NEWS & OFFERS: Black Friday deals start and Uber – the quickest way to get Avios?

Black Friday deals start + Qatar deals coming

The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas

I have stayed at the Cosmopolitan a few times now and would return, particularly for their wrap-around fountain view suites. The hotel is part of Marriott Bonvoy and has a great central location on the strip.

There’s a good offer currently direct with up to 50% off your stay when you book by Tuesday 29 November. It’s valid for select dates until 7 February 2023. 

You can find the offer page here.

Fairmont and Sofitel – up to 25% off

Fairmont usually do a Black Friday offer for 20% off gift vouchers, but I have not seen anything about that yet. However, they are running a decent sale which covers the US, Canada, Barbados and Bermuda. You can read my review of the Fairmont Barbados here.

There is up to 25% off at participating hotels  with discounts ranging from 15-25% off.  

The sale lasts until 29 November for stays until 30 June 2023. You can save up to 25% compared to the fully flexible rate. The catch is that there is a  1-night prepaid, non-refundable, non-transferable deposit is required at time of reservation (except Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, Fairmont Empress, Fairmont Pacific Rim, Fairmont Vancouver Airport, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, Fairmont Waterfront which do not require deposit).

Plus, members of ALL – Accor Live Limitless can save an additional 5% with our Members’ Rate, among other perks and benefits. Not a member? Enroll here.

You can find the offer page here.

There is also a similar offer for Sofitel with hotels in US, Canada and Mexico being discounted by 20-30% off. These are on the same offer page. 

It is always worth speaking to our luxury travel agent partners GTC when considering a luxury hotel purchase as often the included benefits can work out cheaper than a discounted rate as these can include breakfast, hotel credit and upgrades depending on the brand. You can contact them for a quote here. 

IHG – breakfast and bonus points for $1 

By spending just an extra $1, you can get daily breakfast and 2000 bonus points included in your stay when you book for 2 nights or more. Plus, you get 25-30% off dining bills at participating outlets while also earning points.

To get the deal you need to book and stay at IHG Hotels & Resorts across India, the Middle East and Africa until 31 March 2023.

You can find the offer page here. 

Qatar deals coming

Qatar has announced that they will have a sale launching on 22 November, which is next Tuesday. As usual, I will be doing all the analysis to find the best UK and ex-EU deals for Black Friday so make sure you are signed up on one of our social media channels to get the deals as soon as they launch! You can find our Facebook and Twitter links at the top of this page. 

It is worth signing up for their Privilege Club as many of their offers are aimed at members only. You can join the Privilege Club free here.

Eurotunnel

For the first time, Eurotunnel Le Shuttle is holding a Black Friday Sale with discounts on many ticket types for customers with a My Eurotunnel account.

Sign up for a free account before 20th November in order to get exclusive access to the discounts on tickets for winter travel with Le Shuttle. The sale will be for travel until 29 March 2023. 

Discounted prices will be as low as £48 return per car for a Day/Overnight ticket. 

The exclusive Black Friday Sale will run from 25-28 November and is available only to My Eurotunnel members, who will also get a range of monthly offers, competitions, and partner promotions. 

There are some good reasons why it is worth considering Eurotunnel instead of flying for a winter break. This is particularly relevant if you plan to do some shopping. 

• Tax-free Christmas shopping: Since Brexit, a wide variety of goods qualify for a VAT refund (up to 20%) including cosmetics, technology, jewellery, and food and drink items. Cité Europe mall and Carrefour hypermarket are just a 5 minute drive from the Calais terminal. For the luxury bargain hunters, the Channel outlet store is also nearby. 
• Christmas markets: Load up the car with all the family, hop on Eurotunnel Le Shuttle, and you’ll be in Hauts-de-France, home to some of Europe’s Christmas markets – Lille, Arras and Amiens to name but a few. 

You can find the sale page here.

Hotels.com

If you don’t stay at one chain enough to make it worthwhile collecting their points, Hotels.com offer a decent alternative. They offer a “stamp” for each stay which eventually gives you a free night with 1 reward night for every 10 nights you stay. To be eligible, you just need to join Hotels.com Rewards for free. 

When you book on the app by 20 Nov, you’ll earn double stamps—just use the coupon code below at checkout.

Enter the coupon code at checkout to earn double stamps:  APPRWDBF

Uber – the quickest way to get Avios?

Usually, the only way to get Avios almost instantly is to buy them. Transferring from Amex Membership Rewards is also quick but can take a day or two. I recently wrote about Uber now being an option to earn Avios, and it is live in the app for most people to link their accounts. 

I am finding that rides credit almost instantly. The rides I took last night were already showing this morning and I have seen that some people’s are crediting within a few minutes. So if you only need a small number of Avios to do your redemption, Uber may well be the way forward for many people.