Airline/Hotel Loyalty Programs

[Pelado]

Updating with new links and some additional cards:

Any Southwest Rapid Rewards card - This is a great way to get Southwest's Companion Pass, which may be the best benefit in travel (if you're willing to condescend to fly on SWA). The Companion Pass can be earned either by flying a lot in one year or by accumulating at least 135k Rapid Rewards points in a single year. Once earned, the Companion Pass allows a companion to travel with you for essentially free (only have to pay the taxes) for as many flights as you want to anywhere SWA flies (as long as there is an open seat) during the remainder of the year in which the pass is earned, plus the following year.

Accumulating 135k RR points is easy if you get both the Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business card along with one of their personal cards (Plus, Premier, or Priority). The Southwest RR Performance Business card will also reimburse you for your Global Entry or TSA Precheck application.

Remember - to qualify for the business cards, you don't have to be (wholly) self-employed. A side gig could be enough to qualify you - something as simple as collecting some extra cash on the weekends doing welding for friends and family.

Any Chase Ink Business card - Really nice bonus awards with one of the best transferable currencies (Ultimate Rewards). I have the Ink Business Preferred, Ink Business Unlimited, and Ink Business Cash cards, and I'm still using them as I described in the quoted post. Those cards are offering introductory bonuses of up to 100k UR points each, all transferable if you have either the Ink Business Preferred or one of the Sapphire cards. The Ink Business Premier card is also available through this link with up to $1,000 cash back bonus offer, but - last I checked - it doesn't work with Ultimate Rewards.

Chase Freedom Unlimited or Freedom Flex card - These cards can also accumulate Ultimate Rewards points and are currently offering intro bonuses of $200 or 20k UR points each.

Any United MileagePlus card - If you're going to be flying United (or want to book another Star Alliance carrier through United), these cards can get you some nice benefits - bonus miles, unlocking award seats, and even reimbursing you for your Global Entry or TSA Precheck application.

Amazon Prime card - Get 5% cash back on purchases from Amazon or Whole Foods.

The Chase Ink Business Cash card has a new offer. The card has no annual fee, which is nice, and earns between 1 - 5% cash back on purchases. It's introductory offer includes $750 cash back after spending $3,000 in the first three months and and another $3,000 within the first six months of having the card. There is also a 10% bonus of all eligible cash back earned in the first year if you also have a Chase business bank account.

Also, if you pair the Cash card with the Chase Ink Business Preferred card or either of the Chase Sapphire cards, then you can use use the cash back as Ultimate Rewards which are transferrable to airlines and hotels. So, instead of $750 cash back, the introductory bonus offer would be 75k Ultimate Rewards points.

[Bo Diddley]

On the subject of discount airlines, I will sometimes book a back-up late flight on SWA to account for delays. I haven't had to use the back-up yet, but came close on a Norwegian Airlines to Alaska Airlines connection at LAX a few years back.

[Bo Diddley]

I'll caveat by saying that if you are old, don't work and have a very flexible schedule, then go ahead and find cheap tickets from random websites...just be prepared to be stranded for a time...which when you are retired might actually be a plus.

I can fly space-a on military flights, but have never done so because I don't have the flexibility if it doesn't work out. Maybe in retirement I'll give it a try.

[Moliere]

This is correct, but I confess I have occasionally purchased tickets through Aran Grant, including our current venture, On overseas trips our advance ages and general snobbery require business (or better) class only, and those have become super pricey. I've saved several thousand dollars, but know that danger lurks if we or the airline make any changes.

I'll caveat by saying that if you are old, don't work and have a very flexible schedule, then go ahead and find cheap tickets from random websites...just be prepared to be stranded for a time...which when you are retired might actually be a plus.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Always buy airline tickets from the airline’s website. Always.

This is correct, but I confess I have occasionally purchased tickets through Aran Grant, including our current venture, On overseas trips our advance ages and general snobbery require business (or better) class only, and those have become super pricey. I've saved several thousand dollars, but know that danger lurks if we or the airline make any changes.

[Donuthole]

I fly Southwest almost exclusively for direct flights west of the Mississippi. From 2011-2019 I built up enough miles through work-related flights and by using the Southwest Rapid Rewards Chase Visa for work travel expenses that I haven't paid for a personal flight since about 2013. However, I don't think i've taken a single work-related flight since Covid. So my point balance has dwindled. Our primary family CC is a Delta Amex, so we'll probably begin to fly them more often. That said, Delta stranded us in Atlanta when our flight from Orlando was delayed, and then wanted us to to take another 2-layover flight (Atlanta to Minneapolis to Denver to Vegas) to get home when we were originally taking a 1-layover (Orlando to Atlanta to Vegas) flight. FOH. It took some stern haggling but I eventually got them to fly us from Dallas to Minneapolis and then to Vegas. I understand flights get delayed/canceled, but Delta not bending over backwards to get us the quickest route home when there were plenty of available seats on these flights was super annoying.

[Omaha 680]

omaha using his one phone call from airport police detention like livia soprano

And it was equally humiliating for all involved!

[old_gregg]

omaha using his one phone call from airport police detention like livia soprano

[Pelado]

Always buy airline tickets from the airline’s website. Always.

Yip.

[Moliere]

Always buy airline tickets from the airline’s website. Always.

[Bo Diddley]

Flying out of Provo was awesome: shorter drive, shorter flight time (1:45) and a short walk to the gate. The return flight was actually only 1:19. We must have had a good tailwind. I looked for flights through Breeze, but found Allegiant to offer what we needed for our trip. Moving forward I'll show up at the airport closer to departure time so I don't have to wait for an agent to show up if I want to check bags. Maybe going strictly carry-on is a better option, which would also mitigate the slow baggage return.

[Omaha 680]

What happened with Allegiant?

I will take partial blame because you get what you pay for. I was a super cheapskate and bought four round trip tix from PVU to SNA on Allegiant on a random third party site. It was something ridiculous like $65/each. We made the outbound flight no problem. Return flight two of us couldn't check in for and when I got to the airport I was informed those two tickets were "fraudulent". When I asked why they let me fly on the first leg they just said they didn't know it was fraudulent. So they wanted me to pay the last minute one-way fare for those two tickets, which I ultimately did, after arguing unsuccessfully that they should charge me the original value of the ticket that they sold. I don't think I ended up spending that much more than our original tickets. I paid the last minute markup on the two tickets and then got Amex to reverse the charges on the original tickets.

Shame on me for using a super cheap (apparently shady) third party site to save a few bucks. But the way we were treated when Allegiant clearly is disorganized enough to let people fly on unpaid tickets was annoying. Their customer service reps after the fact were even less helpful (if you could even get a hold of one). I know I shouldn't expect much from a budget airline but they were downright rude. Combine that with the fact the planes are super uncomfortable; the least leg room and narrowest seats I have encountered outside of Spirit, and it just isn't worth the savings for me. Breeze runs most of the same routes and their seats are actually semi-comfortable, so I'll always choose them if I have reason to do a flight from PVU.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I’ve flown Allegiant several times and have had good experiences. It’s cheap enough that I don’t mind the drive to Hobby and flying I to Provo is a plus. I’d never take it for something important since if you get delayed or cancelled you are kind out of luck.

Yeah, this is the main issue with these budget airlines. If the flight gets cancelled you are stuck.

[Moliere]

What happened with Allegiant?

I’ve flown Allegiant several times and have had good experiences. It’s cheap enough that I don’t mind the drive to Hobby and flying I to Provo is a plus. I’d never take it for something important since if you get delayed or cancelled you are kind out of luck.

[fusnik]

Yeah, I don't mean it's wrong. I just don't like being given any preferential treatment for doing what I do. Maybe that's a pride thing--it is the universal sin.

I always thought that military boarded first so I didn’t have to avoid their gaze and get guilted into giving them my seat to show how patriotic I was.