Gilt City Offering 15 Miles per Dollar Today & Tomorrow Only

We love a good online shopping offer, and this summer we've seen a slew of them (like United's All Day Recess promo and Aeroplan's transfer promotion). Continuing that trend, Gilt City has just announced a fantastic deal that has the potential to be very lucrative for many points and miles enthusiasts. Today and tomorrow only, you can earn 15 miles per dollar spent at Gilt City when you go through one of five popular airline shopping portals.

TPG has written about Gilt previously — the site offers discounts on designer merchandise, furniture and more. The company launched Gilt City back in 2010 as a competitor to sites like Groupon and Living Social. According to its website:

"Gilt City offers its members coveted access to exclusive experiences in select U.S. cities, all at insider prices."

The site covers 13 major metropolitan areas, but also offers a variety of national deals for those who live elsewhere. You'll find all kinds of products and services, from beauty treatments to dining deals to fitness offers. Discounts tend to start around 25%, but often exceed 50%, so if you find a merchant that's useful to you, there are some solid deals to be had.

For today and tomorrow only, these five major airline shopping portals are offering 15 miles per dollar spent when you shop at Gilt City:

• Alaska Mileage Plan Shopping (usually 2 miles/$)
• American AAdvantage eShopping (usually 3 miles/$)
• Delta SkyMiles Shopping (usually 2 miles/$)
• Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping (usually 2 miles/$)
• United MileagePlus Shopping (usually 2 miles/$)

The returns you'll usually earn aren't exactly spare change, as they range from 2.4% (Delta) to 5.1% (American) based on TPG's most recent valuations. However, your potential haul of miles for the next two days blows these rates out of the water. Just be sure that you're shopping at Gilt City and not the regular site (Gilt Groupe), or else your earnings will be a much more pedestrian 1 mile per dollar spent.

Here's a sample of the miles and overall return you could earn by spending $100 through the site during this promotion:

Of course, the more you spend, the more miles you can earn (though the rates of return will remain constant). Based on TPG's valuations, Alaska's portal offers the best bang for your buck, as it will push you closer to terrific redemptions like Emirates' A380 first class. However, you may find more value in other programs — even Delta still has some great options for redeeming your miles.

Here are a few of the deals you can find during this promotion, along with the haul of miles you'd take home for each one:

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National

• Blue Apron — 35% off four family style meals ($90); total miles = 1,350
• Raw Generation — 54% off a seven-day skinny cleanse ($224); total miles = 3,360

New York City

• Pure Barre Cobble Hill & Park Slope — 50% off 10 classes for new clients ($135); total miles = 2,025
• China Grill — 42% off seafood and sake tasting for four people ($129); total miles = 1,925
• Lucky Strike — 51% off two hours of bowling for eight people ($110); total miles = 1,650

Los Angeles

• The Bar Method — 68% off one month of unlimited classes ($79); total miles = 1,185
• Wildcraft — 47% off brunch or lunch for two with bottomless mimosas ($45); total miles = 675
• Shape House — 41% off three infrared sweat sessions ($79); total miles = 1,185

Just remember that in order to earn the bonus miles, you must click through your desired airline's portal before completing the purchase.

In addition, make sure to sign up for Gilt's own loyalty program: Gilt Insider. You'll earn 500 points just for joining, and you can then earn 5 points per dollar spent at Gilt or Gilt City. You can even earn 100 points for visiting the site five days in a row during the week (Monday - Friday). These points can then be cashed in for discounts, gift cards and other rewards.

Bottom Line

While this promotion is relatively limited in scope, it's a good way to earn bonus miles while enjoying a new experience or product. My wife and I love taking advantage of these types of deals; we've taken trapeze lessons, enjoyed spa treatments and even played glow-in-the-dark mini golf in Orlando using sites like Gilt City. Earning 15 bonus miles per dollar spent makes these offers even better!

Which of these deals catch your eye?

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