The Perks of Being a Cheapskate

They say airline elite upgrades are disappearing, but they’re not totally extinct—I flew to DC a couple weeks ago in first class after a complimentary upgrade. How? Well, accidental elite status, primarily. But I had booked the absolute cheapest flight I could find: a half-empty redeye connecting through Pittsburgh. It wasn’t exactly overflowing with elites, so there were empty first class seats and I got to fly in the front of the plane and eat coq au vin.  

It wasn’t just the upgrade, though. All that lounge overcrowding? Not an issue that late at night. Security lines? Lightning fast. Even boarding was faster with half the seats empty. 

Of course, I still arrived exhausted. If money were no object, I probably would have paid the premium for a flight departing at a normal hour and accepted that I might not get into the lounge and end up #25 on the upgrade waitlist. But I couldn’t afford the nice flight, and the “perks” of booking such a cheap one reminded me how much value can compound when you travel… let’s call it “frugally.”

I love conserving my points by booking bargain award flights through Thrifty Traveler alerts or Global Getaways. The prices are excellent, but they’re often used to clear out unsold inventory like off-season or shoulder season travel… Thrifty Traveler itself even calls them “clearance meat.” That could mean less daylight to explore and maybe finding some seasonal shops or attractions closed. 

But here’s the thing: I love this. The airport is often less crowded, and so are the attractions, the hotels, and the restaurants. Those pillar-of-the-community food stalls that serve the locals are mostly still open (although we once arrived at a restaurant on the Italian coast in late November only to find a sign that said, roughly, “We've done all our work for the year, see you in January.”). Hotel and Airbnb prices are cheaper, and if you’re staying at an international chain, there are less elites to compete with for room upgrades. In fact, when we land, we usually immediately decamp for a secondary city or rural area where things are even cheaper, less crowded, and more authentically local. 

Now, I don’t think there’s any wrong way to enjoy travel. You can definitely use points to experience “aspirational” experiences like business-class flights or luxury hotels; it’s just a personal preference. For me, if I had to choose between a business class flight to spend a week in a fancy resort (like Carneros) or a long economy flight for a week in Yamagata in a tiny business hotel and eating $7 ramen, I’d choose the latter in a heartbeat. Not everyone has that preference, but it lets me travel more often, spend less, and experience more when I do.

Lazy Take 🦥

It’s not just the flight itself—value award flights can unlock a virtuous cycle, with off-peak travel unlocking lower prices, greater availability, and less competition throughout the whole trip. It’s not for everyone, but if it’s up your alley it can be a great way to deploy your points without needing to book the fanciest flights and hotels. 

This week on the blog 📝

Speaking of Yamagata, this week I covered some of the changes I’ve seen and things I’ve learned about Japan travel over the past few months. I’ve taken three points trips to Japan so far and I have three more already booked, so I want to have some occasional dedicated coverage of Japan travel trends. If you have any Japan travel questions or topics you think could be a good fit for the next Japan Points Update, feel free to let me know by replying to this email. 

Quick Points of the Week ⚡

Major News 🚨

Airfares are falling… for now. Thrifty Traveler reports that airfares are finally falling after the fuel shortage earlier this year. But new flare-ups in the Strait of Hormuz could endanger that progress. 

Devaluations 📉

Award costs rise at many Marriotts. This is why I don’t like hotel points. (OMAAT) 

Deals 🏷️

LifeMiles business class prices falling. Avianca’s loyalty program is constantly changing, and has been devalued heavily lately, but there seem to be some solid deals available at the moment—especially if you take advantage of a 15% transfer bonus from Amex. (Thrifty Traveler)

Lazy Tip 🦥

Have an Amex Platinum and a pet? Did you know you can get free telehealth through Pawp? I’ve used it several times—it’s a great way to get a quick assessment when your furry friend seems under the weather. (Award Wallet)

Track your card benefits with Amex. You can now track your usage of statement credits and other benefits directly on their website. (Doctor of Credit) 

Good news and bad news 📈📉

Chase adds new Sapphire Reserve Tables restaurants, removes many. If you have a Sapphire Reserve, there are over 90 new options for your dining credit… but 60+ were removed. (Frequent Miler)

Fun 👻

Don’t steal from airport lounges. Capital One even has a hidden message for guests with sticky fingers. (View From the Wing)

Sign up bonus of the week 🎯

Links marked with an * are affiliate or referral links, meaning we may earn if you apply via our link. 

The World of Hyatt credit cardis out with a new (and complicated) offer: 45,000 Points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months, plus up to 30,000 more Bonus Points by earning 2x on 1x categories, up to $15,000 in spending. 

This $95-fee card is a solid keeper. The free night each year (in a Category 1-4 hotel) can easily justify the annual fee. The card also comes with Discoverist status, which includes bonus points on stays, premium internet, bottled water, preferred room upgrades, and 2pm late checkout as available. I briefly had Discoverist status last year, and it was a meaningful upgrade when we used Chase points to stay at a Hyatt on our Switzerland trip. This is a card I’d be happy to keep in my wallet. 

As for the bonus, this is the best-ever in my book. The standard bonus is 30k points. Hyatt has previously offered a bonus of up to 5 free nights, which could be “worth” more if you used those nights to book expensive hotels. This is especially true since Hyatt slashed the value of its points. But despite the big recent devaluation, the cheapest Hyatt properties are still pretty cheap—you can book a hotel near Dulles airport tomorrow night for 4,500 points, for example, and some hotels are bookable even cheaper than that. As a cheapskate, I assess hotel credit card bonuses by how many free nights they can turn into, and this bonus scores great on that rubric: it could get you 10+ nights at the right properties, even near some major U.S. cities. 

What about the extra bonus points from earning 2x on 1x categories? At this point, I am simply ignoring it. I have a Bilt Palladium and I am earning 3x on all my purchases. Because Bilt points can be transferred to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio, earning the “bonus” points on the World of Hyatt card would actually leave me worse off than just using my Palladium. If you don’t have a Bilt card (or another card with strong base earning like the Citi Strata Elite, Capital One Venture X, or Chase Freedom Unlimited), the second-level bonus could be more appealing, but it still doesn’t seem that exciting to me (but if you can spend $15,000 by the end of the calendar year you’d earn another free night, which is a little more enticing). 

Although I don’t think this bonus offers outstanding value, the ability to earn a week of free hotel nights on your next cheap journey while adding a solid keeper card with hotel perks to your wallet is nothing to scoff at. 🔥

Other great sign-up bonuses this week

50,000 points+ $300 Bilt Cash + Bilt Gold status on the Bilt Palladium (our take: 🔥🔥🔥)

100k points on the Chase Sapphire Preferred* (our take: 🔥🔥🔥)

90k miles on the Delta Gold (our take: 🔥🔥)

80k miles on the Citi AA Platinum Select (our take: 🔥🔥)

175k points on the Hilton Aspire (our take: 🔥🔥)

100k points on the JetBlue Premier (our take: 🔥)

125k pts + 1 night on the Marriott Boundless (our take: 🔥)

100-125k miles on premium Delta Cards (our take: 🔥)

100k points and $100 on the Hilton Honors (our take: 🔥)

60k points on the Choice Privileges Mastercard (our take: 🔥) 

Up to 100/175k on the Amex Gold/Platinum (our take)

How we rate bonus offers. 

Lazy Pick ✅ (Affiliate)

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Enjoy the weekend! 🦥

See you on the redeye? ✈️

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