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A young man’s fancy may lightly turn to thoughts of love in the spring, but once we get to the end of the summer, it’s all about fantasy football. My draft is this weekend, so I’ve spent much of the past week wondering whether my choice of an RB5 will really make a difference at the end of the day. Of course, that hasn’t stopped me from searching out the best stories in travel. This week, we’re seeing quite a bit of interesting news about bonuses, including an American Express promotion and a Marriott promotion.

Strong Hotel and Credit Card Promotions

There are new bonuses and promotions almost every day, but most of them aren’t worth mentioning. But this week, we have not one, but two worth mentioning, from Marriott and American Express.

Marriott Promotion
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Marriott Promotion

Marriott is trying to get us back into hotels by offering 2,500 points per stay, between now and October 18. Stay three times and Marriott will give you an additional 2,500 points. I’m not a big fan of promotions that base your bonus points on the number of stays, rather than the actual number of nights, but this Marriott Promotion is straightforward and relatively lucrative. As with any other offer, I recommend signing up for it, since there’s no cost to do so and you may pick up some free points.

American Express Promotions

American Express is an odd duck in the rewards world. They offer cards that come with a ton of benefits, such as lounge access or discounts, but the spending bonuses have traditionally been lousy, meaning that customers would pay the annual fee for great benefits, often loss-leaders, but then never use the card.

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Over the past couple of years, however, American Express has gotten better about offering spending promotions to actually use the card. So far, I’ve seen opportunities linked to both Hilton and Delta, although there may be others. In this case, the offers are targeted toward people who are trying to achieve elite status. Check your account online to see if you received the promotion and be sure to register:

  • The Hilton card is offering you an additional base point per dollar spent, up to a total of $30,000. Specifically, Amex will give you 1,000 base points every time your spending crosses $1,000. The fact that it is a base point, not just an additional reward point, means that the bonus counts toward elite status. Be sure to check out what hotels are doing about elite status extensions.
  • The Delta American Express promotion is a little more difficult but potentially more lucrative. For every $1,000 that you spend between now and December 31, you’ll receive 500 Delta miles and 500 MQMs, or Medallion Qualifying Miles, which count toward elite status. You max out at $50,000 in spend and, for reason that I don’t completely understand, the bonus doesn’t kick in until you’ve spent at least $1,000. The airlines are also offering elite extensions.

The bottom line is that there’s not a lot that I’m excited about in the travel industry today, but some of these promotions are beginning to stand out.

What Else Caught My Eye

A few stories that look like fun but don’t merit their own articles… (See, there was actually more this week than just a Marriott Promotion….)