💬 Shortcuts to Accor Gold. A short thread.

First, what does Accor Gold offer? The primary benefits are:

👉 Room Upgrade
👉 Early Check-In/Late Check Out
👉 Welcome Drink
👉 Welcome Amenity

ℹ️ Requirements: Under normal circumstances to qualify for Accor Gold you’ll need to… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1624045169870835713

Received a few comments on this asking how one can book AI using TK Miles.

Once you have logged into your TK Miles&amp;Smiles account, follow the steps outlined in the next thread. https://twitter.com/thetrickytrade/status/1622505017629642754

Click on Miles Transaction and on the subsequent page, under Star Alliance award ticket, click on Book now.

You can book *A award tickets, such as the ones on AI from here. However, sometimes you will find that certain airports do not appear in the dropdown, in my case IXB. 

In such cases, you can either call the TK customer care number or email them at bomreservation@thy.com or delreservation@thy.com and provide them with the airports and the flights you want to book.

How to book AI Award Tickets using TK Miles

The last time I flew @airindiain was back in 2015-2016, DEL - CDG aboard one of their 787s. 

Today, thanks to some inspiration from @OntheRoadAJ and @drgrudge I’m back on one of their A321s after some 7-8 years. 

Let’s see what it’s all about. 
Route: IXB - DEL - PNQ
Cabin: J 

There isn’t a lot to talk about the ground experience at IXB, it’s a small and congested airport. However, @airvistara &amp; @flyspicejet both offer priority check-in and priority boarding at IXB. So definitely do-able.

Choice of Hot or Cold Towel upon boarding - ✅

Choice of Pre-Departure Beverages - ✅

Physical Menus - ✅

SMS confirming luggage check-in - ✅

So far… so good… 

A beautiful meal coupled with a before time arrival. This is nice. 

There’s absolutely no denying that the hard product is dated, but that’s being worked on and hopefully should change. 

The soft product so far for my first leg has been excellent. 👌 

For the next leg, access to the AI lounge at DEL - T3 was provided. 

My second and final leg had some inconsistencies in terms of the service and catering. But all’s well that ends well, another before time arrival into PNQ. 

Will I fly AI again? Absolutely, but domestic only, where the hard product isn’t such a major factor.

I’m very excited to see what the future holds for @airindiain, under the Tatas. It’d be wonderful to see such a strong brand rise up once again. 🤞.

To end this thread, this itinerary was booked using 12,500 TK Miles.

The New Air India in 2023 - A Review

A slightly different kind of thread today.

Let's look at the evolving credit card landscape in India 🇮🇳.

At the end of Dec - 2022, the total outstanding CCs in the country stood at 81.2M vs 68.9M at the end of 2021, which is a 17.7% increase.

CC growth in the last 5 yrs. 👇

Let's look at the market share at the end of 2022.

@HDFC_Bank continued to lead the pack with a 21% share, closely being followed by @SBICard_Connect at 20%. The fight for 3rd and 4th between @ICICIBank and @AxisBank continues.

Change in credit card market share from 2021 to 2022 for the top 4 issuers and American Express.

@KotakBankLtd gained an impressive 1.9% while @HDFC_Bank lost 2%.

How did we spend on our CCs?

Data is from March 2022, since the RBI does not provide data for online transactions before 2022.

Monthly Spends in 2022 combined of POS and Online transactions. 👇

Split of Transactions by Amount POS vs Online and by Volume POS vs Online 👇

While in amount online transactions are higher, in volume POS leads.


Credit Card Landscape - 2022

Concluded the first award redemption planning for @KhammaGhanee yesterday and as promised sharing the outcome below.

Travel Plan

25/03: 🇮🇳 DEL - 🇨🇭 ZRH
06/04: 🇨🇭 ZRH - 🇮🇹 MXP
16/04: 🇮🇹 FCO - 🇮🇳 DEL

PAX: 1
Travel Class: Economy

Points are Available in Axis ER and some in TK.

We narrowed down two options that worked for him. The first one is as follows 👇

📆 25/03: DEL - FRA - ZRH on AI and LX via Turkish (TK) Star Alliance Redemption for 19,000 Miles and $106 in Taxes.

📆 06/04: ZRH - MXP on LX via TK for 10,000 Miles and $82 in taxes.

Finally, the return leg  would be:

📆 18/04: FCO - IST - DEL on TK via TK Redemption for 19,000 Miles and $105 in Taxes.

The total miles and taxes required for this booking would be:

🎫 TK Miles: 48,000 which translates to 60,000 Axis ERs
💰 Fees: $293 / ₹24,000

Good on the points part but the taxes and surcharges are a tad bit on the higher side.

Let's look at the second option. 👇

This is via United Mileage Plus:

📆 25/03: DEL - CDG - ZRH on AI and LX for 30,000 Miles and $34.44 in taxes.

📆 06/04: ZRH - MXP on LX for 0 Miles and $38 in taxes. (other options available) 🙂

This leg does not require any miles thanks to UA's excursionist perk.

and finally the return leg

📆 17/04: FCO - MUC - DEL on LH for 30,000 Miles and $52 in Taxes. (other options available)

🎫 UA Miles: The total stands at, 60,000 United Miles, which translates to 75,000 Axis ER

💰 Fees: $125/₹10,204 in taxes.


You are paying about 15,000 miles more when compared to the first option via TK, but you are paying less than half the amount in taxes and fees. This is the option I would go with if I were doing it.

Which one would you choose?

These are not the only options available, there would be countless possibilities and combinations but these are the options that had availability, were easy to book, and worked for @KhammaGhanee.

As promised, here's more on the United Excursionist Perk

https://twitter.com/thetrickytrade/status/1534097153261416449?s=20&t=o8RSpu2JDTLrP0vOSj_ong

If you would like me to help you with your award redemption - fill up the form below. It's free, but there are significant wait times, so please be patient.

https://twitter.com/thetrickytrade/status/1615272288655638531?s=20&t=o8RSpu2JDTLrP0vOSj_ong


My other threads 👉 https://typefully.com/thetrickytrade


Award Redemption for an Euro Trip to Switzerland and Italy

Visited the @CourtyardHotels
Mahabaleshwar over the weekend after a little over a year from my last visit, when they had just opened.

That review is linked at the end.

This probably is one of the nicer
Courtyard properties in the country. 

The last time I was here, only the base rooms were operational, but now the garden and pool villas are operational too.

I was upgraded to a garden villa, from a base room, thanks to my @MarriottBonvoy status.

Pictures of the same below. 👇 

The property is excellent, with lots of open spaces, lots of greenery, and excellent views all around.

Some service niggles still remain though, however, the manager was extremely receptive to the feedback.

A short video 👇 

Redemption details:

Nights: 2
Room Category: Base
Points: 48,000 Bonvoy Points
Elite Status: Titanium
Upgrade: ✅
Free Breakfast: ✅
Avg. Nightly Rate: ~16,000 INR

Here’s the previous review from 2021. 

https://twitter.com/thetrickytrade/status/1453601584982548480?s=46&t=qyf-ZmNVs5BUElAF36DFNA

Courtyard Mahabaleshwar - A Review

On taxes and the beautiful UK - 🇬🇧

The UK is one of the most magical places in the world, and a country that you can keep going back to. Incredible landscapes and countryside, historical cities, and beautiful architecture.

Miles & points are a great way to explore this country.

However, one thing that the #ccgeeks & the #milesfreaks cannot help but keep getting smacked on the face with is - fees.

These charges on award tickets for a trip to the UK can potentially be as high as an economy revenue ticket.

So, what can be done? Let's see. 👇

First, let's take care of the outbound leg - DEL - LHR.

Below is a table with the miles requirement for both Y and J and the associated charges.

For the sake of this thread, we will consider the transfer partners available on Axis, only & one additional program - LifeMiles. 👇

As can be seen, the charges on the DEL - LHR leg can be lowered by simply choosing the right FFP (Frequent Flyer Program). ✅

Now, what about the return leg - LHR - DEL? The same table is below. 👇

As is clear, there are no saviors on this leg. Thanks to the high APD (Air Passenger Duty) that is levied when flying out of the UK, especially LHR, the fees on this redemption is always on the higher side.

But what if instead of LHR, we fly out of some other airport in the UK? Say MAN or BHX? Since LHR has a higher APD than these airports, you will only marginally reduce the fees, should you use to take this route.

Decent but not good enough. ❌

If you really want to save on the fees, here is a solution that is both feasible and doable. Instead of flying out of the UK, let's see what happens if we fly out DUB - Dublin.

Voila! Much much better. 🎉

❓ But why DUB?

👉 Firstly, no high APD on flights from DUB, as can be seen above.

👉 Second, you won't need a separate visa, you can get to Ireland with your UK Visa.

👉 Third, it is a short flight from London with plenty of LCCs operating on this route, just look at some of the fares below.

So yea, that UK trip is definitely doable with low taxes, surcharges, and associated fees by just being a little creative. 😀

The idea of this thread is to just give you an idea of how to move things around and get a favorable award redemption. This is no hard and fast rule.

So with all of this information, which do you think is the best FFP for a trip to the UK?

Comment below with your thoughts. 👇

To make it easier, here is a link to a notion page with all these tables: https://cutt.ly/uk-award-taxes

One last thing - if this thread gets sufficient likes and retweets, I'll share something even more exciting later this week. 😉

Till then you can read my other threads here: https://typefully.com/thetrickytrade

Wish you all a Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays.

Lower Taxes on UK Award Redemption

Another day, another status? Yea, let's do it and this one can be quite valuable. 💪

Here's how to get @united Premier Silver Status free for 4 months and extend it by completing the challenge.

Deadline - 1st Nov. Let's roll 👇

First, let's take a look at the benefits.

👉 Priority check-in & boarding
👉 1 complimentary checked bag
👉 Free economy plus seats for self + companion
👉 Free upgrades to First on paid domestic tickets
👉 UA Gold also matches Star Alliance Silver

Awesome! Now how do we get it?

Start by downloading the Bilt Rewards app, on Android or iOS. You will need to be on the US App store/Play store, the Indian store won't list it.

Signup and create an account (it's free).

Once you have done that and logged in to the app, you will see this option, click on select the MileagePlus Premier Silver status to be enrolled, DO NOT select Gold, you will not qualify for it.

A screen will popup asking for your name and MileagePlus Number, enter and submit.

That's it, your submission will be verified and your UA account will be updated within 3 weeks. You get to keep the status for 4 months and if you want to extend it you will need to earn 2,000 Premier qualifying points (PQPs) and six premier qualifying flights (PQFs).

That's it!

👉 Lastly, I have a brand new Instagram account which will see a lot of exclusive content and media that you won't find here on twitter.

Make sure you give your boy a follow: https://www.instagram.com/thetrickynomad

Free United Premier Silver Status

A lot of people getting their @IHGOneRewards 💎 status today I see. 

Here are a few quickies on how to leverage this and take it a little further 👇 

Match it to @RadissonRewards, might  give you Gold or Platinum. You’ll have to contact them via email and request a match. 

Match it to @preferredhotels Elite status by emailing members@iprefer.com

They have quite a few properties in India and decent benefits. 

Match it to @bestwestern Diamond Select by contact them here: https://new.bestwestern.com/en_US/best-western-rewards/status-match.html

Might not be very useful in India, but nevertheless. 

If you’re into car rentals, you can match it to @nationalcares Executive Elite here: https://status.emeraldclub.com/ 

Status Match from IHG

Dropping some of the well-known Thriwe benefits links for various cards. 

Bookmark this tweet for easy reference. 👇

HSBC Wealth/Premier: https://rewards.thriwe.com/
Visa Infinite: https://weliveexp.thriwe.com/
LG OLED: https://oledcircle.thriwe.com

Axis Magnus: https://axismagnusbenefits.thriwe.com/ (Welcome Offer Only)

HSBC: https://benefits.thriwe.com/ (Welcome Offers Only)

HDFC ITC : https://hdfcinfinia-itcoffers.thriwe.com/

HT + Mint: https://subscriptionbenefits.thriwe.com/

Axis Bank Neo Card Holders: https://axisdigibenefits.thriwe.com/