Leaking out in the past few hours: Hiltons new tier requiring $18,000 spend per annum and 80 nights. Somewhat similar to Marriott’s Ambassador level.
Around 2017 we posted that Hilton gave notice of their new Diamond + tier that never materialized, read more on that HERE
Judging from the status codes leaked it looks like Hilton is proceeding with this new tier shortly “tier code P” and the colour goes to Black which coincidentally Diamond had around the same time pre covid.
TL has not run a contest of this magnitude in 10 YEARS !
Tap HERE for our last comp a decade ago. Winner hailed from Thailand.
No purchase necessary.
To enter simply:
1/ follow @traveloyaltyon Instagram and tag @3 of your friends/family/besties + share the comp post on your stories. (each set of 3 tags = 1 entry. You may enter as many times as you wish.
4/ additional entry share the promo post on @facebook
Winner will be chosen on 15th September 2025 via random.org
Winner takes all Prize includes:
Hilton Honors Gold Status + Marriott Gold Status + Star Alliance Gold Status
Additional prizes may be added in the coming weeks and will be put up on Instagram stories.
Terms and conditions:
To enter this contest for a chance to win the prize(s) above you must: Be 18+ years of age. Have local or international identification.
• Winner will be randomly selected from the database of entries from one of the entry options via random.org ( or similar) at management’s discretion and announced on Instagram stories on Monday, September 15, 2025 • Winner will be notified via DM• If the person selected is unable to respond in 7 (seven) days , another winner will be selected. Prize(s) includes: • Star Alliance Gold status valid 4months pending a flight to validity of 12 months• Hilton Hhonors Gold status valid until 2030 • Marriott Bonvoy Gold status valid until 2027. Addiotional prizes may be added during the contest period and will be posted on Instagram Stories. The sponsor may require the winner and the winner agrees by entering the Competition (at no cost), to be identified, photographed, filmed and the aforegoing to be published in any media and the winner’s name and image may be published on http://www.traveloyalty.co.za/ Winners may however at any time decline the use of their name, likeness or image by the sponsor.
OFFICIAL RULES AND REGULATIONS (Terms & Conditions for Contestants): No Purchase Necessary. 1. The Contest “Promotion Period” is from 12:00 a.m (GMT), 15 August, 2025 through 11.59 p.m. (GMT) September 15, 2025. 2. Eligibility: This Promotion is open worldwide except countries where it may be prohibited / restricted. The prize(s) is transferable and cannot be substituted for cash or any other equivalent. The sponsor shall not be responsible for technical, pictorial, typographical or editorial errors or omissions in any marketing materials or these rules. Sponsor reserves the right to modify, extend, suspend, or terminate the Promotion, in whole or in part, if it determines, in its sole discretion, that the Promotion is technically impaired or corrupted or that fraud or technical problems, failures or malfunctions or other unintended circumstances have impaired the integrity, administration, security, proper play and/or feasibility of the Promotion as contemplated herein. If the Promotion is terminated before the designated end date, Sponsor will (if possible) select winner in a random drawing from all eligible, non-suspect entries unaffected by the problem. Inclusion in such drawing shall be each entrant’s sole and exclusive remedy in such circumstances. By participating, you release TraveLoyalty and the other companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, employees, directors, agents, advertising agencies, from any and against any and all injury, loss or damage caused or claimed to be caused by your participation in the competition and/or the acceptance, awarding, receipt, use and/or misuse of the prize. Any information you submit online is to the Sponsor alone. All rights reserved.
No1 : Join TL Concierge, guaranteed if you not on it you paying 2x as much to travel 2x as less with little to no perks nor insights for your worldwide trips.
So this might not be the lowest Umrah we ever scored over the years due to time variations and paying ‘full price fare’ where previously we have flown in for R880 ( yes 8 hundred).
This Off-Peak trip, the breakdown for what we spent can be found on this post HERE.
By far this might be one of the most blessed Umrah trips due to maximising the absent crowds that got less and less each day, the front lines especially ability to reach Hajr Aswad 14x in 8 days.
The likes of these are covered in our FREE DIY Umrah Guide from some years back and remain in effect till today.
Flying in:
We used Etihad basic, the sale for these April dates we needed came around the previous December. Approximately R7100 per adult and R6500 per child. (Business outbound on its own was R11,600)
We scored the Space seats, a somewhat premium economy as Gold Etihad Guests, these are the best economy seats in any airline. The tricks with Etihad are many and require some playing around with such as utilising the stopover for 2days, sometimes we have stopped going and coming and playing with fares on the swop country of booking for forex rates. Sometimes we have used Open Jaw options into Cai and take the cheapest 1way flight into Jed on SV or Flynas or Flyadeal. However for this trip the lowest was Jnb-Jed return with a stopover on return in Auh.
Accommodation:
We had to change and split this multiple times due to Haj visa regulations and maximise the Haramain on the quietest times of the year. The end result was Sheraton for 9days 8 nights on discounted cash rates (2500 sar for the period) this basically gave us All Inclusive, a “private executive lounge” and a upgrade to a 3 bedroom Suite worth R12000 per night As top tier members and then onwards Intercontinental for 4days 3 nights, I had to buy points to top up my balance to the tune of R2500, here again we were upgraded to a 1 bedroom suite as Diamond members, the same suite we scored in January Umrah of 2024 ( here we paid R1300 per night peak booking almost a year in advance)
Transfers:
Jed to Makkah cost R960 in a GMC, negotiated direct at arrivals.
Makkah to Madinah took the train on 50% discount with 2 taxis total came to R3400, it would have been cheaper to just take a Staria door to door for R2200 however time and days were the issue.
The transfer from Hotel in Madinah to Jed was R 2200 in a Staria for departure.
For a full dedicated storyline on this Umrah please click HERE.
Onwards:
With Etihad bookings we were given 3x rooms Free in Abu Dhabi worth R10000 for 2 nights. Highlight reel HERE
In Auh we opted to forfeit the last night and do a beach resort with wavepool, lazy river etc.
Earnings:
Due to the low cost of the Off Peak accom we only amassed a total of 20000 points with bonuses and for the airline we credited to SAS to offset a larger earn to the tune of 4900 miles per guest as Etihad gave peanuts approx 600miles for basic tickets. travel #theSMARTERway
Note:
Scoring Umrah has been our forte since pre 2013 when one could book Ramadhaan rooms for 24000 points a night (its now 150000 points per night) depending your pref.
Traveling #theTLway with maximising scoring can and has been used the world over from Hong Kong to Europe to Usa to Hawaii and every country in-between.
Email info@traveloyalty.co.za to get our concierge offers where we work 1 on 1 with each individuals needs from wanting to experience showering in the sky to theme parks to overwater villas in Maldives on repeat.
Scoring free prime accommodation or highly discounting the accommodation is nothing new here at traveloyalty.com, infact we have published all the ways each year since the website began almost a decade back.
Here is one of the older published articles when Hilton in Makkah could have been booked for just 30,000 points (or 24,000 points on 5th night free) per night even during the last 10nights.
Link: http://traveloyalty.co.za/how-to-lower-umra-costs-with-hilton-hilton-double-points-promo-extended/ Most readers flock to Hilton to book discounted or free Umrah stays however as with Hilton’s popularity over the years they have been loading the standard room availability very very late. This year was no exception, loading standard room redemption’s – from 70,000 points – only on the 23rd of February 2023. Last year 2022 Ramadhaan the same availability was only loaded end of February for end of March start.Marriott on the other hand has been loading standard room availability from the word go – from approx 40-50,000 points per free night.
So as per yearly usual here are the mathematics breakdown on staying 5x nights cash vs 5 nights points (redemption’s get every 5th night FREE):
Staying Cash for 5x nights
Conrad Makkah – sleeps 4 adults
Almost 20,000 Riyals for 5x nights = Zar 98,500
vs Staying on points for 5x nights:
A free 5x nights stay at Conrad Makkah will set you back 320,000 Hilton Honors points
Buying the points:
If you have not earned the points free from preferably using a Diamond status membership that yields plenty in bonuses you can buy the points:
Some targeted accounts ( esp those who have bought in previous years can buy 160k and get 160k free for $1600 )
So in essence buying the points costs $1600 or ZAR 29,650 vs paying cash rate of Zar 98,500 yielding a saving of R68,850 per 5x nights
Marriott Jabal Omar – Staying cash
thats 10,565 Riyals for 5 nights or ZAR 51,874
vs staying on points
A free 5x nights stay at Marriott Jabal Omar will set you back 234,000 Bonvoy points
Buying the points:
Buying the full Bonvoy points ( may need 2x acc )will cost you $2089 or ZAR 38,715 and in turn saving you ZAR 13,159
points to note:
Buy points on a sale only, Hilton regularly offers 100% bonuses and Marriott 40-50% bonuses.
Accounts are limited to buy a certain quantity of points per annum.
With elite level status 5th nights are free, and so are breakfasts and lounge access where available. This will save you many hours standing in food que’s.
When you use points you DON’T pay taxes.
Maximising Ramadhaan rarely works over night, we work with our clients 1 on 1, sometimes from July the year before to attain the goals and max all the points promos and sales that comes up.
Accounts need to open for a set duration in order to buy points.
You can buy, gift, transfer and even pool points from other accounts into yours for no fee. Do note: they can be instant, they can also take 1-2days and in some cases up to 10days.
Night by Night Rates:
1. Staying Cash
Hilton Convention:
The cash rates for MARCH 2023 at Hilton ConventionThe cash rates for APRIL 2023 at Hilton Convention
Hilton Conrad – sleeps 4 adults per room
The cash rates for MARCH 2023 at Conrad The cash rates for APRIL 2023 at Conrad
Marriott Jabal Omar
The cash rates for MARCH 2023 at Marriott
Take note all cash prices are still subject to 20% taxes and fees after.
2. Staying free on points
Hilton Convention
The points rates for MARCH 2023 at Hilton Convention The points rates for APRIL 2023 at Hilton Convention
Hilton Conrad – sleeps 4 adults per room
The points rates for MARCH 2023 at Conrad The points rates for APRIL 2023 at Conrad
I can send you info on our elitist loyalty concierge, where you book
Diy (per room not per person) at the worlds largest branded hotels, get
all the amazing upgrades, free breakfast, free extra guest,
complimentary lounge access, free nights ahead and best of all bulk of
spend back in points to travel the world free as you may have seen on
countless of our post on YouTube and Instagram (@traveloyalty),Umrah
included, not forgetting how to do 1st class and Business class for pennies through the hundreds of tickets highlighted on our social media above. If this intrigues you or in your future let me know :
January 1 – April 30, 2023, we’re giving you two ways to earn. Enjoy Double Points on every stay, plus 1,000 Bonus Points each time you stay with a different brand within the Hilton portfolio.
Sign up everyone you know to our free newsletter, tell them about our world exclusive offers, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter + Instagram+ subscribe on Youtube and NEVER miss a great deal.
All @traveloyalty
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If you still part of the 99.9% of travellers that do not score on trips don’t hesitate to email me to get the full rundown on hitting a 180. As the Elite traveller mentions: “better late than never”
Thabo Molefe: ANN7 entrepreneur of the year for 2015 and Metro FM DJ from the most listened to radio show in Africa: The Touch Down, subscribes and uses TraveLoyalty Elite.
Upgrades ! Upgrades! and more Upgrades ! Subscriber from Port Elizabeth and Thabo ” T’Bo Touch’ Molefe’s interaction with TraveLoyalty.
Pic on left: T’Bo Touch and TraveLoyalty’s Zaheer B with floor tickets in hand for the historic Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight in May 2015. Pic on right: T’Bo Touch and close friend, the undefeated Floyd Mayweather.
Mayweather made $210 million for a 36-minute job. That’s $5.8 million a minute—just under $100,000 a second. Mayweather’s $210 million is more than entire cumulative career earnings of Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods—combined. If you add up every dollar Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi earned in their careers and then tack on everything Roger Federer has earned so far in his, it still falls $37 million short of what Mayweather made on May 2 in those 36 minutes.
Read more on T’Bo Touch’s front page Sunday Times article from 2 weeks back HERE.
1) Hilton flash sale 35% off in EMEA.
Book between March 7 and March 13, 2016 for stays from March 11 to July 3, 2016.
Access the offer HERE. ( page is not live yet, the sale should begin anytime later today).
Please log on TraveLoyalty’s dedicated Hilton page HERE from tomorrow for the complete updated offer.
2) SPG point sale. – Coverts to airline miles with 25% bonus.
Ends April 15, 2016.
If you got your eye on a award in 1st class or business class, this may help you with decent savings. You can pool together a minimum 3month old opened family with various accounts with the same address all into one.
You can transfer the SPG points into a nice bonus on your nominated airline, I use Etihad ( because of their low cost of taxes and superior 1st class product). Etihad also allows the transfer of Hilton, Radisson, Amex Rewards, IHG, Hyatt points. Most of these often has 100% bonus points sales which if mathematically combined together can get you pretty good discounted lie flat seats upfront.
The most wise way to go on holiday is to have your spend as an investment with plenty to show and use for after check-out. All other travelers get nothing on check-out. Travel wisely. Travel the TraveLoyalty way.
Please copy and paste the link below for direct newsletter subscription with anyone and everyone you may know who lives, loves & breathes travel.
Sign up everyone you know to our free newsletter, tell them about our world exclusive offer, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter + Instagram and NEVER miss a great deal.
Add ‘journeyblitz’ in the search bar on www.traveloyalty.com if you unfamiliar with this being the 5th edition of this promo.
The promo ends midnight SA time on 5th March.
TIP:Search one way at a time using the +- 3days out JNB to avoid errors then scale it to the desired shown dates and / or add the domestic cites in SA to the itinerary. This does take some time playing around with.
Just this week it was announced that Hong Kong with SAA and Cathay Pacific would drop fuel surcharges ( I hope this stays) I immediately logged into the promo of JourneyBlitz and found AMAZING success.
Johannesburg to Hong Kong for R920 return in Business class with 66,600 miles.
Going up taxes.
Return, this should go to 0 in fuel surcharge any time.
I also got Sao Paulo to Johannesburg for BRL 89 – that’s R360 in Business Class with 44,000 miles.
Subscribers its again time to score the elite TL way without the price tags !
The most wise way to go on holiday is to have your spend as an investment with plenty to show and use for after check-out. All other travelers get nothing on check-out. Travel wisely. Travel the TraveLoyalty way.
Please copy and paste the link below for direct newsletter subscription with anyone and everyone you may know who lives, loves & breathes travel.
Sign up everyone you know to our free newsletter, tell them about our world exclusive offer, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter + Instagram and NEVER miss a great deal.
If you are unfamiliar with this promo, ALL the info can be found HERE.( or use “journeyblitz ‘ in TraveLoyalty’s search bar on website).
SAA has scrapped Abu Dhabi off in recent weeks so I doubt the R300 Business Class return one way leg will work for this 5th promotion of theirs, however I got some great availability to:
South America in Business class is calling.
So is Business class to Mauritius in the school holidays.
If you were fortunate enough to get Hyatt’s instant Diamond status with the offers advertised on TraveLoyalty’s newsletter from November 2015, make sure you forward book your confirmed suite upgrade certificates today as they expire midnight eastern time.
Each suite certificate has a value of about R130,000 ( you get 4x complimentary !) as you can get a giant suite confirmed on booking the entry level room for up to 7 nights per certificate.
You can forward book your certificates up to one year in advance.
It gets better..
Tomorrow, 1st of March you will get another 4x certificates to use until 28 Feb 2017 ( worth another R130,000 each !)
Read the trips with redeeming Hyatt suite certificates HERE and HERE and HERE.
Note: The instant Diamond offer also ends today.
The most wise way to go on holiday is to have your spend as an investment with plenty to show and use for after check-out. All other travelers get nothing on check-out. Travel wisely. Travel the TraveLoyalty way.
Please copy and paste the link below for direct newsletter subscription with anyone and everyone you may know who lives, loves & breathes travel.
Sign up everyone you know to our free newsletter, tell them about our world exclusive offer, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter + Instagram and NEVER miss a great deal.
You can score 120,000 points ( including the 60,000 bonus) for $690. That at best can be used for 24 nights on Pointbreaks offer. Otherwise do the math vs the cash rates on you upcoming trips
The most wise way to go on holiday is to have your spend as an investment with plenty to show and use for after check-out. All other travellers get nothing on check-out. Travel wisely. Travel the TraveLoyalty way.
Please copy and paste the link below for direct newsletter subscription with anyone and everyone you may know who lives, loves & breathes travel.
Sign up everyone you know to our free newsletter, tell them about our world exclusive offer, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter + Instagram and NEVER miss a great deal.
If you still not saving, scoring or getting free trips its time to right-click refresh and get with future of travel.
1) Earn free Hilton HHonors points.
Some months back I stumbled upon e-miles, I signed up, did some questions for a week or two and barely browsed the email offerings emailed to me every week since. Somehow the small points I earned swelled into a transferable amount the past week. Oh well, free points is free stays ( not to mention a tweak to keep stagnant points from expiring *idea* by extending the shelf life due to account activity).
“management of the hotel insisted to treat us by opening the closed restaurant, a head chef and about 4 or 5 waiters on hand were dispatched to attend to us ” – everything complimentary for Platinum.
You can buy a maximum of 55,000 and get 16,500 as a bonus for $1320. This is excellent when using cash+points rates especially when cash paid rates are too high and excellent when redeeming suite certificates for giant confirmed upgrades for Diamond members.
The most wise way to go on holiday is to have your spend as an investment with plenty to show and use for after check-out. All other travellers get nothing on check-out. Travel wisely. Travel the TraveLoyalty way.
Please copy and paste the link below for direct newsletter subscription with anyone and everyone you may know who lives, loves & breathes travel.
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Video by TraveLoyalty world elite traveller, Shakeela Kingzley.
Hyatt Diamond Suite upgrade in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia.
Pic courtesy of Hyatt Diamond member Mr. FE.
Make sure your points post correctly.
After checking Qari Ziyaad Patel’s stay statement for Umra in December I noticed his points were short, short to the tune of more than 70,500 HHonors points. ( That’s worth USD 700 ! and enough for a 15 night free stay in Sharm El Shaikh or 8 free nights in Kuala Lampur) – Points posting short is a common occurrence, always make sure that they have all the bonuses and elite bonuses on top on the amount per $ spent posted.
A overwhelming amount of subscriber feedback is received every day from TraveLoyalty elite travellers the world over. If you a seasoned or yet to be traveller and have not been scoring, mail me for info and advice, its high time to initiate travel the smart way. Are you keen on earning in USD and becoming a permanent tourist building a life you do not need a holiday away from ? Send me a mail.
A short cut to Gold and Platinum. Mattress and Mileage run time begins….
Book by 20 February 2016. Travel valid from 10 February until 30 June 2016. Email to register asap.
The most wise way to go on holiday is to have your spend as an investment with plenty to show and use for after check-out. All other travellers get nothing on check-out. Travel wisely. Travel the TraveLoyalty way.
Please copy and paste the link below for direct newsletter subscription with anyone and everyone you may know who lives, loves & breathes travel.
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Inspirational: subscribers booking a chunk of countries in last weeks IHG Pointbreaks all on points for free. A decent string of visa free / arrival zones for SA passports.
1) Hilton Hhonors buy points with 80% bonus. Ends 8/2/16.
Unlike last weeks targeted offer this one is now open. Check the cash rates vs the points cost and the points + cash rate options when prices are sky high. 80% bonus is Hilton second best offer of the year, hopefully a 100% bonus offer will follow soon.
Log into your account and click ‘ Buy Points’ or try the link HERE.
2) IHG Rewards Club award changes effective 17/02/16.
Two of my favourite yearly destinations are targeted for a change and IHG has introduced 2 new higher options for redemptions which seem to be mostly Intercontinentals for 55k and 60k per night.
Crowne Plaza Madinah has a decrease of -5000 points per night. This hotel has featured 2ce in the last 3years on Pointbreaks and was just recently on offer for November, December and January where many booked weeks of free stays on points.
If you holding bookings that are set to increase cancel and rebook after the change date. If you wanting to book at any in the list above, wait until it drops to save. 5000 points has a value of $30 in my book.
The most wise way to go on holiday is to have your spend as an investment with plenty to show and use for after check-out. All other travelers get nothing on check-out. Travel wisely. Travel the TraveLoyalty way.
Please copy and paste the link below for direct newsletter subscription with anyone and everyone you may know who lives, loves & breathes travel.
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Participating properties only. Im keen to book the 2 new properties in Mauritius, If you a Club Carlson Gold member check and compare the exclusive buy 1 get 1 free or buy 2 get 2 free rates in EMEA as well.
The most wise way to go on holiday is to have your spend as an investment with plenty to show and use for after check-out. All other travellers get nothing on check-out. Travel wisely. Travel the TraveLoyalty way.
Please copy and paste the link below for direct newsletter subscription with anyone and everyone you may know who lives, loves & breathes travel.
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IHG (Intercontinental Hotels Group), the worlds largest hotel and loyalty programme has released a full hotel list for booking.
If you are un-familiar on how to stay for free at top end Intercontinental and Crowne Plaza Hotels kindly read on:
What is Pointbreaks ?
Pointbreaks is the hotel industry’s most economical ( un-matched and un-rivalled) promotion as 140 hotels ( out of 4900 +) are available for the redemption of a mere 5000 points.
How do you earn IHG points ?
You can earn points from stays at hotels or taking up their super lucrative challenges every quarter ( earn minimum 32,000 points by merely spending ZAR 4000 ) 32k in points can be worth a potential ZAR 35,000 if redeemed at expensive Intercontinental brands on Pointbreaks.
If you don’t have points, Traveloyalty can show you how to manufacture points using this method HERE at a rate of $35 per 5000. ( That’s half the rate the website sells them at ). It can now be done at $30 per 5000.
You can also buy points on sale offers during the year and earn up to 100% bonus on purchases and end up “paying’ $28 per room
I’ve stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Ankara, Turkey on Pointbreaks in 2014. A solid property, I will make a few bookings here and scout on TK for flights with Star Alliance Gold perks on offer. Read the trip HERE. No doubt , Rosebank in South Africa will sell out fast as well ( I checked this weeks rates for a transit some time last week and it was R3000 per night).
Kocatepe Masjid is the largest in the capital of Turkey.
The most wise way to go on holiday is to have your spend as an investment with plenty to show and use for after check-out. All other travellers get nothing on check-out. Travel wisely. Travel the TraveLoyalty way.
Please copy and paste the link below for direct newsletter subscription with anyone and everyone you may know who lives, loves & breathes travel.
Sign up everyone you know to our free newsletter, tell them about our world exclusive offer, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter + Instagram and NEVER miss a great deal.
The most wise way to go on holiday is to have your spend as an investment with plenty to show and use for after check-out. All other travellers get nothing on check-out. Travel wisely. Travel the TraveLoyalty way.
Please copy and paste the link below for direct newsletter subscription with anyone and everyone you may know who lives, loves & breathes travel.
Sign up everyone you know to our free newsletter, tell them about our world exclusive offer, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter + Instagram and NEVER miss a great deal.
You can transfer the SPG points into a nice bonus on your nominated airline, I use Etihad ( because of their low cost of taxes and superior 1st class product). Etihad also allows the transfer of Hilton, Radisson, Amex Rewards, IHG, Hyatt points. Most of these often has 100% bonus points sales which if mathematically combined together can get you pretty good discounted lie flat seats upfront.
Access the trip 
Access the trip 
