Preparing For The End of 2024 | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep284 | 12-6-24
Dec 6, 2024
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As the year wraps up, strategies to maximize points and miles take center stage. One listener's hotel reservation nightmare sheds light on customer service struggles in loyalty programs. Discover the benefits of transferring Amex points to Virgin Atlantic for a bonus. Learn how to earn elite status with major hotels and make the most of your rewards. The intricacies of booking with iPrefer points and navigating hotel loyalty programs are discussed, along with tips on managing credit card benefits before year-end.
As 2024 approaches, proactive management of points and miles strategies becomes essential for achieving elite status in loyalty programs.
The complexity of customer service interactions is highlighted by a listener's struggle with a reservation issue involving Choice points, underscoring the need for persistence.
New promotions, like the Amex 40% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic, create lucrative opportunities but also introduce risks with dynamic pricing.
Deep dives
End-of-Year Preparations for Points and Miles
As 2024 approaches, it becomes crucial to address end-of-year points and miles strategies. Individuals need to ensure they are on track to meet the requirements for elite status with various airline and hotel loyalty programs. Additionally, utilizing any available credits from credit cards before they expire is essential, especially for those chasing rewards or managing points accumulations. The discussion emphasizes starting early and leveraging tools like spreadsheets to track benefits and bookings.
Linda's Reservation Issues with Choice Hotels
A listener, Linda, encountered difficulties when attempting to cancel a reservation booked using Choice points for a resort stay in Honolulu. Despite having an email confirmation indicating the reservation, neither the hotel nor the preferred rewards system recognized it, leaving Linda unable to retrieve her points or cancel. The recommendation for her involved escalating the issue by insisting on speaking with a supervisor at Choice, where the intricate partnerships between different hotel booking services can complicate resolutions. This situation highlights the importance of double-checking reservations and maintaining persistent communication with customer service.
Preferred Hotels Booking Opportunities
The conversation shifts to exploring the opportunities for booking with preferred hotels using Choice points. A recent arrangement indicates that Citi customers can now transfer points to Preferred Hotels' own program more effectively, allowing access to over 200 bookable options. Notably, staying at high-value hotels like those in New York City for as low as 12,500 Citi points per night introduces exciting prospects for luxury travel at a lower cost. However, complications arise with technical issues in the booking process which may deter customers from seamless point redemptions.
Amex Transfer Bonuses for Virgin Atlantic
A new promotional transfer bonus offered by Amex for Virgin Atlantic Flying Club allows customers to transfer points at a 40% bonus, similar to a recent promotion from Chase. While these dynamic pricing changes allow for exceptional values when booking flights, it also poses risks, as not all transfers guarantee the best deals. The discussion notes both the potential for excellent award bookings and the higher likelihood of hidden fees and surcharges due to the unpredictable nature of dynamic pricing. It suggests that flexibility in travel plans may yield better opportunities to take advantage of reward transfers.
Elite Status Strategies and Timing
The episode further breaks down strategies for maintaining elite status with various airlines and hotel programs as the year closes. For example, with American Airlines having a status timeline extending to the end of February, there's still time for those looking to achieve or maintain elite status without urgent last-minute travel expenses. Other programs, like Southwest, emphasize the importance of timing and spending on their credit cards in January for meeting earning thresholds while cautioning against premature spending in December. The key takeaway highlights a structured approach and understanding of each program's qualifications, maximizing benefits by minimizing unnecessary travel.
There are a lot of things in the points and miles world that kind of come to a head at the end of the year, so you'll want to know what you should be taking care of here at the end of 2024. And of course, read our end of year checklist for 2024 here.
(01:30) - What happens when a Choice Rewards hotel booking has no record of your reservation, but the points are missing?
(07:32) - Preferred Hotels now bookable with iPrefer points
(16:34) - Amex 40% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic
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Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads
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