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Hello and happy Sunday, travel friends, both near and far. Here are some articles we’ve read from other bloggers (and other sources) that we think you may like, so we’re passing them along.
- Flights are full and airlines are back to overbooking passengers. This means if you’re flying, you might hear an announcement asking for passengers to take a later flight in exchange for a voucher. In this example, American Airlines paid $1,800 to each passenger who volunteered to leave 4 hours later. If you’re thinking about doing this on your next trip, just remember these things I learned when we tried to use an American flight voucher.
- Hyatt delayed making changes to its award categories during the pandemic but is putting those changes into effect on March 22nd. Several hotels will be more expensive and if a hotel is going from category 4 to 5, you’ll no longer be able to use the free night from the World of Hyatt card at that property. Thankfully, Frequent Miler has put together a list of the best category 1-4 properties along and which ones you need to book now. Our new favorite in Manhattan, Gild Hall, will become a category 5 but the beautiful Sedona Hyatt Residence Club remains in category 4.
- I recently wrote about how Starbucks has finally launched mobile ordering at airport locations, eliminating one of the longest lines you’ll see when traveling. The TSA checkpoint is long but there are plenty of ways to skip that line with CLEAR, TSA PreCheck or by making a reservation at select airports. The last long airport line is the bag drop at the counter but United is launching a bag drop shortcut at its hub airports. I hope the program works but because we don’t fly with United, we will have to wait until other airlines steal the idea for themselves.
- One of the lesser-mentioned ways to earn extra miles with airline loyalty programs is to use a website that pays you miles for your reservations. This is how we earned Alaska Airlines points for staying at a Best Western hotel. There are fewer players in this space because PointsHound is no longer running its own program; instead, it’s forwarding customers to former competitor Rocketmiles.
- If you were one of the people who signed up to get your free rapid COVID tests from the government, you’ve hopefully received them by now. There were admittedly several glitches with the rollout and as is, they’re not able to be used for re-entry into the US. At the time, demand for tests was at its peak but with cases dropping, so is the demand for tests. Since the government didn’t send out all of the 500 million tests allocated, residents can soon order an additional 4 tests. Depending on which tests you receive, there’s also a possibility you can use them for travel.
- Finally, a new website helps people determine which frequent flyer points provide the best value for any award booking. Point.me has launched (previously JuicyMiles) and appears to be the ultimate tool for everyone looking for a way to use miles to book a trip. While it will help those who have a goal to make a booking, I’m not sure that will do away with the need for award booking services (which point.me also provides for an additional fee). Plenty of websites have a code for a free trial so there’s no risk in checking it out if you have a trip in mind.
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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
1 comment
Nope. Gary Leff will always rule award booking!