fuel costs<\/a>, some U.S. airlines have increased checked baggage fees for domestic and many short-haul international flights. <\/p>\nUnited Airlines, for instance, raised the first checked bag fee from $40 to $50, while Delta Air Lines increased theirs from $35 to $45. However, customers in higher tiers of loyalty programs or those holding co-branded credit cards, such as the Delta SkyMiles Card from American Express or United\u2019s card with Chase, can often still check a bag for free.<\/p>\n
Extra miles<\/p>\n
Beyond airline-specific cards, financial institutions like American Express, Chase Bank, and CitiBank issue their own travel credit cards that provide points with purchases. These are often favored by travelers seeking flexibility across multiple airlines. <\/p>\n
Depending on the card, benefits can include airport lounge access, travel insurance, no foreign transaction fees and credits for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry. <\/p>\n
Morvitz noted, “For those who spend responsibly, the value is incredible as you\u2019re able to get more in value from the perks, even if there is an annual fee.”<\/p>\n
For newcomers to travel rewards, Morvitz advises opting for flexible points cards over airline-specific options. These cards offer greater transferability across loyalty programs and more redemption choices, especially if an airline alters its award pricing. He also recommends aligning card selection with actual spending habits, such as choosing cards with bonus categories for groceries or dining, and carefully weighing annual fees against the benefits that will genuinely be utilized.<\/p>\n
Many banks are currently promoting substantial sign-up bonuses, coinciding with summer travel planning. Offers of 100,000 or even 150,000 miles or points are common for new customers who meet specific spending requirements within a set period, typically the first three months. <\/p>\n
Kelly suggests that these bonuses make it an opportune time to acquire such cards, potentially making trips more affordable for those needing extra points. Morvitz added that these sign-up offers can be among the most valuable features, sometimes worth over $1,000 in travel. However, he cautioned consumers to meticulously track minimum spending requirements to qualify, and to maximize rewards by utilizing category bonuses, shopping portals, and always attaching a frequent flyer number to airline reservations.<\/p>\n
Pay as you go<\/p>\n
Crucially, the value of any bank travel card or airline loyalty card diminishes rapidly if a balance is carried. With average credit card interest rates ranging between 21% and 24%, even a $1,000 balance can quickly negate any savings from perks like a complimentary checked bag. <\/p>\n
“Travel rewards cards are one of the best financial tools available to responsible cardholders, but they\u2019re designed for people who treat them like a debit card,\u201d Morvitz said. \u201cSpend what you\u2019d spend anyway and always pay the balance in full each month. The moment you start carrying a balance and paying interest, the math works against you.”<\/p>\n
The devaluation trend isn’t limited to air travel. Hotels are also seeing their rewards points offer less value this summer. Hyatt recently restructured its loyalty program, expanding from three to five tiers. <\/p>\n
While some lower-cost hotel stays may require the same number of points, the cost for Hyatt\u2019s more upscale properties could increase significantly. The travel blog One Mile at a Time estimated that some of Hyatt\u2019s most elite properties might demand up to 67% more points under the new system. <\/p>\n
Sally French, who covers credit cards and loyalty programs for Nerd Wallet, advised, “If you\u2019re sitting on hotel points, don\u2019t sit and hoard them. … They quickly seem to be getting less valuable.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":465628,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[72,113,61,60],"class_list":["post-465627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-business","tag-economy","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=465627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/465627\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/465628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=465627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=465627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=465627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Flights](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-1014341478.jpeg\")
Flights priced in points are now directly tied to overall demand, much like cash fares (Getty)<\/p>\n