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Marriott Bonvoy Points Purchase Promotion
Marriott Bonvoy members can take advantage of a special promotion from 15th August to 23rd September 2024.
During this period, members will receive a ‘mystery’ bonus when purchasing 2,000 or more points via this page. Unfortunately, we don’t know what the bonus will be and whether it is good value, but if you were already considering buying extra points for a future stay, now may be the time to do it.
Last month Marriott Bonvoy had a similar offer where it offered me a 35% bonus whereas this offer is only offering me a 30%.
Additionally, the annual limit for purchasing points has been temporarily increased to 150,000 points, 50,000 more than usual. This is a great opportunity to boost your points balance for future room upgrades or stays.
American Airlines New Mileage and Loyalty Points for Paid Upgrades
American Airlines has implemented changes to its AAdvantage program, which will likely be enthusiastically welcomed by members, by allowing them to earn mileage and Loyalty Points for paid upgrades. These updates, which took effect on 14th August 2024, are a significant development for AAdvantage members who may have been frustrated by the program’s previous limitations.
As of this week, AAdvantage members who pay for upgrades through American’s various upsell channels—whether during booking, online check-in, or at the airport—can now earn 5 miles and Loyalty Points per dollar spent. This is a welcome change, as previously, these paid upgrades did not count towards earning loyalty currency.
In addition to the changes already in place, American has announced that later in 2024, members will also be able to:
- Upgrade with Partner Airlines: Redeem miles for upgrades across a wider range of airline partners.
- Manage Systemwide Upgrades Online: Request and manage systemwide upgrades through an online platform.
See full details on AAdvantage here.
These enhancements aim to provide more flexibility and control for AAdvantage members, though many are still waiting to see how these changes will affect the availability of complimentary upgrades in the long term.
For now, AAdvantage members can at least take some solace in the fact that they are finally being rewarded for paid upgrades—a move that better aligns the program with modern consumer expectations.
Our most recent American Airlines review can be found here.
Delta Launching Free Wi-Fi on Long Haul Flights
Delta Airlines is rolling out free, fast Wi-Fi on select long-haul international flights, marking a significant expansion of its in-flight connectivity. This service began its international rollout this summer, with most transatlantic flights expected to offer free Wi-Fi by the end of the summer season.
As of August 2024, free Wi-Fi is available on flights to and from the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, and more. This service will expand to South America later this year and to Asia-Pacific and Africa by mid-to-late 2025.
While SkyMiles membership is not currently required to access the free Wi-Fi, later this year, Delta plans to integrate the service with its Delta Sync Wi-Fi platform, which will require a SkyMiles log-in.
We are seeing more and more airlines starting to offer free W-Fi onboard and from my perspective it’s very welcomed. When you are paying thousands of pounds to fly in luxury cabins, it’s a little cheeky to charge for connectivity.
I think (hope) that in 5 years’ time, Wi-Fi will be freely available on all airlines.
