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Frequent Flyer Miles |
A Business Week Special Advertising Section |
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Currency for High Flyers |
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When Is a Mile Not a Mile ó When Itís a Wrist Watch Busy business travelers might want to start saving a little computer time for some day trading. Not the Wall Street kind. The points-and-miles kind. In the world of frequent travel, a mile is no longer just an air mile, and a point is certainly more than a hotel bed. When it comes to redeeming points and miles from airlines, hotels, credit card and rental car companies, a little imagination can get travelers just about anywhere ... or any thing. More and more companies let their club members check and even spend or transfer their miles and points online. Road warriors who are tired of flying can turn those air miles into points on a Diners Club card and buy a stereo system from the clubís catalog. Club RewardsÆ members who earn 100,000 points can redeem them for anything they want. Members have used the big point balances to buy liposuction, Grateful Dead tickets, even a bar mitzvah in Israel. Got more miles than wheels? Lufthansa Miles & MoreÆ members can redeem their miles for car rentals. Travelers willing to risk a few hotel points can turn their Hilton HHonorsÆ points into gaming chips at participating U.S. Hilton gaming locations. For miles that spend like dollars just about anywhere, AOL and American Airlines have teamed up to create AOL AAdvantageÆ, calling it the worldís largest combined online and offline consumer rewards network. American Airlines spokesman Mark Kienzle said the new program creates ìincredible opportunities for AAdvantageÆ members, especially for those who only get 8,000 to 10,000 miles a year. Now they can use them.î By mid-May, Kienzle expects AAdvantageÆ members to use miles for books, CDs, flowers, even to pay their AOL bills. United Airlines Mileage PlusÆ members can go online and use their miles to bid for unusual trips or items such as a BMW auto. Members who show up for the auctions also have options to donate miles to charity. In 1999, members gave up seven million miles to Doctors Without Borders. Travelers who donít see the trip on which theyíre itching to bid at the United Airlines Web site can check out the quarterly auction at Delta, too. SkymilesÆ members can bid on a South Africa safari for example, for a minimum of 250,000 miles. ìItís a prize,î says Delta spokesperson Stephanie Quinn, ìthat money canít buy.î For plenty more creative ways to redeem miles and points, read on.
Now Club RewardsÆ members can go online at www.dinersclub.com to peruse the contents of what also comes as a 40-page print catalog. Offerings include more than 280 name-brand items. Members will find everything from electronics to wine. Get a 60-minute AT&T phone card for 1,500 points. A 24-day trip on the Concorde around the world? Better have 11.3 million-plus points or look into Diners Club Points Plus Charge option. (Diners Club points accrue at the rate of two points for every dollar spent.)
Two new program levels offer greater flexibility to members of the AmEx Membership RewardsÆ program. In Rewards PlusÆ, members get access to ìYour Ticketî, a feature that lets them buy tickets on any airline to any destination without blackouts or other frequent flyer limits. They also qualify for ìYour Reward,î a feature that lets them redeem program points ó at 20,000 points per $100 ó for any item they charge on the American Express card. Enrollment is $75 ($35 for Platinum and Gold card members). The second new program level is called Membership Reward OptionsÆ and offers a lower $15 annual fee in exchange for the privilege of redeeming a greater number of points for merchandise from 50 partners. To sign up or learn more, dial 800-AXP-EARN (800-297-3276).
When the stage beckons, OnePass members can use their membership cards to qualify for Broadway show discounts. To purchase tickets, members call The Broadway LineÆ at 888-BROADWAY (888-276-2392) and provide the ticket agent with the special OnePassÆ discount code.
In addition to Marriottís 175 award options, now members can redeem hotel points for tickets to Disney Theme Parks, Eurostar and the Orient Express. Call 800-442-9929 or go online at www.marriottrewards.com to sign up.
Members who like to shop online now can spend their Hilton HHonorsÆ points on merchandise at Eclout.com. Participating merchants include Barnes and Noble, pcWonders.com, Buy.com and Amazon.com. Check www.hilton.com for details. Hilton is also the only hotel program that allows travelers to exchange both hotel points for airline miles and exchange miles for points. HHonorsÆ members can also exchange American Express Membership RewardsÆ and Diners Club Club RewardsÆ points for HHonorsÆ points.
Members can redeem StarpointsÆ at favorite retailers such as The Gap, Landís End and Saks Fifth Avenue. Members who want miles over beds can transfer 20,000 points to airline miles and receive an extra bonus of 5,000 StarpointsÆ.
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