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Marriott’s new Category 8 and 2019 Category Adjustments
Gary at View from the Wing dissects these changes in great detail, so no need for me to duplicate. Suffice it to say, lots of hotels are going up (a 9 to 1 margin against those dropping) and Category 8 will go live March 5th taking 68 high end hotels and resorts with it.
Initially there will be no peak/off-peak pricing, meaning that (here’s the good news) you will get an extra window to book peak dates at Category 8 hotels for 85,000 points a night (compared to 60,000 now but compared to 100,000 once peak pricing launches later in the year.
As always, if you see something going up in price, book it now! (Just watch cancellation deadlines and penalties.) If you see something going down, wait to book it or make a note to try to rebook (you’ll need availability for a new room at that time). And remember, you can “borrow the points” from Marriott, making a booking for a hotel for which you don’t yet have the points and earning them in time for the stay.
I think nobody will be surprised that properties like the W Maldives, St Regis Maldives, St Regis Bora Bora, the Gritti Palace in Venice, and the Al Maha all go to Category 8.
United’s One Day Tahiti Award Sale
The good news: 1 day sale for 40% off awards to Tahiti on United.
Economy tickets start at just 42,000 award miles roundtrip — a savings of up to 40 percent* — plus taxes and fees starting at $57. Book by February 8, 2019, 11:59 p.m. for travel March 26 – May 30, 2019.
The fare varies with your elite status.
I’d like this much more if it was in Business Class, but given that I can’t find any Saver sates at all in Business Class, it’s no surprise it’s economy-only.
TAP Portugal Three Day Sale – ALL CLASSES of Service Half Price
TAP has launched a 3 day MegaPromo giving you half-off any flight in any class for 3 days, but subject to restrictions on when you can fly. The catch? Travel has to start by Feb 28th.
Head to this link to see what you can find.
You should be able to find trans-atlantic flights for under $500 each way if you are flexible. I would start with a Google Flights search to narrow what you want and then head to the TAP site to grab the discount. This link has the promo code built into it.
I’d love to hear from you about your thoughts on any of these deals. Let me know here, on Twitter, or in the private MilesTalk Facebook group.
New to all of this? My “introduction to miles and points” book, MilesTalk: Live Your Wildest Travel Dreams Using Miles and Points is available now.
