MilePort Adds New Programs

Another MilePort upgrade was released over the weekend.

At the request of MilePort users, the following loyalty programs were added: Drury Inn Gold Key Club, FatWallet, My Coke Rewards, Panorama Club, and Sirius.

And a number of other programs were updated, including those of Air New Zealand, AirTran, Delta, Ebates, Lufthansa, and United.

With the latest additions, MilePort now consolidates account information from 117 programs, making it easy to keep track of progress in multiple programs.

FrequentFlier Forum Topics

As always, there's plenty of activity on the FrequentFlier Forum.

In the "Airline Programs" Forum, duniawala is facing the prospect of lost miles: "On my return flight from India to Los Angeles, Thai did not enter my United FF number. Now those miles are missing. The United website says I have to send them the boarding pass along with the ticket stub. I have the ticket stub, but for some reason I can't find the boarding pass. Does this mean I have lost my miles? Is there anyway to get them?"

Also in the "Airline Programs" Forum, ronald shares links to two sites which award frequent flyer miles for conference calls. Making the point, once again, that miles can be earned for just about anything.

And much more. Questions, answers? Post them to the Forum!

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American Discounts Award Travel to Fiji

Through Dec. 14, AAdvantage members can redeem 50,000 miles for coach-class award trips on Air Pacific to Fiji, a 25,000-mile discount over the normal mileage requirement.

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Amex to Discontinue "Everyday" Double Points

Beginning on Oct. 1, Membership Rewards members will no longer earn double points for purchases charged to an American Express card at stand-alone supermarkets, gas stations, drugstores, the U.S. Postal Service, and wireless phone bill payments.

Replacing the embedded everyday double points offer will be an online mall where Membership Rewards members can earn two points per $1 spent at more than 100 retailers. And it's safe to assume that the participating retailers will be inclined to offer extra points to increase their share of the Membership Rewards market, further richening the points payout.

This is a case where the new may be an improvement over the old.

The change only applies to those Amex charge cards linked to Membership Rewards -- not the co-branded cards affiliated with the programs of Delta, JetBlue, Starwood Preferred Guest, etc.

Affected cardholders will be advised of the upcoming changes beginning in August.

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Earn Continental Miles for Investing with ShareBuilder

Continental OnePass members can now earn 2,000 miles after the first investment and 175 miles for each month of investing with ShareBuilder.

ShareBuiler is an online brokerage specializing in automatic investment plans.

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Double Northwest Miles at Nordstrom.com

Through Aug. 19, WorldPerks members can earn double miles -- four miles per $1 spent instead of the two miles per $1 normally awarded -- for purchases at Nordstrom.com.

Use the FrequentFlier Mile Search to find other miles-for-merchandise opportunities.

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Bonus Points or Miles for Caribbean Holiday Inn Stays

Through Dec. 20, Priority Club Rewards members can earn 3,000 bonus points or 600 bonus miles for every night at either the Holiday Inn SunSpree Aruba or the Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort Montego Bay booked online.

In addition to the bonus, Priority Club members will receive a guaranteed room upgrade and, for stays of seven or more nights, a Free Night Return Stay certificate.

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United Miles Can Be Used for Star Alliance Upgrades

Members of United Airlines' Mileage Plus program can now use their miles to upgrade to business or first class on the following other airlines participating in the Star Alliance: ANA, Asiana, Austrian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, TAP Portugal, and Thai Airways.

Unfortunately, only the more expensive fare types (C, D, Y, B) can be upgraded.

Still, for those who routinely travel on more expensive fares, the additional upgrade options are definitely a step in the right direction. It should also be mentioned that, if upgrades were priced too cheaply on Star partner carriers, United would be forced to offer cheap upgrades on United flights to members of other Star carriers' programs, resulting in fewer upgrades available to Mileage Plus members.

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CORRECTION -- Delta vs. United Dining Miles Deals

In last week's Crier, we compared the spening required to earn 25,000 bonus miles in current dining-for-miles promotions from Delta and United. Our conclusion: Delta's is the better deal, requiring $625 in spend, versus $1,500 to earn the United bonus.

While the conclusion remains valid, our math was wrong. Delta indeed requires $625 in spending. But we miscalculated the United spend -- it's actually $750.

Our thanks to Michael, RJ, Stephen and Homer for writing in to point out the error. And our apologies to all for getting it wrong.

Deal Alert from SmarterTravel.com

1) $100 Discount from British Airways

British Airways is offering $50 off flights from the U.S., and an additional $50 off accommodations. To access the deal, you must register on BA.com, or log in to your British Airways account.

This offer is valid through July 31. The airfare discount is valid for round-trip flights through Aug. 31, while the hotel offer is valid for stays through Oct. 31.

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2) AirTran Sale Fares from $39 Each Way

AirTran has announced a new systemwide sale with fares from $39 one-way. Destinations include Atlanta, Las Vegas, New York, and the Bahamas.

Travel is valid Tuesdays and Wednesdays through Nov. 16. Book tickets at least 14 days in advance, and by Aug. 3.

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Win a Trip for 2 to Dublin

Enter the Showtime Brotherhood Sweepstakes by July 31 for a chance to win trip for two to Dublin, Ireland, including roundtrip air and six nights at a four-star hotel.

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Feedback from the Frontlines of Travel

"With regard to your statement [in last week's newsletter] that there is no single mileage award program valid on all airlines -- Doesn't American Express offer a program valid for Delta, Continental and one or two others. You bank the miles and can transfer as many miles as you need to the airline when you need more miles." [Virginia M.]

[FrequentFlier.com replies - With the Amex Membership Rewards program, points earned for using charge cards can be exchanged for miles in the programs of participating airlines, as well as points in selected hotel programs. But Matt's question was whether there is a program which allows members to earn miles for flights on any airline. The Amex program allows members to earn points when purchasing airline tickets, but not the actual flight miles.]

Until next week...