Delta SkyMiles members can earn a 50 percent bonus when transferring American Express points into their accounts, plus bonus 25,000 Medallion elite-qualifying miles. ... read more»

Best Western is giving away 3,000 bonus points (5,000 for elite members) for stays purchased with a Best Western travel card completed by August 31. But you had to have purchased the travel card by May 31. So if you missed the deadline, that promotion is a non-starter for you.

If you did purchase the travel card by May 31 and haven't yet used it for a stay, you may be able to combine those bonus points with either a free night or bonus miles on offer in these two newly announced Best Westerns promotions. ... read more»

Since the summer of 2009, US Airways has been toying with various versions of discounted miles-for-sale offers, beginning with a simple 100 percent bonus on purchased miles, and most recently coupling the full bonus to the use of US Airways' shopping toolbar.

The original promotion, simple and generous, is still the best. And through the end of the month, it's back. ... read more»

With the string of recent 50,000- and 100,000-mile bonuses for new British Airways credit cards, it's a safe bet that the ranks of U.S. Executive Club members have swelled considerably.

Are you a member of British Airways' Executive Club? Do you collect American Express Membership Rewards points as well?

If so, this promotion merits your attention. ... read more»

Free travel? How 'bout free music?

To mark its 40th anniversary, Southwest is giving away 40 free iTunes songs.

To be clear, these are 40 tunes of Southwest's own choosing, not 40 tunes that you would choose yourself. So while the nominal value of the music is around $40 (most iTunes songs cost $0.99 each), the real value to you will depend on how your taste and Southwest's line up. Which raises the question: How did Southwest pick those 40 songs?

According to an article in Southwest's inflight magazine, the principle guiding the music choices was as follows: ... read more»

If you're a Marriott Rewards member, you probably received an email today announcing the program's summer bonus. A promotion that began yesterday.

You might wonder why Marriott waited until June 2 to announce a promotion that began on June 1. I did. Doesn't Marriott understand that travel requires planning? And that planning requires advance notice?

Although the promotion reviewed here is for free nights, that's just the default offer—some Rewards members have been offered bonus points instead.

And while this has all the earmarks of one of Marriott's recurring MegaBonus promotions, Marriott isn't calling it that.

Further muddying the waters, Marriott has a second promotion in place during the same time period, awarding bonus miles instead of free nights.

By whatever name, and however ineptly communicated, the new offer is worth considering. ... read more»

American's Deal 30—30 deals in as many days, to mark the 30th anniversary of the AAdvantage program—was a mixed bag, with more misses than hits.

Still, American wins points for the sheer audacity of the promotion. And the final deal, announced last Friday, rates as a bang rather than a whimper. ... read more»

I am asked often which is the best airline mileage program.

My response is likely to strike some as an evasion: There is no best program, only a program that works best for you, given your travel and consumption behavior.

While there may be no categorically best program, there is a program that is the most generous—in other words, a program that makes awards easiest to obtain. The problem, however, is that we don't know which program that is. ... read more»

Earlier this week, in reviewing United's newly announced double-mile offer for flights between Chicago and Los Angeles or San Francisco, I suggested that "perhaps United's promotion will force Virgin America's hand."

Two days later, it did just that.

Offer Details

Between May 25 and August 31, Virgin American Elevate members can earn triple points (15 points per $1) for flights between Chicago and Los Angeles or San Francisco. ... read more»

Between June 1 and August 31, Marriott Rewards members can earn quadruple miles in any of 12 airline programs for their second and subsequent stays at more than 3,400 hotels. ... read more»