Accor Hotel Group/Le Club Accorhotels - Instant PLATINUM status

From "View from the Wing":

Platinum status targeted to certain Citibank World Mastercard customers in the U.A.E. but usable by anyone, create your account with instant platinum status here. If the link says session expired, just hit reload.

Benefits of Platinum status are:

Double your points on each stay
Dedicated customer service team
In Sofitel*, Pullman and MGallery hotels:
- Complimentary drink and welcome gift
- Upgrade **
- Late check-out up to 16:00**
- Guaranteed room availability (when you book at least three days prior to arrival)
In Sofitel Thalassa Sea and Spa hotels:
- One Thalassa Sea and Spa Institute beauty product and treatment
In Adagio hotels:
- Welcome gift for stays of 10 nights or more
- Late check-out**

NYC & Ft. Lauderdale from San Francisco, $220-$240 (R/T, incl. Tax)

This sale has been going on for a while but it seems that there are still plenty of seats available. If you are flexible this could be a very cheap way to experience the hustle and bustle of NYC or relax on the beach in Forth Lauderdale.

Plenty of April and May dates still available!!



THIS IS A STEAL - flying across the country for less than $300 is very rare!

Here's the LINK where you can check the calendar and book your pretty cheap getaway!

Now you just have to decide whether to pack your flip-flops and suncreen or your comfy walking shoes and coat! :)

250 Priority Club Points for answering a few questions....

Priority Club has a new survey out and you can get 250 free points by completing it. It's very quick and easy. Remember, you do 20 of these surveys throughout the year, as they become available, that's enough for a night at a PointsBreak Hotel (5000 points/night)! :)

Virgin America: 20% off Flights Through Feb 19 or April 15 - June 15 with Visa Card

Virgin America is offering 20% off Your Next Flight with your Visa Card when you follow the instructions below. Thanks lucyl
Note: Travel must occur between now and Feb 29 or April 15 - June 15. Blackout dates are Feb 17, Feb 20, May 25, and May 28. Please refer to Terms & Conditions for more information

1. Click here
2. Fill in the form and click on "Get Your Code"
3. You will receive your 20% off code in email
4. Click here and enter the details of your trip.
5. Apply your promo code above, click the "Search" button, and use any Visa card for payment.

When Airlines screw up & how to benefit from it!

Everyone traveling by airplane has experienced at least 1 screw-up by an airline at some point. Whether it be the lost, delayed or damaged luggage, non-working seat/audio/video or simply landing in a completely different destination than planned. Sure it's frustrating and traveling would be a much smoother cruise without these occasional turbulences.

Nevertheless, these unfortunate events can end up paying for your next trip or at least for a new wardrobe. :)
I won't go into too much detail concerning lost/delayed or damaged luggage since most travelers are aware of the particular rules in place. Obviously, when the luggage is damaged,delayed or lost, travelers will head to the baggage claim office of the offending airline - there you will be informed of your options:

DAMAGE

If your suitcase arrives smashed or torn, the airline will usually pay for repairs. In recent years, damage has gotten a new meaning at many airlines - ripped off wheels or zippers are usual wear & tear and may not actually be fixed by the airline. Puncture holes and large rips (away from the seams!!!) are normally handled right away and you walk out of the baggage office with a new luggage. If it can't be fixed, they will negotiate a settlement to pay you its depreciated value and don't expect a major payoff for this. The same holds true for belongings packed inside. Obviously it is extremely unwise to travel with fine crystal or other delicate objects, however you still need to complain and negotiate. If you don't ask, you won't get anything. Remember that flying with Airline partners means that you need to complain in their offices at the baggage claim (e.g. flight booked on United.com but flying Austrian Airlines to Vienna - claim any damage at the Austrian Airlines counter at the Vienna Airport). We have found that international partner carriers are much more helpful and even exchange your bag for high-quality brands (Samsonite, Delsey) compared to US carriers (cheap Made in China bags which are likely to be damaged again sooner rather than later). So, be aware of your choice of claim location!

 
DELAYED BAGGAGE

If your bags don't come off the conveyor belt, report this to the airline before you leave the airport. Insist that they fill out a form and give you a copy, even if they say the bag will be in on the next flight. If the form doesn't contain the name of the person who filled it out, ask for it. Get an appropriate phone number for following up (not the Reservations number). Don't assume that the airline will deliver the bag without charge when it is found; ask them about this. Most carriers set guidelines for their airport employees that allow them to disburse some money at the airport for emergency purchases. The amount depends on whether or not you're away from home and how long it takes to track down your bags and return them to you. If the airline does not provide you a cash advance, it may still reimburse you later for the purchase of necessities. Of course one man's necessities are another man's luxury items so you better ask what purchases will be most likely to be reimbursed, plus KEEP THE RECEIPTS! At a minimum you will score some brand new underwear. You could claim that you need a suit since you have a business meeting that evening - go shop, at a minimum they will need to reimburse you for part of the value.

If you can't resolve the claim with the airline's airport staff, keep a record of the names of the employees with whom you dealt, and hold on to all travel documents (always a good idea!) and receipts for any money you spent in connection with the mishandling. (It's okay to surrender your baggage claim tags to the airline when you fill out a form at the airport, as long as you get a copy of the form and it notes that you gave up the tags.) Call or write the airline's consumer office when you get home. It might take some time to resolve something like this but it's well worth the effort in the end, especially since you might end up with a nice, free addition to your wardrobe.

LOST LUGGAGE

Once your bag is declared officially lost, you will have to submit a claim. This usually means you have to fill out a second, more detailed form. Check on this; failure to complete the second form when required could delay your claim. Missing the deadline for filing it could invalidate your claim altogether. The airline will usually refer your claim form to a central office, and the negotiations between you and the airline will begin. If your flight was a connection involving two carriers, the final carrier is normally the one responsible for processing your claim even if it appears that the first airline lost the bag. Airlines don't automatically pay the full amount of every claim they receive. First, they will use the information on your form to estimate the value of your lost belongings. Like insurance companies, airlines consider the depreciated value of your possessions, not their original price or the replacement costs. Don't go claiming Versace or Gucci items excessively because Airlines will smell that kind of fraud from miles away.

They often ask for sales receipts and other documentation to back up claims, especially if a large amount of money is involved. If you don't keep extensive records, you can expect to dicker with the airline over the value of your goods. Generally, it takes an airline anywhere from six weeks to three months to pay you for your lost luggage. When they tender a settlement, they may offer you the option of free tickets on future flights in a higher amount than the cash payment. Ask about all restrictions on these tickets, such as "blackout" periods and how far before departure you are permitted to make a reservation.


This leads us to the much more lucrative area of Airline screw-up benefits:

Courtesy/Appreciation Rewards/eCertificates = FREE MONEY

On our recent outing to Buenos Aires - we landed in Rio due to a "volcanic ash cloud" in Argentinean air space. This detour cost us 1 1/2 days in B.A. but on the upside we got free lodging and a free ride through the Brazilian countryside and into the mountains east of Rio. Obviously we would have preferred to stay in downtown Rio but oh well, it was better than sleeping in the lounge, which most other passengers had to do since they didn't have a Brazilian Visa or foreign passports like us.

Now, quite unexpected at our arrival in Buenos Aires - Nadia and I were each handed an eCertificate worth $400 for future travel with United Airlines. We thought that was more than great since the delay did not mess up our itineary too much and $400 could come in quite handy down the road.
Of course, one has to read the fine print VERY carefully. The eCertificate is only valid for travel in the continental US (plus Puerto Rico/US Virgin Islands) & Canada and only on United/Continental flights. Now, coming from a major United hub (San Francisco) we knew we would be able to easily use these certificates. Others may have a bit more trouble of course. In addition, the eCertificate was valid for 1 year since issue so from Nov 2011 to Nov 2012. That kinda forced our hands to plan quickly.

Now, do you only get these eCertificates if you end up in the wrong South American city? The answer is NO! You can get these for a whole host of issues with your flight. The most frequent perhaps may be the non-working audio in your seat, or your personal video screen being broken.  A LOT of people do not complain about this to the flight attendants, especially on short flights, thus, the damage goes unnoticed by the airline for quite some time. If you complain about the video/audio and they are unable to fix it (sometimes rebooting the whole plane, just so you can watch an old TV rerun) they SHOULD give you a eCertificate for the missing entertainment value. You paid good money for your seat and flight, which includes the entertainment as well. The eCertificate or little appreciation card you get varies widely in value. Maybe it's $50, perhaps $200 on long-haul flights. Either way, COMPLAIN to the flight attendant, if she brushes you off, ask for her supervisor (Chief Purser, Inflight Service Manager, Cabin Service Manager, etc...) and take it up with him/her. They should give you something for your troubles. I would suggest having this conversation in the galley instead of in your seat - makes for a better, even negotiation environment.

I have been guilty myself of not complaining about video/audio problems on short flights but that was because I was ignorant about these eCertificates & appreciation $s. With airlines charging fees for practically everything right now, it's time for consumers to expect a perfect product & service starting with getting your undamaged luggage at the end of a flight, arriving at the correct destination and being able to enjoy the audio/video entertainment.

So on your next flight remember to keep all this in mind. You will benefit from the knowledge that you are entitled to compensation for a multitude of possible airline screw-ups. ASK of it and you MAY receive. Nothing is for sure but the pay-offs can be quite nice & rewarding.

THE TRAVELBANDITS PLAN OF ACTION

Quebec City

As for us - we used our $400 certificates to purchase 2 tickets to Burlington, VT, normally $477 each, for a total of $154 ($77 each). Not bad at all. It was between that trip or Alaska but we decided we need a lot more time for Alaska to take in the many sites and natural wonders up there.

We will rent a car and head straight for Montreal and then Quebec City. Bonjour Quebec! With plenty of hotel points in our accounts from recent lucrative sign-up bonuses (Marriott 70000pts after first use for example) we will be staying for free in downtown Montreal & Quebec City as well. Thus, thanks to United's decision to chicken out and land in Rio instead (we are being fair, other airlines like Lufthansa, Air France, American Airlines, etc...landed AFTER our estimated arrival time in Buenos Aires) we are able to experience French Canada in the height of summer for practically free! Merci United!!



Airline eCertificates are a steal !!

From the Pointsguy: Do you have to have a business to get a business credit card??

This is a great write-up about the one thing everyone always asks us about - how come we got so many miles from business credit card sign-up bonuses when we don't have any business. Our "Consulting" services have been in "business" for a long time now and we thought the write-up below (Pointsguy) is a great way to explain this phenomenon! Enjoy!
  

“Do you have to have a ‘business’ to qualify for a business credit card?”

Technically, yes. However, each credit card company has a different threshold for what information they require for someone to get a business card. Most are very flexible, but Citi is generally the hardest – when I got the American Airlines Business card, I had to provide proof of my business, including government EIN and business checking account information (which I luckily had as a small business owner).
Many small businesses start out as simple DBAs (Doing Business As) which simply denotes a business name used by a person or entity that is different from the person’s or entity’s true name. So if you start a small Ebay business and want to keep those finances separate from your personal expenses, it would be conceivable that you’d want a business credit card. In this case, you can just provide your social security number when asked for EIN and usually that suffices.
You should understand that you will get a hard inquiry on your personal credit score when you get a business card because most business credit lines are personally guaranteed. However, once approved they will sit on your business credit report, which is separate from your personal, so utilization and other factors shouldn’t affect your personal credit score. Business credit cards are also different from personal in that the purchase protection and insurance is generally less generous than with personal cards.

There are many lucrative business credit card offers and you can usually get one personal and one business card per credit card company. For example, several TPG readers have gotten approved for both the 50,000 point Sapphire Preferred and 50,000 point Ink Bold cards on the same day. 100,000 Ultimate rewards points, if transferred smartly, can get you a roundtrip business class trip from US to Europe on United, $1,666 in Southwest flights or even up to 22 one-way short-haul American Airlines flights with British Airways Avios points. When applying for both a personal and business card on the same day, make sure you can meet the spend requirements of both cards, which in the case of the Sapphire Preferred/Ink Bold combo, you’d be looking at $8,000 within 3 months. Both annual fees are waived for the first year.

Some of the top business card deals:
50,000 points for the Chase Ink Bold after $5,000 in spend within the first 3 months. $95 annual fee, waived for the first year.
50,000 points for the Chase Southwest Business card after first use. $99 annual fee.
50,000 miles for the Citi AAdvantage Business card after first use. $75 annual fee, waived for the first year.
30,000 miles for the American Express Delta Business Gold card after first use.
25,000 points for the American Express Business Platinum after $5,000 in spend within first 3 months. $450 annual fee.
25,000 points for the American Express Starwood business card after $5,000 in spend within 6 months. $65 annual fee, waived for the first year.
25,000 points for the Chase Ink Cash after $5,000 in spend within 3 months. No annual fee. They can’t be transferred to Ultimate Rewards airline/hotel partners, but can be used on any airfare
25,000 miles for the Barclay’s US Airways business card after first use. Plus up to 10,000 additional miles for balance transfers. $75 annual fee.

Argentina Trip Report

Our first ever excursion to South America went relatively well, depending on how much stock you put into the flight aspects of any trip. Before we left I was very optimistic about every feature of what we planned and only worried about my foot injury getting in the way of the usual intensive itineraries that Patrick and I assemble. Our departure date snuck up on us and before we knew it we were waiting for our flight in the United lounge at SFO, even scoring Economy Plus seats at check-in. All seemed on track until we arrived at Dulles for our layover and encountered the first airline problem, one hour delay. We thought nothing of it and boarded our Buenos Aires bound flight with plenty of confidence still. That all changed when about 4 hours before landing in Buenos Aires we noticed that the travel route map no longer showed a clear line to Buenos Aires but rather a line to Rio, as in Brazil. 

We were perplexed but figured that since there had been no announcement by the captain, we would be arriving in Argentina eventually a few hours later. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter we learned that the volcanic ash hanging over Buenos Aires (blown in from a Chilean volcano spewing ash for months now) forbids United to land there and instead we would be landing in Rio.

The news was far from satisfactory as I was already exceptionally tired (the trip to Argentina is longer than Europe when coming from the West Coast) and not feeling all that well. Nevertheless, after 11 hours of flight we landed in unanticipated Rio de Janeiro and soon after landing learned that we would not be able to fly out to Buenos Aires until the next day, oh yes and there were no available hotels so all the people onboard would enjoy the comforts of an airport Executive lounge instead. Needless to say we were not impressed and so for the next two hours we tried to see about getting a flight out on a different airline, trying to find a hotel in Rio that was not atrociously expensive and figuring out what a night in the lounge may be like since some folks were already snoring loudly at 2pm.

Hotel "St. Moritz" in the Rio Mountains

An announcement came at last informing passengers that nationals of countries that do not require a visa to enter Brazil or those who have a visa already in their passport would be allowed to leave the lounge and spend the night at a hotel arranged for by United. This was a great time to be carrying an EU passport as my hubby was and also to be a national of two nations (as in my case), one which is not the US. We collected ourselves and entered Brazil with about 40 other people, heading to a hotel high up in the mountains above Rio. The trip was supposed to take 40 minutes however after about 3 hours we drove up to an Alpine cabin (Hotel St. Moritz) in the middle of the jungle. Everyone was a tad surprised as the only thing throwing off the Euro-mountain scene were tropical bird sounds, intense humidity and intensely green vegetation. The hotel was rustic but decent food was served and bed with clean sheets beats an uncomfortable couch in an airport lounge. The next day we were picked up and taken back to Rio International for a flight to Buenos Aires at last. 

Some Buenos Aires Attractions

We had already lost 1.5 days in Buenos Aires so right after arriving at our hotel in Microcentro we set out to explore the city by night. We headed for Florida street where the first meal we had was delicious gelato, an appetizer before a meat-centered dinner. We checked out the Plaza de Mayo and then walked to Puerto Madero where we ate at a fixed-price restaurant, La Bistecca, at 11pm no less. The late dinners in Argentina fit our tight schedule well but eating that late is an adjustment. The next day, before leaving for El Calafate we explored La Boca with famous Caminito and La Bombonera stadium. We also threw in San Telmo, a lovely neighborhood with homes of yesteryear’s aristocrats. 

Arriving at Aeroparque for our Patagonia flight on Aerolineas Argentinas was a little shocking as the flight time had been moved up, the line for check-in was long and while using a self-check in machine we learned that our ticket was not valid for the flight we were booked on. After some trepidation, being relegated to a “special” line along with 10 other passengers, discussion with airline reps about what the problems at hand were (reasons included allowed weight limits for the aircraft that needed overriding by an airline supervisor, to an air traffic controller strike), we eventually got on the flight we were meant to be on. This would not be the first time that Aerolineas Argentinas would make our life a tad difficult. Nevertheless, we arrived in El Calafate safely, checked into Las Dunas (a lovely hosteria outside of the town center, right on the shores of Lago Argentino) and enjoyed a steak and Patagonian lamb dinner to die for before retiring for the night. The next day an excursion to the Perito Moreno Glacier awaited us, complete with glacier trekking.

Perito Moreno Glacier

The glacier turned out to be a spectacular trip, complete with a scenic drive to the park, a rainy/windy boat ride, an incredible trek on the white-blue glacier and time on the overlook balconies where we saw chunks of the ice mass crash into frigid waters. An excursion like this would likely prove difficult for anyone who would have a hard time hiking up and down hills, but if health permits this trip is not to be missed. Hielo y Aventura does a really nice job of challenging you physically a bit, teaching you a thing or two about glaciers and rewarding you at the end with some alfajores and cold whiskey (ice courtesy of the glacier that surrounds you).

After a physically trying day we learned that Aerolineas Argentinas would again complicate things for us by making it seem like the flight we were booked on, once again was cancelled. They even hung up on both our helpful hotel clerk and Patrick when we tried to confirm with the Aerolinas Argentinas telephone customer service. We were lucky to have the staff of a local Aerolineas office (which was packed with tons of other less than happy passengers when we arrived early on Saturday morning to deal with the matter) solve our ticket dilemma. Still we are not quite sure what was wrong entirely but after 30 solid minutes at the counter, the agent furiously typing, head shaking, discussion with her colleagues and worried looks she finally issued 2 boarding passes for the flight we were to be on anyway based on our previous reservations. We got on the flight, but again only after a slow, long line for check-in, little information about things like the need to pay a local tourist tax (last minute since boarding had started while we were still in line with other passengers and a change of arrival airport in Buenos Aires (EZE instead of AEP).

Once again only having an evening in the capital we headed for Torre de los Ingleses and a HUGE steak dinner at a somewhat touristy restaurant recommended by the concierge at our hotel. Good advice for eating out in Argentina’s restaurants: under-order as the portions are huge no matter what you get. After we finished our dinner we proved once again that we live in a truly small world these days by running into visitors from the San Francisco area in a convenient store. The next morning we were off to Iguazu Falls up north, this time though on a LAN flight. Everything went according to plan, and even though Argentinian airports are somewhat unorganized when it comes to boarding protocol we had a pleasant flight.

Iguazu Falls

Once Iguazu we headed for our hotel located inside the Park, where we spent the rest of the day walking around and admiring the Falls (there is a total of 275 actual falls). Our first glimpse was Garganta del Diablo, a momentous sight to behold, and be soaked by. Between the heat, humidity and mist from the Falls you will not be able to stay dry for long. Other interesting things to see included coatis (raccoon like mammals that roam the park in great numbers), monkeys high up in trees, beautiful birds and loads of colorful butterflies. The rest of our two day excursion was spent visiting the Brazilian side of the Falls, admiring them from above in a helicopter tour and a visit to the Parque Das Aves to see some amazing birds. No trip would be complete of course without me injuring myself in some way so to add to my foot problem I slipped on a wet floor and caused my already sore neck to painfully lock in place. When Patrick and I travel we don’t mess around so everything we planned still unfolded but required pain meds to get me through. What added to our pleasant trip was the fact that our cab driver from the airport, Ramon, ended up taking us around the rest of the area, to and from Brazil. 

Toucan in Parque das Aves - Brazil

Returning to Buenos Aires for one last time we set out to explore Palermo where we got caught in a summer thunderstorm. At that point we had already covered a lot of ground from the zoo to the neighborhood so we spent the rest of the evening taking the subway and taxis to cut down on the walking in Recoleta. Our last full day was spent visiting Café Tortoni, Manzana de las Luces and shopping in a very non-tourist, off the grid neighborhood on Gurruchaga Street (up from where Palermo is). We benefited from knowing where to go not only through careful research on our own but also through familial connections with folks who are Buenos Aires natives (Portenos). No trip to Argentina would be complete without a leather purchase and so I scored a bright green purse as a souvenir.

The last part of our trip which requires reporting is our departure from Ezeiza, again an aiport nightmare, which clearly followed us throughout this entire journey. With plenty of time to go before our flight we were told at check-in that we better hurry up because the line for security is over an hour long. Sure enough the line snaked all the way down an escalator (airport designer likely did not plan for so many people in one line), with people nervously checking their watches and monitors for their flight’s boarding and departure times. Basically, many people began to cut in line with the help of airline agents as boarding times approached, causing mayhem as the agents would disappear once through the first boarding pass check. This was probably the first time in our lives that the threat of a mob where people get trampled loomed.

By cutting in line we ticked off many people, clapping and yelling ensued as one measly security guard looked on, hoping to control hundreds of people. Between the long line outside, only two screening machines being open, not enough passport control people and additional checks for those traveling on flight to the US (total of 5 separate security checks) we had a hard time believing we would make our flight. Airlines agents also did not prove helpful as some said that airlines wait for folks like us in these situations and others just shook their head, oh yes and advice given by one agent amounted to telling people in the passport line to run (not walk) to their gate once their passport was checked. We made it on our flight, left with a delay because we were waiting for all those people who were still stuck in line but arrived home in one piece, exhausted after 10 days of hard-core travels, but certainly enriched by the experience.

Virgin America Sale....

I just got an interesting little email - if you are flexible and feeling like a little getaway, Virgin America has an excellent sale to lots of cities from SFO. To receive these special updates, sign-up for Travelzoo newsletters.

As a Travelzoo VIP, you are receiving this Newsflash email
before other subscribers.

SAN FRANCISCO--NOVEMBER 08, 2011-- For the next 96 hours,
Virgin America is reducing nationwide fares from San
Francisco to as low as $39 each way -- the lowest we've seen
from the airline for winter travel.

These fares are available Mondays-Thursdays and Saturdays,
Nov. 24 - Feb. 15.

One-way nonstop fares include:

- Los Angeles ... $39
- Las Vegas ... $39
- San Diego ... $39
- Seattle ... $69
- Dallas ... $99
- Chicago ... $99
- Palm Springs ... $99 (begins Dec. 15)
- Boston ... $129
- Washington, D.C. ... $129
- Fort Lauderdale ... $129
- Orlando ... $139
- New York ... $139