As mentioned last week, I used to spend a lot of time on these reviews, probably more than I should have. But there is still information out there I never get around to sharing and builds up in my RSS reader or browser bookmarks. This is my opportunity to start with a clean slate each week.
Some of the news and events that happened this week, but which I didn’t get around to discussing myself:
- Virgin America is offering 10% off flights you book today or tomorrow; you must travel by February 13.
- One Mile at a Time mentions the new Starwood/Caesars partnership is now live. Synopsis: redemptions are meh, and earning something is better than nothing. I’ll discuss the Total Rewards program next week, just as I did for M life back when Hyatt and MGM announced their partnership last year.
- Frequent Miler discussed some changes to Walmart’s transaction limits. Fortunately gift card reloads (processed as debit cards; major form of Bluebird reloads here in the Pacific Northwest) are largely unaffected. The new limit is $500 per transaction, but when still using this approach, I always bought $500 cards and loaded them one at a time anyway.
And a few things I did discuss and think are worth your attention:
- Delta is planning to charge more if you want to bring a guest to their Sky Clubs, whether you pay for a membership or have a credit card that includes access. Alaska Airlines confirms that people with a Board Room membership can still bring two guests to any Sky Club (we’ll see how long that lasts).
- American Airlines and US Airways have begun integrating their airlines with reciprocal elite benefits and the opportunity to redeem miles on either carrier.
- I updated my airline elite status comparison tables. Minor fixed are being made as necessary (AA’s baggage benefit is on today’s agenda) but you’d be surprised how difficult it is to replace a file on WordPress without breaking all the links. Your patience is appreciated.
- Amol’s review of first class on the new American Airlines A321T between JFK and LAX was extremely popular. Check it out if you haven’t already. I’ll be flying business class on this route in a couple of weeks.
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