Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Miles&Points > Discontinued Programs/Partners > US Airways 2011 Grand Slam Promotion
Reload this Page >

"Other partner" hits (not Shopping Mall) [master thread]

"Other partner" hits (not Shopping Mall) [master thread]

Old Aug 31, 2011, 7:24 pm
  #46  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 441
Originally Posted by dukerau
so far they've been the equivalent of $5 grocery store bottles.
You mean $5 in taste? That's the make-or-break with this hit for me. If the bottles are any good or at least passable, I'm in, but any wine that tastes $5 has headache, groan and oops written all over it. I'm seeing mixed reviews from GSers. Hopefully we'll know soon whether Vinesse's accessories count again. That'd be the "wine" hit here.
NewArrival is offline  
Old Aug 31, 2011, 7:40 pm
  #47  
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: CLT
Programs: AA, UA, BA, Hilton Diamond, Marriott Gold, IHG Platinum
Posts: 2,074
Originally Posted by NewArrival
You mean $5 in taste? That's the make-or-break with this hit for me. If the bottles are any good or at least passable, I'm in, but any wine that tastes $5 has headache, groan and oops written all over it. I'm seeing mixed reviews from GSers. Hopefully we'll know soon whether Vinesse's accessories count again. That'd be the "wine" hit here.
Yeah, $5 taste. Some may be closer to $10 taste.
dukerau is offline  
Old Aug 31, 2011, 9:00 pm
  #48  
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: PHX
Posts: 4,782
Originally Posted by NewArrival
You mean $5 in taste? That's the make-or-break with this hit for me. If the bottles are any good or at least passable, I'm in, but any wine that tastes $5 has headache, groan and oops written all over it. I'm seeing mixed reviews from GSers. Hopefully we'll know soon whether Vinesse's accessories count again. That'd be the "wine" hit here.
It is not high quality wine, but the two bottles we kept were better than $5 wine.
lkar is offline  
Old Aug 31, 2011, 9:06 pm
  #49  
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Programs: United 1k aa exec plat
Posts: 1,837
Originally Posted by cactuspete
I'd rather look for one on-topic thread than having to sift through a thread with 45 separate discussions going on. YMMV.
i think both of you are right-one solution could be to split into 3-5 threadsby alphabetical order

Last edited by bryanwallace; Sep 1, 2011 at 6:19 am
bryanwallace is offline  
Old Sep 1, 2011, 5:21 am
  #50  
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: AVL
Programs: Hhonors Diamond, Bonvoy LT Plat, TSA vilifier extraordinaire, Once upon a time... US Silver, AA Gold
Posts: 1,284
Originally Posted by NewArrival
You mean $5 in taste? That's the make-or-break with this hit for me. If the bottles are any good or at least passable, I'm in, but any wine that tastes $5 has headache, groan and oops written all over it. I'm seeing mixed reviews from GSers. Hopefully we'll know soon whether Vinesse's accessories count again. That'd be the "wine" hit here.
I bought the Wine Insiders with the Groupon last year so did not get the hit. But at $3 a bottle I was thrilled with it. At $5-7 a bottle I might be less thrilled, but if it makes my 32nd or 36th hit this year, I'll be a lot happier.

All in all, I found the WI wine to be decent, drinkable weeknight spaghetti wine. As in all things, YMMV.
dwcatty is offline  
Old Sep 1, 2011, 5:40 am
  #51  
Suspended
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 8,135
Originally Posted by geaux_tigers
For Wine Insider, I only see that you can enter your DM # if signing up for the 12 bottle offer... went all the way through to purchase form trying to buy one bottle (dummy order) for $14.99 + tax and there was no entry form for the DM.

Guess the hit only applies to the 12 bottle offer? Any guidance from folks who did it last year (can't remember if this was a member).
Originally Posted by lkar
I believe the only way to get the hit last year was the 12 bottle offer.
This creates something of a conundrum, then. The T&C expressly mention Wine Insiders as one of the partners for which your hit (and all your GS miles) will be revoked if you cancel your membership after less than 6 months. Ergo, the T&C necessarily imply that the WI wine club subscription is hit-worthy.

(Dear US: When you decide you need someone a) with even modest reasoning abilities b) who is also competent to write clear, unambiguous T&C, I'm available.)
beltway is offline  
Old Sep 1, 2011, 5:42 am
  #52  
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: SYDNEY
Programs: *A Gold, HH dia,Hyatt plat,Sixt PLAT,QF , EY Gold
Posts: 1,890
Im in favour of having separate threads for each shopping hit. I just read 4 pages and already getting side tracked.

All I can remember from reading is the wine hit will be expensive you have to buy 12 bottle and it's taste like $5 wine.

Maybe we can leave this to the wine hit and move the office hits etc to their own thread.

Can we not delete them after we use them if it becomes a bit of a mess ?
Shanye2233 is offline  
Old Sep 1, 2011, 5:59 am
  #53  
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 52
Smile

So how does Dividend Miles keep track on this? When you spend with parter, do you have to use link from their website or provide dividend mile number when sign up for service? Also when I book hotel stay, do I have to provider US dividend number when I check out?
ReachMoon is offline  
Old Sep 1, 2011, 6:23 am
  #54  
Suspended
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 8,135
Originally Posted by ReachMoon
So how does Dividend Miles keep track on this? When you spend with parter, do you have to use link from their website or provide dividend mile number when sign up for service?
Yes, you should use the links from the US website and provide your DM number to the partner, either during the specific transaction or (in some cases) when setting up a separate account with the partner (e.g., Thanks Again).

Also when I book hotel stay, do I have to provider US dividend number when I check out?
Depending on the partner, you may need to provide your US number at checkin or even have your hotel account profile set up in advance to credit to US. For more info (or to discuss hotel-stay hits further), please see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/2011-...er-thread.html.
beltway is offline  
Old Sep 1, 2011, 11:50 pm
  #55  
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: CAE,AGS
Programs: AAExP, Hyatt Globalist, HHonors Gold, IHG Spire, Marriott Plat
Posts: 3,124
Originally Posted by DaydreamBeliever
Can anyone please tell me if I should join Audience Rewards to start earning miles so that when the time comes, I can redeem them? Or is that not how it works? Sorry, I am new to this and I am not quite sure how exactly Audience Rewards works...
Audience Rewards requires the purchase of a ticket to a show. Last year many of us 'attended' shows in Charlotte.

Originally Posted by lkar
I'm a current verizon customer, but my contract is close to coming up. I wonder whether there's any way to get the 10k miles and a hit for resubscribing? All I seem to see is the offer where you get a droid phone plus 2 years. I don't want the droid phone.

If anyone figures out a way to reup with verizon and get the points, please post!
Yes - I would be interested in this too. I may have to do some begging with Verizon - I may have a little wiggle room though. Contract up November 23rd! So maybe I can squeeze a week out of them since I have a now defunct Palm Pre. I think I am going for a Droid... +1 has one and it walks circles around the iPhone.

Originally Posted by lkar
I really was hoping that once my current contract was up, I could switch to an iphone and pay the reduced rate for those who re-up for 2 years. It doesn't look like there's any way to do that and get the 10k bonus.
Are we sure of this yet?
miffSC is offline  
Old Sep 2, 2011, 12:26 am
  #56  
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Programs: United 1k aa exec plat
Posts: 1,837
Originally Posted by miffSC
Audience Rewards requires the purchase of a ticket to a show. Last year many of us 'attended' shows in Charlotte.

for the hit but there are other ways to get indirect hits thru aud rewards

sorry after cking the small print there isnt

Last edited by bryanwallace; Sep 2, 2011 at 5:13 am
bryanwallace is offline  
Old Sep 2, 2011, 4:00 am
  #57  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: body: A stone's throw from SFO, mind: SE Asia
Programs: Some of this 'n some of that
Posts: 17,263
Originally Posted by bryanwallace
for the hit but there are other ways to get indirect hits thru aud rewards
The suicide squeeze? ya gotta give info!
dsquared37 is offline  
Old Sep 2, 2011, 4:48 am
  #58  
Suspended
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 8,135
Energy Plus

Anyone thinking of signing up for Energy Plus -- which will require a 6-month subscription, owing to US's new T&Cs -- should proceed carefully. Here's what one travel blogger reported earlier this year:
While the switch itself was seamless, Energy Plus quickly proved to be a bait-and-switch proposition.

EP offered a price of 9 cents per KWH, compared to [Connecticut Light & Powers] 10.5 cents. Each month for the first three months of my service with Energy Plus, the rate per kilowatt hour (KWH) of power moved up 10-15%. By the third month, my power rate was over 14 cents per KWH, 30% above the price charged by CL+P!

[...]

I did end up collecting 13,430 miles from Energy Plus for four months of service (inclusive of the 10,000 mile sign up bonus). For a house that uses a significant number of KWHs each month, the significant incremental cost of EP wasnt worth it. This really was a bait and switch they wooed me with a low rate and miles but quickly ratcheted my rate up to a price that was well above market.

Ive done more research since this on the independent retail power market and it really is a marketing business, not much of a power business. It is akin to the way the mortgage business used to be purely about origination volume. Based on the data I have and the prices they were charging, EPs gross margins run well over 50%. All without the burden of inventory or owning power plants.

[...]

The only scenario I would consider using Energy Plus is for the initial bonus. My bonus posted within two months, so you might just grin and bear it, paying Energy Pluss above market rates, for a short period of time to get the sign up bonus. Unlike signing up for a credit card, this wont have any impact on your credit score. Just be sure to switch off of them the day after the bonus posts.

In general, beware.
beltway is offline  
Old Sep 2, 2011, 10:38 pm
  #59  
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 441
OfficeMax

Just thought of a possibly legitimate way to avoid OfficeMax.com's shipping fee altogether while ordering a $1 item. If this works, it's a virtually free hit:

Order two items from OfficeMax.com -- something $1 and something $50. Receive both by mail with no shipping fee, then return the $50 item in-store locally. Keep the $1 item. You've paid just $1. Points for the small item post.

OfficeMax's return policy for online purchase doesn't forbid returning part of a shipment in store, from my read. I'll verify and edit this post yes or no. And nowhere does it indicate an entire shipment's miles will all be reversed if just part is returned. I'll verify this too and report back. Anyone know if I missed it online or misread? Happy to be proved wrong (or right!).

UPDATE:
Good news. Online purchases can be returned in-store as long as the store stocks the same item being returned. So if you're planning on it, be sure the $50 item is carried at a local store to know they'll take the return. Now to confirm the miles part...

SECOND UPDATE:
Also good news. We do keep miles for items kept and only forfeit miles for returned items. $1 hit, no shipping! Screenshot of online return policy is worth keeping. And I'm not concerned about revealing this strategy in plain view of possible lurkers because it's past Sept. 1 and GS terms are fixed. If FTers want me to remove this post to be on the safe side, no problem.

Last edited by NewArrival; Sep 5, 2011 at 11:29 am Reason: Confirmed two ways. Would love more/other confirmation.
NewArrival is offline  
Old Sep 2, 2011, 11:28 pm
  #60  
 
Join Date: May 1999
Posts: 1,627
Originally Posted by NewArrival
Just thought of a possibly legitimate way to avoid OfficeMax.com's shipping fee altogether while ordering a $1 item. If this works, it's a virtually free hit:

Order two items from OfficeMax.com -- something $1 and something $50. Receive both by mail with no shipping fee, then return the $50 item in-store locally. Keep the $1 item. You've paid just $1. Points for the small item post.

OfficeMax's return policy for online purchase doesn't forbid returning part of a shipment in store, from my read. I'll verify and edit this post yes or no. And nowhere does it indicate an entire shipment's miles will all be reversed if just part is returned. I'll verify this too and report back. Anyone know if I missed it online or misread? Happy to be proved wrong (or right!).
I've emailed OfficeMax to ask them if this will work. Will report if I receive a response.
starflyer is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.