In Case You Missed It – A Recap Of The Week (22 April 2018)

a calendar with a picture of a building and a city

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Summaries and links for all the posts which appeared on Traveling For Miles this week. Includes everything you’ll want to know about the Marriott Rewards/SPG loyalty program merger from the facts to the rumors to pure speculation, details of a good Radisson points sale which ends today (Sunday), news of a new British Airways lounge in Rome, details of Delta’s increased service to Europe, information on how you can status match to Star Alliance Gold status, how you can buy Starpoints at a big discount, a look at how you can combine the Citi Prestige credit card with Hyatt points for a great vacation and a lot more.

Click on the headlines to read more

Monday

How To Combine The Citi Prestige Card With Hyatt Points For A Great Trip

a boardwalk leading to a hut

Here’s how combining a benefit of the Citi Prestige Credit Card with a great use of Hyatt points can save quite a bit of money and give you a great trip as well.

Here’s How To Status Match To Star Alliance Gold

This is how to status match to Star Alliance gold status if you have oneworld or skyteam status. The status match is offered by United Airlines so the match will be to United Premier Gold or United Premier Platinum status & you have a choice of keeping the status for 90 day or extending it by up to 18 months

Tuesday

Marriott & Starwood New Combined Loyalty Program – The Facts

a close-up of a logo

Marriott has announced almost all of the major details surrounding the new combined loyalty program arising from the merger of marriott Rewards and Starwood preferred Guest (SPG). We know now the new Marriott Elite levels, the requirements to earn elite status, what the new award chart looks alike and a lot more.

Marriott & Starwood New Combined Loyalty Program – New Credit Cards Coming

Here’s everything we know so far about the new Marriott/SPG credit cards that will start being released from 3 May 2018. At least two new credit cards are ion the way and the existing range ion credit cards from Chase and Amex are seeing changes too.

Marriott’s New Loyalty Program – Winners & Losers

Now that we know a lot of the details behind the new Marriott/Starwood loyalty program I’ve taken a look at the winners in losers as they emerge from the shake up. Its looks like marriott rewards members may have done slightly better then their SPG counterparts but there’s good news for both sides and things could have ben worse.

Wednesday

Hilton Asia-Pacific Sale – Up To 25% Off Bookings Made By 30 April

a group of huts on a dock over water

Hilton has launched a new sale that’s going to be of interest to anyone looking to visit the Asia-Pacific region this year. The sale is called “the great getaways” and encompasses Hilton properties across Australasia, India and Southeast Asia although it would appear as if not all properties are participating.

Delta Is Increasing Service To Europe – Seasonal Routes To Go Year-Round

Delta has announced that a number of its routes between the US and Europe which were originally scheduled to operate just for the summer season will now be returning for the winter 2018/19 season too. Travelers based in Los Angeles, New York, Orlando and Indianapolis will now have more European options that was originally expected.

FLASH SALE: Buy Radisson Rewards Points For 0.4 Cents Each (ENDS TODAY – Sunday)

a pool with trees around it

Radisson Rewards is running a flash sale through Sunday 22 April in which members are being offered a bonus of 75% on all points purchases. Unlike many points promotions we see this promotion offers the same high bonus whether you buy the minimum or maximum number of points allowed…and that makes it interesting.

British Airways Brings Back “Kids Go Free” Promotion (Domestic Routes)

British Airways has brought back a promotion it ran last year which allows kids to fly free of charge on select domestic routes. In 2017 British Airways added Bilund (the home of LEGO) to the list of routes included in this offer but, this year, that’s no longer an option.

Thursday

British Airways Caribbean Holiday Sale Is On (UK Departures)

a dock over the water

British Airways has launched its latest sale on holidays to the Caribbean with prices starting at £579 per person for 7 nights with departures starting from September 2018. While the headline price is for a stay at a 3* resort the airline is also offering deals for stays at 4* and 5* properties too and, if you’re looking to avoid the cramped 10-across Economy Class seating, there are deals including Premium Economy and Business Class too.

Marriott/Starwood Combined Loyalty Program – Big Questions Yet To Be Answered

a group of tall buildings

It’s been mostly good news so far when it comes to how the combined Marriott and Starwood loyalty program is panning out but, as there are still some major unknowns, is it possible that Marriott is holding back some seriously bad news?

Earn Up To $50 Lyft Credit With Blue Delta SkyMiles Amex Credit Card

The Blue Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express has just added an extra incentive for those looking to apply for the card in the next few months – Lyft credits.

Hilton’s 2Q Double Points Promotion Is Open For Registration

a beach with buildings and a body of water

Hilton has opened up registration for its second quarter promotion which is offering double base points on all stays. Almost all properties in the Hilton portfolio are participating (a few properties in China are excluded) so it should be easy enough to rack up a few bonus Hilton points if you have some stays coming up.

Friday

British Airways Opens A New Lounge In Rome

British Airways has opened a brand new lounge facility for passengers traveling through Rome Fiumicino airport. The new lounge is part of a broader lounge revamp program that the airline is undertaking as part of its often mentioned £4.5bn ($6.3bn) investment into aircraft, cabins and the passenger experience.

Get A 35% Discount On Starpoints Through 31 May

a pool with palm trees and mountains in the background

Starwood has launched another points promotion in which it’s offering a discount of 35% on purchases of 5,000 points or more. This mirrors an offer we saw towards the end of last year and is  the best discount Starwood has historically offered on its currency. While Starpoints can be used to use to book award nights at properties in the Starwood and Marriott portfolios there are other uses that may offer better value and I’ll go through those uses in this post.

Cathay Pacific Will Improve Meal Service In Business Class…But Only A Little

In an interview given to Bloomberg back in March the Cathay Pacific CEO Rupert Hogg was keen to stress that, as part of its efforts to get back to profitability, the airline planned to do “a lot more on food” and that “food is going to be a concentration” for the airline going forward.

Things have been quiet on the Cathay front for a few weeks now but now Australian Business Traveller has got its hands on an internal email that appears to shed some light on what’s coming.

FLASH OFFER: $70 or £50 Off British Airways Long-Haul Routes This Weekend (US & UK Only)

a bridge with lights on it

British Airways is sending out emails to Executive Club members in the US and UK offering $70 or £50 off their next long-haul booking with the airline. There are a few restrictions on how and when the promotion code can be used but, on the whole, this looks like an easy way to save some cash if you’re prepared to book with BA.