Right now, airlines, hotels and credit card alliances are offering insane point bonuses towards free-night stays and instant elite status when certain thresholds are met.  Continued loyalty can help you stack up points and benefits with airlines and their partners.  One example is the United Presidential Plus credit card, which allowed us to earn Elite status on United with money spent plus miles flown, and gives us Gold status instantly with Marriott Bonvoy and President’s Circle with Hertz, which is the highest status they offer.  Not to mention, we have access to United lounges nationwide and Star Alliance clubs worldwide.

So, just imagine, with this one card alone, we could enter the airport and hang out in a premier lounge enjoying free drinks and snacks while we waited for our flight.  Onboard, we could experience all the perks of sitting in first-class seats with extra room, great service, and delicious meals.  Then we could arrive at our destination and pick up a luxury, upgraded car and finally check into a five-star Marriott hotel and enjoy extravagance at its finest.  Selecting the right alliances can gain you perks galore.

Constantly checking with your loyalty program for multipliers or bonuses will help you accumulate more points, so stay on top of it.  Taking advantage of these offers is an easy way to get ahead quickly.  Although this may seem like a lot of work, once you get your system down, it is no harder than checking your email once per week for updates to program offers and it will help expand your affordable travel efforts exponentially.