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 »

How Will Crypto Disrupt Credit Cards – And Rewards?

by Gary Leff

Nov 20 2021

A currency serves two purposes – a medium of exchange and a store of value. So far crypto isn’t good for either, it’s tough to use (you first have to convert it to another currency and that’s costly) and good stores of value don’t fluctuate wildly in price.

However crypto is no longer a flash in the pan either, many very smart people are working developing businesses, tools, and use cases, and prices have dropped – and recovered – for the most popular currencies. The price of crypto doesn’t seem to behave like a classic bubble.

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The Economist Issues A Warning To Frequent Flyer Programs

by Gary Leff

work desk
Nov 20 2021

Make the currency worth less, consumers chase it less at some margin. Reduced consumer interest is bad for the long run proposition of the currency, which is bad for the price of financial instruments derived from that currency. Now that airlines have issued upwards of $30 billion in debt backed by their loyalty programs, this is a new issue for them to manage.

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The Transporation Mask Mandate Should Expire. Will It?

by Gary Leff

Nov 19 2021

The transportation mask mandate runs through January 18, 2022. The timing of the Delta wave hitting the Northeast and elsewhere suggests we could see one more extension of the mandate – simply because it would be awkward to end it as reported cases are at a high level, not because doing so alters the course of the pandemic in any meaningful way – but if it gets extended one more time that one will be the last. Because the pandemic is – for all intents and purposes – already over.

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Marriott Homes & Villas Isn’t A Real Homesharing Service (And How To Redeem Cheaper)

by Gary Leff

Nov 19 2021

Marriott wants you to think that they’re in the homesharing business, and that Homes & Villas By Marriott is an Airbnb competitor. Despite the tag line, “Private Homes With The Assurances Of Marriott,” that’s not at all what it is.

Did you know that Wyndham points can be redeemed for many properties listed on the Marriott site, and this offers a better deal than Bonvoy much of the time?

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Why Merchant-Funded Credit Card Offers Can’t Last

by Gary Leff

credit cards
Nov 18 2021

In the past few years we’ve seen a proliferation of merchant-funded credit card offers. Whether it’s a year of Door Dash Dash Pass from Chase or $15 per month credit at Uber from American Express Platinum, a credit with airport security fast track service CLEAR, or $50 twice a year with Saks, numerous businesses want access to a credit card company’s customers.

Banks are attracted to benefits they can deliver to customers at no or low cost (or even at a profit, the details on each deal are different). And bundle enough of these benefits and you can sell an annual fee increase, too, helping the bottom-line for a card product that may be struggling to earn a profit despite being very attractive to consumers.

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Starting January You’ll Want To Skip The Charlotte Admirals Club For Awhile

by Gary Leff

white rocking chair
Nov 18 2021

Before the pandemic I wrote about how Charlotte desperately needed another American Airlines Admirals Club – or two. American had scaled to 900 flights a day at DFW – and opened a 5th club. Charlotte was up to 700 flights and had just two clubs. And the terminal itself is more crowded than Dallas.

Starting in January Charlotte is going to be down to a single Admirals Club as the main one closes for maintenance and American stands up a ‘passenger service center’ to help with ticketing.

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