More miles and points! I don't know how the universe lined itself up this way but September has been my month for cashing in! I have to take vacation time since our company has a use it or lose it policy. When I stay home, the phone rings, stuff happens and I end up working. So, I have to leave the country. As I mentioned on an earlier post, Europe is too expensive for Americans to afford these days. What is up with $600 a night for a hotel room? I decided that my goal was to add some new countries to my list and this trip includes Poland and Portugal. I was on the Holiday Inn website looking for a Warsaw hotel when the hotel announced a pointbreak special. Only 5000 points per night for a free room. Normally it's 25,000 to 40,000 points so this was a huge deal. I cashed in and secured two free nights in Warsaw.
Then I wanted Lisbon. Well there are no bargain freebies in Lisbon and something is going on because all the hotels are nearly sold out. I can get a room but at $500 plus a night, I don't think so! Next choice, Porto. As luck would have it, Sheraton is running a special on stays. Stay one night but get credit for 2 nights. I need 4 more Sheraton stays to renew my status so I figured this could work for me. Now hotels change rates per night of the week. So I found the cheap rate and paid for that, and then on the more expensive night, I cashed in points for a free night. Success in Porto! My last two nights are in London before I fly home and while Heathrow airport is miles from anywhere, the hotels are affordable because of that. I was able to pre-pay for the cheap Sheraton night, and cash in points for the second night. So now, I've secured two paid stays that count for 4, renewed my status for another year, and won't go broke from the trip.
Now I'm waiting for my flight upgrade to clear.
In a random twist of fate, I have upgrades about to expire but luckily LJ had a trip come up, and lo and behold, I sponsored her upgrades and they cleared right away! As I said, if they're not used, the airline is the only one that benefits!
Then I wanted Lisbon. Well there are no bargain freebies in Lisbon and something is going on because all the hotels are nearly sold out. I can get a room but at $500 plus a night, I don't think so! Next choice, Porto. As luck would have it, Sheraton is running a special on stays. Stay one night but get credit for 2 nights. I need 4 more Sheraton stays to renew my status so I figured this could work for me. Now hotels change rates per night of the week. So I found the cheap rate and paid for that, and then on the more expensive night, I cashed in points for a free night. Success in Porto! My last two nights are in London before I fly home and while Heathrow airport is miles from anywhere, the hotels are affordable because of that. I was able to pre-pay for the cheap Sheraton night, and cash in points for the second night. So now, I've secured two paid stays that count for 4, renewed my status for another year, and won't go broke from the trip.
Now I'm waiting for my flight upgrade to clear.
In a random twist of fate, I have upgrades about to expire but luckily LJ had a trip come up, and lo and behold, I sponsored her upgrades and they cleared right away! As I said, if they're not used, the airline is the only one that benefits!
Comments
Post a Comment