Tag Archives: Alaska Airlines

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Case Study: My Trip to Australia with Miles

My boyfriend and I wanted to book a trip to Australia this year because we have a friend who is living there for work. We are somewhat flexible in our travel dates, but knew that we needed to visit in November and/or December due to other commitments, but also that we wanted to be home with our families for Christmas. Here’s how I went about planning our trip to Australia and what it is costing us for our flights.

As I already mentioned, we are pretty flexible with our dates (we both work online, so that helps). Our main two constraints are a friend’s wedding in New York at the end of October and Christmas. Since we have flexibility from working online, we wanted to travel as much of November and December as possible and spend a good chunk of that time in Australia.

a koala bear and a yellow map

Image source: https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-illustration-sleeping-face-koala-continent-australia-cute-snout-peek-up-australian-image78520349

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Comenity Virgin America Credit Card Partial Annual Fee Refunded (Prorated Based on Cancellation Date)

Update: The ACH transfer from Comenity to my bank account posted the next business day.


Good morning everyone, I hope you all had a great weekend.  Over the weekend, I received an email from Comenity regarding my Comenity Virgin America Credit Card.  According to the email, I had a $35.43 credit balance in my account.  That was strange, I closed my Comenity Virgin America Credit Card back in October 2017.  I logged into my Comenity account and checked out the recent credit card statement to see what was going on.

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PSA: You Cannot Use AA Gift Certificates for American Airlines Basic Economy Tickets [Partially True]

Updated 3:30pm PT on 2/8: I just received an update from Brant, here is what he said:

After another lengthy phone call to AA, turns out that the agent I originally talked to yesterday was only half correct. You CAN use GC’s to buy a basic economy fare, which I was told you could not. However, you cannot use residual funds from a canceled ticket purchased with a GC to book another flight in a lower category. The original tickets were in economy and I was trying to use the funds for basic economy. The original agent assumed that this restriction applied to using GC’s to make a basic economy ticket from the start. In other words, bad information.

Sorry for the misinformation everyone  it looks like you can use AA gift cards to buy American Airlines basic economy tickets, but only if the AA funds do not come from a regular American Airlines economy ticket  I hope that makes sense.


Good morning everyone, I just received a Facebook message from my friend, Brant, that I wanted to share with everyone (he said it would be helpful for others to know).  Here is what Brant said:

So, I just got off the phone with American Airlines and after a 30 minute ordeal I discovered something interesting that you might want to write on your blog for those who have been collecting AA gift certificates. I have around $2,700 worth of certificates that I bought using airline credit on AMEX Plat, Chase Sapphire Reserve, etc. Anyway, you cannot purchase a “basic economy” tickets using gift certificates. No way, no how, period even if you have status with AA. Just an interesting but aggravating fact you might want to mention.

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40% Bonus when you Buy Alaska Airlines Miles (Expires Feb 7)

I love the photo in this ad for Alaska Airlines miles! In case you don’t know, it’s called a FLYING ANGEL. When I was a kid, I was the one who gave everyone flying angels. It was so cool to be able to lift people in the air and help them fly! Little did I know, I would grow up to be the one who flew so often :) Where was I? Oh yeah… If you want extra Alaska Airlines miles, you better hurry! Tomorrow, February 7 is the last day to get in on this deal. This deal is not targeted and it is the cheapest you’ll ever see Alaska Airlines miles go on sale for. Purchase 15,000+ miles and you will get a 40% bonus. My best redemption using Alaska Airlines miles was on Emirates for an amazing First Class experience. I also used Alaska Airlines miles for Cathay Pacific business class flights. I’m really looking forward to using my Alaska Airlines miles on Condor. How wonderful that will be to fly nonstop to Europe from San Diego!

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My Unlikely, But Entertaining 2018 Travel Predictions

Greetings from Uyuni airport in Bolivia.  I have a few minutes before my flight, so I wanted to get this post published.  Sorry for the delay in posting this list, my crystal ball was in the shop for a tuneup. As you can tell from my 2017 travel predictions, I am wrong 99% of the time, so take these predictions with a grain of salt (that I took from the Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia).  Here are some of my highly unlikely, but entertaining travel predictions for 2018.  Enjoy!

Airlines

  • After the Virgin America merger, Alaska Airlines will add new routes to Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean
  • Delta Airlines will introduce cash and miles award tickets, then American Airlines and United Airlines will follow suit
  • Southwest Airlines will increase their Transfarency by automatically keeping track of travel funds in each account
  • JetBlue will add new routes along the West Coast and maybe to Hawaii
  • Singapore Airlines will allow you to book United Airlines awards online
  • British Airways will bring back the 4,500 Avios award price in the United States

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