Making the Most of Hotel Loyalty Programs When You’re Not Traveling
Some loyalty programs are extending customers’ elite status, lengthening expiration dates on rewards and more. Here’s how to navigate them.
Travel and travel planning are being disrupted by the worldwide spread of the coronavirus. For the latest updates, read The New York Times's Covid-19 coverage here.
You got a fancy hotel credit card thinking that you'd travel often this year and redeem your free-night benefit during a luxury beach vacation. Then came coronavirus. Losing out on a free hotel room isn't the worst problem to have right now, but it's fair for frequent travelers to worry about what will happen to all of those hard-earned points, especially if you're holding a credit card with a steep annual fee.
But there's some good news: Some — but not all — loyalty programs are extending customers' status, lengthening expiration dates on rewards and more. Here's what you need to know about the biggest hotel programs, and how they are helping customers during the coronavirus crisis.