I like wine. I really love sharing a bottle together with friends. I also like great deals. Deals on wine and earning thousands of frequent flyer miles at the same time? Yeah, that happened this weekend. First I’m going to tell you what I got, then we can get into the how of it all.
The What
4,352 AAdvantage miles
260 SPG Starpoint points
30 bottles of wine at 47% off list price ($249 instead of $473)
The How
Step 1: Going to AAdvantage eShopping mall
American Airlines has a shopping portal. Visiting that site, clicking through to a store that you were going to buy from anyhow, often times earns you bonus miles without costing you anything more than a couple of clicks.
Step 2: An awesome (but not entirely rare) promotion was going on
They had a limited-time deal running where you could earn 14 miles for each dollar spent at WSJWine.
Step 3: New member special
WSJWine had a promo where new members could get 15 bottles of wine for $70. This combo would normally cost $239 if you bought it from them as a current member. All that’s needed to be considered a new member is to have an email address not in their system.
Now, this is the point where I was hoping I could add to the order. The way the site is structured you sign up, pay, and the order is completed. That’s it. I wanted to get my total order cost over $150 because of step 4 but wasn’t able to do so.
Step 4: Always check your American Express cards for targeted offers
A few weeks ago I loaded my SPG American Express with a targeted offer for WSJWine. The deal was if you spent $150 or more, you’d get a $50 statement credit. I didn’t plan on using it but I added the offer anyhow… then I saw the AAdvantage milage bonus offer at the end of last week.
Steps one through three netted 1,351 AAdvantage miles. Not bad for $97 all in (tax and shipping ya know.) But knowing there was that 14 mile promo ending Saturday night and having a $50 credit waiting for me, I dove back in for more. I followed the steps outlined above and found a nice $180 package, including some Prosecco (YUM!), to trigger the AmEx offer. This total sale helped me earn another 3,001 miles.
I used my SPG American Express to earn one Starpoint per dollar spent. Starpoints can also be converted to AAdvantage miles. Using the shopping portal I earned 4,352 AAdvantage miles in addition to the Starpoints. In the end, I picked up two and a half cases of wine at nearly half price while earning thousands of miles.
A roundtrip flight on American Airlines in the contiguous 48 U.S. states can be as low as 12,500 points (7,500 if the flight is less than 500 miles). This purchase got me a third of the way to a roundtrip ticket.
With the holiday season approaching, I’m now set with host and hostess gifts for upcoming parties, impromptu get-togethers, and inviting friends over to enjoy the autumn sunsets on my front porch.
Currently, AAdvantage eShopping mall is offering 7 miles per dollar spent. If you’d like to give WSJWine a try, leave a comment. With their Refer-A-Friend program, I can help you get a special introductory offer similar to what I received plus an additional $25 off your second case purchase.
