Is GarudaMiles the best frequent flyer program? Certainly not, as it has many weaknesses, such as a segment-based reward pricing that often makes the rewards overpriced.

But like most programs, it can still be an option under certain circumstances. And one of these circumstances is rather unexpected.

At the end of February, the program launched a partnership with Emirates, which complemented the long-standing partnership with Etihad. But now it got even better: The program now also has a partnership with Qatar Airways.

For all customers who enjoy traveling with these three quality carriers but don’t want to commit loyally to one of them, GarudaMiles now offers the clever option to pool miles with these companies in one program, giving them a certain sense like that.

Of course, Garuda also maintains Frequent Flyer partnerships with all SkyTeam airlines.

Vietnam Airlines’ Lotusmiles program is turning 30 years old.

On this occasion, all rewards on international Vietnam Airlines flights are discounted by at least 30% during off-peak periods – on some routes even by 50 or 75%. These bookings must be made by May 31 for flights until December 31.

At the same time, the program increased award prices as of April 01 though – only slightly on Vietnam Airlines, but catastrophically on partner airlines. Since awards in Business Class were already quite expensive before on Vietnam Airlines, they are not really interesting, even with a 30% discount.

However, things look differently in Economy Class, where you can now fly roundtrip from Vietnam to Australia for 56,000 miles or to Europe for 63,000 miles. And if you choose, for example, the new Hanoi-Milan route, the roundtrip with a 75% discount costs only 22,500 miles in Economy Class (or 80,000 miles in Business Class).

Flight schedules of airlines are a rather complex matter and are difficult to adjust at short notice – and even more so to the daily whims of a US president.

Airlines worldwide, however, are facing more or less drastic declines in bookings for flights to the US, which for many represent the most profitable business sector. And so, despite the upcoming peak travel season, one sees promotions in frequent flyer programs that would be unthinkable in normal times.

As such, Air Canada offered 6,000 bonus miles to its Aeroplan members for new bookings for flights to the USA over a period of 14 days – for flights until December 15.

ITA is a bit more optimistic and has a double miles promotion in its Volare program for flights to and from the US  “only” for flights from May 04 to June 30, for bookings made by April 30.

And this is surely just the beginning, as airlines and hotels will lose patience in the coming weeks…

To achieve Gold or Platinum status in Accor’s ALL program, you normally need 30 or 60 nights per year, respectively.

Thanks to a new partnership, however, just one night is now enough – though not in a hotel, but rather on a train. Accor has recently invested in the luxury train operator Orient Express, which offers various itineraries within Italy.

ALL members now receive not only points, but also, as permanent offer, direct Gold status for bookings in the Deluxe cabin (which you probably can’t really call 2nd class…) and Platinum status for bookings in a suite.

The eight different routes each last 1 or 2 nights, but they cost no less than 30 or 60 nights in an upscale mid-range hotel…

But even if you use more “normal” trains, you now have the opportunity to collect frequent flyer miles across Europe.

Thanks to a new partnership between Air France KLM’s Flying Blue program and the booking platform Trip.com, you now earn one mile per EUR spent on train bookings through Trip.com.

The offer applies to over 1,000 railway companies, with Trip.com promising the best prices. And the offer applies not only to long train journeys but also to regional routes or special operators like Heathrow Express.

In parallel to the Flying Blue miles, you can also collect Trip Coins in the Trip.com Rewards program.