I woke up this morning to some tidbits of good news and wanted to share.
Via One Mile At A Time, the process to book the Citi Prestige 4th night free benefit has improved for the better. Citi recently switched concierge companies to Aspire Lifestyles Concierge. Previously, you would call up Citi, and then they would jot down your contact information and request and pass it along to Carlson Wagonlit Travel, who would get back to you in a day or 2 by email or phone. This was a bit of an annoying process given that hotel prices change all the time. Now, with the new concierge, you can book the hotel with the 4th night free benefit directly over the phone! The terms of the benefit haven’t changed at all, and you can still book pre-paid and other special rates and get the 4th night free!
Also via One Mile At A Time, Avianca LifeMiles is now allowing mixed-cabin award booking! I’ve bought a good number of LifeMiles this past year through the various sales and haven’t regretted it at all. I’ve always suspected the limitations with booking with LifeMiles was technological and not because Avianca is trying to save money. This is one of the many improvements they have made recently, including the ability to book Lufthansa First Class again. I’ve also heard rumors (H/T anh from a travel hacking chat group) of various improvements to their allowed routings, including now allowing you to book Singapore business class on certain routes, and many routes via Bangkok with Thai business class which they did not allow earlier. I’m sure the routing changes aren’t just limited to that, so try searching around!
Via Running with Miles, there’s a discount code out there to take 20% off your TripIt Pro subscription, making it $39 a year instead of $49 a year. I love TripIt Pro, it makes keeping track of things while I’m travelling so much easier. When you sign up for TripIt, you get a 30 day trial of TripIt Pro, and it will only bill you if you want to keep the service. Make sure you enter the code WELCOMEABOARD when you sign up to apply the discount. I am still magically getting TripIt Pro through my Barclays Arrival Plus card, even though I downgraded a year ago, so I don’t personally need it right now.