Loyalty programs like Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt, IHG One Rewards, and Hilton Honors all sell points to consumers, and generally the cost to the program of redemption is lower than the cost of sale. That practice would be banned by New Jersey law if this ultimately passes.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
There’s a rumor on FlyerTalk that status matching from Hyatt to MGM Rewards will terminate mid-year. It’s unclear what would happen to future earning of Hyatt points and elite status nights, or redeeming points for free stays (plus resort fee..) at MGM hotels in Las Vegas, if this were to happen.
One of the most common ways to commit credit card fraud is by creating a synthetic identity. When the fraud is discovered it’s tough to go after anyone, because the cardmember doesn’t exist!
But credit card fraud has become so easy that it can be done by a fish. In fact, that actually happened.
On January 13, an American Airlines Boeing 777 headed to London taxied on the wrong runway as a Delta 737 began its take off roll. This was nearly a disaster of epic proportions, as the American jet crossed right in front of Delta, and the Delta plane hit the brakes.
The Delta flight stopped less than 1000 feet from where it would have intersected with American’s plane. The transatlantic 777 didn’t follow air traffic control instructions. It nearly caused a disaster. And now the Allied Pilots Association is running interference in the media.
Two years ago I wrote about the X1 Card. It was coming, and would potentially be a game-changer – a no annual fee card that earned up to 4x on all spend. It rolled out slowly, for a long time only available by referral. But it’s finally available and it is potentially very lucrative.
I’ve written about the risk you run booking an award stay with Hyatt or Marriott, that if you cancel after the cancellation deadline (say, for instance, your flight is cancelled) you don’t lose your points – you lose a cash forfeiture amount instead.
And your cash penalty can be really high. Most people think you lose your points if you make a points reservation and fail to cancel by the deadline. But that’s not how it works.
Hotels are getting rid of single use plastics, by offering bulk wall-mounted toiletries. And this is all about the environment, not cost savings. So why do they still have plastic water bottles and plastic-wrapped plastic cups? Oh, wait…
The new Delta Sky Club at New York LaGuardia is now only open until 7:30 p.m. But did you know that 7 Delta flights from New York now only allow lounge access for 35 minutes – or less?
To limit lounge crowding Delta won’t allow passengers into a lounge until 3 hours prior to departure of the first flight on their itinerary. In addition, several additional limits on club access go into effect next month as well.
There’s been zero discussion of updating the NOTAM system to focus on giving pilots (and airline ops centers) the right information, in the right form, at the right time – just how to keep the existing system from dumping again.
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 »
