Free Travel Upgrades: Your go-to Guide
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When going on vacation, traveling can be a lot of fun. Flying to a new state or another country, the excitement of a fancy hotel and exploring a new place in a rental car are all parts of what can be a wonderful trip. Of course, there is another factor related to traveling that isn’t as fun: the expense. However, with a few tips, you can sometimes get much more for your money than you might expect.
There are often ways to get free upgrades on many parts of your trip, including airfare, hotel rooms and car rentals. While you may not be able to get an upgrade every time, with patience and persistence, you’re bound to be able to upgrade some parts of your travel plans now and then.
You’re probably familiar with credit cards that offer frequent flyer miles, but there are some that offer so much more. In addition to flight upgrades for frequent flyers, many credit cards offer the following:
- No foreign transaction fees on anything you buy while in another country
- Car rental upgrades
- Discounts on particular hotels
Other perks include priority check-ins at airports and extra checked baggage at no charge.
It sounds overly simple, but it can work! Sometimes all you need to do is ask, and many car rental companies or hotels will upgrade you for free. When seeking to get upgraded to business class on a flight, it helps to be dressed nice, and passengers traveling alone or without children have a better chance of receiving an upgrade.
Tip: When checking into a hotel, you might mention that you are celebrating an anniversary or birthday. Hotels may be more inclined to upgrade you for a special occasion.
Some travel sites may offer you upgrades if you book airfare, hotel and car rentals all at once. Take the time to shop around and see where you can get the best deal. A travel site such as Expedia also offers you cash toward future bookings based on your previous bookings through their site.
If you find yourself using Best Western hotels or Hertz Rental cars often, join their rewards programs to get future discounts and upgrades.
Remember, when seeking travel upgrades, it is always important to be friendly, and don’t get disgruntled if you don’t get an upgrade. Friendliness goes a long way, and oftentimes you might get an upgrade just for a having a good attitude and a genuine smile.
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