About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

More articles by Gary Leff »

Westin Napa Verasa and the BottleRock Festival

Jun 04 2017

My wife and I went to the BottleRock festival in Napa over Memorial Day weekend, and it was notable for several reasons. I had never stayed at the Westin Napa before. Napa Valley is home to some of the best wineries around and the festival had drawn everyone away most of them were deserted.

And it’s a great example of an experiential points redemption opportunity — I’m not a huge concert-goer but I definitely can enjoy watching from a Starwood American Express suite rather than from the the packed grass.

Continue Reading »

Got Top Elite Status or a Million Miles, You Can Have 3 Months of Free Private Jet Membership

Jun 03 2017

JetSmarter is a membership service that lets you take available seats on private jet flights for free, or get access to charter a flight yourself. There are last minute deals which vary and they run certain routes as shuttles.

Now they’re offering a free 3-month trial if you have top tier elite status with an airline or a million points in a frequent flyer program or bank proprietary program.

Continue Reading »

The Biggest Problem Loyalty Programs Think They Face is Millennials, and They’re Getting It All Wrong

Jun 03 2017

Every industry conference I attend features a discussion of millennials. Loyalty programs are trying to figure out how to appeal to this generation. Their fears are being stoked by consultants selling an array of ‘solutions’.

Consultants are telling loyalty programs that millennials are short term in nature. And they want experiences over things. But the solutions they’re selling are counterproductive.

Continue Reading »