Are you passionate about traveling and always looking for the best deals to make your trips more comfortable and enjoyable? You’ve probably heard about upgrades. These allow access to more high-end services, such as moving from economy class to business class on a flight, or obtaining a superior room in a hotel. In this article, we give you all our advice to maximize your chances of benefiting from these upgrades.
Understanding how upgrades work
First of all, it’s important to understand how upgrades work. They are generally offered by Airlines companies, THE hotels, or even the car rental companies. These companies offer upgrades either in exchange for loyalty points or miles or as a thank you to their most loyal customers.
For airlines, the upgrade can allow you to go from economy class to business class or first class. This means more comfort, for example a more spacious seat, better quality meals, access to a private lounge at the airport, etc. For their part, hotels can offer higher category rooms, with more space, a better view, or additional amenities.
Take advantage of loyalty programs to upgrade your trips
To benefit from these upgrades, one of the best methods is to subscribe to a Loyalty program. Many airlines, such as Air France KLM with its program Flying Blue, offer their customers the opportunity to accumulate miles on each flight. These miles can then be used to get upgrades.
There are also loyalty programs for hotels. For example, the Marriott Bonvoy program allows you to earn points with each night, which can then be redeemed for room upgrades.
It is therefore interesting to choose an airline or a hotel chain and to stay loyal to it, in order to accumulate as many points or miles as possible.
Use partner credit cards to multiply your miles
Another tip to increase your chances of an upgrade is to use an airline or hotel partner credit card. For example, the American Express Flying Blue card allows you to earn miles with each purchase. These miles can then be used to get upgrades.
Negotiate your upgrades
Finally, remember that you can always try to negotiate your upgrades. For example, if you are a regular guest at a hotel and have booked a standard room, you can ask at reception if it is possible to upgrade to a higher category room.
The same goes for flights. If you have booked an economy class ticket, you can inquire with the airline to see if it is possible to upgrade your ticket.
As you will have understood, there are many tips for obtaining upgrades when traveling. Whether by subscribing to a loyalty program, using a partner credit card, or negotiating directly with the airline or hotel, the possibilities are numerous. So don’t wait any longer, it’s time to upgrade your trip and make the most of your travels!
