More Winter 2011 Points and Miles Offers

With Family Day long weekend and the March Break fast approaching, I thought I'd highlight some hotel and points offers that have come my way the last few weeks.

You can earn 250 American AAdvantage miles just for joining Best Western Rewards. The offer is valid until April 11, 2011.

Priority Club's (Holiday Inn, etc.) first promotion of 2011 lets you earn 3,000 bonus points for every three nights you stay, up to 30,000 bonus points for 30 nights. It's good for hotel stays from February 1 to April 30, 2011. You have to register via this link: Priority Club 2011-Q1 Bonus Points Promotion registration link.

Priority Club is also offering an easy 500 points for completing three simple surveys. Click this link to find the Flyertalk post with links to the surveys and anwers. Points post right away.

Until April 13, 2011 Choice Privileges (the loyalty program of Comfort Inn, EconoLodge, Clarion, Quality, and several others) is awarding triple points after your second stay. If you're planning a road trip south and back in the next few months, this is potentially a very valuable offer as these are generally budget properties common at Interstate exits. You can join and register for the offer via this link.

Carlson Hotels' Radisson chain is offering 10,000 bonus Goldpoints through February 28, 2011 for booking the "Experience the World of Radisson" promotion. Here's the link.

Air Canada's Winter Extravelganza lets Aeroplan members earn double miles and other bonuses if they register and fly selected routes between now and April 30, 2011. Details are available here.

Marriott Hotels Weekend Bonus offers a $100 Bonus Bucks coupon good toward a future two-night weekend getaway as well as up to $100 off airfare. Just spend a Friday or Saturday night at participating JW Marriott or Marriott Hotels & Resorts. Book by February 11, 2011, and stay from February 10 through March 27, 2011. Details are here.

I haven't written about Wyndham Rewards before. It's the loyalty program of such well-known chains as Ramada, Super 8, Howard Johnson, Travelodge, and Days Inn. Until April 30, 2011, members earn double points with their second stay, triple points with their third, and quadruple points with their fourth. Like the Choice Hotels offer, this one also has great potential for Florida-bound snowbirds, as these hotels are also common along the Interstates. You can join the program and register for the promotion here.

And for the truly adventurous, Hyatt is offering 2,000 bonus Gold Passport points for a stay at the Grand Hyatt Cairo. The offer is good until April 15, 2011. Details are available via this link.

Safe travels.

A Week in Boston – Part 2

During our week in Boston, we stayed in a Hyatt Summerfield Suites hotel in suburban Waltham. Intended primarily as longer stay, executive accommodation for the many high tech firms in the area, we shared a two-bedroom, two-bath suite with another couple. The rate for a two-bed suite isn't that much more than for a one-bed, but sharing effectively cut our room rate in half. Our suite also had a full kitchen and living area. Parking, wi-fi, breakfast, and a light evening meal Monday through Thursday were all complimentary. The hotel also had a pool, spa, fitness room and business center. A complimentary hotel shuttle operated in a six-mile radius. It's a great choice for families or groups of friends like us.

We got even greater value by taking advantage of a little-known offer available at Costco. Members can purchase $100 worth of Hyatt check (sic) certificates for $80, effectively taking 20% off their rate. You simply use them like cash when you check out. There was a Costco a few minutes away and I called ahead to make sure there were some in stock (stores sometimes run out). I know it sounds almost too good to be true, but it's for real.

And remember: no matter which hotel you stay at, check to see if it's part of a chain. If so, go online and sign up for the loyalty program. It doesn't matter if you'll never stay there again; in your member profile you can set your earnings preference to earn points in the airline miles plan of your choice instead of the hotel's plan.

We stayed in Waltham because hotel rates in Boston, especially in summer, are very expensive. By sharing a two-bedroom suite and using the check certificates, we saved at least 75% off the price of a room in a downtown hotel. But we still had to get downtown.

Fortunately, Boston has an extensive and inexpensive transit system, the MBTA, or "T". A week-long pass cost only $15. We drove to the nearby station, parked for $5.75 a day, and took a 35-minute ride into the city. Inconvenient, yes, but our group of four couples saved literally thousands on the cost of accommodation.

And when I got home, I got a piece of good news. You may recall my writing on March 31 about for-a-fee U.S. dollar credit cards available from Canadian banks, which save you the 2.5% "foreign currency conversion fee" you're charged if you use your Canadian credit card in the U.S. I mentioned that BMO waived the $25 annual fee the first year for my card, but the good news in the mail when I got home was that if I spend $1,000 per year (no problem there), the fee will be waived every year from now on. So, to summarize: get the card and save 2.5%; spend $1,000 per year and it's free.

Cheaping out when you travel robs you of most of its pleasure, but finding ways to save money lets you travel more and leaves you with more money for the things you enjoy.