Bits: 40% bonus on Hyatt points, 2-4-1 at Jumeirah in London, Air France to Male

News in brief:

40% bonus when you buy Hyatt Gold Passport points

The new ‘World of Hyatt’ loyalty programme is gearing up to launch and this might be the last mention of Hyatt Gold Passport on Head for Points.

Until 17th February, you can get a 40% bonus when you buy Hyatt Gold Passport points.  The deal is targeted but widely available as far as I can tell.

This is obviously worth a look if you need to top up your account.  It may also be worthwhile if considering a stay in a top tier Park Hyatt such as the ones in Tokyo, Paris or Sydney, where buying the points may be cheaper than paying cash.

The new Park Hyatt resort in Mallorca, photo below, is another possibility.   Prices are scary in August (rooms from Euro 680, or Euro 850 if you want a cancellable one) so a redemption at 20,000 points per night ($336 of bought points) would be a VERY good deal.

Importantly, Hyatt has ‘last room availability’ for reward nights so if the cheapest room category is available for cash, you can have it for points.

The Hyatt ‘buy points’ site is here.

Interesting 2-4-1 deal at the two London Jumeirah hotels

The Dubai-based hotel group Jumeirah operates two hotels in London.  Both are situated in Knightsbridge and are literally 30 seconds apart; I think you can even cross-charge.

Jumeirah Carlton Tower is just off Sloane Street and overlooks Cadogan Square.  It is a ’60’s tower which has been smartly refurbished – I had a night there a couple of years ago.  Jumeirah Lowndes is a contemporary boutique hotel just around the corner.   Both are very high-end properties.

Until 22nd March, you can book two nights for the price of one between Thursday and Monday.  The rate can only be booked via this page.

You need to be a member of the Jumeirah Sirius reward scheme to take advantage of this deal, but membership is free.

The 2-4-1 deal is priced off the Best Available Rate.  The good news is that these special rates are cancellable, the bad news is that it is not strictly 2-4-1 if you compare it with non-refundable rates on the same night.  That said, it is still excellent value.  Suites are included.

Air France launches flights to The Maldives

Finally, Air France is launching flights to The Maldives from 1st November.

This is a toe in the water exercise with just two flights per week this winter.  If you have a stack of Flying Blue miles this might be an interesting redemption option, especially as the British Airways flights to Male are hard to get on Avios.

You can check times and pricing on the Air France site here.

How to earn Flying Blue miles from UK credit cards (December 2021)

Air France and KLM do not have a UK Flying Blue credit card.  However, you can earn Flying Blue miles by converting Membership Rewards points earned from selected UK American Express cards.  These are:

• American Express Preferred Rewards Gold (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 20,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 20,000 Flying Blue miles. This card is FREE for your first year and also comes with two free airport lounge passes.

• The Platinum Card from American Express (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 30,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 30,000 Flying Blue miles

• American Express Rewards credit card (review here, apply here) – sign-up bonus of 5,000 Membership Rewards points converts into 5,000 Flying Blue miles. This card is FREE for life.

Membership Rewards points convert at 1:1 into Flying Blue miles which is an attractive rate.  The cards above all earn 1 Membership Rewards point per £1 spent on your card, which converts to 1 Flying Blue mile. The Gold card earns double points (2 per £1) on all flights you charge to it.