elite status

Airline loyalty programs generate billions of dollars in revenue each year from their co-branded credit cards. In many cases, those partnerships with banks are more profitable than selling airline tickets. …

Owning stock in a publicly traded company is a way to potentially earn money. You always hear wild stories about people who purchased stock in a company, and X amount …

When JetBlue announced its 25-for-25 promotion — fly to 25 JetBlue destinations and earn 25 years of Mosaic 1 status, plus a massive points bonus — the reaction was predictable. …

Over the years, I’ve developed a system to get an upgraded room at hotels every time. It’s so easy that I’m hesitant to share it with you. But I figure …

Hilton just did something that feels both obvious and overdue: they admitted that their top tier isn’t really the “top” anymore. For years, Hilton Diamond has been in a weird …

We’d held Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status for seven straight years. That’s long enough that it starts to feel like part of your travel identity — even if you’re not …

If you have the American Express Platinum Card, you probably already know about some of its flashier perks: airport lounge access, up to $400 in annual statement credits through Resy, …

Basic Economy fares are still with us in 2025, and while the core idea hasn’t changed—lower fares in exchange for fewer perks—the fine print continues to evolve. Airlines have updated …

It’s easy to forget there was a time when you didn’t know how any of this worked — before you cared about elite status, 5x categories, or which programs had …

I originally wrote this post in 2019, and then updated it in 2020, when airlines and hotels were practically giving away elite status due to the pandemic. Back then, I …