Back in the day when I first got into this hobby (and when airlines and hotels worked really hard to build brand loyalty), I received some awesome birthday presents! We’re talking free nights, 500-1,000 miles, upgrade certificates, and 50% off coupon codes for future bookings. Not that I think any of those were required, but they certainly sparked a feeling of loyalty with the brand and likely resulted in spending some money.
These days, many airlines and hotels simple send a greeting, though a few offer small perks. Here’s a rundown of this year’s birthday gifts:
Marriott: Free elite night credit, redeemable anytime before your next birthday (so really, you pick the membership year to apply it in)!
Hawaiian: 500 Hawaiian Miles per night when booking a flight + vacation package. This one is pretty sad when you consider that if you are truly interested in earning HawaiianMiles for your stay, you could earn quite a bit more when using a booking site like Rocketmiles.
Southwest: An interactive piñata
jetBlue: A birthday greeting
Miles & More: Another hotel booking offer that I won’t use – 1,000 award bonus miles on top of the normal 1,000 points per night when booking hotels through Miles & More
Subway: A free cookie in the next 28 days
Fridays: A free dessert when you purchase an entree. I haven’t been to a Fridays in about a decade, but didn’t a free dessert usually come with the singing waiters?
Coke: 20% off a personalized bottle or gift
Citibank: A birthday greeting
The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
