Saturday Recap: 10,000 American AAdvantage Miles with Budget, Marriott Cash and Points, LA Frequent Traveler University, 300 Priority Club Points

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

Earn up to 10,000 American miles with Budget.

10,000 American miles with Budget: American and Budget are partnering on a promotion that can earn travelers up to 10,000 bonus American miles and a 30% discount on car rentals at airport locations in the US and Canada between now and September 30, 2012. As you can see in the table above, you get 1,000 bonus miles per rental day up to 10 rental days. You must rent the car for 2 or more consecutive days to qualify for the bonus, and use the promotional code MUAZ013. It's valid on all car groups. At the same time, you can also score a 30% discount by using American's discount code in the BCD box when you make your reservation. The code is U072421 (though you can often find better deals by using other codes such as an AARP or AAA membership number).

Marriott Cash and Points: Marriott is launching a cash and points option but don't get excited just yet. Unlike Starwood's Cash & Points option, which is one of my favorite value redemptions, and which allows you to redeem for free nights using a discounted amount of points and a set price, Marriott's option will simply let Marriott Rewards Members combine both paid nights and point redemption nights in the same reservation of two ore more nights rather than having to book each portion separately. It's not the most exciting development, but it does give Marriott Rewards members some more flexibility, and they will still earn points and elite status credit for the paid nights.

Marriott Platinum Members get Suite Upgrades in Asia: Marriott also announced that Platinum members staying in hotel in the Asia Pacific Region will now be eligible for complimentary suite upgrades subject to availability. Participating hotel brands include: JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Renaissance Hotels, Marriott Hotels & Resorts and Courtyard by Marriott. Hotel locations in Asia Pacific include: Australia, China (including Hong Kong S.A.R.), Guam, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. In Japan and South Korea, suite upgrades may be limited and may be offered at the hotel's discretion. These are based on availability at check-in, though in some cases, availability is determined later in the day - so keep asking! They are limited to a member's personal guestroom, so no upgrading your travel companions, and they include most available suite types, except Presidential Suites, Chairman Suites and other signature suites. However, for stays greater than 3 nights, suite upgrades are subject to the hotel's discretion, so even if there is a suite, the hotel doesn't have to give it to you. If they refuse, be firm about it and see what happens. I'm curious if any readers have had this situation arise, and if so, what the outcome was, so leave a comment below! LA Frequent Traveler University Dates Announced: The dates for the next Frequent Traveler University have been moved up a week and are now November 30 - December 2, 2012. The event will take place at the Sheraton Gateway LAX. Some confirmed speakers include Randy Petersen, Gary Leff from View From The Wing, Ben Schlappig from One Mile At A Time, Daraius Dubash from Million Mile Secrets, Steve Belkin (beaubo), Cranky Flyer, and Seth Miller from Wandering Aramean. Registration costs $99 and you can reserve your tickets here. Guests will receive access to all the speaker sessions, a holiday party, and lunch and drinks on Saturday and Sunday. Rates at the Sheraton LAX run around $105 that weekend and can be booked here. Here is the schedule of the events: Friday November 30th 5:30PM Registration opens 6:30PM Milepoint holiday appreciation party begins with cocktails and finger food 7:30PM Randy sums up the year and talks about "A December to Remember" event Saturday December 1st 8:00AM Registration opens Coffee at Starbucks courtesy of Million Mile Secrets 9:30AM Program starts 12:00PM Lunch 1:30PM Program continues 5:00PM Program ends Sunday December 2nd 9:30AM Program starts 12:00PM Lunch 1:30PM Program continues 4:00PM Program concludes

300 Priority Club points: Priority Club is offering 300 Priority Club points when you install the Priorty Club toolbar, and an additional 300 points per stay until the end of 2012 when you make a reservation using it. Just fill out the form in the link, and then once you complete the download you should receive the 300 points to your account instantly. You must be a Priority Club Rewards member to participate. 300 bonus points will be awarded for one toolbar download per member, then 300 bonus points will be awarded for any qualifying stay up to December 31, 2012. Allow 4 weeks from stay for bonus points to be posted to your account. And if you haven't already taken them yet, you can score an additional 2,000 Priority Club points by taking these quizzes.

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