Author: Mark

We’re all used to loyalty programs tightening the screws on the earnings potential of the programs. Going against the grain is Hilton Honors, which has just lifted some earnings restrictions in the program. In addition, to lifting the earnings restrictions, Hilton are also adjusting the points expiration policy. These will now expire after 15 months of activity, rather than 12 months. The Earnings Changes The earnings changes were announced on Flyertalk. The terms and conditions have been updated to reflect the change. Members will now be able to earn Base Points on up to four rooms on eligible multi-room reservations,…

Qantas opened the new Qantas Singapore First Lounge late last year. As I travelled back to Australia after my end of year break, I stopped by to have a look. Qantas Singapore First Lounge  Location The Qantas First Lounge is centrally located in Changi Terminal 1, between the two immigration checkpoints. If you pass through immigration near the SATS premier check-in area near row 4 turn right after immigration. On the other hand, if you pass through immigration near check-in row 8, then it will be on your left. Either way, you then head up an escalator to the lounge.…

Last year we learned that the new Accor Live Limitless (ALL) program was going to have two new status levels. The highest level based on published criteria is the ALL Diamond Level. The other was an invitation-only status, which is apparently going under the name ‘Limitless’. This was all scheduled to roll out in 2020. True to their word, members that achieved 26,000 Status Points in 2019 have had their status updated to Diamond. In this article, we will recap the requirements and benefits of achieving Diamond status in ALL. Criteria To recap, Diamond Status is awarded after a member…

On February 9, 2020, Qantas will be retiring another 747. This time around, after 17 years of flying, ‘Sydney’ (VH-OEF) will set off on its final journey from Sydney to Los Angeles. As with the retirement of VH-OJU in October, Qantas is running the service as a Points Plane. As a result, Qantas Frequent Flyers have a good chance to redeem points on the final flight. VH-OJU is a three-cabin aircraft, featuring Business, Premium Economy and Economy. All three cabins have award seats available. Flight Details As mentioned, this will be the final flight for VH-OEF. VH-OEF is a Boeing…

The partnership between Velocity and Skybus is coming to a close. Members will be able to earn points on eligible Skybus products until 31 January, 2020. Skybus Velocity earn rate (until 31 January) At present, Skybus offer Velocity Points on a range of their fares and products. For the most part, you earn around 100 Velocity Points per one way trip. For example, 5 trip savers earn 500 points, while 10 trip savers earn 1,000 points. There is one exception that have a slightly higher earn rate – return trips. In this case. Skybus offer 250 points for the return…

Qantas has lifted the cap on its credit-card surcharges. In some cases, such as domestic travel, the cap has been doubled. As a result, you could be up for a higher credit card surcharge next time you book a flight. Qantas introduced the current credit card surcharge structure back in 2016. At the time, they moved from a flat fee to one calculated as a percentage of the fare. They also added a cap. For a domestic flight, you would not pay more than $11. Over the past three years, the percentages have drifted around, generally in a downward direction.…

Accor Live Limitless (ALL) is running a promotion offering discounts on longer stays.  Under the offer, you could get a discount of 30% when making a booking of three nights or more. The actual discount can vary by property, and I have seen offers of a 35% discount here and there. Available for bookings made on the Accor Live Limitless website, it is an advance purchase offer. Discounts As an advance purchase offer, there is a little bit of fine print to keep in mind. Firstly, and most importantly, reservations are prepaid, nonrefundable and not changeable. As a result, you…

Qantas has announced Lord Howe Island as the latest in its Points Plane series. As a result, they have opened up award availability on a number of flights between Sydney and Lord Howe Island. Many have long sought after Classic Awards to the pacific island. Cash fares can be expensive, making Award flights good value for such a short distance. With Qantas making every seat on every plane on eligible flights available, this could be a great opportunity. That said, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Lord Howe Island Points Plane Classic Awards are available within…

Qantas has announced that it will commence non-stop services between Melbourne and Tokyo Haneda from 29 March 2020. This flight will replace the current service between Melbourne and Tokyo Narita. The Haneda service will be operated by the Airbus A330 aircraft. The A330 is a 2 cabin aircraft, offering a Business and Economy cabin. There is no First or Premium Economy cabin on the aircraft. The Qantas A330 features the ‘business suite’ product in a 1-2-1 layout. The change to the service has come after the Japanese government released two new slots at Haneda for Australia Airlines. The other slot…

Members of Velocity will no longer be able to collect Velocity Points from Autobarn from 31 December 2019. The announcement was made by Velocity on Friday: From 31 December 2019, Velocity Members will no longer be able to earn Velocity Points with Autobarn. Customers who purchase Autobarn products and services (excluding Autobarn Gift Cards and Trade Sales) on or before 31 December 2019 will still be eligible to earn Points. Autobarn and Velocity Under the newly announced deal, Velocity members earn 2 points per dollar on spend in store or online. There are only a couple of exclusions to the…