Cruise away and earn some extra bonus SkyMiles

The Delta SkyMiles Cruises is offering up to 30,000 bonus SkyMiles when you book a cruise in May.  Here is the earning chart:

So, of course, in order to obtain the maximum number of bonus miles, one must book a more expensive room which is a balcony or suite; plus, one must spend at least two weeks on the sea.


Now, if you don't have that much vacation time, you can still get at least 1,500 bonus miles when you book a cruise.  From what I saw on the landing page of the SkyMiles Cruises, the Norwegian Cruise Line looked pretty good.  It is offering up to $250 spending on board credit for any 3+ night cruise.  Here is the link to the offer.  Norwegian Cruise Line Ships & Deals at Delta Skymiles Cruises

Hilton 4X HHonors Points Offer

Hilton came out with a specific deal this time for its Tropicana Las Vegas Hotel.  You could either earn 4X HHonors Points or take 20% off your extra spending at the hotel such as room service, spa, and etc., excluding the taxes, fees, and (or) your gambling losses if any.

So, it looks like the 4X HHonors Points is a better deal because the 20% off does not apply to the room rate, but only applies to extra expenses incurred during your stay.  If you normally don't order room service, or use their Spa treatment, or in other words, you are one of those who like me who get out of the hotel when the sun rises, and return to the room to sleep when both legs are ready to break into pieces, you may not get any discount at all.

Here is the link to the 4X HHonors Points offer.  Tropicana Las Vegas - a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel 4X HHonors Points Special Offers

Here is the link to the 20% off expenditures offer.  Tropicana Las Vegas - a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel 20% off Expenditures Special Offers

Courtyard's book early and save 20% on the weekends

Courtyard by Marriott is now offering 20% off on the weekends only, I repeat, Weekends Only, if you book a room or rooms at least 14 days in advance.  I totally understand their strategy because Courtyard is such a business travel type of hotel, so they'd like to encourage leisure travel on the weekends by offering some incentives to get people to stay with them.

There you go.  20% off on the weekends only.  Here is the link to their official offer.  Book Early and Save | Courtyard Hotels Early Booking Weekend Deals

Delta Vacations offers 5,000 bonus miles for South America vacation packages

Delta Vacations is offering 5000 bonus SkyMiles when you book a South America vacation package (flight + hotel) of $1,999 or more for at least 5 nights.  Although the 5000 bonus miles do look alluring, but the requirement is high.  Since it requires $1,999 at least per person, so we are looking at $4K easily per booking.  Unless you are planning a trip to South America, you probably won't buy a package just because of the offer.

Here's the link to the details.  South America — Save $75 and earn 5,000 extra bonus miles

Hertz: Earn extra bonus miles with your SkyMiles number

Here's a deal from Delta SkyMiles and Hertz.  SkyMiles members earn 100 miles a day plus bonus miles.  SkyMiles Medallion members earn 200 miles a day plus bonus miles.  See tables below for details.

Here's the link to get you started.  Save with Hertz!

SkyMiles auction: Is it a waste of your SkyMiles?

I always thought SkyMiles auction was a way to blow away your hard earned miles.  The redemption rate was so bad that I thought it was ridiculous.  In the email I received from Delta, I picked the current Lion King auctions as a test.  All three of them were over 60,000 miles for a ticket.  That's like paying more than $600 for a ticket.  Now, the show could be really THAT spectacular  but I just can't convince myself to pay for a ticket with that many hard earned miles.

Know if you are selected for TSA PreCheck even before you head to the airport

The TSA PreCheck is expanding to more airports and now, better than ever,  you'll know if you get selected even before you get to the airport.

According to the TSA site, Delta, United, and the U.S. Airways customers will see the TSA PreCheck printed on their boarding passes whether they are on the mobile phones, or printed at home, or at the airport kiosks.  (U.S. Airways is excluded from the kiosks.)

So, it looks like checking in with an agent at the counter does not qualify for the PreCheck automatically.  I could be wrong, but I didn't see it anywhere on the TSA site that mentioned boarding passes obtained from check-in counter would be considered for TSA PreCheck.

Here's the link to the TSA site regarding the new PreCheck update.  TSA Pre✓™ How it Works | Transportation Security Administration

Another new benefit added to the TSA PreCheck is International Travel Segments are now eligible as well.  Here is the link to the TSA site about the TSA PreCheck for internation travelers.  TSA Pre✓™ Expands Expedited Screening Benefits for International Travel | Transportation Security Administration