I had written off American Airlines’ new Loyalty Points, and frankly, the airline until I found this way to cheaply and quickly earn status and points. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please...
My Airline + Hotel Status Roadmap For 2022
As we enter the new year, the great reset has occurred: my elite qualifying balances have been zeroed out at various airline and hotel programs and with a clean slate, I have the chance to re-evaluate how I think...
2021: The Year of the Status Match
Airlines, Hotel Chains, and Car Rental Agencies are going to compete for travelers hard in 2021. Welcome to the Year of the Status Match. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both...
Loyalty in 2019, Plan For 2020
At the turn of the year (and in this case, the turn of the decade) reflection is important before forging ahead. My loyalty experience in 2019 was interesting, 2020 feels more intentional already. If you are considering booking travel or signing...
No Christopher Elliott, It Is NOT Time To Eliminate Frequent Flyer Programs!
Consumer advocate Christopher Elliott asks, “Frequent flyer programs have become increasingly elitist. Is it time to end them?” No. It is not… I could just say “THE END” and be done, but let’s flesh out his argument and why...
A Prime Example Of How Airline Loyalty Is Built
It’s the little things that build airline loyalty. Sometimes, it’s just a kind gesture when a problem arises. Despite my trip reports showcasing wine and champagne, I really don’t drink that much. In fact, even at business lunches I...
My Apple Wallet Illustrates Waning Value Of Airline Loyalty
While I still remain generally loyal to one carrier, the evolution of my Apple Wallet is a great indicator of how much I truly value airline loyalty. Being the packrat that I am, I save all my boarding passes...
A Loyalty-Free Weekend on Alaska and American
I spent the weekend in Seattle, flying up on Friday and back on Sunday. Oddly, for me at least, the weekend included no flights on United. It was strangely liberating to fly from Burbank to Seattle on Alaska on...
The Beguiling and Sometimes Accurate Freddie Awards
My wife and I recently attended the 2018 Freddies Awards for loyalty programs. The winners and losers were both predictable and confounding depending on the award. Some made perfect sense while others left the room gasping. Which ones made...
Where Are My Rollover Nights, IHG?
As a road warrior, hotel status is very important to my travel experience and day-to-day business operations. Some programs like Intercontinental Hotels Group Rewards Club (IHG) allow guests who have over-qualified for their status to rollover excess nights to...
When Dynamic Award Pricing Goes Wrong
Increasingly loyalty programs are shifting from a fixed-price redemption for their loyal members to dynamically priced awards. This can mean cheaper prices for shorter distance flights where airlines need to fill seats and costs are low, but it can...
My Cruise Rewards – Valuable or Worthless, Does Anyone Know?
After a recent change, I was considering the Royal Caribbean card from Bank of America. My daughter is getting to the age of running around and the idea of giving her hours of running around, swimming and food sounds...
