Lessons learned (or, Making plans for 2012)

...and the next step was to get a Platinum Amex card. This seems to be one of the easiest ways of moving points into various hotel programs ready for next years' slam.
The 42,000 bonus miles certainly help.

I found that when I reviewed my profile (without changing anything) I went from getting virtually no surveys over last 6 months to about 1/week. Can't explain it but may be worth trying!

Moving Amex points to hotel rewards program is certainly easy but not really that sure it's a good way to use my points!

I've had a sudden burst of activity for no apparent reason.
My US Airways e-rewards account has jumped to 1685 points (need 2000 to make a 500 mile deposit....obviously too late for a hit).
My BA e-rewards account is now at 1835. I'll cash them in at 2000, as even at this accelerated earning rate, I won't have enough for the next level before the points expire.

I'll have another look at my profiles, but I don't think anything will change. I think I'll remove all cookies and run the two accounts from separate computers.

It's all about capability. Having the option doesn't mean you have to do it, but it does mean that you can.

Assuming Hilton participates in 2012 and the same level of points transfer is required, this might be a good time to replenish your HHonors account. Hilton is currently running a promotion offering a bonus 1000 points per night that's stackable with a 5000-point bonus for weekend stays of two nights or more.

Hilton is not my primary hotel program, but I shifted a three-day stay to Hilton this weekend and will earn over 10K points off a room costing $75 per night. In addition, HHonors is offering triple USAirways miles if you choose to earn points and miles so I got an extra 1500 miles for that.

The Club Carlson (triple points) and Choice (double points) promotions currently running obviously are also good opportunities for those who don't concentrate on those programs to build up a stash for GS 2012.

The Points Guy has a post about the Hilton promotion, including a way to get another 1000 points that I could not take advantage of: http://thepointsguy.com/2012/01/thre...on-promotions/.

For the USAirways miles promo, just double check the list of participating properties - a lot of properties aren't participating. The promo is a good deal if your property is listed. https://hiltonhhonors.com/processLan...=dividendmiles

Guys, the Grand Slam 2012 will start soon. Are you already preparing?

I did already book some Hilton hotels for October and I did already fill my Best Western account with help of Foursquare (100 check-ins give you 5,000 points).

I didn't do the 2011 GS. In fact, I've never taken a US Air flight. GS seems like a great deal. I'd like to participate in the 2012 GS. I recently got the Barclays card for 40K miles. What can I do now to make things easier in the fall to get the GS hits? TIA.

The best thing you can do is read the separate section on the 2011 grand slam. The information there is wonderful and will give you a roadmap on the best approach to the scavenger hunt. I'm getting all the hotel points done before it starts. That's a biggie. Enjoy

LOL!!

I miss the fun of the Grand Slam. Silly as it may seem, I have done several things to prepare for GS 2012:

- opened rewards accounts with all the hotel transfer partners from last year.

- built up $25 balances in e-rewards and e-miles balances for me and my husband. (Expiration date is late fall so plenty of time for a transfer before they expire.)

- got the Barclay US Airways credit cards.

- signed up for TopGuest to build up balances for hotel transfers. I should easily have enough to transfer for Hilton, Priority Club, and Best Western.

- booked a stay for the fall at a Holiday Inn and was mindful when booking of the 2011 minimum spend to qualify. It could change for 2012, I know, but used 2011 as a guide.

Anita

I've been having trouble getting them to recognize my boyfriend's registration (even with a screenshot!) and finally connected with their outgoing-call-only/Unknown-number reply system today. Turns out there "wasn't a date" on the screenshot so they can't help me. It's been three months and I'm tired of chasing it, and he only loses 3k miles, so we can eat it...

But when I asked her if I should just assume the online reg is lying and call to confirm next time, the rep said yes (of course), but also something more interesting: that she "wasn't aware of" any plans for a GS12, "but there may be something different." Of course there's a lot of time before then and I don't know how these things proceed, but the way she said it made me think you guys would want to know.

no grand slam 2012??