Wandermelon Feature Destination: Bangkok by Boat and Bicycle

One of the most unique things about Bangkok is the myriad ways of getting around. If you’re not viewing the city from your taxi window or breathing in the heat and smoke from your tuk-tuk – or moto-rickshaw – then you may be on the sky train or the metro, beating the traffic while riding with the stylish locals on their way back from work. Then there are the motorcycle taxis, but bring along the nerves of steel necessary for zipping through standstill traffic on a careening, noisy bike.

Read more

Wandermelon Feature Destination: Five-Star Adventure -- Samara Private Game Reserve

We all dream of the perfect trip to Africa: jeep safaris across the expansive plains with close encounters with the Big 5, thatched-roof lodges overlooking watering holes, majestic lions wrestling with their cubs in the glow of sunset. And while these romantic notions stir the soul, there are certain precautions one must take when traveling in South Africa, in particular regard to those annoying malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Personal safety becomes a priority and while anti-malarial drugs are available, their efficacy and nasty side effects (nightmares, vomiting and possible tooth enamel discoloration) make them less than comforting! While some of South Africa’s best game parks are unfortunately not in the malaria-free zone (like Kruger National Park and others in the Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal regions) the Eastern Cape area offers malaria-free, family owned and operated private game reserves. One of the finest is Samara.

Read more at Wandermelon...

Behind-the-Scenes: Hertz #1 Club

Car rentals are often included in spring break and summer vacation plans, so it’s a good idea to register with one or more rewards programs to start building your points. PointHub tracks 13 rental car rewards programs (e.g., Avis, Budget, Enterprise) and below highlights the features and benefits of Hertz #1 Club rewards program.

About #1 Club
The #1 Club is the outstanding awards program from Hertz, the reliable car rental agency. The program is rich with perks that enhance your travel plans and help you earn travel rewards.

How to Earn #1 Club Rentals
There’s no other rental car rewards program that is as easy to earn points as Hertz #1 Club. Members earn points with every qualifying rental from a Hertz rental store. As long as you present your membership number when renting a car, #1 Club points will be added to your account.

Wandermelon Feature Destination: Empty Beaches and Fine Dining Beckon This Fall in Bermuda

Less is more on the island during autumn, with lower prices, humidity and fewer visitors, making it a perfect time to visit Bermuda.

Your first priority when you get to Bermuda (or any island for that matter) should be to hit the beach. With plenty of stunning beaches to choose from, it’s easy to become mesmerized by Bermuda’s signature pink sand and turquoise waters. What may not be as easy is deciding which ones to visit along its 62-mile coastline. Luckily, we’ve done the leg work for you and compiled a list of some of the best beaches in Bermuda, a British territory located about 650 miles off the coast of North Carolina. Now that tourist (and hurricane) season is over, late fall and early winter can be an ideal time to visit the “Jewel of the Atlantic.”

Read more at Wandermelon...

Behind-the-Scenes of Rewards Programs: AMEX - Membership Rewards

Enjoy more of the incredible travel, shopping and entertainment experiences you want with the groundbreaking rewards program from American Express.

Transform your everyday spending by earning one point for virtually every dollar you spend on your Card. Membership Rewards points have no expiration date–and there's no limit to what you can earn.

Wandermelon Feature Destination: The Insider’s Family Guide to Disneyland

How to navigate this wonderful world with your children without losing your marbles.

Taking a small child to Disneyland, especially for the first time, can truly be one of those preeminent childhood experiences. Awe and wonder. Unbridled joy. Pure delight. It’s a head-spinning adventure for both children and their “big kid” parents as favorite animated characters come to life, exhilarating rides deliver you to fantasy lands, and scintillating parades and shows of color carry you away. Okay, so it’s the happiest place on earth, but any parent knows that moments of heightened intensity can breed all-time meltdowns, especially when dealing with a sprawling populated setting with endless choices and magnetic pulls.

Read more at Wandermelon...

Welcome Wandermelon

PointHub has joined forces with Wandermelon, a team of professional travel writers and photographers who explore the world and will share their experiences with PointHub readers.

Now, in addition to learning about how to redeem, manage and grow your rewards points and frequent flyer miles, PointHub’s blog will also be a valuable resource for planning vacation with first-hand reviews of commonly visited destinations along with those off the beaten-track.

Join PointHub in welcoming the Wandermelon Team:


Kate Ayrton
Eric Hiss
Terena Thyne Eisner
Ann Wycoff

The PointHub Team

PS: If you’re trying to accumulate points/miles faster, so you can book your summer vacation, be sure to register your loyalty programs with PointHub, so you can start seeing loyalty promotions for your programs through PointFinder. Register Now

.

PointHub Launches PointFinder, The First “Deal Finder” For Frequent Flier Miles and Rewards Points

Personalized Dashboard Drives Rapid Accumulation of Miles and Points, Eliminating Review of Promotional Emails

Today, we announced our new ground-breaking PointFinder tool, the first real-time, continuous feed featuring promotional deals specific to your registered loyalty programs. We’ve created a personalized dashboard for every registered user that displays only those airline and hotel miles/points promotions that match their reward programs, travel habits and preferences, eliminating the need to review countless emails to find that perfect offer.

One of our goals is to continue to develop tools that empower you to take back the power of your points. PointHub’s ever-expanding set of tools helps everyone manage, grow and redeem their miles and points with ease.

New Year’s Resolution #1: Organize Your Reward Programs

If you’re like most households, you’ve happily registered for about 18 loyalty programs – airlines, credit cards, retail stores -- with visions of getting lots of free flights, hotel stays, and merchandise.

But, if you’ve found it difficult to manage and make purchases using your rewards programs, you’re not alone because $16 billion is lost annually in unused frequent flyer miles and rewards points. Are you wondering how much you’ve lost?

Make your #1 New Year’s resolution to get your Rewards programs organized, so you can start accumulating points/miles at rapid pace and start redeeming them for free flights and hotel stays.

Don’t Wait! PointHub has three easy steps to help get organized now.

Luxury Travel Trends for 2012 …Where Will You Go?

We save our nickels for months to go on vacation because this is the one time of year when we indulge in a bit more luxury than we might normally. An all-inclusive beach resort … ski chalet at the base of the hill … cooking class in Italy.

By saving and managing your frequent flyer miles and rewards points, you can transform your vacation into an episode of “Lifestyle of the Rich & Famous” without spending a dime. Thomas Stanley, head of The Americas division of Cox & Kings, a top Tour Operator and Safari Outfitter, shares three luxury travel trends for 2012.

PointHub Launches First Mobile Site to Search, Book and Manage Multiple Travel Award Programs on the Road

Today we launched our mobile site, so now – for the first time -- you have the power to search, book and manage multiple travel award programs from your smartphone and other mobile devices while you’re on the go.

We quickly developed our new mobile site, just three months after we launched PointHub, because our rapidly expanding user-base wanted a mobile solution that gives them the power to book and manage their award travel anytime, anywhere.

Mobile Site’s Key Features:

Find Award Flights & Hotels Using Cash vs. Points® Recommendation Engine:

• With just one search, our Recommendation Engine provides side-by-side “best value” flight and travel recommendations that can actually be booked

Behind-the-Scenes of Reward Programs - Holiday Inn Priority Club Rewards

During the Christmas season, some families find there just isn't enough "room at the inn" when everyone converges at Mom and Dad's house for the festivities. The family-friendly Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels offers comfortable accommodations at reasonable prices and a generous loyalty program, the details of which are outlined below.

Priority Club Loyalty Program
Priority Club Rewards is the loyalty program of Intercontinental

Relaxed Thanksgiving Travel? It’s Possible with a Little Advanced Planning.

You've heard it a million times. Thanksgiving is the busiest travel time of the year, yet we often to forget to treat our trip to the airport differently because we travel all the time. Well, guess what? It's different during this holiday and unlike business trips, we're often traveling with others. So, to make your trip more pleasant, below are a few tips to help you arrive at your destination relaxed and ready to enjoy the turkey.

Behind the Scenes of Reward Programs - Qantas Frequent Flyer

This is the time of year when people head to the other side of the world (assuming you’re in the northern hemisphere) to enjoy the summer down under. If you’re traveling to Australia, for example, you’d be flying nearly 21,000 miles (New York City to Melbourne), which really builds your frequent flyer miles, so you may want to join your airline’s award program; below highlights some of the key benefits of Qantas, the most popular carrier to Australia.

Flying Air New Zealand? Check out their Airpoints award program.

Behind-the-Scenes of Rewards Programs: Choice Hotels’ “Choice Privileges”

With so many rewards programs to choose from, PointHub is launching a regular blog series that will spotlight airline and hotel programs. For details on a specific program, click here to review the hundreds of reward programs PointHub supports.

About Choice Privileges
Choice Privileges is the loyalty program designed by Choice Hotels to reward guests who travel and stay in their hotels. This program partners with airlines giving loyalty reward members a chance to earn more points. Points are redeemed for rewards such as free nights, free flights, retail purchases, and more.

Thoughts on PointHub from the “Frugal Travel Guy”

Rick Ingersoll wrote the post below on November 10 on his website

PointHub.com - Mileage Aggregator and More

Earlier this week I got a call from Lisa and Justin at PointHub and we discussed their new website opened in August of this year. It is a typical mileage aggregator with the additional features of searching for paid tickets and awards on the same page. In addition, they give a recommendation on paying cash or using your miles and/or points. They are still loading loyalty programs and international airlines, but the site shows promise already for those who need a place to store their points and miles account numbers and get some help with deciding the age old question:

Do I use miles or pay cash?

PointHub Reveals Thousands of “Free” Rewards Airline Flights Still Available for Thanksgiving Travel

We revealed today that there are thousands of airline flights to popular U.S. cities available for Thanksgiving travel using frequent flyer miles and rewards points. And, for those who don’t want to stay with their mother-in-law, there are hundreds of hotel rooms available using rewards points for the holiday in most markets.

Many people think it is too late to use rewards to book travel this Thanksgiving, but our search shows there are thousands of reward flights still available on most of the major airlines. The high cost of holiday travel might prevent some people from visiting their families, but frequent flyer miles and reward points can make their reunion possible.

Based on research from our proprietary Cash vs. Points® Recommendation Engine, there are 8,467* airline reward flights available from New York, for example, to the following four popular destinations:

60 Seconds with Ryan Eberhard, Co-founder of PointHub

The interview below is featured in the November issue of InsideFlyer.

PointHub is a new website currently in beta for loyalty program members that lets you search for and book award travel comparing cash vs. points, brings all your loyalty accounts together and helps protect your points from expiring. We recently spoke with Co-founder, Ryan Eberhard, about what PointHub has to offer the frequent flyer.

InsideFlyer (IF)
How is PointHub different from other loyalty program management sites?

Eberhard
We offer a break-through loyalty rewards search engine that displays side-by-side results for flights and hotels in cash, points and miles. We help save users money by recommending their best value booking option.

A $16 Billion Journey Begins with One Rewards Flight

As we’ve mentioned before, PointHub is committed to creating an easier way for people to spend and manage their frequent flyer miles and rewards points because $16B worth aren’t being used annually… that’s a lot of “free” travel going down the drain.

In the first 60-days since the site launched, we’re proud to report that our users have saved $545,750 in airfare and hotels using their rewards programs. Although we have a long way to go in terms of putting a dent into the $16B, based on the feedback our satisfied users have given us, we’re on the right path and happy with our progress to date.

If you’ve checked out PointHub, but haven’t registered your rewards programs yet, what are you waiting for? The holidays and ski season just around the corner!

PointHub Users Drive Site Enhancements

One of the most exciting aspects of launching PointHub after many months of development is feedback from our users. We take all suggestions to heart because we want to make PointHub smarter in helping you make the best use of your hard earned frequent flyer miles and rewards points. Check out a few of the recent enhancements we’ve implemented based on your feedback:

1. Single Sign On: Following PointHub’s philosophy of consolidating accounts to eliminate the need to remember countless passwords and user names, we now offer the option to sign up (and sign in) using your existing Google, Facebook, and Twitter accounts. There is, of course, the option to create a unique PointHub username and password if you prefer that option.

2. TripAdvisor Hotel Ratings Featured: Online customer reviews are an important part of the decision-making process when selecting accommodations, so we've integrated TripAdvisor’s ratings into our hotel results. Now when you conduct a hotel search, you will see the TripAdvisor Owl icon along with the rating for each hotel, provided one exists.