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✈️ Suite talking: Airport lounge edition
Plus, y'all need to protect your points.
Mike Dodge
November 11, 2024
Estimated read time: 4 minutes and 36 seconds
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Good morning from my beautiful seaside villa at the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi!
I’m enjoying a relaxing 24 hours here before heading to the airport to continue my SkyTeam journey around the world.
But first, let’s talk travel:
✈️ Suite talking: Airport lounge edition
A couple of years ago, I told you about the art of Suite Talking.
It was met with rave reviews by you and continues to be the single travel tip I hear about most from you.
I used this yesterday when checking in at the Park Hyatt here in Abu Dhabi… and I got a suite that otherwise would’ve cost $1,500 per night.
Instead, I booked a base-level room with a Hyatt Category 1-7 Free Night Award, and “suite talked” my way to the top.
But today, I want to tell you about another form of suite talking… It’s the same as the one I told you about, but with airport lounges.
Let me elaborate…
As you know, I’m on a journey to fly 15 SkyTeam airlines in 15 countries around the world before the end of the year.
The sad part is that I HAVE to use my SAS loyalty number with all of my flights…
Why is that sad?
Well, because I have top-tier SkyTeam Elite Plus status with ITA Airways, thanks to the status match that I told you about earlier this year.
Normally, when flying SkyTeam airlines, I’d use my ITA number so I get priority check-in, free bags, early boarding, and… most importantly… business-class lounge access. 😎
Of course, since I never flew with an SAS loyalty number until last week and have nothing close to status, my boarding pass does not explicitly allow me to enter the lounge…
Thankfully, most of these lounges are run by human beings. 👽
Therefore, they have the ability to let me in - if I can make a strong case.
In most hubs (Paris, Atlanta, etc.) that have SkyTeam lounges, I’ve been able to gain lounge access by doing the following:
Showing them proof of my SkyTeam Elite Plus Status
They usually want to see the expiry date
They usually want to see it in the app or on the official website of the airline in question
Showing them that I’m flying on a SkyTeam airline
Explaining why I couldn’t attach my ITA number and instead chose to use my crappy SAS number
Here’s where this trick could come in handy for everyday people like you:
Let’s say you fly Delta often.
But, like me, you used a status match to get ITA status (or Flying Blue status with that status match from earlier this year), so you can enter Delta lounges even when flying in economy.
But if you attach your ITA number to your Delta booking to get lounge access, you’ll also be earning ITA miles, which are… to put it mildly… worthless.
Using this trick can give you the best of both worlds - giving you all the benefits you unlocked with a status match without the downside of using a less valuable program.
Of course, there are caveats:
It isn’t guaranteed to work… As I said, much like Suite Talking, this trick works because of human decency. Even if you are entitled to lounge access through another program, they might not let you in.
It can backfire. In my case, I NEED my SAS number to be attached to my booking in order to qualify for the million-mile challenge. If, for some reason, they misunderstand me and actually change my number to my ITA number on the booking, it will be bad news… 😬
I’ve been careful to avoid this, though, and I only use this trick to access lounges if they take me at my word with proof of ITA status rather than checking/updating anything in their system.
Anyway… I hope some of you are able to put this to use with some future status matches while flying your favorite airlines!
‼️ The Points Guy: Protect Your Points
Calling all miles and points meisters, jet-setting jedis, and travel-obsessive wizards.
Or… If you’ve ever swiped a credit card and have used points to book a flight or hotel stay, this section is for you.
And it’s deeply important.
You may or may not remember the buzz earlier this year around something called the Credit Card Competition Act (CCCA).
And if Congress moves forward in passing the CCCA, it could ultimately destroy credit card rewards programs as we know them today. 😧
Here’s how this could happen.
Credit cards are the most secure way to make a purchase. This is due to card issuers enlisting large payment networks, like Visa and Mastercard, who oversee and ensure these transactions are protected.
This safeguard is crucial, but to keep this service funded, those networks charge a small interchange (or transaction) fee to the merchant.
Not only does that fee contribute to funding enhanced security software to protect both the merchant and consumers, but it also helps fund credit card reward programs that incentivize a consumer to use a given card (and earn those tasty points in the process 😏).
If Congress passes the CCCA, a new mandate on reducing these interchange fees will be in place to shift from using larger, trusted networks to cheaper, smaller, and less secure ones.
This could greatly increase the risk of cyber-attacks and fraud for both you as the cardholder, as well as many small businesses who rely on these larger networks for added protection.
Plus, the thought of losing the ability to earn miles and points to help make travel more affordable is heart-wrenching 💔
HOWEVER. The best way you can protect your points is to reach out to your state’s congressional representative.
I’ve already taken action, and now it’s your turn 🫡
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🍪 Tasty Travel Tidbits
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✈️ Finnair is currently selling Avios with a hefty discount. Check out this article to learn how to leverage this promotion to buy cheap flights to Europe!
🤤 Singapore is currently retrofitting many of its planes with new, AMAZING first and business-class cabins, which include private sliding doors. Yay!
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Alright, I’ve kept you longer than I’m supposed to, so I’ll let you guys go.
Take care, and see you bright and early tomorrow. ☀️