NEWS & OFFERS: Get a free New York helicopter transfer, Virgin £75 off and MGM/Mariott status match live

Get a free New York helicopter transfer

JetBlue are offering a free helicopter transfer from New York JFK or Newark when you book business class seats with them on flights to New York by 21 February and travel by 3 March 2024. It’s a narrow window, but if you are thinking of a last-minute New York trip, it is worth considering. 

I enjoyed Jet Blue, although when a couple of things on board went wrong, their service recovery was bad, which put a damper on an otherwise good experience. When everything works as it did on the return trip, it is definitely my favourite transatlantic business class for the seats, food and service. 

The helicopter transfer is provided by Blade, who operates an on-demand service to Manhattan from JFK most of the time. I loved this experience. You can read about it in this review and also get a $50 money-off code for your first ride. The free transfer is available Monday-Friday; 7am-8pm. 

You can find the sale page here.

Virgin Atlantic £75 off code – 10k Virgin points bonus reminder

Virgin Atlantic have an extra £75 on flight + hotel bundles when you book by 29th February.  You can travel before 30th June from the UK to any of Virgin’s destinations worldwide. Use the code SAVE75.

There are also 10,000 bonus Virgin points available when you book a return Upper Class cash ticket by 18 February 2024. You can find out more in this article.

You can check prices here. 

MGM/Marriott status match and points transfer rates

MGM and Marriott recently announced a new partnership, taking over from Hyatt. You can find the full details in this article. Hotels will either become part of one of the existing brands where you would get the usual benefits in most instances. Others will become part of a special collection called the MGM Collection. The New York-New York is the first hotel in the collection to become bookable on the Marriott platform, and the rest are expected to be live by mid-March. It is annoying that if you book through MGM’s website, you can not claim any Marriott benefits or points, so that is worth remembering.

You can now match status with your MGM account to Marriott as follows from this page:

1. Sign into your MGM Rewards account
2. Navigate to the My Rewards page
3. Select the “Link a Marriott Bonvoy Account” benefit card
4. A pop-up window will appear, click “Link a Marriott Bonvoy Account”
5. Enter your Marriott Bonvoy log-in credentials
6. After successfully entering your Marriott Bonvoy log-in credentials, Marriott Bonvoy tier will be automatically upgraded to corresponding tier based on their MGM Rewards tier level
7. A message stating your Marriott Bonvoy account has been linked will appear
8. Sign into your Marriott Bonvoy account to view tier level and benefits you will receive at participating Marriott Bonvoy destinations

MGM Rewards members with Gold status are eligible to link accounts and receive Marriott Bonvoy Silver Elite status subject to terms and conditions.

During a promotional period ending December 31, 2024:

• MGM Rewards members with Platinum status are eligible to link their MGM Rewards account with their Marriott Bonvoy account in order to receive Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status
• MGM Rewards members with NOIR status are eligible to link their MGM Rewards account with their Marriott Bonvoy account in order to receive Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite status.

If you have no status but have accrued some points in an MGM account you can transfer them to Marriott Bonvoy or vice versa. 

Marriott Bonvoy points can be transferred to an MGM Rewards account at a ratio of 10 Marriott Bonvoy points for 8 MGM Rewards Points. Transfers are subject to a minimum 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per transaction and an annual maximum of 30,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.  

MGM Rewards Points may also be transferred to a Marriott Bonvoy account at a ratio of 10 MGM Rewards points for 8 Marriott Bonvoy points and are also subject to a 1,000 MGM Rewards Points minimum transaction and 30,000 MGM Rewards Points annual maximum.