"My wife's grandfather, Sam Valencino, had a wonderful saying that he'd repeat often with a deep Southern drawl and a large scoop of sarcasm: "Everything's up but wages."
The thing is this, however: We all know it's true. When it comes to travel, it seems no fuel surcharge is high enough. No rental-car tax is too high. No hotel "resort fee" will go uncollected. Never mind fares. Now we're seeing the same upward creep in frequent flyer mileage plans.
So here's the nagging question: Now that we've spent our way to the poorhouse to build up this big bank of miles, why can't I find "saver tickets" for the family to fly from Anchorage to Miami and back? Huh? Inquiring minds want to know.
Welcome to the hide-and-seek game of frequent-flyer redemption.
I spend most of my time trying to game the system over at Alaska Airlines, since that's where I have most of my miles. In fact, I just ordered a bunch of magazines with the remainder of my Delta miles, which were set to expire. My choices included Men's Health, Nursing Week, Teen Cosmo and Spin. Woo-hoo.
In case you didn't notice, the cost to call in to Alaska Airlines and book a mileage ticket went up by 5,000 miles. If you can massage the Web site, www.alaskaair.com, you still can nab some of those saver awards for 20,000, plus the obligatory taxes. But this is one example where Alaska is able to offset the millions and millions of miles people are earning by charging up their credit cards.
Oh, don't worry too much, though. Alaska and partner Bank of America actively push the credit-card deals, including having Alaska flight attendants hawk the cards on every flight.
The credit cards, the phone tie-in with GCI, the groceries at Carr's and the partnership mileage arrangements with other airlines all add up to a mileage-churning machine that adds thousands of people into the qualifying pool of travelers that have 20,000 miles and want a free ticket on Alaska Airlines. There are tie-ins with mortgage companies, wine clubs, florists and most hotels and car rental companies.
In fact, Alaska Airlines is offering 20,000 bonus miles if you sign up for one of its credit cards on their Web site. That's a free ticket. If you can find one.
Many travelers, myself included, have struggled to find the 20,000-mile tickets during the busy summer travel season. On two occasions this summer, I pulled the trigger and booked first class on Delta, which cost me 45,000 Alaska Airlines miles each.
But as we ease into the fall, more of these seats tend to open up. Just today, I found 20,000-mile tickets in August and September from Anchorage to Orlando and Newark. To Chicago and Boston, the total went to 25,000 miles because at least one segment was on Delta or American, two of Alaska's partner carriers.
If you're having trouble finding the right date weeks or months in advance, you might have better luck waiting until the week before you travel. Personally, I hate to play "chicken" with travel reservations. But it's true that more mileage-redemption inventory appears just a few days before departure. And since there's no advance purchase requirement on mileage reservations, that's a real option for flexible travelers." [Via Anchorage Daily News]

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Labels: Alaska Airlines, Continental Airlines, frequent flyer, Mexico, Southwest, US Airways

Save 10,000 miles on awards to Mexico

Mexico Award SaleSave 10,000 miles off the regular 30,000-mile Mileage Plan Coach Saver award when you fly on Alaska Airlines from the Continental U.S. and Canada to Mexico.

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This offer is available for booking beginning July 25, 2007, and is valid for travel between September 3, 2007, and October 31, 2007.

Labels: Alaska Airlines, award ticket, Mexico, sale

your choice if you win

The Art of Mexico
• Air transportation and hotel transfer
• 5 days/4 nights in an exclusive hotel
• Art gallery and Huichol art tour
• San Sebastian del Oeste tour
• Hacienda Doña Engracia tour (a Tequila distillery with horseback riding and mountain biking)
• All breakfasts

Gourmet Vallarta
• Air transportation and hotel transfer
• 5 days/4 nights in an exclusive hotel
• 4 meals in Five Star Diamond Award restaurants
• All breakfasts

Endless Activity
• Air transportation and hotel transfer
• 5 days/4 nights in an all-inclusive hotel
• All meals and taxes included
• San Sebastian del Oeste tour
• Activities package includes canopy tour, Sierra Madre expedition, dune buggy outing, repelling

Labels: contest, free trip, Mexico, Puerto Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta Mexico

Click blue line above and then fill out the form for your chance to win an all-inclusive stay with RIU. The winner and his or her guest can choose from any RIU All-Inclusive hotel in Mexico or the Caribbean (excluding RIU Palace brand properties) for four fabulous nights and five days at any time during the following year.

Unmatched beach destinations, impeccable service, gourmet dining, outstanding entertainment and a wealth of land-based and aquatic sports activities are at your fingertips at all of the RIU resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean.

The Pointswizard.com Spin: from Caribbean Travel & Life magazine

Labels: all inclusive, beach, Caribbean, free, free trip, Mexico, RIU Hotels

Double Miles between California and ANY city in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico

Double Miles to/from California It's all in the numbers: eight Southern California destinations, five Bay Area airports*, 18 California locations in total...and don't even get us started on total number of daily nonstops. And now we've got even more to offer: earn Double Mileage Plan Miles when you fly to or from any California city served by Alaska Airlines or Horizon Air. That's right—Double Miles to or from any city we fly to in California!

Just book your flight at alaskaair.com, register, and watch the miles add up. See, math is fun!

To earn Double Miles, simply register prior to your first qualifying flight by providing your Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan number and selecting a registration code below.

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Labels: Alaska Airlines, bonus miles, California, Canada, Horizon Air, Mexico, U.S.A