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 »

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Which Hotel Program Is Really The Best?

May 22 2022

We’ve seen re-launches of several hotel programs during the pandemic. Smaller programs like GHA Discovery and Shangri-La Circle are brand new. GHA, which has around 500 hotels but is adding several hundred more, was just a benefits program – but now offers cash rebates to spend at their properties (‘Discovery Dollars’). I really wish I had more opportunities to stay with both chains.

IHG Rewards has branded as IHG One Rewards – the one meant to signal that they’ve now ‘unified’ their brands, with all new elite benefits that even apply at Kimpton and Intercontinental hotel properties. With all these changes, which program is best?

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Marriott Charging Some Member Credit Cards When They Try To Redeem Free Night Certificates

May 21 2022

Check your credit cards for erroneous charges billed by Marriott.

Marriott started letting members ‘top off’ free night certificates at the end of April. You can add up to 15,000 points to a certificate, making it easier to book rooms. Or at least that’s how it’s supposed to work, but Bonvoy members have been reporting that it’s gone very wrong.

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