The pandemic has dramatically changed the way we travel, and some of the changes we’ve seen may still remain. For example, many countries have introduced vaccination requirements for COVID-19, and some countries (including our own) still have entry testing requirements.
Many airlines and hotels have been forced to expand cancellation and rebooking policies during 2020 and 2021, some of which appear to be permanent. For example, American Airlines still no longer charges change fees for domestic, short-haul international flights, and select long-haul international flights, and Delta and United have similar policies.
Many airline and hotel loyalty programs also make it easier to gain or maintain elite status, whether through hotel stays or spending with rewards credit cards.
All of this might make you wonder – what other changes will we see in 2022? Here are some trends to look forward to:
Flexible travel credit cards will continue to dominate
Travel credit cards with flexible redemption options will continue to be popular in 2022 as travel uncertainty persists and consumers focus on rewards that can be redeemed in multiple ways. Finally, people can skip airline credit cards and instead sign up for a card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Rather than being locked into a single airline program, these rewards credit cards allow users to redeem rewards for any flight, hotel stay, car rental, experience or cruise through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.
Also, keep in mind that the Chase Ultimate Rewards program allows users to transfer points 1:1 to airline and hotel partners such as Southwest Express Rewards, British Airways, United MileagePlus and IHG Rewards. If none of these options work, Chase points can be redeemed for merchandise, gift cards, cash back, and more.
If you want to make sure you don’t get stuck with unusable points or miles, check out other flexible programs like Citi ThankYou and American Express Membership Rewards.
Flexible redemption options may stay here
Remember Chase’s “Reward Yourself” campaign? This feature allows consumers to redeem specific categories of points (which change over time) for additional value. Chase has extended this feature until December 31, 2022 for some of its card products.
For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred earns you 1.25 cents per point for these redemptions, while the Chase Sapphire Reserve earns you 1.5 cents per point. Both options will earn you the same point value as through the Chase Ultimate Rewards Travel Portal.
However, other reward changes have occurred (and may be permanent) due to the pandemic. For example, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card can now be redeemed for rewards on purchases made through PayPal.com or Amazon.com. The new Capital One Venture X Rewards credit card, launching in November 2021, also includes these flexible options.
Bad availability of bonuses and high prices
As most of us know, travel prices have risen so much in 2022. In fact, Airline Reporting Corporation (ARC) data shows that the average price of a return flight in February 2022 rose to $464 from $409 in January. Meanwhile, The Washington Post recently reported that hotel prices are up 40 percent this year compared to last year.
Rising travel prices and huge consumer demand have left those of us who travel with reward points in a bind. Due to the recent surge in demand and limited rewards available, dynamic pricing plans charge a large number of points or miles per booking.
I’ve noticed this all year, but I’ve been lucky enough to book a lot of 2022 flights in late 2021. However, I was looking at hotel reservations in Hawaii recently and could hardly believe what I was seeing. Maui’s famous Grand Wailea room can earn you over 500,000 Hilton Honors points per night, subject to availability. At this hotel and many others, there really aren’t any standard nightly rewards – just premium rewards rates with high points.
A friend of mine asked me to help her find an award flight to Flagstaff, Arizona this summer, and no kidding, the best flight I found was a return economy class flight at 73,000 miles plus tax.
If you’ve been looking for incentive travel lately, you’ve probably been in a similar situation. Prices are high for almost everything, whether you want to pay with cash, flexible travel points or rewards points.
Reaching elite status will be easier this year
Almost all hotel and airline plans extend elite status for members through 2022, and many plans make it easier to get elite status in 2022 for the rest of the year (and 2023). Some plans simply allow their elite members to maintain their status throughout the pandemic.
For example, the Hilton Honors program will extend elite status through March 31, 2023 for members expiring in 2020 and 2021. Elite status for Marriott Bonvoy members will also be extended through February 2023, regardless of whether they earned it in 2019 or 2020. Those who earn Marriott Elite status in 2021 have their membership through February 2023.
Delta Air Lines is another loyalty program that has boosted the status of its loyalty members. Delta Medallion Members can maintain their tier status until January 31, 2023.
Keep an eye out for new travel credit cards and better reward offers
Finally, don’t forget that new top travel credit cards are born every year, as well as new bonus offers for existing credit cards. This year is no different, so make sure you’re ready to strike while the iron is hot.
For example, we recently saw co-branded Delta Air Lines credit cards offer higher welcome bonuses. The American Express® Gold Card – which finally perpetuated its popular rose gold option – is now also available in premium quality. Specifically, if you spend $4,000 within six months of account opening, you’ll earn 60,000 points. Additionally, the popular Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 80,000 points ($1,000 value when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards) for those who spend $4,000 within three months of account opening.
Остаточний результат
The pandemic has created a lot of uncertainty when it comes to credit card rewards. While the credit cards above are some of the best rewards credit card deals out there, we know one thing for sure — more deals are coming.
Вивчайте більше:
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Огляд картки Delta Skymiles® Reserve American Express – більше.
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AmEx зосереджується на взаємодії з клієнтами завдяки новому поточному рахунку та оновленій програмі
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