Business Travel Tips

US Airways is offering up to a 30% bonus miles when staying at at any qualifying hotel.

Registered Dividend Miles members earn a 20% bonus, Registered Dividend Miles Preferred members earn a 30% bonus, on all Dividend Miles earned per stay.

Also members can earn the same bonus miles — 20% and 30% — by converting hotel points to miles.
Online registraton is required. Promotion period: February 1 - March 31, 2010.

Details of the promotion are available here.

Hilton is offering its HHonors members Gold status after just four stays within a 90-day period.
It normally takes 16 qualifying stays in a calendar year to achieve this elite level of HHonors membership.

hiltonhhonors.com says: “As a valued American Express Corporate Cardmember, you can sprint down the fast track to Gold. Complete just two qualifying stays and pay with your Savings at Work eligible American Express Corporate Card within 90 days of enrollment to earn Silver VIP status, or stay four times within the same period to attain Gold VIP status—instantly.”

Details of this Hilton promotion are available at hiltonhhonors.com.

Beginning today, Continental Airlines flight crews will accept only credit and debit cards for on-board purchases, except for Duty-free.

The airline’s flight crews will use hand-held credit card readers to handle the on-board transactions.

Cash is still being accepted on Continental Express, Continental Connection and Continental Micronesia flights, though Continental has plans to switch to a cash-free cabins on those flights in the first quarter of 2010.
Also for service to and from China, Continental continues to accept cash as the airline is going on to develop its process for accepting the China’s predominant credit card, The China Union Pay card.

Continental says it is making the change in response to feedback from customers and flight crews who expressed interest in using card readers for on-board purchases to eliminate the hassle of fumbling for money and making correct change. (source)

British Airways Visa cardholders will earn more miles for every dollar they spend. British Airways and Chase Card Services announced an enhanced rewards program for the British Airways Visa Signature® card.

The unrivalled benefits include a 25 percent increase in the number of BA miles earned and a companion redemption voucher for a trans-Atlantic flight, awarded to cardmembers who spend $30,000 per calendar year. In addition, new cardmembers will receive a bonus 100,000 BA Miles. This enhanced card proposition is managed by The Mileage Company, operators of British Airways BA Miles rewards, in partnership with Chase Card Services.

The new enhanced benefits of the British Airways Visa Signature® Card include:
- An improved earn rate of 1.25 BA miles for every $1 spent and 2.5 BA Miles for every $1 spent on British Airways travel and vacation packages, an increase of 25 percent from the previous offer.
- An industry-leading companion redemption voucher reward when cardmembers spend $30,000 a year. Cardmembers redeeming BA Miles for a British Airways flight in any cabin class will receive a flight for a companion in the same class. The companion redemption voucher is valid for two years.
- A bonus 100,000 BA Miles for existing US British Airways Executive Club members and new card holders approved for the card. Cardmembers receive 50,000 BA Miles after their first purchase, and they receive another 50,000 miles after they spend at least $2,000 in the first three months. The 100,000 BA Miles is equivalent to the redemption value of two round trip trans-Atlantic reward flights or four domestic round trip tickets.
- New cardholders automatically become a member of the British Airways Executive Club and can earn more BA Miles through partners such as Avis®, Marriott®, Hilton® and E-stores and by taking advantage of great offers from British Airways and oneworld® alliance partners such as AmericanAirlines®.
More information available at ba.com/Redeem.

Continental Airlines and JPMorgan Chase Bank have jointly launched a promotion awarding up to 25,000 Continental bonus miles when opening an account at Chase.

Here’s how it works:
you get 10,000 bonus miles when you open a Chase CheckingSM account and make 5 debit card purchases,
plus you get another 15,000 bonus miles after your first qualifying purchase if you open a Chase Continental Airlines Preferred Debit Card.

You’ll continue to earn 1 mile for every $1 in qualifying purchases with the Chase Continental Airlines Preferred Debit Card.

Also with the promotion, the first checked bag is free on all Continental Airlines flights. That means a $30 round-trip savings per person.

Offer details here.