Some vacation time and a very busy work schedule have kept me from checking my progress on hotel status at the halfway point of the year. Now that I’ve had a moment to catch up, I’m fairly pleased with where I sit at the…
You would think I’d remember that Hyatt’s new benefits kicked in today, given that I reminded everyone that yesterday was the last day to book awards on the old price table. I’ve been trying to secure a better rate for an upcoming booking in…
American Airlines has traditionally allowed people to purchase status at the end of each year if you missed the qualifications by some narrow or wide margin. But, they’ve never allowed the straight purchase of EQMs. Despite this recent announcement about additional options to earn…
Unless you’ve been fortunate enough to earn lifetime status with your favorite airline or hotel chain, keeping those benefits that you value so highly is a yearly requirement. Virtually every loyalty program you’ll come across recognizes your achievements over a calendar year and offers…
There’s no question that the frequent travel game has changed drastically over the years. The value of certain perks has diminished based on the lack of availability (such as award seats on more crowded planes). But, all in all, I still think it’s a…
When we originally planned our trip to Toronto and Niagara Falls, I was looking forward to crossing another destination off my list. After all, I’d never been to Toronto despite it’s proximity to where I grew up (New York) and the short flight from…
I recently requalified for Starwood Preferred Guest Platinum, and was a little surprised to receive a renewal gift shortly thereafter. It’s not like they haven’t offered gifts in the past, but they’re usually once the year was completed. And now, since they have different…
I’ve been a Hertz guy for a number of years now, and pretty much 100% Hertz since getting Hertz Platinum (their quasi-unpublished level with pretty cool benefits) a few years ago. For the longest time, I credited my rentals to Southwest. Under the old…