2021 Year End Travel to Do List

2021 Year End Travel to Do List

Year-end is a time when many people, myself included, review what happened, how did I do versus my goals, investment returns, etc.  Just like you might want to review your bank accounts, now is a good time to review your hotel and airline travel points and miles balances. 

My Top 5 Travel to do Tips Before January 1st, 2022:

  1. Check Your Progress to Airline Elite or Gold Status
  2. Check Your Progress to Hotel Elite or Platinum Status
  3. Review Your Credit Cards to See if You Still Need Them
  4. Redeem Free Travel Credits if You Qualify
  5. Research How to Get Back Miles That Expired This Year

Most airlines will require you to earn or redeem airline miles within a certain timeframe to keep them from expiring.  Due to Covid-19, many people are not traveling right now nor keeping track of their miles and airline mileage programs.  Some airlines have suspended mileage expiration through the end of 2021 or thereafter.

Several airlines have eliminated expiring miles completely, offering tremendous travel flexibility going forward.  Those airlines are Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and United Airlines!  Keep in mind, these rules are subject to change, so be sure to read all emails and, if possible, upload their airline Apps onto your smartphone.

For Hotels, aside from the Hilton Honors Program, most of the large hotel chains do NOT have a standard points reinstatement policy.  Instead, most of the large hotel chains have in place a suspended points expiration policy.  Hilton Honors, Choice Privileges, and Radisson Rewards are a few chains that have suspended point expiration until December 31st, 2021.

Buying back expired miles and hotel reward points can be expensive and is not always worth it.  A better strategy is to prevent your miles from expiring in the first place. 

For example. Hilton is the only hotel rewards program that allows you to reinstate expired points at the rate of 25 cents per point.  If you are looking to reinstate 120,000 hotel points for a night at the Waldorf Astoria in the Maldives, it would cost $300 to reinstate.  That fee could be worth it as the rooms at this resort regularly costs $2,000 per night.

As per www.ThePointsGuy.com, the best strategies to prevent your airline or hotel points from expiring are:

  1. Go to the Airline or Hotel Website and Review Their Point System: Each company has different definitions of “activity!”
  2. The Easiest Ways to Keep Miles from Expiring is to Keep Earning or Redeeming Them: For those not traveling, consider the next strategies.
  3. Earning Miles Through Credit Cards: Some airlines and hotels count their own credit card expenditures or transferring balances as activity.
  4. Food and Shopping Programs: Some airlines allow you to earn points through certain shopping and dining portals.  For example, American Airlines has their “Rewards Program Portal” where you can earn points at certain restaurants and store websites, such as Staples.com.
  5. Non-Affiliated Credit Cards: Credit cards such as Chase “Ultimate Rewards,” Amex “Membership Rewards,” Citi “Thank You Points,” Marriott “Bonvoy Points,” and Capital One “Venture Miles,” allow you to transfer rewards to many of the frequent flyer programs.
  6. Donate Points to Charity: If you have a stash of limited points with an airline you rarely use, most of the major airlines will allow you to donate them to a charity.

Regardless of which strategy you may use, it is worthwhile to spend some time on this to research ways to keep your hotel and airline points from expiring.  Wishing you Happy Travels and Happy Holidays to you and your Family!