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IHG up to 25% off sale for the Americas, Caribbean and Asia Pacific
I recently wrote about the IHG sale for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. If you are venturing elsewhere, IHG’s sale for the Americas, Caribbean and Asia Pacific is now on as well.
- Areas included: US, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, the Caribbean, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, South Korea, Japan, Guam, Saipan, Australia, New Zealand and The South Pacific.
The discount is a flat 20% for anyone or IHG One Rewards members get up to 25% off. It’s free to join, so you may was well get the extra discount. You need to book by 21 May for stays between 24 May 2024 and 2 September 2024
The downside is that there is a minimum of two nights stay, and as usual, the rates are non-refundable.
You can find the IHG sale page here.
30% bonus for Amex Platinum Membership Rewards statement credit – good deal?
While I would guess most TLFL readers use their Amex Membership Rewards to transfer into travel loyalty schemes, you can also use it to pay for anything you have bought on the card. There is a new promotion when you use points to cover a transaction before 10 August 2024. Membership Rewards® points are worth 30% more when you pay off any transaction on your Platinum Card® statement.
If you do want to use points you can choose any purchase on your Amex® App or online statement. Select the option to ‘Cover it with Points’ and then confirm. The statement credit should reach your account in 3 days.
So is it a good deal with the extra 30%? In my view no, particularly when you look at the high price of flights and hotels. The example they give is that if you redeem 20,000 Points it was worth £90 without the offer or £117 with the offer. However, as an example you could convert that into 20,000 Avios and fly in Club Europe and save way more than that. If we take Dubrovnik, for example, which I have been looking at recently, prices are eye-watering in the summer for both cabins. 20,000 points would take you one way in business class plus 50p. I estimate you would get £250-350 of value by transferring the points into Avios versus £117.
Iberia launch Avios only flights
With BA Amex companion vouchers now being available to use on Iberia and Aer Lingus, it could be worth considering using your Avios to fly with Iberia rather than BA as the cash and Avios elements can be less. Iberia has launched its first Avios-only flight in the same way that BA has done recently. While the destinations probably won’t be of much interest since they are short haul, it is definitely worth keeping an eye out for long haul destinations in the future.
Iberia Airlines this week unveiled the Iberia Plus Flight initiative, allowing Iberia Plus members to book flights exclusively with Avios. This unique offer includes four dedicated flights to two of Europe’s most sought-after summer destinations: Santorini, Greece, and Catania, Italy.
The flights on offer can be booked one-way or return. Tickets to Catania start at 2,100 Avios + €73.80, with maximum redemption at 8,250 Avios + €23.80. For Santorini, fares begin at 2,750 Avios + €83.80, capping at 11,000 Avios + €23.80. The specific flight dates are:
- Madrid to Santorini: July 7
- Santorini to Madrid: July 14
- Madrid to Catania: July 27
- Catania to Madrid: August 3
