All four IHG credit cards changed in October 2026, from a new $350 Premier Select to a fee that doubles on my IHG Business card. I compared the fees, credits and earning rates across the lineup, then ran my own numbers to decide whether my Business card is still worth $200. One untested United TravelBank question could change my answer.
3 Chase Sapphire Reserve Credits, 2 Hotels, $1.16 Total
By early 2027, I will have redeemed $1,800 from the Citi Strata Elite credit card triple dip credits for one $595 annual fee. Here’s how the triple dip works, my real numbers dip by dip, the fine print to know before you try it, and why I’m keeping the card for another year.
You don’t have to live on a plane to earn American Airlines status. My husband flies American for work, and in 2027 we’re going for Gold together. Here’s how AAdvantage status works, what it actually gets you, and every way to earn Loyalty Points without flying much: card spend, AAdvantage Dining, SimplyMiles, eShopping, hotels, and the Globe card.
I booked $12,979 in hotels with points, free night certificates, credits, and one status comp in 2025, and paid $1,851 out of pocket. Here’s every stay.
Saver award space almost never starts from where you live. Here’s how repositioning flights work, which seats are worth flying to another city for, and how a buffer day can protect your trip.
Free night certificates don’t have a cents-per-point value, so I measured mine a different way: what I paid in annual fees versus what I got back. Three certificates, $289 in fees, and $1,226 ahead. Part 2 of my three-part 2025 hotel series.
My real 2025 Hyatt and Hilton redemptions, with the actual cents-per-point math behind every stay. Hyatt came in well above the typical 2025 benchmark and Hilton landed right around it, and I’m showing you both halves. Part 1 of my three-part 2025 hotel series.
I’ve booked two hotels through Chase’s Edit Collection this year, one in Charleston, one in Boston, and the $250 credit stacked completely differently on each stay. One combined with a separate Hotel Collection credit. The other fell back to my general travel credit instead. Here’s the full math on both, plus a Hyatt status credit I’m still chasing down weeks later.
There’s no single ‘best’ hotel loyalty program – the right one depends on how you actually travel. I broke down all ten major programs to show how each prices its awards, what a point is actually worth, and which ones fit different kinds of travelers.
