As you might have noticed, it has been a while since my last blog post. I’ve been extremely busy preparing travel talks and hosting my own travel seminar in Brussels, Belgium. Last Saturday (Dec 1) was the big day, TravelMagic 2012. For the first time in Belgium, travel enthusiasts had the opportunity to learn and exchange tips & tricks on how to travel luxurious with a limited budget. With more than 50 participants and manyravingreviews, we can call the event a success. The next edition will be held on April 27, 2013.
Video: After movie TravelMagic 2012 at Holiday Inn Brussels Airport
Back in May 2011, I published an insight in my loyalty program statuses including the number of points and miles earned. More than a year has passed since then, so it’s time for an update:
How did I earn these points? I only stayed once at Hyatt this year and it was on points. During award stays you only earn points on food & beverage charges, in my case 452 points. Where did I spent points?
30K points for two nights at Club View King room at Grand Hyatt Seoul
How did I earn these points? Stays at Radisson Suites Bangkok Sukhumvit, Park Plaza Soi 18 Sukhumvit Bangkok and Park Inn Leuven. Check my Club Carlson post for more details.
* Points from my Park Inn Leuven still need to post (including 44K bonus) Where did I spent points? 50K points for one night at Radisson Blu Edwardian Mercer Street Hotel (Opening weekend London 2012 Olympics)
How did I earn these points? One night stay at Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Interesting detail: I acquired free Le Club Accor Platinum status using a simple sign-up link. I posted this opportunity several times on my twitter feed, make sure you don’t miss it next time, follow me on twitter! Where did I spent points? No Le Club Accor points spent in 2012. Le Club points have a very low value, you need a minimum of 4K points to convert them to 2000 airline miles or 2K points for a €40 discount voucher (which can only be used to lower roomrates, not on F&B) In general, this loyalty program is really weak, with platinum benefits rarely honored. The only really positive experience I had as A Club Gold member was at Sofitel Paris La Defense back in 2010.
How did I earn these miles? I earned more than 280,000 miles in the past year.
150K miles were ‘butt-in-seat’ miles (by taking flights)
32K bonus miles for business flight to Rio de Janeiro
75K miles were earned using the Brussels Airlines American Express cards. 23K miles were earned from various sources like hotel stays, shopping, etc…
On what did I spent miles?
70K miles to upgrade GIG-FRA from Business Class to new Lufthansa First Class
How did I earn these miles? I bought 98,000 Wyndham Rewards points for $308 (€237,85) during the yearly U.S. Travel Association “Daily Getaways” campaign and converted them to 39,200 United Mileage Plus miles. I also bought 20,000 Mileage Plus miles for $451 (€347,86) via a facebook 40% discount sale.
Finally, during an award reservation, I was 1479 miles short, so I had to buy a set of 2000 Mileage Plus miles for $70 (€58,47).
Conclusion, in total I bought 61,200 United Mileage Plus miles for €644,18 On what did I spent miles?
70K miles on an itinerary including Singapore Airlines First Class & Business Class + Air New Zealand Business and Economy Class. More details to follow!
