Author: Shane

Marriott Bonvoy to stop giving 10 elite night credits for meetings

Ever since SPG and Ritz Carlton Rewards were folded into Marriott to become the Bonvoy monster that it is today, status has never been tougher to get. With Platinum requiring 50 nights to get, one of the lesser known nifty trick was to book a meeting with Marriott. For the first meeting or event held at a Marriott property in 2019 and before, you will get 10 free elite nights credit. On top of that, you also get: One elite night for every 20 eligible room nights you book, up to to 20 elite nights per event Two points per USD spent on qualifying event charges, up to 60,000 points per event. Elite bonuses will stack on top of these points. The meetings booking is a rather value-for-money way to earn 10 elite night credits, as meetings can go for as cheap as S$500 or under for a half-day meeting package in Singapore. No more 10 elite nights for first meeting from 2020 Starting 2020, the 10 night credit will be removed. The other perks …

How I got my Qantas Frequent Flyer Gold in 2019

Although I’m based in Singapore, personally I’m more of a fan of Oneworld airlines rather than Star Alliance (and by extension, Singapore Airlines). As a matter of habit, I find myself booking on Oneworld carriers more than on Singapore Airlines, given the relative higher price of the latter out of Singapore. Back in 2018, I paid good money to be part of Marco Polo Club (which is separate from the Asia Miles programme) and managed to get myself to silver after making several trips. The perks at this Oneworld Ruby level is pretty decent: while I’m flying Cathay Pacific or Cathay Dragon, I’ll get lounge access. So after having a year of Marco Polo Club Silver and enjoying its pretty good perks, I thought I’ll try out Qantas Frequent Flyer and see how far I will get. I knew I was going to fly more in 2019 so I wanted to see if I will be able to fly enough to qualify for Gold, which will offer me more perks. For a start, joining Qantas …