00:00:00:08 - 00:00:08:19
Chris
Elite status sounds great on paper. Priority boarding room upgrades. Free breakfast. But is it actually worth chasing in 2026?
00:00:08:20 - 00:00:17:03
Katie
We asked our whole team and spoiler alert, no one agreed. You've got people who swear by it and people who think it is completely overrated.
00:00:17:05 - 00:00:25:12
Chris
Before that, I did something I never thought I'd do, and Katie found another awkward hotel bathroom layout in an X hotel collection property.
00:00:25:13 - 00:00:44:00
Katie
Plus, we've got the story of one of our one year anniversary contest winners who received a Hilton Be My Guest certificate, and she got some insane value. It's all coming up next on the Upgraded Points podcast.
00:00:44:02 - 00:00:47:09
Chris
Hey, I'm Chris. Welcome to the Upgraded Points podcast.
00:00:47:11 - 00:01:14:14
Katie
And I'm Katie and today Chris broke a millennial stereotype. I have a story about a hotel collection property. I just stayed out. We have an update from a contest winner from our one year anniversary giveaway, and then we're going to talk all about hotel and airline elite status, and whether or not it's actually worth it. Before we jump into all of that, don't forget a freeway to support the show is by leaving us a five star rating and review on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
00:01:14:14 - 00:01:28:02
Katie
And if you have questions or comments for us that you'd like to submit to, have us answer on air, you can reach us at podcasts at Upgraded points. Chris, I need to hear this story. I think I know the outcome, but how did this. How did this come about?
00:01:28:04 - 00:01:38:04
Chris
Yeah, I broke a millennial stereotype that I never thought I would do. I booked a flight on my phone. Yes, please clap I know, I know.
00:01:38:06 - 00:01:39:14
Katie
I can't.
00:01:39:16 - 00:01:41:18
Katie
Imagine it's giving me heart palpitations.
00:01:41:19 - 00:02:09:09
Chris
It was. I'm not going to do it again. I do not recommend it. It was a terrible experience, but I had to do it. I was at the gym and I got a seed start arrow alert for for business class seats from Japan, and I could not risk running home to try and book it. So I sat down on the bench, opened my American Airlines app, and I booked for business class seats from Japan.
00:02:09:11 - 00:02:29:07
Chris
It's actually on that Alaska Airlines Dreamliner, the 80. That'll be great. Yeah. So for 60,000 each way I just I had to do it. I couldn't wait any long. Couldn't risk waiting any longer. But yeah that was the first time I'd done that because it really is a millennial startup. These are the kind of big purchases that are reserved for for the laptop.
00:02:29:07 - 00:02:38:23
Chris
And so yeah, it was pretty funny. I posted about it on threads and people. I got some traction. People agreed with me that I know this is a big this is a laptop or just not a cell phone purchase.
00:02:39:00 - 00:02:53:10
Katie
Yeah, I think it's millennial and above, because I know a lot of people that like only the young ends, are going to be able to book a flight on the phone without having anxiety, but it was worth it for four seats on in those suites.
00:02:53:11 - 00:02:54:02
Katie
Yeah.
00:02:54:08 - 00:02:56:06
Katie
So you had to do it. You had to.
00:02:56:06 - 00:02:58:15
Chris
Do it. I had no choice. I had to do it.
00:02:58:17 - 00:03:00:05
Katie
I'm proud of you.
00:03:00:07 - 00:03:12:02
Chris
I'm proud of myself, too. I'm not going to not planning on doing it again. I did not like it. I like to sit down. I think Dan comment. He goes, no, I need a big screen. I glass of wine and quiet. Everything is bright.
00:03:12:03 - 00:03:13:01
Katie
It's an experience.
00:03:13:06 - 00:03:30:14
Chris
It's actually the American Airlines app is not it's not one of the best apps, but it is actually pretty good for these situations because it was super quick. And you can pay the taxes and fees with Apple Pay. So I didn't even need my credit card, which is nice because I didn't have it.
00:03:30:16 - 00:03:35:14
Katie
Yeah, yeah. Okay. Well you're not going to have any insurance then. Credit card insurance.
00:03:35:14 - 00:03:40:05
Chris
So no, because I use my my city strata. Throughout the planet.
00:03:40:05 - 00:03:48:11
Katie
So. Oh, okay. Cool. Oh, nice. See, I don't even know that because I always have to have my credit card binder right there at my laptop to look.
00:03:48:13 - 00:03:58:14
Chris
Yeah. Fortunately it was I had in my wallet, my Apple wallet. It was good. All right, let's let's move on and off with these stereotypes.
00:03:58:16 - 00:04:21:14
Katie
So I had a quick weekend trip to Kentucky last weekend. And I'm not going to talk about the whole trip, but I wanted to mention I did book a hotel collection, and I thought this was kind of funny because when I thought about it, this trip highlighted what's great about programs like, you know, the Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts and Hotel Collection credit and the edit credit.
00:04:21:14 - 00:04:35:11
Katie
And also what's not so great about them, because I only booked this trip because I had these credits to use. So I completely changed my behavior to use this credit on this credit card that I have, which some people would say is bananas.
00:04:35:13 - 00:04:35:15
Chris
Yeah.
00:04:35:18 - 00:04:51:09
Katie
But then I was also able to build a fun weekend trip with my husband and my daughter, and we had a great time. And okay, so we got some cool experiences and it like, you know, forced us to go do something. So I see both sides of it. But this was just one of those trips that was like completely because I had this credit.
00:04:51:10 - 00:05:19:10
Katie
So I was just looking for something really quick and easy. So we went down to Kentucky because it's just a couple hours drive and I do not like big road trips. So this is about as far as I go. And I booked the hotel to Still in Louisville. It is an autograph collection. I paid $274 after my $300 platinum rebate, and that included $60 each morning for breakfast and an additional $100 food credit.
00:05:19:10 - 00:05:39:23
Katie
So overall, great deal. Like really low out of pocket costs for, you know, a nice hotel, good location and we got some food with it. The funny thing about this, and as soon as I walked in, I was like, oh, I got to talk about this in the podcast because we've mentioned weird hotel layouts a couple times on the show, and this was when I hadn't seen before.
00:05:40:00 - 00:05:49:08
Katie
And so you walk in and you walk in to like the sink area. So you walk in and you're standing at the bathroom sink.
00:05:49:10 - 00:05:49:22
Chris
Okay.
00:05:49:23 - 00:06:13:01
Katie
It was so weird. I've never seen that before. Over to the side was like the toilet had its own room with a frosted glass door that you could see through. And then there was the shower. And, like, that was it. It did take me a minute to realize you could. There was a barn door so you could, like, close off that section to the room.
00:06:13:05 - 00:06:13:13
Chris
Okay.
00:06:13:14 - 00:06:33:08
Katie
But like, we ordered room service the first night, and I was taking a shower when the room service came. In and my husband had said, like, they started coming in and then realized that the shower was there because there was no door. I mean, it was a, you know, you couldn't see through the door, but like, then they just like kind of stepped back and handed the food into my husband.
00:06:33:10 - 00:06:45:00
Katie
It was just it was weird. I will put some video up for anyone's who was watching the video version. It was it was weird. I mean, it was fine. It worked for us, but it was just it was weird and it made me kind of like, look around.
00:06:45:01 - 00:06:51:20
Chris
So my first thought. So I'm assuming this wasn't some sort of cookie cutter hotel. What was this on a old distillery.
00:06:51:23 - 00:06:58:03
Katie
Autograph collection. So. So yeah, I mean, it was it wasn't like, you know, a typical, you know.
00:06:58:07 - 00:07:02:16
Chris
Because I'm thinking of the room service guy. Maybe not all rooms are laid out like that.
00:07:02:18 - 00:07:07:17
Katie
Yeah, maybe. Absolutely. I don't know, it was weird. So the first time that happened. So I.
00:07:07:17 - 00:07:09:01
Katie
Just thought, that is weird.
00:07:09:02 - 00:07:12:03
Katie
Yeah, I walked in, I'm like, oh, I got to talk about this on the podcast. I got.
00:07:12:03 - 00:07:12:16
Katie
To talk.
00:07:12:18 - 00:07:15:10
Chris
Yeah. Now the universe is sending you weird bathrooms.
00:07:15:11 - 00:07:43:18
Katie
Yeah, yeah, we're a weird bathroom podcast now. Anyways, moving on. I have another cool story. Before we get to our discussion about elite status, we got an email from one of the winners of our one year anniversary podcast giveaway, and Allison had won one of the grand prizes, which was a Hilton Be My Guest certificate, which is good for practically any Hilton hotel in the world as long as there's standard room availability.
00:07:43:18 - 00:08:02:23
Katie
And she wrote us this email and I just thought this was fantastic. I had to share. She said she had already planned to surprise her daughter for an overnight to New York City for her birthday, and this was in December, which is a popular time to go to New York for all the, you know, holiday stuff. She had flights booked with Delta and a nice hotel stay booked at a Hyatt, she says.
00:08:02:23 - 00:08:24:14
Katie
After receiving the certificate, I looked at Hilton's in New York City and saw that the newly renovated Waldorf Astoria is on the property list. My husband and I had stayed there over ten years ago before it closed for renovations, and it was only in my wildest dreams that a room here would qualify. The available rooms online appeared to be deluxe and up, but I thought I would call the number on the certificate and take a chance.
00:08:24:16 - 00:08:42:18
Katie
I asked the Hilton rep to check my date, which was a Saturday night in mid-December. She took all my information and came back to confirm that the hotel would honor the certificate, and she said they had an available room that totaled $4,200 for one night.
00:08:42:19 - 00:08:44:01
Chris
Oh my God.
00:08:44:02 - 00:08:53:22
Katie
And Allison was able to use her Hilton Be my guest certificate for that Saturday night in New York at the Waldorf Astoria. So I just I.
00:08:53:22 - 00:08:56:04
Katie
Thought that was done. Allison.
00:08:56:05 - 00:08:57:20
Chris
That is incredible.
00:08:57:22 - 00:08:58:21
Katie
That was.
00:08:58:22 - 00:09:08:09
Katie
An amazing win. Let us know how it is. I've been there, but I've never stayed there and I would love to. So kudos. Excellent redemption.
00:09:08:14 - 00:09:13:06
Chris
Well done. That is probably the best case scenario for the for that certificate.
00:09:13:07 - 00:09:40:22
Katie
Oh yeah. Yeah for real. So that's fantastic. And she, she left us a nice note just thanking us in the team. So that was that was really sweet. Thank you so much for letting us know Allison I really enjoyed reading your email. So let's take a quick break. And when we come back we are going to have a discussion about hotel and airline elite status and whether or not it's actually worth the hype.
00:09:41:00 - 00:09:47:13
Chris
Hey, real quick, before we jump back in, if you're listening to this podcast, you're exactly the kind of person we build our free newsletter for.
00:09:47:15 - 00:09:57:19
Katie
We break down the best credit card offers, transfer bonuses, award alerts, and travel news that actually matters. No fluff, no spam, just the stuff we text a friend if something big dropped.
00:09:57:20 - 00:10:02:17
Chris
A lot of the deals we talk about on the show don't last long. The newsletter is where we flag those fast.
00:10:02:17 - 00:10:15:00
Katie
It's totally free and you can sign up at upgraded points.
00:10:15:02 - 00:10:30:00
Katie
Okay. Welcome back. Let's jump into our discussion about hotel and airline elite status. We recently published an article about the Upgraded Points Team's mid-year status updates, and that kind of got us thinking like, is status even worth it?
00:10:30:05 - 00:10:51:10
Chris
It's a question that comes up a lot in the points of Miles world, and it's probably one you have considered yourself. Elite status sounds glamorous until you actually do the math. This episode pulls in honest takes from across the Upgrade Points team to help you figure out whether chasing airline and hotel status actually makes sense for your travel style.
00:10:51:12 - 00:11:14:00
Katie
Yeah, so let's start with airline status. And you know, some of the benefits that you can expect from having airline status is free check bags, priority boarding, access to extra legroom, seats and upgrades. There's a whole other list of stuff, but that's kind of at least what I consider sort of the most important things. So we pose this question to other members of the upgraded points team.
00:11:14:00 - 00:11:30:05
Katie
And I thought a lot of the responses were really interesting. So we're going to read through some of them and sort of discuss where we lie on this to help you make that decision for yourself. Because again, we talk about this all the time. We can be up here and tell you what we think, what works for us.
00:11:30:07 - 00:11:52:17
Katie
You need to know what works for you. So take this discussion, take what we talk about and analyze it against your particular situation to help you decide for you. Is airline and hotel elite status worth it? So Lori says, I actually really value having won World Ruby simply because I can go into the business class and priority checking lanes and my kid isn't going nuts waiting.
00:11:52:19 - 00:12:16:14
Katie
And just to note, Lori lives in Spain. She said Iberia also tends to overbook flights, especially in the summer, and I have gotten upgraded also on the Pacific, a couple of times for having won World Ruby status. So while you might scoff at a gold in the US which is gets you one world Ruby, having it if you travel or live abroad might get you upgrades and you can wait a much shorter lines.
00:12:16:16 - 00:12:38:03
Chris
Okay, I like that from the other end of the spectrum, Ryan, he says. I've given talks on why I think airline status isn't worth it for most people. I think nearly all airline statuses are overrated, given how flooded the ranks are and how constantly the airlines are moving the goalposts. Okay.
00:12:38:05 - 00:12:38:21
Katie
Yeah.
00:12:39:02 - 00:13:04:23
Katie
And comment from Ben, who says my own $0.02 on airline status is that it's worth it. If you are a big spender or traveling a lot on an employer's dime. My job before upgraded points involve traveling three days a week every week, and I easily earned Delta Platinum status as a result. It got me very little in terms of first class upgrades, but the big needle mover at that level is the ability to move to Delta Comfort seats after booking in no charge.
00:13:05:00 - 00:13:28:17
Katie
That perk alone probably saved me thousands of dollars, barring being in those scenarios, I would say airlines airline status is not worth it, especially since cash prices to upgrade to first is generally much lower than it used to be. If you buy into first or upgrade status really doesn't matter and you'll get priority check in, access boarding first, free check bags, etc. etc. the same as having status.
00:13:28:17 - 00:13:33:14
Katie
So there's a couple different opinions on our team. What do you think is airline status important for you?
00:13:33:15 - 00:13:52:01
Chris
Chris Yeah, I mean, for me personally it is right now, but for the casual flier, I don't think it makes sense. If you're booking, you know, one big trip per year and you're using Miles to book a business or first class seat, that status isn't going to get you any noticeable benefits. What do you think?
00:13:52:04 - 00:14:19:16
Katie
Yeah, yeah for sure. And like you, I find airline status to be incredibly value valuable. I think even low to mid tier airline status has a lot of benefits that are are really beneficial. If you're flying, you know, more than once or twice a year. Getting better seats is a huge one. So that's the main cabin extra on American Airlines or Delta Comfort or extra legroom on southwest.
00:14:19:22 - 00:14:42:04
Katie
For me, that's huge. I mean, I fly in Main Cabin Extra on American Airlines, which is where I have my status 98% of the time. And I don't say 100 because I did get stuck in a regular seat, one flight in Hawaii. But that's, you know, an exception. And I don't pay anything extra. And sometimes I forget what a benefit that is because it's just automatic.
00:14:42:04 - 00:14:55:09
Katie
But like, I booked a southwest flight recently because that was the only airline that's going to where I need to go. I have zero status, I don't have a credit card, and they wanted $78 for the extra legroom seat.
00:14:55:10 - 00:14:56:09
Katie
Oh.
00:14:56:11 - 00:15:12:00
Katie
Which which sucks. And I'm going to end up paying it. I'm going to use my American Express Platinum Airline incidental credit because it's a long flight. I need to work, and I can't work in a regular seat. Even though I fit perfectly in a regular seat, it's really hard to work on a laptop.
00:15:12:00 - 00:15:13:01
Katie
So yeah.
00:15:13:04 - 00:15:43:00
Katie
When that kind of reminded me of how much I value getting those seats. So yeah, airline status for me right now is very, very important. With upgrades though, it really depends. I've had pretty good experiences overall as an American Airlines elite, but it really depends on the route you're flying now. You you're an executive Platinum now. I think I saw and you just had some not so great experiences with upgrades on one of your recent trips.
00:15:43:02 - 00:16:00:09
Chris
Yeah. Well, I flew between two major hubs. I flew between back and forth between Miami and Dallas on a 707 seven with a huge it's a big plane. I was number 18 and number 25 on the upgrade list as an Executive Platinum. I think everyone.
00:16:00:10 - 00:16:03:02
Katie
On this, everyone on the freaking. Yeah.
00:16:03:03 - 00:16:05:18
Katie
Oh my God, there's probably a hundred people on that upgrade list.
00:16:05:19 - 00:16:06:15
Katie
They're probably.
00:16:06:17 - 00:16:07:07
Katie
In Miami.
00:16:07:08 - 00:16:07:23
Katie
Yeah.
00:16:08:00 - 00:16:31:04
Chris
And for the long haul flights, I ended up paying with cash because the the system wide upgrades weren't available. So yeah, I think these upgrades, like you said, it really depends on where you're flying to. But going back to what Lori said, having that low level, maybe gold status in this situation, that would have gotten me the economy extra, which is what I ended up with.
00:16:31:06 - 00:16:36:02
Chris
But I chased really hard last year, this executive platinum, and I'm wondering if it's worth it.
00:16:36:08 - 00:16:58:04
Katie
Yeah, that's interesting because I've, I dropped to platinum last year and I've, I've been doing really good on my loyalty points this year. So I decided I'm actually going to chase Executive Platinum. I don't know if it'll be worth it because actually, at least from American, there's a I think Platinum Pro is kind of the sweet spot. And I haven't decided yet if getting that extra, you know, up up to Executive platinum going to be worth it.
00:16:58:04 - 00:17:21:05
Katie
But it'll be an interesting, interesting experiment. But when I first got gold, I was really impressed with the benefits. And I think gold is any airlines low level status. If you're flying a, you know, a handful of times, 5 or 6 times a year, let's say a lot of those low level statuses, especially when combined with credit cards, are pretty achievable.
00:17:21:05 - 00:17:28:20
Katie
And there are some some tangible benefits that you can get that I think would would benefit a lot of people.
00:17:28:22 - 00:17:29:23
Katie
Yeah.
00:17:30:00 - 00:17:57:00
Chris
One more thing. You mentioned the sweet spot of Platinum Pro, which I still think is is valid. I think that is my sweet spot as well. I only went for Executive Platinum because I wanted to get the sweet of the sweet, the still use. And then I was so close. I just went for executive platinum. But the only negative of the Platinum Pro, well, the really the biggest benefit I was going for was the first class lounges, the flagship lounges, and the Soho Lounge in New York, which I really like, but I can only bring in one guest.
00:17:57:00 - 00:18:10:08
Chris
So when I'm traveling with my family, we don't go. So I mean, it's I got time to think about it, but let's move over to hotel statuses, low level hotel.
00:18:10:08 - 00:18:11:16
Katie
Status.
00:18:11:18 - 00:18:41:03
Chris
And sometimes top tier status can come automatically through some credit cards. So you don't really always not everyone is going to be, you know, chasing as hard as as many do with the airlines. But some of the most common benefits of of hotel status free Wi-Fi and free water, which is always welcome. Early check in and late checkout, which can be huge depending on your flights, breakfast or food and beverage credits, and of course, the very rare room upgrades, unless you are top tier.
00:18:41:05 - 00:19:03:05
Chris
But let's take a look at what some of our fellow writers said. Lori says I value having low level high, and I use that as a lot. I've gotten a room upgrade at every Iberostar I've ever stayed at, so now I just booked the room right below the one I want and cross my fingers. Okay, like that. And my wishes have been granted 100% of the time so far.
00:19:03:05 - 00:19:25:22
Chris
Wow, these grades are worth. Yeah, glory is getting dropping some gems right now in this episode. These were upgrades are worth hundreds of dollars, which definitely outweigh the $95 annual fees on the cards, and I find the status especially helpful when outside the US. I think it's because while a lot of U.S. travelers have a lead status, many people from outside from other countries don't.
00:19:25:23 - 00:19:35:12
Chris
So even though I'm itchy platinum, maybe there isn't a single other person staying at the hotel with a lead status, and I can get treated really well in foreign countries.
00:19:35:14 - 00:20:02:12
Katie
Yeah, that's an interesting take that she has. And I think there's a lot of truth to that. Your hotel status really is dependent on where you are in the world. Ryan, who said basically airline status is worthless, says hotel status is important largely because stays on free nights and points still count as days. He says I chase Marriott Titanium Elite, which gives me two airline statuses that are good enough for better seats and free check bags.
00:20:02:13 - 00:20:26:14
Katie
Most people can get the stuff they really care about with airlines, without or with a credit card, and way less effort. So he chases a high level hotel status to not only get that, but at at the Titanium Elite. I think that one comes with United and Air Canada base level status. So that's an interesting spot in the Marriott chart that actually I am considering for my husband.
00:20:26:14 - 00:20:51:01
Katie
He has the platinum or the brilliant sorry, the Marriott brilliant card which gets him platinum status, and he's going to be kind of close ish to titanium. And I'm actually wondering if it's worth it to get there because it comes with United Silver status, which he doesn't fly United enough to get on his own, but he flies United enough where that would be beneficial beneficial.
00:20:51:01 - 00:21:11:00
Katie
So Marriott Titanium is an interesting status there because you get a little bit of both. So Jamie says I will be the contrarian here. I'm a huge proponent of status when things go wrong. Status is what will save you, whether that's accommodation or on another flight. Rebooking a different hotel, etc. status quote isn't worth it until it's worth it.
00:21:11:02 - 00:21:26:20
Katie
Now, if you're traveling once per year, it's not going to matter. But if you're traveling often enough, status will make the experience that much better. And it's not just the upgrades or free breakfast that are important, but really the benefits that aren't tangible that you'll find the most beneficial. I thought that was an interesting take.
00:21:26:22 - 00:21:57:14
Chris
Yeah, and I agree with Jamie, but even having that low level status will give you the edge when something goes wrong. Kind of going back to what Laurie says, especially if you weren't, if you were to compare yourself to a guest who booked, booked via, you know, a third party online travel agency like Expedia, for example, if you are a low level elite, you are still one of the highest elite members on property, especially maybe abroad, where a lead status isn't as common.
00:21:57:16 - 00:22:20:19
Chris
Personally, I've been a free agent for a past couple of years now. I haven't chased status at all. I used to be high globalist and it was awesome when I had it, but right now I've just been happy with my, you know, Hilton Diamond status that I get from my aspire card, especially outside the US. And then I keep my eye and high cards for the free nights, but sometimes a rare upgrade will happen.
00:22:21:00 - 00:22:37:17
Chris
Plus, my wife has that Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express card, so that comes with platinum status, that comes with breakfast and upgrades. So we are pretty well covered as a family without needing to chase status from one program. What about you?
00:22:37:19 - 00:22:58:08
Katie
Yeah, you know, I've been using programs like Amex, Find Hotels and Resorts and Chase the edit more lately because I have credits that I need to use, and those are actually making hotel status less important for me because those booking through those platforms comes with a lot like benefits. So you don't need to worry about having status. And I kind of like that.
00:22:58:08 - 00:23:25:08
Katie
I found that I was a Hyatt globalist for, I think it was almost two years and meaningful upgrades, whether it was Hyatt globalist or even as a marriott platinum under my husband or, you know, Hilton Gold, even fine hotels and resorts status or I'm sorry, upgrades I find just don't happen very often. And I, I don't like being disappointed.
00:23:25:09 - 00:23:45:01
Katie
Like that's no fun. And when I had high level, you know, global status, I kind of went into this day thinking like, oh, I've got top tier status, so I'm probably going to get an upgrade. And most often I didn't. And and that kind of sucks. So I go with like Lori. It works for her. That's great. But that would stress me out so much.
00:23:45:02 - 00:24:07:06
Katie
Like knowing what room I want and not booking it and hoping for the upgrade. Too much anxiety I if there is a specific room I want which is rare, I would say I book it because I don't trust that even in these programs like fine hotels and resorts, that says you will get an upgrade of funds available. I've had many instances where I no one's available and they do not give it.
00:24:07:06 - 00:24:07:20
Katie
To you.
00:24:07:22 - 00:24:37:21
Katie
So I've kind of written off upgrades in my travels just because they never came through. For me, the most valuable perk for hotel status for me is free breakfast, because it just makes life easy. It saves us some money and I just, I like that. So yes, I love Hyatt. I'm an explorer. But that status I'm trying to focus more on hotels where I have a reasonable status by just having a credit card and not really putting any effort.
00:24:37:21 - 00:24:57:15
Katie
So like I said, my husband has the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant. So we have platinum status. So whenever we stay at Marriott's we have access to free breakfast. And I have Hilton Gold, which is a mid-level status, but it comes with food and beverage credits like that. Hilton gold, I think is is such a sweet spot because it comes with a number of credit cards.
00:24:57:15 - 00:25:23:00
Katie
I have it through my Amex Platinum, but it comes with lower annual fee cards as well, and you get food and beverage credits. I stayed at a Hilton in that Kentucky trip that I took and we had. It was $15 for two people, so we had $30 to spend on food and beverage. And I know some people who maybe aren't breakfast people actually like that because, well, maybe the value is less.
00:25:23:01 - 00:25:38:20
Katie
It gives you a lot more flexibility. So I guess I'm kind of a free agent as well these days. I value status, but but not enough to go out of my way to get a high level status, at least with upgrades in mind.
00:25:38:22 - 00:25:39:10
Katie
Right?
00:25:39:12 - 00:25:41:05
Katie
But I do.
00:25:41:07 - 00:25:49:16
Chris
SP calculated, really. I mean, you're going to have to spend some money and some effort to get the status. And what do you want to get out of that status?
00:25:49:17 - 00:25:50:17
Katie
So yeah.
00:25:50:20 - 00:25:56:13
Katie
Yeah, yeah. Meanwhile, I'm doing stupid things to get American Airlines status and I'm okay.
00:25:56:13 - 00:25:57:10
Katie
With it. Like, I'm.
00:25:57:10 - 00:25:59:15
Katie
Fine because I get a lot of value.
00:25:59:17 - 00:26:00:05
Katie
Well, that's.
00:26:00:05 - 00:26:12:01
Chris
The thing. Yeah. So not only is, you know, when you're chasing American Airlines house, for example, you're going after those loyalty points, but you're also earning miles, which can be redeemed for flights. So you could almost justify it, which I did.
00:26:12:01 - 00:26:13:11
Katie
Last year. Oh.
00:26:13:13 - 00:26:22:16
Chris
I'm buying American miles. Oh bonus. I'm also earning, you know, towards status. You can do some mental gymnastics to make it work for you.
00:26:22:18 - 00:26:26:12
Katie
Anything to not have to worry about my boarding group or if.
00:26:26:12 - 00:26:27:16
Katie
There's going to be space.
00:26:27:16 - 00:26:28:06
Katie
In the overhead.
00:26:28:07 - 00:26:29:04
Katie
Bin.
00:26:29:06 - 00:26:38:19
Katie
Like I'm bumped down to Group three now with platinum. And I like when they call Group two, which I used to have like physical like reaction.
00:26:38:20 - 00:26:39:11
Katie
I know.
00:26:39:12 - 00:26:47:16
Katie
And I want to be in group one. It's silly, it's completely irrational. And I get that and I'm okay with it and I'm I'm fine. I own it.
00:26:47:21 - 00:26:50:13
Chris
Your own. You're owning what? You're the irrational part or.
00:26:50:13 - 00:26:51:10
Katie
The group part.
00:26:51:14 - 00:26:59:21
Katie
Own it. That it's completely irrational that I have such anxiety about boarding and that I do a lot of stuff to go out of my way to earn loyalty points for.
00:26:59:23 - 00:27:01:05
Katie
You know, something? You.
00:27:01:08 - 00:27:08:11
Katie
Yeah, whatever is the right answer for you is the right answer. I think it's always fun to hear kind of how other people view status.
00:27:08:11 - 00:27:08:18
Katie
Because.
00:27:08:23 - 00:27:28:21
Katie
You can read a lot of blogs these days and listen to podcasts and think that, like, you're doing it wrong. If you don't have Hyatt Globalist and you're absolutely not like you can travel really well without high level elite status, especially if it doesn't, you know, give you the benefits that are really valuable to you. So anyways, let's move on.
00:27:28:21 - 00:27:48:12
Katie
We actually have a question that we wanted to go over this week. And this one came in through our email. And this email says hello. Love the show by the way. Thank you. I learned a lot from you guys. I have a question. I have a Wells Fargo autograph card. I'm trying to transfer my points to Wyndham Rewards and Cathay Pacific.
00:27:48:13 - 00:28:07:03
Katie
I'm using the app at a let me transfer to those travel or transfer partners and it's giving me an error. I called the rewards customer service line and they couldn't help me with the issue. They were saying that Wyndham McCarthy are not partners with them. I went to a Wells Fargo branch to talk to a bank employee, and we did the same thing called the rewards customer service.
00:28:07:04 - 00:28:10:04
Katie
Same result. Do you have any advice?
00:28:10:06 - 00:28:11:05
Katie
Well.
00:28:11:07 - 00:28:38:16
Chris
First of all, it is super frustrating and I had to do some research because that sounds very odd. But surprise, surprise, I found a few Reddit threads that had similar experiences. All of them said Wells Fargo was useless and not seeing any issues on their end. However, multiple people were able to resolve this problem on the other end of the equation.
00:28:38:16 - 00:29:02:20
Chris
So bye. I want you to go and try logging into your window profile and make sure everything matches exactly as it shows in Wells Fargo. So go and change your Wyndham email the address that's in your Wyndham account, your phone number, everything. Just copy and paste it. Make sure that there's no, you know, loose character hidden somewhere. Make sure it is 100% exactly the same and then go try again.
00:29:02:21 - 00:29:15:08
Chris
The people that had success with this said it was they were able to do it immediately after. They didn't have to wait 2 or 3 days for it to go. Go. Copy and paste all the same information logging. Log out and try again and please keep us posted.
00:29:15:09 - 00:29:31:22
Katie
Yeah, that's super frustrating sometimes when those little things is just a tiny little thing that messes stuff up. But thank you so much for the question. We appreciate that. If you have questions that you'd like to submit for us to answer on air or comments for the show, you can always reach us at podcast at upgraded points and that will do it for us this week.
00:29:31:22 - 00:29:33:09
Katie
We will see you next week.