You don’t have to crisscross the globe to quickly collect meaningful rewards. Even if you’re a homebody, thanks to comprehensive alliance networks and partnerships, a variety of frequent flyer programs enable you to accumulate points without packing your bags.
For example, United, JetBlue, American, Delta and Southwest offer affiliated dining programs that enable you to stockpile points at participating venues. You can even browse JetBlue’s Shop True, Delta Air Lines SkyMiles Shopping and Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping airlines portals to shop (and collect points) with participating partners such as Apple, Macy’s and Target.
Chances are you browse third-party booking sites to pinpoint the lowest hotel rates and airfares. During your search, diligently check all options to ensure you snag the lowest fare. George Hobica, founder and president of travel deal site Airfarewatchdog.com, cautions against assuming that online travel agencies such as Expedia or Priceline will list identical prices.
“I’ve seen lots of examples recently where a fare is lower on Expedia than on Priceline, and where either of those OTAs have had lower fares on an airline than that airline’s own website is selling the same route and dates,” he says. The same can be said for hotels. “I’ve seen OTAs with much lower prices than the hotel’s own website,” he adds.
For thinner crowds and reduced prices on hotels and flights, visit in the fall or spring shoulder seasons. “If you’re willing to go outside the destination’s peak season, you can save on just about every aspect of your trip, including airfare, lodging and car rentals,” Schlichter says. If you want to visit a popular European capital, consider traveling in the winter months rather than summer, when airfares tend to spike.
And if you’re clamoring for a Hawaiian getaway, dodge tourist crowds and sky-high accommodation rates by visiting in early fall, says Wendy Perrin, founder and editor of travel-planning site WendyPerrin.com. Also consider international destinations where accommodations and flights will be less expensive (think: Sydney or Rio de Janeiro in fall, which is spring in the Southern Hemisphere).
Don’t discount the excellent values (and predictable prices) you can secure from vacation packages. “Air plus hotel package deals really can save money, sometimes a lot of money,” Hobica says. Sampson suggests looking for package deals on third-party booking sites such as Priceline and Expedia as well as through airlines.
Peruse sites such as Kayak and Cheap Caribbean for enticing offers. Another trick of the trade: Scope out packages with your preferred hotel brand or carrier. With JetBlue Vacations you can accrue frequent flyer points and save on packaged hotels and flights. Meanwhile, with Delta Vacations you can rake in bonus miles and benefit from reduced prices with partnering companies, including car rental agencies and hotels.
It’s no secret that at certain times of year, popular places are much more affordable to visit. “It’s almost always cheaper to travel when kids are in school if you have that flexibility,” Perrin says. “New Zealand or Australia have lower demand – and lower prices – during their fall (March-May) and spring (September-November) seasons,” she says.
Conversely, “the Caribbean or South Florida will offer better deals during hurricane season,” she explains. Still, it’s a wise idea to “weigh the benefit of lower prices against the potential risk of a blizzard, hurricane or just bad weather that could make being outdoors unpleasant,” she cautions.
With increasingly devalued perks and privileges for elite-status tiers, you may be hesitant to stay loyal to a particular loyalty program. “Most airline loyalty programs have moved to a spend-based system of recognition instead of distance-based, which means those who spend the most get the best rewards,” Sampson explains.
“If you’re not flying a lot and booking expensive airfare, it’ll be hard to reach that elite level,” she adds. But while elite-status privileges have been diluted, some hotel rewards programs boast low thresholds to collect points, meaning you can rapidly rack up points for an award stay. “And sometimes other perks associated with loyalty programs – like the ability to skip a line at a rental car counter – is priceless,” she adds.
Value-minded jet-setters should consider ride-sharing apps, “and they should think outside the Uber and Lyft box,” Sampson says. While availability will depend on where you’re traveling, major players in the ride-sharing space “might be present, but there might be local or regional options as well, including BlaBlaCar, Gett, Juno, Ola, Didi Chuxing, Cabify and others,” she says.
The only snag: surge pricing, which can quickly translate to a steep fare. An easy workaround is the carpool option to moderate rider costs, she adds. Dubash also highlights ride-sharing services as typically cheaper and more efficient than hailing a cab and suggests sharing your ride with others to lower costs.
Catching a flight comes with a handful of stressful situations – from breezing through airport security lanes to navigating delays to other headaches. But while there are some variables that are out of your control, packing strategically is an easy way to set yourself up for success.
“Pack an empty water bottle and fill it up after you’re past security, and pack your own snacks,” Perrin suggests. Another way to curb costs: “Carry a credit card that saves you from paying baggage fees,” she adds, highlighting the Delta SkyMiles cards from American Express and the United MileagePlus credit cards from Chase. Also consider leveraging a cobranded card that “gives you airport lounge access, which means free snacks, drinks, Wi-Fi and more,” Perrin says.
If you’re dreaming of fresh powder without the high price tags, consider staying in an outside-the-box retreat for bargain-friendly rates. For example, in Aspen, Colorado, trade staying at the popular The Little Nell for a stay at the Basalt Mountain Inn, which offers reasonable rates and an enticing Ski and Stay package, with prices starting at $198 that include lift ticket combinations.
Or if your heart is set on tackling the slopes in Park City, Utah, ditch staying at pricey in-town accommodations for a stay at the Homestead Resort, located in nearby Midway, which boasts a geothermal pool and offers enticing ski packages at Deer Valley Ski Resort.
“Be careful where you search,” Hobica cautions. “If you search on Hipmunk, Hopper or FareCompare, you won’t see Delta’s airfares, and if you search on Vayama, you won’t see JetBlue’s fares – and always check Southwest.com separately,” he advises. And when booking accommodations, though it can be tempting to book a low-priced room with a third-party online travel site, you’ll often forgo added freebies such as upgrades and Wi-Fi.
And with some hoteliers dangling attractive offers to lure travelers to book direct, there’s an added enticement to cut out the middleman. With Marriott, for example, loyalty members can take advantage of the “best rate guarantee” promotion, and enjoy 25 percent off their stay if they turn up a better rate elsewhere.
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