Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways
How to Get Elite Travel Perks Without Traveling Every Week or Overpaying
05 Mar 2025
Learn when elite status is worth it, plus how to earn attractive airline and hotel perks even if you don’t constantly travel. Is elite status ever worth chasing? Should you stick to one airline or just try to book the best deal? Hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle break down whether airline and hotel elite status is worth it, and how you can earn valuable perks without spending half your life on the road. But first, they break down the latest travel headlines, including Southwest flights on Expedia, Hyatt’s award category changes, and American Airlines’ new elite status earning period. Then, they cover the different ways to qualify for elite status — including credit cards and spending tips — and when it makes sense to stay loyal versus booking the best price. They explain how travelers can earn perks like free checked bags and upgrades without excessive flying, the trade-offs of airline loyalty, and why spending strategically on a co-branded credit card can help. They also discuss hotel elite status, covering which hotel programs offer the best perks, how to get automatic status through credit cards, and when elite status may not be worth it. Resources discussed in this episode: World of Hyatt Announces Category Changes for 151 Properties The Best Travel Credit Card Welcome Bonus Offers Right Now The Best Airline Elite Status for 2025 The Best Hotel Elite Status for 2025 The 5 Best Credit Cards with Hotel Status In their conversation, the Nerds discuss: airline elite status, hotel elite status, how to get airline elite status, is elite status worth it, best airline loyalty programs, how to get hotel elite status, best travel credit cards, airline loyalty programs, travel perks, hotel upgrades, how to get free hotel upgrades, best airline for frequent flyers, free checked bags, credit card travel perks, best hotel loyalty programs, airline status benefits, how to qualify for airline status, how to get airline upgrades, is hotel elite status worth it, hotel status through credit cards, airline status vs best price flights, best ways to earn loyalty points, how to get free flights, online travel agencies, and when to book direct vs OTA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Full Episode
Megan, I know you have a lot of weddings to travel to this year. My question for you is, will you have elite status in time?
Yes, I actually already earned my elite status for this year and I'm already using it for wedding travel. I just got back from the first bachelorette party over the weekend in Austin and I flew American Airlines on the way there, which is the one I have elite status in, but Southwest on the way back.
Southwest? I thought I was a Southwest stan here.
Well, you know, sometimes the flights are more convenient on Southwest and I could fly to a smaller airport and take the same flight and the same Uber home as my friends. So listeners, do as I do and build a healthy relationship with your elite status, not a toxic one.
And you know what I say, I have no problem cheating on an airline with Southwest.
Welcome to Smart Travel, a deep dive into the tips, tools, and tactics to maximize your travel dollars. I'm Sally French. And I'm Megan Coyle. And we're the travel nerds ready to help you plan your next big trip. Today, we're talking about whether elite status is actually worth it.
But first, let's take a look at some of the news in travel this week.
And just a heads up, in this episode, we'll talk about a few credit card companies that are nerd wallet partners, but that doesn't influence how we discuss them. All right, let's dive into the news.
Well, speaking of Southwest, our first news item is that Southwest flights are now available to book on Expedia. That's as of last week. This is huge because it's the first time that Southwest flights are showing up in some search results in an online travel agency, which we call an OTA. It's also showing up in some Expedia-owned OTAs like Travelocity, Hotwire, Orbitz, and Cheap Tickets.
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