I often see posts on the forum from people new to the game who want to plan a first trip and are trying to figure out where to start. I also see veterans who have shifted from miles & points to cash back and who are traveling less. I guess I see all of what we are doing as in constant flux with the best, most outsized values at the biggest risk of being gone. So I tend to book with that in mind. Sometimes we are warned that something is going away, like the Club Carlson two for one nights. Sometimes we aren't, like when AA pulled their One World Traveler mileage awards. I was saving for one of those and it was tough to have it pulled.
So, I am writing to ask what your favorite redemption you made that is gone or largely gone. Here is mine. I flew on AA miles on Hawaiian airlines in First and then stayed a week in Maui at the Andaz Maui using a points and cash redemption and a Diamond suite upgrade. Before I booked this, the full Diamond breakfast was downgraded to a lesser type of breakfast. The bloggers were up in arms. Meanwhile, I was looking at the rest of what they offered and realizing it couldn't last. If you focus on a detail like breakfast on its own merit, instead of recognizing that this is a property that doesn't want to give away outsized value anymore, you might not understand you have to grab it while you can.
The first thing that went after I booked was the ability to use points and cash at all. I booked it and bought discounted gift cards to pay the cash part, so I got an amazing value for $150 a night (minus 10% with the GCs) in an ocean view Andaz suite. It was on a corner of the property and it had the most amazing ocean view I have had anywhere. It was terrific. Then they started charging a resort fee. When I booked there was none and we didn't have to pay it.
Then a few months ago, AA announced it would no longer allow AA miles to be used on flights from the mainland to Hawaii on Hawaiian. Now, I know what you are thinking. It is much more comfortable to fly on some of the other airlines in first to Hawaii. Hawaiian's product is not as nice, but the service is amazing and it was never hard to find inventory, so I really am glad I got to do that redemption.
And I am even more glad I selected the Andaz for points and cash when I did and used one of my four yearly Diamond suite upgrades. I would likely not choose to stay there again now, given there is a resort fee, no ability to use points and cash and in general it is no longer the outsized value it was.
So my main message here is don't assume something you really want to do will always be there. If you can find a way to book it now, do it. It might be gone faster than you think. I have great memories of my wedding anniversary trip to Maui with my husband. The next time we go to Hawaii, we will find another outsized value and have that experience instead!
So, I am writing to ask what your favorite redemption you made that is gone or largely gone. Here is mine. I flew on AA miles on Hawaiian airlines in First and then stayed a week in Maui at the Andaz Maui using a points and cash redemption and a Diamond suite upgrade. Before I booked this, the full Diamond breakfast was downgraded to a lesser type of breakfast. The bloggers were up in arms. Meanwhile, I was looking at the rest of what they offered and realizing it couldn't last. If you focus on a detail like breakfast on its own merit, instead of recognizing that this is a property that doesn't want to give away outsized value anymore, you might not understand you have to grab it while you can.
The first thing that went after I booked was the ability to use points and cash at all. I booked it and bought discounted gift cards to pay the cash part, so I got an amazing value for $150 a night (minus 10% with the GCs) in an ocean view Andaz suite. It was on a corner of the property and it had the most amazing ocean view I have had anywhere. It was terrific. Then they started charging a resort fee. When I booked there was none and we didn't have to pay it.
Then a few months ago, AA announced it would no longer allow AA miles to be used on flights from the mainland to Hawaii on Hawaiian. Now, I know what you are thinking. It is much more comfortable to fly on some of the other airlines in first to Hawaii. Hawaiian's product is not as nice, but the service is amazing and it was never hard to find inventory, so I really am glad I got to do that redemption.
And I am even more glad I selected the Andaz for points and cash when I did and used one of my four yearly Diamond suite upgrades. I would likely not choose to stay there again now, given there is a resort fee, no ability to use points and cash and in general it is no longer the outsized value it was.
So my main message here is don't assume something you really want to do will always be there. If you can find a way to book it now, do it. It might be gone faster than you think. I have great memories of my wedding anniversary trip to Maui with my husband. The next time we go to Hawaii, we will find another outsized value and have that experience instead!
IST (Lufthansa) with stopover in IST for two week tour of Turkey
. 16 flights, 49,999 BIS miles 