Top 5 Things The Airlines and Credit Card Don't Want You to Know This Holiday Season
Top 5 Things The Airlines and Credit Card Don't Want You to Know This Holiday Season
Every year, millions of people travel for Thanksgiving and Christmas during the holiday season. This year, an estimated 30.6 million people are projected to travel, up from 2017 according to Airlines.org. With so many people traveling to see friends, family, and loved ones, make sure you know these tips and tricks that will help you get through airport delays and travel disruptions unscathed. We believe this is covers things both the airlines and the credit card companies would rather you never knew in the first place.
Understand the “Conditions of Carriage” with Your Airline
You have rights. Few people will bother to read this, but it’s essentially the contract between you and the airline. This covers what they will do during scenarios such as a delayed flight, cancelled flight, if the plane doesn’t board by 11:59pm, etc. Citing the “Conditions of Carriage” (or “Contract of Carriage”, depending on the airline’s verbiage) when a flight is cancelled or the schedule change meets the criteria, may allow you to have some leverage to get the airline to help cover the cost of providing a hotel for the night for example. Below is a direct link to the top US airlines’ Conditions of Carriage:
Airline and Travel Credits
Credit cards such as the American Express Platinum Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve include travel credits. For the AMEX Platinum, this is a statement credit up to $200 per year that reimburses expenses such as checked bags or paying for a premium economy seat. This will also cover unplanned expenses, such as paying for same-day standby confirmation. For the Chase Sapphire Reserve, this is a $300 credit that is applied to any travel expense.
Same-Day Standby Confirmation
Some airlines, such as United and American, will let you confirm your standby seat for a fee, which may be waived if you have certain levels of status with the airline that you’re flying with. If you’re experiencing a travel delay during the holiday season, this may very well be worth the $75 fee (which if you have one of the cards mentioned above and haven’t use your annual credit, will be reimbursed!).
Trip Delay Reimbursement
Credit cards such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve come with “Trip Delay Reimbursement” that will cover expenses such as meals and lodging if your carrier (airline, train, cruise ship, etc) is delayed by 12 or more hours. The catch with this kind of trip delay reimbursement is that you usually will need to have paid for the trip with that card. For example, if I put a trip on my debit card but I have a Chase Sapphire Reserve card, the Chase card won’t reimburse me for the expenses. This is why we at the Points Passport highly recommend using a travel credit card when purchasing flights and other travel related services. What cards have trip delay reimbursement? Find out more below:
Ease the Travel Pain with Airline Lounge Access
Traveling can be very stressful, and even more so during the holidays. Some credit cards come with airline lounge access, which if you’ve never tried, will completely change how you view travel. The American Express Platinum card allows the primary card holder and one guest to the AMEX Centurion Lounge. Authorized users who have the Platinum card also have access. Additional guests are $50 each.
Most major airlines, such as American, United, and Delta have their own lounges. These can be accessed with their top-level credit card (which usually have a higher annual fee, which offsets the cost of the airline lounge membership). If you don’t have one of these cards, you can also find access to additional clubs via Priority Pass which is included with cards such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve. If you don’t have a card that comes with access, fear not, you can always buy a day pass from the lounge directly. This can be a rather pricey option, but if you’re experiencing an extended delay, the complimentary food and drinks will easily offset the cost. The AMEX Centurion lounge can be accessed with any AMEX for $50 per person, and the airline lounges typically charge about the same.
We hope that these top 5 tips help make your holiday travel more enjoyable! As always, feel free to email us at pointspassport@gmail.com, message us at https://www.facebook.com/pointspassport/, or DM us on Instagram @pointspassport.