Welcome back to our Sunday Summary Series where we review the stories that were covered throughout the week.
Sunday Summary
Amex Daily Getaways – Buy IHG Points On Sale
Amex Daily Getaways is a program that American Express runs each year in conjunction with the US Travel Association. It runs for several weeks and offers a different deal each day for a different travel program. Each day offers tiered purchase options for points, miles, or other travel currencies. Many of the offers are nothing to get excited about, but this option may prove useful for some. Buy IHG Points On Sale Today’s Daily Getaway presents the opportunity to purchase IHG points on sale from …
Memorial Marathon – The Bataan Memorial Death March
Today is a very special day for our country – the day that we remember the many men and women who have given their lives in the defense of this great nation. I want to take a moment to recognize all of those brave souls and to thank and honor the families who made that sacrifice. I am so grateful for all of these special people and those that currently are serving in harm’s way even today. While the words do not seem nearly adequate enough to show our deep appreciation, it is the best we have so we say THANK YOU!
On the Run: Seoul and the Olympic Park
As runners, we have the amazing and unique opportunity to see a lot of various towns, cities, and countrysides from the best possible angle – on the ground. We all run in interesting places at times and it is always nice to snap some photos of what we see and take in the beauty of the landscape or cityscape. In that spirit, I am going to start doing some posts of various places that I might run and photos of what I see on the way.
US Airways 100% Buy Miles Promo – Through May 31st
The US Airways 100% buy miles promo (receiving up to 100% of the miles purchased) will run through May 31st. This is definitely one of the longer periods this promo has run. If you value premium cabin travel, this could be a great way to take advantage of it at a lower price – some of the tickets may be cheaper than economy!
Planning Your Fall Marathon
Now is the time when you begin planning your fall marathon (yes, even though it is still spring!). Depending on what month it is, you will start tweaking your training program (or looking for a new one) and shift into training time. You may not even have picked out your fall marathon yet and are still looking around to find one that works with your schedule, budget, topography, and time goals. Since you are in the planning phases anyway, why not start planning on how to get to that fall marathon for almost nothing?!
Summer PointBreaks List
Yesterday, IHG released their PointBreaks hotels for bookings from now through 7/31. These are simply the best deals in the hotel awards system – 5,000 points per night at the selected hotels! I will have a breakdown later of which hotels are great options for upcoming races, but for now, here it is. Getting IHG Points There are a variety of ways to get the points necessary for PointBreak hotels. The one thing that I would only do as a last resort is to use Ultimate Rewards.
TSA PreCheck Lines Getting Longer – But It Is Still OK
TSA PreCheck is the program that is allows trusted travelers the ability to move quickly through the TSA security lines. These are like the super-expedited lines, better than elite/first class security lines. The reason for it is that travelers do not need to take anything out of their carry-ons (like travel liquids, laptops, electronics, etc) or take off their belts, shoes, or light jackets. As one TSA officer said to me, it is like travel pre-9/11. While not quite like that (you still cannot take large containers of liquid through), it certainly does speed the security process.
Southwest 25% Bonus Ending May 31st
Southwest has a bonus currently running that gives a 25% bonus on points purchases, given, or transferred. This is a great way to top off accounts for upcoming redemptions. It definitely is not for everyone, but if you have participated in the sign-up promos that Southwest offered earlier this year, it is the cheapest way to get the points over to a central account. Here is some more information on the bonus. Southwest 25% Bonus From the earlier post describing the offer Southwest Airlines is running a promotion from now through the end of May.
Earn 7,500 AAdvantage Miles With Avis Rentals
American Airlines has sent out a pretty nice promotion for customers who are planning on renting a car – up to 7,500 AAdvantage miles when you rent a car from Avis. Rental car companies often give miles or points in your preferred airline or hotel program when renting a car, but this is certainly one of the best offers that have been around.
Amazon Sale Of 20% Off Selected Running Shoes
Thanks to reader Jeremy for the heads up Amazon releases sales and promotions like this from time to time. It is a great time to pick up some extra running shoes for yourself as the savings from Amazon can be good and the extra 20% is great. The details of this deal is that it runs from now through June 4 and is only valid on the shoes found on this page …
Amex SPG 30,000 Bonus Offer And Earn Your Own Referral
For the last few years, the Amex SPG cards have upped their bonus 5,000 Starpoints to 30,000 Starpoints. That temporary bonus normally comes around in August/September, but has hit already for this year! Until Jun 30, you can get 30,000 Starpoints after spending $5,000 in 6 months instead of the regular 25,000 Starpoints. In reality, it is only 5,000 points of a difference, but since it would take $5,000 in spending to get that otherwise, it is still a nice boost. But, be aware…
Chase Ink 60,000 Offer Ends Today – So Does The Chance To Match It
For a month now, Chase has been running their limited time increase offer on the Chase Ink Plus and Chase Ink Bold to 60,000 Ultimate Reward points instead of the normal 50,000. A 20% increase on the bonus is excellent, especially with the loss of the easy Vanilla-Bluebird purchase route. If you planned on applying, make sure you do it today as it will be gone until next year (unless Chase decides to extend it, which is possible).
