Blog 38: 6/9/23 Flight, Hotel & Resort Hacks & Tips
Good day to everyone! Welcome back to Brooke In The Air!
Singapore Airlines’ Flagship Airbus A380 First Class Suite, debuted in 2018, unrivaled in the skies, technically possible with Air Miles
I thought it would be helpful if I provided some very useful information, good to have on hand, and even better for booking your vacation or trip away. After all, my travel service is based upon saving you money without compromising experience.
So, without any further ado, let's get into it.
The Seychelles islands off the eastern coast of Africa - Absolute Paradise!
There are many ways to save your money on luxury vacations without having to skimp on luxury or fantastic experiences.
Santorini, Greece - A Brooke In The Air specialty.
First, there are numerous financing and buy-now pay-later options open to you, regardless of your credit score (as long as it's workable, generally 580-600+). Some of these options are:
Afterpay - Pay in four (4) installments interest free.
Klarna - Just like Afterpay, though accepted by fewer airlines and resorts.
PayPal/PayPal Credit - standard line of credit
Zip (formerly Quadpay) - slightly higher required bimonthly payments than Afterpay.
UpLift - Can only be used for flights and cruises
And most popularly, Affirm
These are all tied to specific selections or lists of properties and airlines to choose from depending on your preference.
All airlines have limitations, for example, Afterpay can only be used on low-cost and domestic carriers, such as Spirit Airlines, Southwest Airlines, United Express, Delta Connection, and American Eagle and cannot be used on international carriers. Alternate Airlines is a site sponsored and supported by Afterpay that specializes in finding domestic flights with Afterpay. (AlternateAirlines.com)
UpLift is valid on the following - Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air Canada Vacations, Air Tahiti Nui, Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Airlines, Copa Airlines, Emirates (yes THE Emirates) Airways, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Lufthansa, Perimeter Aviation, Porter of Canada, Royal Air Marroc, Southwest Airlines, Sun Country, Sunwing Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Air Transat, United Airlines, Viva Aerobus, Volaris, Wow!Fare*
*= Wow!Fare is simply a discounted air service that provides significantly discounted airline ticket rates and low-cost to you, though be warned, this is significant only for low-cost and ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCCs) such as Ryanair in Europe.
In America, Wow!Fare services: Spirit Airlines, Frontier, Allegiant, Sun Country, Sunwing, Sky West, the Legacy Carriers’ Regional Subsidiaries - United Express, Delta Connection, and American Eagle, and the mid-tier air carriers: Southwest, and in some cases, JetBlue.
The enclosed Emirates “Game-Changer” Suite on the Boeing 777-300ER, now available!
Essentially, if it's a Star Alliance member or affiliate, you can be reasonably sure it's on the UpLift list.
And with Emirates being an affiliate member, their Business class “Game Changer” suite (see above) is all yours plus their exquisite groundside service.
This is not to say anything negative about the One World or Sky Team alliances but they do not offer the same or as many perks and other advantages.
Air Canada’s AEROPLAN - Can earn points on UpLift
UpLift can also be used on various vacation packages and cruises.
Affirm - can be used directly with American Airlines, Delta, or through the Alternative Airlines site to book domestically.
Klarna - can be used through Alternative Airlines site to book any flight you find. Pay in four installments, interest free.
PayPal Credit - works the same as UpLift and is taken by many of the same airlines. Functions as a standard line of credit.
Of these options, most do require a soft credit check which does not affect your credit score.
Bear in mind, UpLift is the most successful for general traveling but does require a hard credit check.
Now, in terms of hotels and resort packages, Affirm is by far the most popular as of 2023, requires a soft credit check, and handles many complete resort packages with services like: Vrbo, Vacasa, Avista plus complete travel (airfare, cruise, car rental) packages with Expedia, Knoji, and numerous independent resort properties.
Aerial view of LAX, Los Angeles, California, a major and central hub for two US-based airlines, United Airlines and Delta airlines
TAP Air Portugal’s exquisite Business Class offering, a Star Alliance member airline - Can be purchased via UpLift
The pinnacle of the point being, you don't have to spend your life savings on a luxury trip. There are numerous options available to save you tons of money.
I also recommend Avani+ for their luxurious resorts, specializing in island paradises, such as the Maldives and the Seychelles. This goes for Karisma resorts as well.
The other option are the credit cards linked to various airlines. United and the Star Alliance airlines have the most options through JP Morgan Chase bank and the United MileagePlus credit cards bear an honorable mention here.
These include the following - these are standard credit cards not linked to any particular airline aside from the Honorable Mentions:
6 Excellent Airline Credit Cards of 2023 According to NerdWallet
1. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: Best for Airline Miles and a Large Bonus
2. Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card: Best for Flat-rate travel rewards
3. Discover it Miles: Best for Flat-Rate Travel Rewards With Miles Match - Discover Card
4. Chase Freedom Unlimited: Best for Cash-Back Pairing With Chase Sapphire Preferred®
5. Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card: Best for Capital One Miles
6. Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card: Best for Flat-Rate Travel Rewards + No Annual Fee
Honorable Mentions (1): Chase United MileagePlus series Explorer Card: Annual fee: $95 USD, Over 32 perks annually including single-use United Club passes each year, priority ground service, priority luggage handling, and priority boarding (zone 2 no matter what cabin you’re booked into unless you’re traveling in First or Business class) plus additional perks that make this credit card one of the most valuable on the market (2 miles per dollar spent with the card and perks on hotel stays, and 1 mile per dollar spent on restaurants) - this card, with continual usage, unlocks the Chase VIP luxury hotel and resort collection. Credit: NerdWallet
Honorable Mentions (2): One of the most underrated travel rewards cards – the American Express® Green Card: Annual fee: $150 - is currently (for 2023) promoting its best-ever welcome offer. This card, which underwent a major refresh in late 2019, fits the needs of many modern travelers with its bonus categories and perks. With the current welcome offer, you can earn 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership. Based on TPG’s valuations, 60,000 Amex Membership Rewards points are worth about $1,200. You can also get 20% back (up to $200 as a statement credit) on eligible travel and transit purchases made during your first six months of card membership. That credit alone can fully offset the annual fee on this card. And that’s not to mention the additional statement credits for Clear Plus (up to $189 each calendar year, though I still prefer TSA Precheck, though that’s a discussion for a different blog). Credit: The Points Guy
Each card has additional perks and rewards unique to that card and cardholder (you) so be sure to research each card you’re thinking of getting. A good example, again worth mentioning, is Chase’s partnership with United Airlines which ultimately gives you access to the Luxury Hotel Collection around the world, with bonus cardholder perks such as $100 USD off your stay, a gift upon arrival and complimentary breakfast each day of your stay.
Gstaad Palace hotel in the winter, in the town of Gstaad, Switzerland, nestled in the Alps, it is only open for 2 seasons a year - winter and summer.
Credit: TripAdvisor
This is in addition to the standard Chase cardholder perks with are too numerous to list here; i have at least 35 overall perks i can use on my next trip including complimentary United Club lounge access.
If all else fails, I recommend Travel & Leisure magazine's #1 budget travel pick, the Dollar Flight Club. This club helps you save at least $500 USD on average per flight.
Dollar Flight Club directly says their service can "find flights up to 90 percent off leaving your home airport." Yes, this means you no longer have to scour flight search engines for hours to find the cheapest flights. now, you don't get premium seats, cabins, or ground services, or lounge access. When Dollar Flight Club says it searches for the cheapest flights, they mean THE cheapest flights. But a budget is a budget.
Here's how Dollar Flight Club works, per their site:
Dollar Flight Club searches the internet for the best flight deals — including error fares — and sends the results directly to your email inbox (be sure to check your junk mail). You can also access flight deals via the website any time you like. Depending on your membership tier, you can set your alert preferences to your home airport, your favorite destinations, and your preferred dates. Dollar Flight Club is not a booking service on its own. When it alerts you to an airfare deal, you're redirected to other websites, such as Google Flights and Skyscanner. From there, you'll be able to see how you can book your flight, whether that's through the airline itself, or a third-party vendor like Google. You will not get miles if you're a member of that airline if you book using Dollar Flight Club however, so be mindful. Remember, this is budget or at least budget-friendly, so you can't be too terribly choosey.
Being a membership, Dollar Flight Club is not free, though they do have a limited free option and a 14-day trial for premium.
Karisma Hotels & Resorts, rated 5-Stars on Virtually Every Travel Service in the World, featuring their Maldives resort here
Dollar Flight Club options ~
Free option: Free memberships are pretty limited in their usefulness — you'll get three emails a week showing deals from one home airport. They'll always be in economy class, and they're for international flights only. The Dollar Flight Club premium membership costs $69 per year and a premium plus membership costs $99 per year. There's also a 14-day free trial for Premium memberships, but be sure to cancel before that period is up, otherwise you'll be charged for the full year. Given that the average savings is $500 per flight, it's easy to recoup that membership, potentially even after one booking given the average price of airfares.
Premium membership:
Premium memberships allow you to choose up to four home airports; you can see deals for both international and domestic flights in economy; and you'll receive daily emails with deal alerts. You'll also have access to some Dollar Flight Club Partner Perks.
It's also worth noting that Dollar Flight Club sometimes offers lifetime memberships for extremely discounted prices, and it also has quite a few sales.
Premium+ membership
The only offer from Dollar Flight Club that offers business and first class cabins seating. Premium+ Memberships include all the benefits of a Premium membership, but they also include first- and business-class flights. You'll also have access to the full roster of Partner Perks.
This is not a plug for Dollar Flight Club and they are not paying me nor are they sponsoring this blog. It's simply a good fiscally prudent option to keep in mind in my opinion.
No service mentioned here in this blog is paying for otherwise financing my blog, vlog, or travel services.
Air Canada’s flagship Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner - A Brooke In The Air specialty offer
There are a few other minor tips but these are the ones that will save you money! Guaranteed!
Of course, there is always me, Brooke In The Air travel service, guaranteed to save you 20-30% on travel!
