Up+ short courses to get you up to speed đđđ¨
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United just gutted MileagePlusâagain. Higher status thresholds, fewer upgrade perks, and a nerfed Excursionist Perk. Loyalty programs arenât rewarding youâtheyâre squeezing you. In 2025, flexibility beats loyalty. Play smart, not loyal. Here's why.
Strategy
Forget ping-pong tablesâreal team loyalty is built miles above the office. Discover how smart SMB founders are using points-funded travel to create unforgettable offsites that boost trust, alignment, and retentionâall without blowing the budget. Ready to fly higher together?
Learn
Locked in Philly or a non-gateway city? Donât chase nonstop flights - chase value ⢠The best redemptions often start elsewhere ⢠Use positioning flights to JFK, BOS, or IAD to unlock Qsuites, ANA Business, or Emirates First for fewer miles ⢠Your airportâs the on-ramp, not the destination.
Learn
Airlines like Delta quietly gut your points behind flashy apps and âdynamic pricing.â SkyMiles? Not real miles. Saver seats? Vanished. Partner flights? Hidden. Our exposĂŠ breaks down the tricks loyalty programs hope you never catchâso you can beat them at their own game.
Earn
Influencer tips on âfreeâ luxury travel often skip the hard truths: scattered points, unusable perks, and misaligned cards. Real reward strategy requires mapping spend, timing redemptions, and treating loyalty like currencyânot content. Ignore hype, build systems.
Case Study
A firmâs next first-class ticket was buried in their SaaS bill. See how three accountants flipped $75K in monthly spend into $40K of luxury travelâno extra dollars, just smarter cards. (BLUF: ...If youâre still taking 1-2% cash back, youâre burning money)
Status
Over the past few days, we exposed the costs, myths, and math behind hotel loyalty. But why, even knowing the truth, do travelers still chase elite statusâspending more, sacrificing convenience, and twisting plans for marginal rewards?
Status
After a few days of pulling back the curtain on loyalty myths, wasted spend, and the psychology of chasing elite status, it's time to get practical. How do the major hotel programs actually stack up when you run the numbers?
Status
Hotel loyalty programs paint a seductive picture: luxurious suites, free breakfasts, late checkouts, VIP treatment, and the feeling that youâve "made it." The reality, though, is often far less glamorous.
Status
Yesterday, we explored how hotel loyalty programs hook you emotionally, building a cult-like following. Today, we shift gears to tackle the mythsâthose glossy promises of upgrades, free breakfasts, and VIP treatment that often don't survive first contact with reality.
Status
Over the next five days, we'll explore the hidden engines that drive your loyalty obsession, the myths versus realities of elite perks, the sucker's game of chasing status, the hard math behind the numbers, and where hotel loyalty is headed.
Status
Welcome aboard the elite status circus of April 2025. In the world of frequent flyers, airline elite status has become a quasi-religion â complete with its own rituals (mileage runs), status symbols (luggage tags and shiny cards), and a devout congregation chasing the next tier.