As we prepare for the closing of another season, many of us will spend our holidays looking towards what may be our final year of elite status on our favorite airlines. By this time next year, all three legacy air carriers – American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines – will all have an elite qualifying dollar requirement to obtain elite status for 2018.
Although American changed the way flyers earn AAdvantage miles, elites were given a reprieve this year by waiving the elite qualifying dollars requirement until the coming year. Over at Delta and United, nothing changed for SkyMiles Medallion or MileagePlus Premier elites: time in seat, combined with a minimum qualifying spend, results in elite status for years to come.
Even earning elite status through credit card spending is a difficult task. Flyers who are loyal to United and spend a lot on their MileagePlus Visa Signature card can waive the elite qualifying dollars requirement through spending habits, while those loyal to Delta can only earn elite qualifying miles with their cards, such as the Platinum Delta SkyMIles Business Credit Card from American Express. Even elite earning on Southwest isn’t easy: while flyers can spend their way to the Companion Pass with the Southwest Airlines Credit Card, it doesn’t give them any of the benefits of A-List.
It may be time to admit that elite flying isn’t what it was used to be. Instead of rewarding those who spent the most time aboard airplanes, airlines are now rewarding those flyers who spend the most to get to where they are going. While this is great for those without the constrains of a budget, it does make it more difficult for economy flyers to enjoy the perks of frequent flying.
Accordingly, it may also be time to rethink our relationships with points and miles as well. With reward miles getting less and less rewarding, and more miles being required to fly in premium cabins, perhaps now is the time to rethink how we approach the game in 2017.
Much as last year, my focus will revolve around flexible points and miles, with some twists as well. Here are three ways I’m planning to play the miles game in the next year.
Primarily focus on flexible points and miles
At the end of 2015, I declared the era of loyalty dead with the pending changes to airline loyalty programs. Looking back, it appears my prognostication wasn’t wrong, as many of us are taking the same approach to our points and miles earning. In the next year, the two cards that will get the most usage are the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Premier Gold Rewards Card from American Express. Between these two flexible points programs (Ultimate Rewards and Membership Rewards), I have even more choices in when – and how – to use my miles for free experiences.
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Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express
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Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express |
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Pay to play – and then upgrade!
With my flying habits today, I find myself looking for the cheapest flight – and not necessarily the flight with my favorite airline. Through collecting flexible points, I have more options to combine those with the points I already earn for flying to make them worth something in the end. Even though they are not the best use of miles, combining transferred points with the miles I currently earn can result in upgrading to the front of the cabin.
Enjoy elite benefits for hotels, car rentals, and everywhere else
Finally, just because I don’t get to live in the front of the airplane every time I fly doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy some of the nicer things in life. Through various means, I enjoy status with multiple hotels and upgrade options with rental car companies when I go to rent a car. Through these means, I can still get the best rooms and cars, when I get there – which may be worth more across multiple days than a multi-hour flight.
Even though loyalty isn’t what it used to be, there is still some benefit to the points and miles we collect. By understating how to obtain value, every traveler can still enjoy the luxury of their trip from start to finish.
Are you planning to keep elite status next year? How do you plan on making the most of miles without status? Let me know your ideas in the comments below!
Written by Frugal Travel Guy @ http://www.frugaltravelguy.com
Written by Frugal Travel Guy @ http://www.frugaltravelguy.com