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 »

Wide Open Emirates First Class Award Space For The Fall

by Gary Leff

Jan 11 2022

Stay at the Burj al Arab, often described as ‘the world’s only 7 star hotel’. Or enjoy a special Marriott redemption at the incredible Al Maha Desert resort, where meals and activities are included and all accommodations are standalone Bedouin villas with their own private pools overlooking the desert. Use a trip to Dubai to visit the Mideast, or as a jumping off point for the Maldives or other destinations in the region.

Right now there’s fantastic first class award space for two passengers on the Washington Dulles – Dubai, Houston – Dubai, and San Francisco – Dubai routes from August through November.

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How Did I Miss This? Change To Frontier Card Lets You Earn Top Tier Elite Status For 40% Less Spend

by Gary Leff

frontier plane docked
Jan 11 2022

Frontier Airlines re-launched their credit card and their elite program four years ago and did something that at the time was revolutionary: a dollar spent on the card earned an elite qualifying mile. But Frontier did something bigger in 2021 and somehow I missed it. All spend over 20,00 per calendar year counts double towards elite status now.

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United Airlines Says Over 3000 Employees Now Have Covid, But That Vaccine Mandate Has Saved Lives

by Gary Leff

united plane
Jan 11 2022

United Airlines says that 3000 of its employees currently have Covid-19. The real number is probably higher than this, since the airline probably knows relatively few asymptomatic cases and only a portion of subclinical ones. However CEO Scott Kirby believes that the airline’s vaccine mandate has already saved the lives of 8-10 of his employees, and not a single one of its employees is currently hospitalized for Covid.

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No Leeway: Marriott Member Misses Ambassador Status By $8, “I Should’ve Had A Drink At The Bar”

by Gary Leff

Jan 10 2022

A Marriott Bonvoy member reports that they had 102 nights and $13,992 spent with Marriott during 2021. Top tier Ambassador status required at least 100 nights and $14,000 in spend. They add that they should have gotten a drink at the bar on their last stay, but didn’t realize they’d need it. And they’d happily send Marriott the $8.

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Best Tip In All Of Travel? Book Yourself A Cheap Second Seat For Extra Room

by Gary Leff

airplane seats
Jan 10 2022

One of the best tips in travel is to why yourself a second seat when you’re flying coach. Each of the major airlines has a procedure to let you do this, and it can be a great value when fares are cheap. Do it yourself first class, or at least it can be extra room at a value price (and you’re not getting a great meal if you were flying real first class anyway).

The process to do this is different with every airline, but oddly it’s not something U.S. airlines advertise. One airline, though, just made it much easier.

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Several Marriotts Now Tack On An Unexplained ‘Sustainability Fee’

by Gary Leff

Jan 09 2022

Several hotels in Marriott’s Autograph Collection now hit guests with an extra $4.99 per night ‘sustainability fee’ that isn’t included in the room rate. The fee isn’t described on the hotels’ websites, either.

This appears to be a fee to sustain the hotel owner’s revenue since they do not even appear to be pretending that tacking on a non-optional fee – drip pricing – somehow benefits the environment.

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