Cirus the virus has ruined international travel for the foreseeable future. So you might be asking yourself why you would even think about getting a travel card right now? Well there still are a few benefits to racking up those points if you’re able to spend the money comfortably, of course.
Most airline points never expire or disappear as long as you take a flight every 12 to 18 months on the airline where you’re hoarding points. Hotel points work in a similar way. Points expiring shouldn’t be an issue, We believe that most loyalty programs will extend your point expiration periods if the hunker down continues or comes back. Hotels and Airlines have already extended loyalty tiers through 2021.
A big risk for your airline miles is bankruptcy, or airlines shutting down completely because they can’t weather the storm. The government will bail out the airlines that are too big to fail such as Delta, American, and United. Alaska and JetBlue seem like pretty sound airlines. We would avoid Spirit, Frontier, and the other low cost airline miles with a 10 foot pole.
Universal points have no risk, if worst comes to worst you can redeem them for a penny a point on gift cards.
Hotels aren’t facing as much risk of going under as the airlines. The corona virus actually may have created some opportunities to score big time with hotels. Properties that may not usually be available for points are wide open now so keep stacking those points! Make sure to take advantage of those free night perks for booking with point if your planning a 4 (IHG) or 5 (Marriott, Hilton) night vacation.
I’m on the look out for a 4 night stay at the Intercontinental Bora Bora Thalasso Spa using my IHG points. Three night stay paid for with 210,000 IHG points and the fourth night is free!
If you still feel uneasy with hotel, airline, or universal points don’t be afraid to take advantage of some great cash back options. The U.S. Bank Cash Back +, Chase Freedoms, AMEX Blue Cash Preferred, and Capital One SavorOne Rewards are all offer phenomenal benefits and juicy intro bonuses.
