loyalty programs

What happens when a redemption that once felt like a steal suddenly has a much wider price range? That’s the question I kept coming back to after Hyatt revealed its …

A hotel guest returned from work to find her belongings packed up and her room changed—without warning. The only notice she got was a voicemail from the front desk. The …

If you’ve ever looked at cruise loyalty programs and thought, “Yeah… I’m not sailing enough to earn anything meaningful. Virgin Voyages is (temporarily) making that a lot easier — again. …

Choosing a rental car is not the most glamorous part of vacation planning. Most of the time, I don’t care what I’m driving — I just want something that’s not …

You’ve been working toward your dream trip for as long as you can remember. You set a goal, diligently saved your points or miles, and finally booked that coveted award …

Airlines have dramatically changed their policies on the expiration of loyalty program points. Previously, almost every plan required some activity in your account to keep your points active. There’s been …

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 …

We traveled much more in 2025 than in 2024. Last year, we logged 28 nights away (23 hotel nights + 5 cruise nights). In 2025, that jumped to 66 nights …

Most hotel loyalty programs do have a points-expiration policy — it just doesn’t always feel like one because it’s usually tied to account inactivity (not the age of the points). …

When you read angry posts from Marriott Bonvoy elites, the complaint is usually the same: “I didn’t get upgraded.” What people forget is that Marriott’s upgrade benefit is availability-based at …