express

Here’s a roundup of the week’s points, miles and travel industry news you may have missed:

Passengers flying in business class on Air France can earn a free overnight stay during stopovers in Paris.

Air France Business Class Transit Passengers Can Stay Free Overnight in Paris

If you're flying business class on Air France and have a stopover in Paris, the airline is offering a complimentary hotel stay along with limousine service to and from the airport. The promotion is running from August through December, and passengers must be eligible to enter the EU in order to take advantage of the offer.

Score up to 27,500 bonus AAdvantage Miles.

Earn Up to 27,500 Summer Bonus Miles on American Airlines

When you purchase American Airlines AAdvantage miles from now through August 5, 2015, you can earn up to 27,500 bonus miles. You must purchase at least 16,000 AAdvantage miles to earn a bonus. Here's how the promotion is structured:

Buy 16,000 - 30,000 miles, earn a bonus of 5,000 miles
Buy 31,000 - 45,000 miles, earn a bonus of 10,000 miles
Buy 46,000 - 60,000 miles, earn a bonus of 15,000 miles
Buy 61,000 - 75,000 miles, earn a bonus of 20,000 miles
Buy 76,000 - 100,000 miles, earn a bonus of 27,500 miles

If you were to maximize this promo by buying 76,000 miles, you'd still be paying about 2.2 cents per mile, which is higher than my assessment of AAdvantage miles in my latest monthly valuations. This promotion could be a good opportunity to buy a small number of miles if you need to top up for a specific award, but I wouldn't recommend buying speculatively.

dsa — SPG Amex cardholders can earn 1,000 bonus Starpoints for stays this month.

Earn 1,000 Bonus points for Starwood Stays

When you register and stay two or more nights with Starwood hotels and resorts through August 30, 2015, you can earn 1,000 bonus Starpoints. This promotion is exclusively for cardholders of the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card and the Starwood Preferred Guest Business Credit Card from American Express. You must register for the promotion to earn the bonus. Prior bookings that are completed by August 30 will qualify, and the two nights do not have to be consecutive.

Alaska Airlines is upping direct flights from Portland and offering double miles.

Increased Service from Portland + Double Miles on Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines is adding more nonstop flights from Portland (PDX) to Kansas City (MCI) and Minneapolis (MSP), and is celebrating with Double Miles when you book travel from February 18 to March 18, 2016. There's no limit on the number of miles you can earn during the promotional period; just be sure to register your Mileage Plan number before booking.

Delta is offering flight deals for the fall throughout the continental US.

Snag Deals on Delta Flights within the Continental US

Delta is offering deals on travel within the continental US when you book by August 6, 2015, including both revenue and award tickets. Fares start at $74 or 5,000 miles each way for travel between August 13 and December 16, 2015 (note that you must purchase a round-trip ticket to get the lower prices).

Alaska Airlines is offering a bonus of up to 40 percent for buying miles.

Earn Up to 40 Percent More Alaska Miles

From now through August 9, 2015, you can earn a mileage bonus of up to 40 percent when you purchase or gift Alaska Airline Miles. Alaska Airlines Visa cardholders can earn a bonus of 20 to 40 percent:

Buy 10,000 - 19,000 miles, get a 20% bonus
Buy 20,000 - 39,000 miles, get a 30% bonus
Buy 40,000 miles, get a 40% bonus

Non-cardholders can still buy or gift miles and earn a bonus of 20 to 35 percent. If you were to maximize this promotion and get the full 40% bonus, you'd still be paying about 2.1 cents per mile, which is higher than my valuation of Alaska Mileage Plan miles. Like the American Airlines promotion above, this could help you top up your account for a specific award, but I don't recommend buying unless you have an immediate redemption in mind.

British Airways' A380 will start flying to Vancouver in May of 2016.

British Airways Starts Nonstop A380 Service to Vancouver in May, 2016

British Airways Airbus A380 will offer daily nonstop flights from London Heathrow (LHR) to Vancouver (YVR) starting May 1, 2016. The A380 will replace the 747-400 on the current route.

Earn a 25% Bonus for Transferring Hotel Points to United MileagePlus

Through August 31, 2015, you can earn a 25% bonus when you transfer points from hotel programs to miles with United Airlines. To qualify for the bonus, you must first register for the promotion and then transfer hotel points that equate to at least 5,000 miles. You'll then earn a 25% bonus (up to 20,000 miles total). Transfer ratios tend to be pretty dismal, so even with the bonus you'll be sacrificing value. However, you may as well get in on this deal if you're already planning to transfer, or if you have some hotel points laying around with no plans to use them.

Featured image by fds