Rapid Travel Chai

Hotel booking site Kaligo is offering double Virgin America points on bookings made by September 30, 2016. Stay can be any date available, you just need to book by September 30. Book through the Kaligo Virgin America promo page. Heads up: bookings are prepaid, check cancel deadlines.

Kaligo is like PointsHound and RocketMiles in offering miles for prepaid hotel bookings. Mileage earnings can and do vary by airline. Generally you will not receive hotel points or elite status benefits, though you may receive such on a case by case basis at the hotel’s discretion. Rates may or may not be competitive to other booking channels.

Kaligo in the past has offered first booking bonuses for new customers. I am not aware of any current offers.

Virgin America points are a deflated currency worth roughly double other miles. Redemptions for Virgin America flights are 2.2 cents/points while other airlines value their miles around 1 cent/mile in redemptions. Promotions and points transfers (such as from Amex) typically are at lower rates. A major exception is the recent addition of Starwood transfers at 1 to 1.

With Virgin America acquired by Alaska, though we do not know the future of the program, banking miles in Virgin America at rates favorable to Alaska may be a winning play for eventual combination with Alaska.

Comparing Kaligo’s Boston rates for September 2-3 we see Virgin’s earnings with 2x are at approximately double Alaska, so are not deflated. United is included as a further comparison.

Readers, have you used Kaligo? Your experience?