Tag: expedia | SingleFlyer

Daily Getaways 2016 Valuation

July 25, 2022April 3, 2016

The US Travel Association is once again running its Daily Getaways promotion. Beginning April 4 there will be a different offer for a limited time each day. As was the case last year, there is no added discount for using an Amex card as there has been in previous years. You can find discounts on rental cars, hotels, and theme parks. In this post I calculate the Daily Getaways 2016 valuation for the hotel offers.

Likely the most popular offers will be for the hotel stays that, for the most part, come in the form of loyalty points. Below I have created a grid that shows the cost per point for each of the hotel point offers.

Mileage Run Dubai in First Class on British Airways

July 23, 2022April 13, 2015

Last week there was some buzz over a (possible) mistake fare from Dubai (DXB) to Austin, Texas (AUS) on British Airways and partner airlines, all in First Class.

I use the term “mileage run” in the title of this post, but really it is hardly a milage run for two reasons:

It was $1500 and
It was only one way

Mileage runs are usually cheaper (this one, for me at least, worked out to be 7.4 cents per mile). And having a one way from the middle east is not super helpful.

I learned about the deal while in Disneyland with my nephew and other family members and only had my iPad available to work on the itinerary. I booked through the devil OTA because by the time I was ready to pull the trigger, BA.com had already caught the mistake fare and removed it (but Expedia was still live). I wanted to make sure that all my segments were in First Class (some BA flights from LHR to US cities do not have a First Class, only Business). My ticket has been confirmed and I even was able to choose my seat. Others in the Flyer Talk forum have not been as lucky, no clue why mine ticketed while others have not yet.

Here is why I decided to book this deal:

Daily Getaways Valuation

July 25, 2022March 17, 2015

The US Travel Association is once again running its Daily Getaways promotion. Beginning March 23 there will be a different offer for a limited time each day. An interesting change this: there is NO added discount for using an Amex card. You can find discounts on rental cars, hotels, and theme parks. Only the first three weeks’ offers have been posted as of this post.

Expedia Disaster: Why I don’t use OTAs

March 22, 2015February 13, 2015

expedia disaster

This is the story of my Expedia disaster. I always try to book my travel directly through the airline/hotel/rental car company. This way I know that if there are any issues, they will be the one to fix it. Also, many companies offer you added benefits when booking direct (best fare guaranteed, loyalty points, etc).

However, every once in a while I find a deal that makes going through a booking site like Expedia or Orbitz worthwhile.

A friend and I (okay, confession time, I don’t always travel alone) are planning a free cruise that we got through mLife on Royal Caribbean. As the cruise leaves from Florida, we thought we would spend a few days at Disney World to compliment the time on the cruise. Plus, Disney World!

In many of the blogs and deal sites I check out I found a code for $100 off a three night hotel stay if booked through Expedia. So I found the hotel, entered my credit card info and the coupon code, and voila! My room was booked!

No error message, no “coupon is not valid”. It just worked. Credit card accepted. Room booked. Or so I thought…