COMING AND GOING
Dealing the Cards

Sunday, November 26, 2006

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MILE HOUNDS
Dealing the Cards

Heated competition among airlines that have affiliated with credit card companies means consumers can get some great deals right now.

* US Airways' credit card, free for the first year, comes with 15,000 bonus miles after the first purchase plus 10,000 additional miles if you transfer a balance from another credit card, plus coupons for two $99 companion fares when a full-fare ticket is purchased, and access to the quickie lines normally reserved for elite and first- or business-class fliers.

* American is waiving the fee for the first year and offering 20,000 bonus miles, a $50-off certificate and a certificate for a free domestic companion ticket when you buy a full-fare ticket for $299 or more.

* United is waiving the first year's fee and offering 21,000 bonus miles after you spend $250, an upgrade to business or first class for flights up to 1,000 miles, and a $25 discount on a flight.

* Continental is offering good benefits on several card choices, including 15,000 bonus miles and 5 percent off flights, but is not waiving its fee.

* Northwest is offering 15,000 bonus miles and the chance to get frequent-flier tickets for 21,000 miles instead of the usual 25,000. But although the airline recently sent out a promotional letter waiving the first year's fee, there was no mention of the fee waiver on its Web site last week.

All cards also award you at least a mile for every dollar charged. Details are at each airline's Web site.

CoGo cautions: Interest rates on the credit cards are high, so free cards can be costly if you run up big bills you can't pay off monthly. Expiration dates for the deals above have not been set, but offers can change at any time.

SKI PATROL
Snow Days

"Epic conditions" for skiing and snowboarding, thanks to recent snowstorms, shouts a press release from Vail, Colo. In fact, many resorts in the western United States and Canada are celebrating heavy snow and exceptional ski conditions.

Closer to home, West Virginia's Snowshoe Mountain opened some runs Thanksgiving day, and other regional resorts listed at http://www.dcski.com/ are promising to open "soon."

Wherever in the world you dream of skiing, find the latest snow conditions at http://www.snocountry.com/, or sign up at the Web site to get reports on specific regions or resorts by e-mail or text message.

Many resorts offer discounts early in the season, especially if they've opened only a limited number of runs. Before heading off, make sure the open runs match your ability: One resort might first open beginner runs, while weather conditions at another might mean they can open only advanced runs at high altitudes.

WALLET WATCH
Just the Ticket

New York and Boston have joined six other cities served by Goldstar Events ( http://www.goldstarevents.com/), which sells tickets to performances, sporting events and more for up to 50 percent off. If you're planning an outing in those cities -- or in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington or Las Vegas-- you can create a free profile and get e-mails about events.

Are bargains possible? CoGo hit bingo on the first try, tickets to a Dec. 5 Radio City "Christmas Spectacular." At Goldstar, we found seats for $40 each, plus a $6.50 service charge. At the Radio City Music Hall site, a comparable seat was $70, plus a $10.20 service charge.

One small downside: When buying, you know what section you'll be in, but you won't know the seat number until you get your tickets, which are either mailed or held at the box office.

BARGAIN OF THE WEEK
Dicey Holiday

With Delta Vacations, even Scrooges can spend Christmas in Las Vegas. The three-night package starts at $399 per person double and includes round-trip air from Reagan National and lodging at the Wynn Las Vegas resort. Book by Dec. 3 and depart Dec. 24. Add about $40 in taxes. By comparison, air to Vegas over the holidays goes for $360 and rooms at the Wynn start at $259. Info: 800-872-7786, http://www.deltavacations.com.

Reporting: Cindy Loose, Anne McDonough.

Help feed CoGo. Send travel news, road reports and juicy tattles to: cogo@washpost.com. By fax: 202-912-3609. By mail: CoGo, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.

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