HikerT

thepointsguy seems to have posted an email now from Spafinder now that discount codes will not invalidate. If that's the case I'm in. Will probably send an email before purchasing just to have it in case I need to dispute the transaction with my CC company later if the miles do not post.

mooper

Yup, I'm with you. Having the email will provide ample backing to ensure both post in the event they don't initially. I'm surprised they are stackable and suspect the cust service might be misinformed or the system won't do what they think it will, but in the end, if you have a written promise, you can ensure they make good. Thanks!

HikerT

Here is their reply. At first glance I thought they were saying "no conflict" in the terms and conditions, but after closer examination it seems they are saying no conflict in getting the miles.

infamousdx

All, make sure you email them regarding your order # to CONFIRM that your Delta FF# is associated with the order. I checked out properly with my Delta SM # but after a quick email, CSR said it wasn't listed so she asked for it and applied it to the order.

mooper

Ok, I received a personal emailed response from them too, confirming that special promotion codes ARE stackable with the Delta offer (i.e., that miles and discount will both post), as well as assurance that if they didn't, I could write them and they'd make it good. GREEN LIGHT!

HikerT

Looks like you also get spafinder points on every $1 of purchase so...

$1000 of gift certs
- 10% off coupon
= $900 purchase

gives you:
900 x 40 = 36K skymiles
900 spafinder points (worth another $45 in gift certs) or a total of $1045 in spafinder gift certs.

Normally my other half isn't that exited about FT deals but needless to say she is in total support of this one.

thepointsguy

Spafinder just tweeted me and confirmed you can use the 10% off AND get the 40 miles per dollar spent.

The normal earning ratio is 5 miles, so this is an awesome deal. FYI AA only earns 3 miles per dollar.

josephstern

Technically, you get 1000 points - you get them on the pre-discount total.

Plus, you get 100 for signing up.

Plus, if you use my referral link, I get 50 for you signing up:

http://spafinder.tellapal.com/a/clk/XqNYp

jamesteroh

Costco.com has them for $79.99 (4-$25 certificates), with free shipping so that is 20% off. You can still order them even if you aren't a costco member, I think the surcharge is 3 or 5% but it's still a great deal.

The thing I hate about costco's is they are 4-$25 paper certificates but I just stock up when they have them in December at the store and put them in my laptop backpack that I always travel with and I have access to them if I want to go to a spa.

Couple drawbacks though. Some spa's will only let you use them for up to 50% of the services (the Bentley's spa in MIA and one other spa I went to had that policy). And some spas have different policies on tips with them (Sir Spa in chicago will let me use them for the tip with no problem as will Qua at Ceasars but Nickel spa in NYC requires tips be paid on a credit card or cash There was another Spa (I believe it was Chicago Male) would only allow them to be used during the week and not weekends.

HikerT

I think what may have happened is when you apply the discount code it applies the discount but does not retain the skymiles number you put in. Be sure to put in your skymiles number AFTER applying the discount code.

chix

Wow, I am glad this worked out!

jamesteroh

If you email yourself a certificate, will the spa just treat it like a gift card and money will come off of it or is it like the paper spafinder.com gift cards you buy at costco where you have to use the entire certificate at the spa?

I want to do a $500 email or print certificate to avoid postage but only if it can be used multiple times.

mooper

Order five $100 certificates, or ten $50 ones.

HikerT

It's a PITA to do, but I think it's better to order a mix of $50 and $75 because you will get a store credit for any unused amount. If you have $50 and $75 you can redeem $50, $75, $100, $125, etc.

mooper

A.M. UPDATE FRIDAY MAY 13 : THIS DEAL IS NOW OFFICIALLY DEAD! THE SPAFINDER SITE NOW OFFERS 10 MILES PER DOLLAR - STILL AN APPEALING DEAL, BUT NO LONGER THE DEAL OF THE YEAR.

Below is my summary of all the steps to include to best leverage this 40 Delta miles per dollar spent at SpaFinder.com offer. The offer is scheduled to expire May 31st, but given its appeal, I suspect it is at risk of being pulled sooner. Act now! I've incorporated information gleaned on my own and from others, including from FT, The Points Guy, and other sources. If there are any incorrect steps or areas you can improve, speak up! I'm assuming you value Delta SkyMiles at 1.5 cents each and your choice of cash back sites is ShopAtHome (5% back), but you can change these variables to suit you.

1) Make sure you are a member of SpaFinder's "Club Spa" rewards program (my ref link included, thanks). New members get 100 points (worth $5). You'll also earn 1 point per dollar spent. Every 1,000 points is worth a $50 certificate, so you may view these points as worth 5 cents each, or another 5% discount.

2) [OPTIONAL STEP - NOT THOROUGHLY VETTED - CAVEAT EMPTOR!] Browse to the SpaFinder site via ShopAtHome (my ref link included, thanks), which will earn you 5% cash back. There are reports that SpaFinder customer service confirmed this is stackable with the Delta offer, despite the terms stating otherwise, but this is somewhat loose information. Include this step at your own risk. If you opt to skip this step for fear that it will invalidate the miles, then simply type http://www.spafinder.com/delta directly into your browser address bar, instead.

3) Order spa gift certificates. There is no maximum, and no expiration. They are good at thousands of spas, but you might check their directory (search via the top of the page) to be sure it is usable at ones you or your recipient will prefer. However, as certificates must be wholly used, else leave the remainder as credit at the particular spa, it's probably wise to order multiple smaller-denomination certificates instead of fewer larger ones. This makes gift-giving easier, and multiple smaller denominations may be combined on one redemption, anyway. SpaFinder terms clarify that certificates are transferable, so no worries about the giver and recipient names you use. If you get emailed or printable certs, there is no shipping charge. There are minimal shipping charges for mailed certificates.

4) On the checkout page, *first* enter the coupon code NYC12, then press apply. This should yield a 12% discount. Multiple people have received and posted emails from SpaFinder customer service confirming that discount codes *are* stackable and will not invalidate the Delta miles offer. Write them yourself if you're still worried, save the response for backup later, if needed.

5) After the 12% discount has applied, select Delta as your mileage partner to earn 40 miles per dollar charged, not including any shipping fees (selecting American will earn far fewer miles). Enter your Delta Skymiles account number. Take a screen-shot of this page for later reference, if needed.

6) Enter your payment information. If you use a rewards-earning credit card, you'll leverage the discounts even more. For example, if you use a Delta-branded credit card, you'll earn one more mile (1.5% discount, or 1.5 cents) per dollar spent.

7) Check to be sure that both the discount and your SkyMiles number are showing, then submit your order. If you have a data entry error and need to re-type, check again to be sure that all needed information is present before resubmitting. Save your screen shot and if you are worried, write to SpaFinder customer service to confirm that your SkyMiles account is showing on their side correctly. The T&C for the Delta offer state that miles are supposed to post 6-8 weeks later, so don't worry about anything until at least mid-July. If they still haven't posted, write to SpaFinder and include your documentation along with a polite request for them to post.

8) Be aware that the longer you hold onto the certificates, the greater the risk that SpaFinder will default and they will become worthless. I do not say this because I have any information indicating they are weak financially; I say it just to remind everyone that not every company stays around forever.

9) Especially if you are in a higher tax bracket, you might consider donating some certificates to charity for both the good will and the tax write-off. Also, FSA, HSA, etc participants might be able to leverage them as health care costs. Consult a tax attorney if you aren't sure if you qualify to do this or how to go about it properly.

If you stack *all* methods above, you should effectively receive a 5% + 5% + 12% +1.5% + plus 40 miles per dollar (60%) for a total of 83.5% off. Leave off the 5% cash back for prudence sake, and you're still at 78.5%. If you're like me and you value SkyMiles at 2 cents or above (I use 25K for last-minute domestic business round trips, easily saving me 2+ cents per mile), then you might view this opportunity as pre-purchased frequent flier miles at face value, with matching spa credit absolutely free!