Sign Up For Every Loyalty Program You Use

One of the biggest keys to rarely paying full price for travel is taking advantage of loyalty programs. Frequent flyer programs only go back to the late 1970s, but they can really pay off for those who sign up. Many hotel chains also offer loyalty programs.

So, you might be wondering, how many loyalty programs should you sign up for. This is a pretty easy answer. Each and every one that you ever use. If you're smart enough to stay at a Holiday Inn Express, you might as well sign up for the IHG Rewards Club. 

You might protest that you only stay in a Holiday Inn Express one night a year on the way to visit your Great Aunt Gertrude in Paducah. You should still sign up. Each and every paid stay or flight will provide you with loyalty points that will become the building blocks for future vacations at highly discounted rates.

Why You Should Sign Up For Every Loyalty Program You Use

Here's an example of how you can benefit from my own experience. 

I hardly ever stay at Best Western. I've basically been a Marriott loyalist since learning about the Marriott Rewards program (with a few IHG/Holiday Inn or Choice Hotels stays sprinkled in). However, several years ago, I spent a few nights at the Carolinian Resort in Myrtle Beach. At the time, it was a Best Western property. I signed up for Best Western's loyalty program. BAM. I earned several thousand points. 

In the ensuing seven or eight years, I stayed at a Best Western in western Kentucky once and one in Wall, South Dakota, twice. I dutifully gave them my loyalty number each time I stayed. 

A couple of summers ago, I was traveling east and looking for a place to spend the night. Columbia, Missouri had a Best Western hotel going for 16,000 points a night. I had just above 16,000 points by this point. I booked a room and saved at least $80, which would likely have been what I would have paid had I had to pay for a hotel that I would have actually stayed at (I avoid Motel 6 like the plague, for example). 

This depleted my account, but had I not signed up for Best Western's loyalty program a few years earlier, my bank account would be $80 or $100 lighter today. I rarely stay at Best Western, but using their loyalty program when I did stay with them eventually paid off with some savings. Therefore, my argument is that you should sign up for every loyalty program you use. 

There are ways to supercharge your points totals. These will generally involve signing up for co-branded credit cards. These bonuses can then be used to save hundreds, if not thousands, on a dream vacation--or several dream vacations.

If you'd like to learn more about how to travel the world for pennies on the dollar, be sure to scroll up to the top of the page to follow updates to this site.