2022 Former Client Giveaway
Updated: Dec 31
This year with my annual former client random giveaway, I'll be giving out 6 prizes, and the top 3 prizes will include flights/trains:
1st Prize:
80k Avianca Lifemiles + the cost of the required fees for the flights, enough for 2 round-trip tickets to much of Northern Europe or up to 6 domestic round-trip tickets.
2nd Prize:
32k Avianca Lifemiles + the cost of the required fees for the flights, enough for 2 round trip domestic tickets to all of the NE of the US, Chicago, and parts of the SE.
3rd Prize:
12000 Amtrak Rewards + the cost of the required fees for the train travel, enough for 2 round trip tickets to locations like Newport news to Philadelphia in business class (non-Acela) or 4 round trip tickets to locations like Newport news to Richmond in business class (Non-Acela).
I go into the details and rules about their use here.
This year the 1st prize winner, 2nd prize winner, and 3rd prize winner will also get access to Wyndham Rewards. Used most effectively for hotels, you could save greater than $350/night with cash+points Wyndham Rewards, at a value per point of over 12 cents per point. Here is a spreadsheet with examples in the Wyndham Section.
Hotel Options Being Offered
Hotel options are available in essence if they are bookable online with cash plus points that don't exceed the following thresholds:
1st Prize Wyndham: 15000 points example (up to $1800 in value)
15k points is good for (1 bedroom rooms unless otherwise stated):
a. up to 10 $+points nights at a category 1 hotel (though I have had difficulty finding ones that provided 50% off the rate by using $+points)
d. up to 5 $+points nights at a category 2 hotel (category 3 on my map) example saving $1457.10 in Hawaii
2nd Prize Wyndham: 9000 points example (up to $1080 in value)
9k points is good for (1 bedroom rooms unless otherwise stated):
a. up to 6 $+points nights at a category 1 hotel (though I have had difficulty finding ones that provided 50% off the rate by using $+points)
d. up to 3 $+points nights at a category 2 hotel (category 3 on my map) example saving $1457.10 in Hawaii
3rd Prize Wyndham: 6000 points example (up to $720 in value)
6k points is good for (1 bedroom rooms unless otherwise stated):
a. up to 4 $+points nights at a category 1 hotel (though I have had difficulty finding ones that provided 50% off the rate by using $+points)
d. up to 2 $+points nights at a category 2 hotel (category 3 on my map) example saving $1457.10 in Hawaii
I go into the details about how to use the Wyndham Rewards most effectively here.
Image courtesy https://www.wyndhamhotels.com
Here's an example that would be helpful for anyone going by train or flight to DC:
Example saving $360.55/night ($.12/pt) in National Harbor, Maryland
You'd pay $2163.30 for the flexible member rate if paying in cash for a 3 night stay from 5/4-5/7/23:
If using 9k points on the same dates, you'd pay only $1081.65, exactly half:
Rules for Use of the hotel points:
1. 2-year expiration
2. These are most effective for $+points bookings, but may be used for strictly points bookings as well. The recipient will be covering the $ portion for the hotels. Arrange with Adam for booking.
3. We need to use as many points as you're planning on using on a single trip.
4. These points will be coming directly out of my account for the booking so I will need details at the time of booking to accomplish that. You may reimburse me for my credit card expense within 7 days of booking, at least 7 days prior to your trip, or you may fill in your credit card information yourself during an in-person or Zoom meeting using remote desktop.
5. The program changes over time, and what's available at time of authorship may not be available in the future. If something mentioned above isn't available, whatever is actually available is how we can use the points.
Here are more details on how to best maximize the hotel portion of the 1st-3rd prize:
4th-6th prize winners:
Each of the 4th-6th prize winners will receive additional treats if in person, or an additional Amazon gift card if joining via Zoom.
Reviews:
It's generally best to check multiple review sources prior to booking.
Hotels:
It's good to check reviews on TripAdvisor (viewable on the Wyndham website typically) & Google Maps as well.