Summer 2011 Travel and Points Deals

Summer's finally here and I thought I'd present a round-up of the best travel and points offers available for July and August.

Choice Hotels has numerous low-cost locations across Canada and the U.S., often in small centres where other chains have no presence. Until August 11, if you stay twice, you can earn enough points for a free night in many of their hotels. Here's where to register and get all the details.

Best Western is another chain with many small town locations across North America, making it another excellent road trip option. Through August 14, you'll earn a bonus of 750 Aeroplan miles (in addition to the usual 250) for every stay. You must register through this link prior to your first stay and have your earnings preference (in your profile) set to earn Aeroplan miles.

You can also register to earn 1,500 Aeroplan miles for every $100 Best Western travel card you purchase before August 31. Combine these two offers for a five-night road trip at $100 per night and you'll earn 12,500 Aeroplan miles, halfway to a flight anywhere in North America. If you make your purchase with a credit card that gives you Aeroplan miles, you'll earn a minimum of another 500 miles.

If you'd rather have US Airways Dividend miles, Best Western has a less lucrative offer of 500 miles for each $100 card purchase. Register and purchase here. Make sure your earnings preference is set to US Airways Dividend Miles.

If you're staying at a Marriott before August 31, you can earn quadruple US Airways miles with each stay, starting with the second. Registration and full T&C's are here.

And, until June 30, you'll receive a 100% bonus when you buy US Airways miles, effectively making them half-price. Usually buying miles is not a good idea, but if you've ever wanted to fly to Europe or Asia in First or Business class, this can be a bargain way of doing it.

Hertz is not always the cheapest option when you're looking to rent a car, but I have used them on several occasions and have found their service to be better than some other companies (which I won't name here). Here's an offer for a 40% discount and a big bunch of Delta SkyMiles. Check it out to see if it's worth it for you.

Here's a site that I'm in the process of test driving for an upcoming trip. Several travel bloggers whose advice I trust have recommended it: AutoSlash. Basically, you enter the location and dates you wish to rent a car and AutoSlash gives you a list of vehicles available from various companies. If you make a booking, AutoSlash will continue to monitor rates and if they drop will notify you. If you wish to take advantage of the lower rate, you tell them. They'll cancel the previous reservation and make you a new one. There's no obligation on your part: unlike a hotel reservation, you don't provide your credit card. Here's what The Points Guy had to say about his recent experience with AutoSlash.

And finally, Great Canadian Hotels is offering a coupon for a free night if you stay two nights before September 5. Plus, if you book by June 30, they'll give you a $25 hotel credit. All the details are here.