Oct 19
For those of you with elite status with an airline, particularly those at the top of the pyramid, you’ve probably gotten used to at least the occasional upgrade to First Class or whatever version of “Economy Plus” your airline has. I have some bad news: The airlines are working hard to make those upgrades go …
Mar 27
When airlines first launched frequent flyer programs, they only intended for the miles to serve as a device to influence your future flying behavior. I don’t think anyone imagined the extent to which miles would become such an integral part of travel, nor how profitable the venture could be. Over the past few decades, airlines …
Mar 04
Virtually every major airline and hotel program offers “elite” status, certain privileges that you can earn by flying a certain amount of miles, staying so many nights or spending a lot of money. What many people don’t know, though, is that several of these same companies offer “secret” status that you may not get, no …
Sep 26
In the past, I’ve discussed elite status, the additional perks that you get for flying an airline for a certain number of miles each year or staying a certain number of nights at a particular hotel chain. But what if you want to switch your loyalty to a different program? It means giving up your …
Aug 25
Note: Even if you haven’t heard of WestJet, please read this post. Given the rate at which they are launching inexpensive international flights, you’ll want to know a bit more about them. WestJet Status Match Today’s “winner of the day” is WestJet, the second-largest Canadian carrier. First, they get props because the basic tier of their …
Oct 14
Last night, Marriott announced several changes to its rewards program. All of them were true enhancements and, while none was earth-shattering, they do make the program a little better. The problem is that they are simply matching what most other programs are doing. Sure, there are a few tangential bits that are unique but, for …
Oct 30
Hyatt is one of my two favorite hotel programs, along with Starwood, and they’ve thrown in a little sweetener for those booking hotels before the end of the year. Book a room between now and 12/31 on your mobile phone or their mobile website and you’ll get an extra 1,000 points per stay. Free nights …
Oct 28
Today, American Airlines and US Airways announced the timeline for the integration of the two programs and there were no real surprises. Actually, there was one surprise, and that was that there are no real surprises. Congratulations, American (and US Airways): Your miles just became a little more valuable. Truthfully, I was expecting the program …
Sep 17
(I have corrected information below regarding the Citi American Express Hilton credit card. In the original post, I meant to write that you get Diamond status once you spend $40,000.) I spent last night at the Concorde Opera Paris, the newest Hilton property in the city (Insert Paris Hilton joke here.). And while that sounds …
Jul 23
In the summer, a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of miles. With the sounds of the Delta third-quarter conference call in the background, it’s time for me to make my decision on whether I will make an attempt to renew my Delta elite status at the Silver level, the lowest of the four. To earn …
Recent Comments