Month: June 2024

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.

One of the most satisfying ways to earn hotel points is to leverage lucrative hotel promotions. Luckily, you can earn bonus points through several IHG promotions this summer.

Some IHG One Rewards promotions are targeted, so your offer details may occasionally differ from mine. But here’s a closer look at the current IHG promotions you might want to utilize.

Targeted offer for bonus points on stays

IHG members can earn bonus points every time they stay a set number of nights between June 20 and Aug. 31. This offer is targeted, so your offer may be for a different number of nights or bonus points. For example, my offer is for 8,000 points every four nights.

Reward nights and points-and-cash stays aren’t eligible for this promotion. For your stay to qualify, you’ll need to spend more than $30 each night and book a qualifying rate (as defined by the IHG One Rewards terms and conditions).

Check the IHG offers page to see whether you’re targeted for this offer. You must register for this promotion before completing your first stay.

Related: The best IHG hotels in the world

15% off reward nights at new hotels and resorts

One IHG promotion that isn’t targeted is a discount on award nights at new IHG hotels and resorts for stays through Aug. 31.

The eligible new hotels and resorts are listed on IHG’s website. You don’t have to do anything specific to get the discount; sign in to your account and redeem IHG points for a stay at one of the new hotels.

You can’t stack this discount with the fourth-reward-night-free perk offered as a benefit of the IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card, IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card and IHG One Rewards Traveler Credit Card. Cardholders can only get the 15% discount on stays of three nights or fewer at new hotels and resorts.

Related: How to maximize redemptions with the IHG One Rewards program

Bonus points on car rentals

When you book a Hertz car rental through the IHG Trip Extras portal, you’ll enjoy special rates and bonus IHG points. Specifically, you’ll earn 1,500 IHG points per rental plus 500 points per day if you’re an elite member and 125 points per day if you don’t have IHG elite status.

If you book a Dollar or Thrifty car rental through the IHG Trip Extras portal, you’ll get everyday savings and 125 IHG points per day for your rental.

Related: Best car rental sites to book your next road trip

Bonus points for attending a timeshare presentation

If you want a discounted stay and don’t mind attending a timeshare presentation, you can earn 10,000 IHG points while getting a three-night hotel stay for $199 or a three-night resort stay for $249. This offer is valid for stays in:

• Arizona: Scottsdale
• Florida: Orlando and Cocoa Beach
• Tennessee: Gatlinburg
• Missouri: Branson
• Nevada: Las Vegas
• South Carolina: Myrtle Beach
• Texas: Galveston
• Virginia: Williamsburg

All of the destinations offer the hotel stay option. But only Orlando, Las Vegas, Branson, Galveston and Williamsburg offer the option to stay on-site at a Holiday Inn Club Vacations resort. You’ll need to meet employment, income and other requirements to purchase one of these packages, so check the requirements on the offer page.

If you buy a package, you must attend a one- to two-hour timeshare presentation. These presentations can be intense and are designed to get travelers to say yes to buying a timeshare. Even if you don’t mind attending a timeshare presentation, know that accepting this offer may exclude you from accepting better offers in the future.

Related: Cruise scams: Why you should toss that ‘free cruise’ card in the trash

Bottom line

It’s worth checking hotel promotions periodically. Current promotions, such as the targeted 8,000 bonus points for every four nights stayed offer I have in my IHG account, can offer value on upcoming trips for no additional cost.

Go ahead and register for your targeted bonus points promotion now. There’s no harm in registering and not using the promotion, but registering now also ensures you don’t forget to register later.

Adventures that take you across oceans and continents are exciting, memorable and sometimes even life-changing journeys … but if you’re going with kids, long-haul flights are probably not the part you are most looking forward to. In fact, you may be downright dreading them. That’s certainly been true in my case.

Missed bedtimes, cramped seats, unusual airplane food, jet lag and strangers as seatmates are not fun elements of travel for kids — or adults, for that matter. But sometimes, points and miles offer a solution to many of those long-haul flight problems in the form of upgraded seats in business class for the whole family.

Instead of uncomfortably sitting upright for upwards of 12 hours and praying for the landing to come as soon as humanly possible, you could use your miles to book business class and make the most of the flight portion of your trip, enjoying lie-flat seats and better meal options.

Related: 7 business class travel tips and tricks from one first-timer to another

But is it still worth the extra miles or cash to fly business class with your kids? Will they even enjoy it? Will you? Will your cabin neighbors hate you?

Thanks to points and miles, I’ve been lucky enough to fly business class with my kids multiple times. Let’s dive into when you can fly business class with kids, when you should consider it and some pitfalls to watch out for along the way.

Related: Guide to getting your child’s passport

Are kids allowed in business class?

While some airlines have tried to prohibit children in premium cabins (or other defined sections of the airplane), generally speaking, yes, kids of all ages — including infants — are allowed in business class.

However, if you want to use a car seat for your baby or toddler in business class, know that some seat types are not compatible with them. For example, when flying United Airlines, car seats aren’t allowed in United Polaris business class on Boeing 767, 777 or 787 aircraft, so be sure to check your airline’s website for any such restrictions.

Related: 43 real-world family travel tips that actually work 

It can cost more than you think to fly business class with babies

If you want to fly in business class with your under-2-year-old as a “lap infant” (meaning they do not require their own seat), it can cost more than you might think.

When flying domestically within the U.S., a lap infant is free. However, when flying on an international ticket, the cost can often be 10% of the adult fare plus taxes and fees. The actual cash cost of a business-class seat can be $5,000 to $10,000, in some cases, so 10% of that plus taxes and fees can be approaching (or more than) $1,000 just to hold your child in your lap.

Thankfully, you can book strategically via an airline program that doesn’t price lap infant tickets in that way. For example, Air Canada Aeroplan prices international lap infant award tickets at 2,500 Aeroplan points or 25 Canadian dollars ($18). On British Airways, the cost of a lap infant award is 10% of the price of a regular award in Avios rather than 10% of a cash fare.

Alternatively, sometimes child award tickets cost less than adult tickets when using miles, even in business class. For example, when booking with Flying Blue miles, award tickets for children up to age 11 cost 25% fewer miles than adults. This means that when there are 50,000-mile business-class awards for adults, those same seats cost just 37,500 miles each way for kids in that age range.

Related: Flying with a lap infant? Here’s what you need to know

Some business-class seats are better for families than others

Now that we’ve established kids are allowed in business class and that there are some ways it can end up costing more — or less — than you might think, let’s talk about how some business-class seats and cabins are better fits for families with young kids than others.

Assuming your child isn’t yet big enough to want or appreciate an ultra-private suite-style business-class seat, which is a model more and more airlines are moving toward since it’s generally better for adult travelers, some business-class cabins are better designed to keep you close to your seatmate than others.

Qatar Airways Qsuite is a great example of a business-class product that essentially allows you to combine either two or four seats into one section. My dream is to try this out as a family of four one day for the ultimate slumber party in the sky.

Others, like United’s Polaris business class, don’t operate quite that close and cozy, but if you select certain rows (typically the odd-numbered ones in seats D and G), you can be right next to your child in a pair of middle seats.

However, the alternating rows of even middle seats are angled away from each other, which makes it a little harder for your kid to feel like you’re right next to them while they are young if you select those seat options.

Less about the Champagne, more about the chicken nuggets

While you have a much better shot at a comfortable flight if you have more space to work with, if you are flying with a baby or young child in business class, you are probably still going to have your hands quite full. Naturally, this workload lessens as your children get older.

But with young kids, your business-class flight is going to be less about enjoying preflight Champagne, gourmet meals and relaxation than it would be sans kids, especially when they are in those squirmy and harder-to-fly-with toddler phases.

When you read complaints about kids in business class, they are often accompanied by a description of the parents sleeping or doing their own thing with headphones on and not focusing on their young kids, who may be listening to their devices loudly without their headphones on, kicking seats or running amok in the cabin.

So, don’t be that family, whether seated in business class or economy.

Unless you hit the napping or movie binge-watching jackpot, flying in business class with your kids will be more about keeping them comfortable and quiet. That said, I do recommend trading off duties periodically if you are flying with another adult so you can enjoy some of the perks of business class for yourself.

Pro tip: If you want your children to have a kids meal in business class, be sure and request it well in advance, either on the airline’s website or over the phone. Even if you do that, know that sometimes they won’t be available, so don’t board empty-handed with picky eaters.

It’s all about bedtime

The dream when flying business class with kids — and the main reason my family sometimes makes this mileage splurge — is having a better shot at good sleep compared to economy flights.

Not only does sleep make the hours of the flight go by quicker for all involved, but it’s sometimes crucial to the success of the first part of the trip. For example, if flying to Europe overnight from the U.S., the tone of those first few days of the trip with kids will depend on how much sleep they got on the flight over.

When prepping your young kids for a long-haul flight, talk to them about how the seats turn into beds and that they will have a pillow and blanket and will need to go to sleep either as soon as possible or right after the meal — depending on the details of your flight. Basically, set expectations.

That value of sleeping on the flight doesn’t end when the kids outgrow a stroller — it’s super handy in reducing the likelihood of having tired, grumpy teenagers while on big trips, too.

If business class isn’t a viable option for your trip and you want your kids to lie down and get good sleep, consider innovative economy products like the ANA Couchii or Air New Zealand Skycouch.

So, is it worth it to fly business class with kids?

International travel with a family is special, regardless of which cabin you are in. However, if you are flying a long-haul route and have the miles to secure business-class seats for the whole family, I’d say it can absolutely be worth it. And don’t assume it’s out of range for your mileage budget until you have done some research.

There are several ways to book business-class flights to Europe for fewer miles. For example, you can fly Iberia from the East Coast to Spain from 34,000 Avios (or sometimes even less with transfer bonuses). The Air France-KLM Flying Blue program often offers business-class awards from the U.S. to Europe for as low as 50,000 miles each way, too — in addition to providing a 25% discount for kids up to 11 years old. Sometimes, you can also effectively spend fewer miles by transferring points from programs like American Express Membership Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards during periodic transfer bonuses.

While booking business class as a family is mostly about the improved odds of sleep for us, I’d be remiss not to mention that it’s also just a whole lot of fun to spread out with your kids on the plane and really enjoy the journey in a way that hits differently at the front of the plane.

While spending thousands of dollars to fly my kids in business class would not be worth it to me, using points or miles to do so absolutely makes sense.

I do it by leveraging big credit card welcome bonuses, strategizing everyday spending on credit cards with good bonus categories and taking advantage of points transfer bonuses when they happen. That makes flying the whole family in business class on a big trip doable for us once every year or two.

At that point, when I am considering using a reasonable number of airline miles, it is definitely worth it to fly business class with my kids, as it means we all get to look forward to the flight, enjoy the journey and hopefully get some sleep in a lie-flat bed at 35,000 feet.

Related reading:

• The best ways to travel to Europe using points and miles
• Your guide to flying with kids of every age
• 7 of the best airline award chart sweet spots
• Best times to book business-class award flights: Last-minute vs. advanced bookings

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.

Earning Choice Privileges points through stays, promotions and credit cards is relatively easy. However, once you have a stash of Choice Privileges points, you might wonder how to redeem them.

As with most points and miles, the value you’ll get when redeeming Choice points will vary. TPG’s June 2024 valuations peg the value of Choice points at 0.6 cents each, so we typically recommend aiming for at least that redemption value. Choice offers different redemption options depending on your country of residence, but here’s what U.S. residents need to know about redeeming Choice Privileges points.

Redeem Choice points for hotel stays

You’ll typically get the most value from Choice Privileges points when you redeem them for hotel stays. There are three primary ways to redeem Choice points for hotel stays: reward nights, points plus cash stays and Preferred Hotels & Resorts stays.

It’s worth noting that unless you redeem through the Preferred Hotels & Resorts partnership, you can only redeem Choice points for stays that will occur within the next 100 days.

Reward nights

Choice Privileges defines weeknight and weekend reward night rates for each property. These award rates are displayed on each hotel or resort’s landing page. For example, you can book Choice Privileges reward nights starting at 6,000 points for stays at two Australian properties through June 30.

However, Choice Privileges recently updated most of its website to state that reward nights start at 8,000 points. This means Choice Privileges no longer caps reward night prices to 35,000 points in any part of the world. I recently found some hotels in Nashville and New York City pricing at 45,000 Choice points per night.

I found a property in Sweden where paid rates are about $100 per night while award rates hover around 75,000 Choice points per night. If you redeemed Choice points for this night, you’d get a terrible redemption value.

You can find good value award nights when redeeming Choice points, though. For example, I like redeeming Choice points for centrally located stays in Japan.

When redeeming Choice points, you can often book more than just the base room type at many properties. For example, on select dates, you can book a three-bedroom apartment at the Quality Suites Huka Falls in New Zealand for just 25,000 points per night.

You can book far more than Choice-branded hotels with Choice points, though. For example, you can use Choice Privileges points to stay at select Bluegreen Vacations properties (see the list here). Most Bluegreen Vacations properties cost between 20,000 and 30,000 points per night.

Availability can be difficult to snag at some properties, but last-minute bookings are often possible. I found wide-open availability at Bluegreen Vacations Eilan Hotel And Spa, Ascend Resort Collection, in San Antonio.

You can also use Choice points to book select casino hotels and resorts. Most casino hotels and resorts cost 40,000 points per night or less. Check here for the current casino hotels and resorts bookable with Choice points.

You can also book all-inclusive resorts with Choice Privileges points. When searching the Choice Hotels website, you can see the current options by selecting all-inclusive resorts as the hotel type. At the time of writing, Choice Points are redeemable at all-inclusive resorts in Mexico and the Dominican Republic for 20,000 to 45,000 points per night.

Award availability can be difficult to find at some resorts. Still, I found ample availability at the Emotions All Inclusive Puerto Plata, Ascend Hotel Collection in the Dominican Republic, where I once stayed for an entire month. Reward nights at this resort now cost 30,000 points but include rooms with direct pool access and a sitting area, balcony and whirlpool.

The Choice Hotels website also lists an all-inclusive resort in Dominica. However, this resort does not have an award rate listed, and I couldn’t find any award availability.

Finally, keep an eye on Choice Privileges Sweet Spot Rewards. Choice frequently discounts award rates at top select properties through this program.

Related: 14 ways to earn Choice Privileges points

Points plus cash

Choice also offers points plus cash rates if you have at least 6,000 Choice points in your account. Log into your account, search for a reward night and select a result that shows a points-plus-cash rate.

Once you click “See Availability” for the property you want to book, you can compare the reward night, points plus cash and paid rates for each room type.

In the above example, you could pay 35,000 points, $386.62 cash (once taxes and fees are included) or 6,000 points plus $247 per night for a rate that allows you to cancel until shortly before your stay. If you redeem 35,000 points, you will get a redemption rate of 1.10 cents per point. If you redeem 6,000 points plus $247, you’d use fewer points and get a better redemption rate of 2.33 cents per point.

Related: Register for Choice Hotels Your Extras to earn gift cards or other perks on weekday stays

Preferred Hotels & Resorts

Choice Privileges members can redeem Choice points for stays at participating Preferred Hotels & Resorts properties. For single or double occupancy, you can expect to redeem 20,000 to 87,000 points per night, worth $120 to $522, based on TPG’s June 2024 valuations.

You can browse properties and book stays online by starting at this link and logging into your Choice Privileges account. The standard 100-day booking window requirement isn’t used when you redeem Choice points for stays at Preferred Hotels & Resorts properties.

Related: Stays at Preferred Hotels & Resorts now cost up to 87,000 Choice Privileges points per night

Transfer Choice points to travel rewards partners

You can use the online Choice Privileges Rewards Exchange to transfer points to the following partners:

• Aer Lingus AerClub: Convert at a ratio of 5,000 Choice points to 1,000 Avios
• Aeromexico Rewards: Convert at a ratio of 5,000 Choice points to 1,000 Aeromexico points
• Air Canada Aeroplan: Convert at a ratio of 5,000 Choice points to 1,000 Aeroplan points
• Air France-KLM Flying Blue: Convert at a ratio of 5,000 Choice points to 1,000 Flying Blue miles
• Alaska MileagePlan: Convert at a ratio of 5,000 Choice points to 1,000 Alaska miles
• British Airways Executive Club: Convert at a ratio of 5,000 Choice points to 1,000 Avios
• Iberia Plus: Convert at a ratio of 5,000 Choice points to 1,000 Avios
• Qantas FrequentFlyer: Convert at a ratio of 2,000 Choice points to 800 Qantas points
• Southwest Rapid Rewards: Convert at a ratio of 6,000 Choice points to 1,800 Southwest points
• Turkish Miles&Smiles: Convert at a ratio of 5,000 Choice points to 1,000 Turkish miles
• United MileagePlus: Convert at a ratio of 5,000 Choice points to 1,000 United miles
• Velocity Frequent Flyer: Convert at a ratio of 2,000 Choice points to 800 Virgin Australia points

Transfers usually take 48 hours, although some may take up to seven days. You can also call Choice Privileges to transfer points to Spirit Airlines Free Spirit, although the transfer may take two to six weeks.

Related: Should you transfer hotel points to airline partners?

Use Choice points for gift cards

You can’t convert Choice points to cash via Bakkt anymore, as the consumer app was discontinued in early 2023. However, you can still get cash-like value from Choice points when you redeem them for gift cards.

Some retailers only offer $25 gift card cards for 8,000 Choice points. But you may also be able to redeem Choice points for higher-value gift cards with some retailers at a rate of 16,000 points for $50 gift cards or 32,000 points for $100 gift cards.

You can also redeem 5,000 points for a one-year AARP membership or 12,000 points for a three-year AARP membership.

If you redeem 8,000 Choice points for a $25 gift card, you’ll get a redemption rate of 0.3125 cents per point. This redemption provides well below TPG’s June 2024 valuation of 0.6 cents per point, so we typically don’t recommend redeeming Choice points for gift cards.

Related: How to use points and miles to give gifts with zero out-of-pocket cost

Exchange Choice points for cruise credits

It’s possible to redeem Choice points for cruise credit when you book by phone with Cruises for Choice Privileges (powered by Cruise411) at 800-596-0451. You can redeem 85,000 points for $250 in cruise credit or 160,000 points for $500 in cruise credit.

If you redeem 16,0000 points for a $500 credit, you will get a redemption rate of 0.3125 cents per point. This rate is well below TPG’s June 2024 valuation of Choice points (0.6 cents per point), so we don’t recommend this option.

Related: How to book a cruise using points and miles

Redeem Choice points for experiences

In 2022, Choice Privileges introduced the ability to redeem Choice points for college sports events and experiences. Since then, Choice members have gained the ability to redeem Choice points for NASCAR tickets and redeem Choice points for concerts and other events.

Check the Experiences by Choice website, college sports experiences page and Trackhouse racing page for current opportunities.

Donate Choice points

Finally, you can donate Choice points to select charities.

Choice will donate $5 per 1,000 points redeemed to most charities. However, if you donate your points to Polaris, Choice will donate $10 per 1,000 points.

Related: How you can donate your points and miles to charity

Bottom line

You can redeem Choice Privileges points for stays, airline miles, gift cards, donations, experiences and more. To get the best value from your points, I recommend calculating your redemption value and only redeeming when you can get at least 0.6 cents per point. You’ll usually get the best redemption value when using Choice points for hotel stays or unique experiences.

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

Frontier Airlines World Mastercard overview

The Frontier Airlines World Mastercard® is likely not the most rewarding credit card out there, but it does offer some potentially valuable perks for frequent Frontier flyers. While this makes it a good secondary card for Frontier flyers, we recommend having a more well-rounded travel card in addition to this one. Card Rating*: ⭐⭐⭐

*Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.

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With a low-cost carrier like Frontier Airlines, the à-la-carte booking option can be a great way for travelers to save a ton of money on flights.

An $89 annual fee and the ability to pool your Frontier miles with other family members, receive priority boarding and earn credit toward elite status makes this card worth considering. We recommend a credit score of at least 700 before applying for the Frontier Airlines Mastercard.

Let’s analyze this card’s welcome offer, rewards rate and other ongoing factors to see if the Frontier Airlines Mastercard is the best match for you.

The information for the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Related: Budget airline survival guide

Frontier Airlines World Mastercard pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Ability to pool your Frontier miles with others $100 annual flight voucher Award ticket fees waiver when you pay them with this card	$89 annual fee Not ideal for non-Frontier loyalists Sign-up bonus leaves something to be desired

 

Frontier Airlines World Mastercard welcome offer

Currently, the Frontier Airlines Mastercard offers 60,000 miles to new cardmembers for its welcome offer. You’ll get 40,000 miles after spending $500 on purchases and paying the annual fee within the first 90 days of account opening. To earn an additional 20,000 miles, you’ll need to spend $2,000 on the card within the first six months of card membership.

One-way flights on Frontier start at 10,000 miles, so you can potentially book up to three round-trip award tickets with the welcome bonus and still have some miles left over. TPG’s June 2024 valuations peg Frontier miles at 1.1 cents per point, making that 60,000 miles worth $660.

Related: The best time to apply for these 9 popular travel credit cards, based on offer history

Frontier Airlines World Mastercard benefits

The Frontier World Mastercard offers some unusual and potentially valuable perks for frequent flyers of the airline.

First, cardholders can pool their miles with up to eight other Frontier Miles accounts. Although Frontier calls this feature “Family Pooling,”  it can be any eight people you choose — including friends, coworkers and roommates. There are no minimums or caps on the number of miles you can transfer through this program.

You’ll also enjoy a $100 flight voucher every account anniversary after spending $2,500 or more on purchases on the card in the previous year. Plus, for every dollar you spend on the Frontier Airlines Mastercard, you’ll earn one Elite Status Point on top of the bonus miles you’ll earn. This can help accelerate your path to elevated status with Frontier.

Other perks include priority zone two boarding, a waiver for award flight fees paid with this card, your choice of card design from five options and no foreign transaction fees.

Related: Best frequent flyer programs for U.S. travelers

Earning miles on the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard

With this card, you’ll earn 5 Frontier miles for every dollar spent on eligible flyfrontier.com purchases, 3 miles per dollar spent at restaurants and 1 mile per dollar spent everywhere else.

Considering this card’s $89 annual fee, these earning rates aren’t bad. If you’re a Frontier loyalist, earning 5 miles per dollar spent on eligible online Frontier purchases is a great way to quickly secure award redemptions.

Still, the non-Frontier earning rates are nothing special, so this card works best as a complement to another card with better earning rates.

Related: 6 key tools and tips to find the cheapest airfare

Redeeming miles on the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard

When it comes to redeeming your miles, the Frontier award chart is pretty straightforward. The lowest-cost one-way Value awards are 10,000 miles within the U.S. and 15,000 miles for international flights. Standard awards, which have wider availability, will cost you 20,000 miles within the U.S. and 25,000 miles internationally.

You can pay a few more miles to avoid capacity controls if you have elite status. For an extra 2,500 miles on top of the Standard award price, you can book a Last Seat award as long as there’s a seat available for sale on the flight you want.

Keep in mind that you’ll have to pay taxes and fees on these tickets; however, the aforementioned award booking fee is waived as long as you use your Frontier Airlines Mastercard to pay for the taxes and fees. The associated taxes and fees can be quite pricey depending on the booking, so make sure to pay with your Frontier Airlines Mastercard.

Related: The best time to book flights for the cheapest airfare

Which cards compete with the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard?

When considering competitors for this card, you likely think of other airline cards first. However, it may be worth considering a general travel card against the Frontier Airlines Mastercard.

• If you want a general travel card: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a $95 annual fee and earns lucrative Chase Ultimate Rewards points that can be transferred to any of Chase’s 14 airline and hotel partners. In addition, this card offers an up to $50 hotel statement credit on bookings through Chase Travel℠ and a complimentary DashPass membership (activation required by Dec. 31). To learn more, read our full review of the Chase Sapphire Preferred.
• If you want a cheaper airline card: The Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card has a $69 annual fee, which is mostly offset by a 3,000-point bonus award on every cardmember anniversary (worth $39 according to TPG’s June 2024 valuations). The Southwest Plus card may be better if you can’t justify the Frontier Airlines Mastercard’s annual fee. To learn more, read our full review of the Southwest Plus card.
• If you want an airline card with no annual fee: The United Gateway℠ Card is a no-annual-fee card that offers 25% back on inflight purchases and has no foreign transaction fees. You’ll also get a one-year complimentary membership to DashPass when you activate by Dec. 31. To learn more, read our full review of the United Gateway card.

For more options, check out our picks for the best airline cards.

Related: Why I chose the Chase Sapphire Preferred as my next credit card

Is the Frontier Airlines World Mastercard worth it?

The Frontier Airlines Mastercard is worth considering if you’re a Frontier loyalist. However, a general travel card is better if you fly with other airlines. Before applying for this card, consider how much value you’ll get from it and whether that value justifies the $89 annual fee.

Related: Are airline credit cards worth it?

Bottom line

The Frontier World Mastercard doesn’t make sense for most people. Still, if you’re a frequent Frontier flyer, the added value of this card brings family pooling, award booking fee waivers and elite qualifying miles — which can all be worth far more than the annual fee.

With Frontier’s route network stretching to the Caribbean and Central America, this card may be a great companion for your upcoming travels.

Related: Frontier Airlines World Mastercard vs. Free Spirit Travel More World Elite Mastercard

American Airlines is planning to open two new lounges — including its more upscale Flagship Lounge — at one of its major East Coast hubs.

Sometime next year, American will unveil both an Admirals Club and a Flagship Lounge at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), the Fort Worth-based carrier revealed Friday.

The announcement figures to be a win for travelers navigating the hub, which a busy connecting hub for American that includes a number of transatlantic flights.

Want more airline-specific news? Sign up for TPG’s free biweekly Aviation newsletter.

New lounge details

So far, details about the two new Philly lounges are pretty sparse. They’ll both be located in the A-West terminal, a spokesperson said Friday.

And, the lounges will boast the warmer ambience — complete with fireplaces — that we’ve seen in some of the newer clubs American has unveiled.

The rendering American shared, above, is the only image released so far.

However, here’s a look at one of the newer Admirals Club in its portfolio, which opened last fall at Denver International Airport (DEN) and has the newer aesthetic has been using in its new and renovated lounges.

“The opening of the new Flagship Lounge and Admirals Club lounge will continue to create a harmonized design experience across all newly opened lounges that customers will instantly recognize,” American said in a statement Friday.

Bolstering Philly lounge options

American already operates lounges at its Philly hub, but its lack of a Flagship Lounge has been, until now, something of a hole in its network — particularly considering the transatlantic schedule the carrier boasts out of Philadelphia, as shown in the below map from aviation analytics firm Cirium.

American currently has Flagship Lounges at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Miami International Airport (MIA).

There’s technically no Flagship Lounge at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), but the Chelsea Lounge that American shares with joint-venture partner British Airways essentially functions like one.

More upscale than standard Admirals Clubs, the Flagship Lounge network has more robust food options and other premium touches like specialty cocktail bars and a special wine table.

You can gain access to a Flagship Lounge by flying with a Flagship First ticket, or a Flagship Business ticket on certain flights — generally international or a few key transcontinental routes (often flights operated by the Boeing 777-300ER or Airbus A321T).

High-level elite status members can also access the lounge on eligible flights.

American currently operates four Philly Admirals Clubs, including one in A West — the terminal where these two new lounges will be constructed.

Looking ahead

Asked by TPG, spokesperson could not offer a more specific timeline on when these two new lounges might open — just that they are expected in 2025.

An annual Admirals Club membership starts at $850 for a first-time, non-elite member, but there are discounts for AAdvantage elites and members renewing.

Lounge access also can be attained with American’s high-end co-branded credit card, Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (see rates and fees), which carries a $595 annual fee.

Related reading:

• The best credit cards for airport lounge access
• The ultimate guide to American Airlines Admirals Club access
• The 7 do’s and don’ts in an airport lounge
• The best credit cards to reach elite status
• 7 domestic lounges that are worth going out of your way for
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If you’ve ever asked the question “How do cruises make money?” you might be surprised to learn that ticket sales only make up about 65% to 70% of cruise lines’ revenue. That’s true even with prices soaring this year due to demand.

If the money coming in isn’t completely related to cruise fares, how are cruise ships profitable in other ways? Here’s a bit about ticket sales, other sources of revenue and some of the factors that play into both. I’ll also list the percentages that make up the full picture for each cruise line parent company.

For more cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG’s cruise newsletter.

Ticket sales

Ticket sales only account for about two-thirds of the overall revenue pie for the three major cruise line parent companies: Carnival Corp., Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Royal Caribbean Group.

In a research report released May 29, Truist Securities projected that ticket sales — cruise fares and airfares for flights booked through the cruise lines — would make up 66.1%, 67.5% and 69.6% of revenue for the three companies in 2024, respectively.

Onboard spending

Truist Securities estimated that onboard spending at Carnival Corp., Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Royal Caribbean Group brands would account for the other 33.9%, 32.5% and 30.4% of revenue at the three brands in 2024, respectively.

This onboard spending category includes obvious items like shore excursions, drink packages, Wi-Fi, casino and arcade gaming, alternative dining, spa treatments and purchases in the onboard shops. However, it also encompasses shuttles to and from the airport, travel insurance or protection purchased through the cruise line and even cancellation fees.

“Our orientation is experiences,” said Royal Caribbean Group president and CEO Jason Liberty on a Feb. 1 earnings call, “and we keep trying to advance experiences that our customers not only desire but that they’re also willing to pay for. … Obviously there are a lot of things that we’re adding onto our ships. … You see that also extend into the destination and what we’re doing in the private island space. … Our goal is to keep our customers in our ecosystem.”

Location, location, location

As you might expect, the per diem — the total amount each passenger pays per day to sail, including both ticket sales and onboard spending — is higher in more far-flung regions than it is in some of the more highly trafficked destinations.

For example, per diems are significantly higher in Alaska and Europe than they are in the Caribbean and the Bahamas. Supply and demand play a role, as far more ships offer sailings to the latter pair of destinations than to the former, which drives pricing down in the Caribbean and the Bahamas.

Additionally, people traveling to bucket list destinations are usually more willing to spend money on excursions or other experiences they might not have another chance to try. The more exotic the destination, the more rare the excursion opportunities tend to be, which drives up the price. For example, you can snorkel or parasail in just about every Caribbean destination, but only a couple of destinations worldwide allow for glacier trekking.

Meanwhile, those booked on three-night weekend itineraries might be on stricter budgets and, therefore, could be less willing to spend on extras.

A push to prebook

During recent earnings calls, cruise line executives have said they’re pushing hard to convince passengers to book activities and experiences ahead of time. The thought is that even if cruisers reserve shore excursions, spa treatments and alternative dining before they ever set foot on the ship, they’re still likely to make purchases once they’re on board, which leads to larger overall spending.

“Some of the meaningful progress we’ve seen … is just the ability to buy and design your vacation ahead of time precruise,” said Naftali Holtz, chief financial officer of Royal Caribbean Group, during the Feb. 1 earnings call. “It also leads to great financial success as people are booking their vacations and they get on board and they spend two and a half times more than those that haven’t [booked activities] precruise.”

“In terms of the Norwegian brand … we are in a continuous improvement mode in terms of expanding our presale of onboard revenue and getting more share of the wallet over a longer period of time from the point a customer enters our ecosystem,” said Mark Kempa, executive vice president and CFO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, on a Feb. 27 earnings call. “That plays a key part going forward as we look at our revenue opportunities.”

“We’ve been making improvements to our precruise planning functionality at Norwegian to allow guests to book even more before they leave their homes,” explained Harry Sommer, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, during the same call.

Bottom line

How do cruise lines make money? Cruise revenue is generated from two areas: Ticket sales (cruise fares and airfare booked through the cruise lines) and onboard spending (the purchase of cruise-related goods and services through the cruise line, as well as cancellation fees).

Although current fares are some of the highest in the history of cruising, lines are focused on increasing revenue generated from onboard spending, and they’re doing so by coaxing booked passengers into making purchases long before they ever set sail.

Have cruise questions? TPG has answers:

• More banned items: What not to pack for a cruise
• What is baked Alaska, and why is it paraded around cruise ships?
• What are the largest cruise ships in the world?
• What is a gentleman host on a cruise?
• What is the Jones Act and how does it affect cruise ships?
• What is a lido deck on a cruise ship?
• What’s a cruise cabin guarantee and will it save you money?
• What’s the difference between a cruise concierge and a butler?

Spain is always a popular choice for travelers. A new sale on airfares allows travelers to visit the country and enjoy its incredible culture and diverse geography. Some fares are more than 50% off normal prices. The deal is not just to popular destinations like Barcelona and Seville but also to cities like Malaga and coastal gem Santander.

Departure cities include Baltimore, Denver, Minneapolis, Newark, New York City and Washington, D.C. The sale applies to travel between October of this year and April 2025. Availability varies widely by route, and some of the lowest prices must be booked through an online travel agency.

This sale is for economy fares. A carry-on bag is included, but checked luggage costs around $75 to $100 each way.

Deal basics

Airlines: Air Europa, American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Iberia, Icelandair, KLM, Lufthansa

Routes: From Baltimore, Denver, Miami, Minneapolis, Newark, New York City, and Washington, D.C., to various cities in Spain

How to book: Browse Google Flights, then book directly with the airline

Travel dates: Primarily between October 2024 and April 2025 for economy fares

This deal was originally sent out by the deal alert company Going. Sign up for Going to get up to 90% off select flights via its Premium membership, which users can try for free for 14 days and then $69 per year. You can also upgrade to the Elite tier for $199 per year for access to all the Premium deals, plus premium economy, business-class and first-class alerts.

You can also sign up for a free trial through this link.

Sample flights

This sale includes flights to the following destinations in Spain:

• Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernandez Airport (ALC)
• Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN)
• Bilbao Airport (BIO)
• Fuerteventura Airport (FUE)
• Ibiza Airport (IBZ)
• Gran Canaria Airport (LPA)
• Lanzarote Airport (ACE)
• Malaga-Costa del Sol Airport (AGP)
• Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI)
• Pamplona Airport (PNA)
• Seve Ballesteros-Santander Airport (SDR)
• Seville Airport (SVQ)
• Valencia Airport (VLC)
• Vigo Airport (VGO)

Icelandair has fares from Denver International Airport (DEN) to BCN in November for less than $500 round-trip.

You can fly from Miami International Airport (MIA) to AGP in Malaga for just $456 round-trip on Iberia. This flight falls at the start of the winter holiday season.

British Airways has fares in March from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to AGP for only $442 round-trip.

Here are some of the best bargains we found out of the Twin Cities. Lufthansa has round-trip tickets from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) to VLC in early December for $555.

You can book an itinerary from Minneapolis to BIO in November for as low as $541 round-trip on Lufthansa. Please note the return trip includes two stops.

You can fly Iberia from New York City’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) to AGP in November for $457 round-trip.

There are also good deals on flights from New York to Santander on Spain’s northern coast. This itinerary from JFK to SDR in November is available on Iberia for less than $500 round-trip.

Maximize your purchase

When you book this deal or any flights, be sure to use a credit card that earns bonus points on airfare purchases, such as:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card: 2 points per dollar spent on travel
• American Express® Gold Card: 3 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through amextravel.com
• The Platinum Card® from American Express: 5 points per dollar spent on airfare when booked directly with the airline or through American Express Travel (on up to $500,000 of these purchases per calendar year, then 1 point per dollar)
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®: 3 points per dollar spent on travel

Bottom line

Keep checking prices in this sale. As we searched for different cities, we saw lots of fluctuation in price and availability.

Related reading:

• Here are the best current credit card welcome offers
• 7 things to understand about credit before applying for a new card
• How to apply for a credit card
• What is APR on a credit card?
• How to check your credit score for free

Delta Air Lines is gearing up to officially its first hotly anticipated business-class lounge on June 26, and inside, you’ll find designs curated by famed Italian fashion house Missoni.

The Atlanta-based carrier announced on Thursday a new tie-up with Missoni that will touch a few aspects of the Delta One business-class experience.

Perhaps the most prominent will be the carrier’s new amenity kits, which will be designed in a signature Missoni textured zigzag pattern on the exterior of the bag with an exclusive pattern and color palette inside the bag.

Delta says that this new pattern celebrates the window views from 30,000 feet while paying homage to the airline’s nearly 100-year history.

These new kits (more like boxes, based on the pictures) are sure to be a hit with travelers. They include all of the same contents as the previous Someone Somewhere amenity kits that they will replace.

This includes Grown Alchemist skin care products, a bamboo toothbrush and toothpaste, an eye mask, ear plugs, socks and a pen. (Delta is debuting Marvis toothpaste instead of the existing brand beginning in October.)

Of all the routes on which Delta will debut the new Italian-designed kits, it’s perhaps no surprise that they will first be seen on flights to and from Italy and Paris beginning in mid-July. They’ll then roll out worldwide starting in September.

Delta’s premium economy passengers will continue to receive the existing Someone Somewhere kits.

Along with the revamped amenity kits, Missoni’s signature prints will also be woven into spaces in the new Delta One lounge in New York, which is set to open on June 26, the airline said on Thursday.

For Delta, this represents a big upgrade in terms of its premium-cabin partner. Teaming up with an Italian luxury brand feels much more like something you’d find in a long-haul first-class cabin, perhaps in Air France La Premiere or Lufthansa first class, not necessarily on a domestic airline in business class.

That said, for years, Delta has been focused on elevating the premium experience for its passengers across all cabins, especially those in the pointy end of the plane.

While the airline’s soft product – the elements of the service not attached to the airplane — continue to shine, the seats themselves could definitely use an upgrade, especially on the majority of the long-haul fleet.

Delta’s Boeing 767-300s feature an outdated 1-2-1 forward-facing pod that many complain feels like sleeping in a coffin, not to mention the TV screens that feel about as big as the original iPhone when compared with some of the latest-generation tech you’ll find flying on Delta’s Airbus A330-900neos and Airbus A350-900s with proper suites.

Either way, no matter which Delta One seat you’re flying in, there will be a beautiful new amenity kit waiting for you as you enter.

“We’ve been intentional about creating a Delta One experience—both on the ground and in the air—that feels truly premium and elevated, and Missoni’s elegance and prestige aligns perfectly with that vision. The Missoni-designed amenity kits, along with unique design elements that will be featured in our Delta One Lounge at JFK, will offer a distinct, high-end enhancement to our most premium spaces,” said Mauricio Parise, vice president of brand experience design, in a statement.

Interestingly, 2024 seems to be the year of new amenity kits. So far this year, American, JetBlue and United have all unveiled new kits, with Delta’s taking the crown with the fanciest so far. The new kits are also likely to be the most highly in-demand.

Related reading:

• The best credit cards for airport lounge access
• The ultimate guide to getting Delta Sky Club access
• The 7 do’s and don’ts in an airport lounge
• The best credit cards to reach elite status
• 7 domestic lounges that are worth going out of your way for
• Best Delta credit cards

A slew of exciting new hotels have been popping up in Honolulu — and now a new lifestyle hotel in the heart of one the city’s most vibrant neighborhoods is open for business.

Here’s a first look at Romer House Waikiki.

Related: Best hotels in Honolulu in 2024

The only adults-only hotel in the area, this Romer House outpost is a love letter to Waikiki with modern touches and midcentury design.

Across the 179 rooms, guests are supposed to feel like they’re stepping into their own Hawaiian apartment-inspired space, with lots of textures, wooden accents, local photography on the walls and in-room amenities like coffee, a kettle and a minifridge.

In some rooms, you can even have your own private lanai to step outside and breathe in the salty ocean air.

The rooms aren’t the only place you’ll find great art; throughout the hotel is an entire collection of local art dedicated to the beauty of Hawaii and its islands, people and culture. Be on the lookout for pieces from surf photographer Arto Saari, murals by Matías Solario and Cory Kamehanaokala, and more throughout the hotel.

For fun, head to The Backyard pool and bar to lounge in a chair to work on your tan, enjoy a swim in the heated wading pool or snack on Japanese-Hawaiian food and cocktails (think: katsu sandwiches or bento boxes with canned sake). Come for the food, but stay for wellness classes on the pool deck.

You can also grab food and drinks at Izakaya 855-Aloha from chef Shotaro “Sho” Kamio. A spot designed to stay open late, Romer’s izakaya will also combine flavors and cooking techniques of Japan and Hawaii and feature shareable dishes like Tokyo hot chicken, takoyaki, tempura and a strong selection of Japanese whiskys and sakes.

And then there’s House Bar & Cafe, an all-day eatery with — you guessed it — Japanese-Hawaiian breakfast and lunch, including options that are perfect to take away. At night, the space transforms into a laid-back bar scene where you can have a midnight snack and a nightcap.

Every stay at Romer House Waikiki includes a dedicated “Aloha Line” phone number that guests can text or call to help navigate nearby activities or score exclusive perks at neighborhood businesses (hint: your keycard can help you score discounts!). To get out, the hotel offers free bike rentals, and there’s even a boutique on the property with artisanal goods just in case you don’t find the right souvenir while exploring out and about.

Related: How to get to Hawaii on points and miles

Best of all, Romer House Waikiki has plenty of ways to help support the local community and the beautiful island through contributions to the Genki Ala Wai Project and the Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative.

While Romer House Waikiki isn’t part of a loyalty program, it does offer a great deal on cash rates. Through the summer, rates can be found as low as $163 per night, which is a very appealing price for one of the most famous neighborhoods in the world. And if you book before June 30, the hotel is offering a special package to celebrate the grand opening that includes 20% off the nightly rate, a limited-edition goodie bag with two custom towels, a $100 food and beverage credit, and a welcome drink on arrival.

Related reading:

• Best hotels and resorts in Hawaii
• Exclusive look at the Renaissance Honolulu
• Top hotels on the Big Island

Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

Just like the ride vehicles on Dumbo the Flying Elephant, prices at Disney parks keep going up, up, up. Disney recently shared that, depending on the length and dates of your visit, you could see ticket prices increase anywhere from $5 to $50 next year.

As the price of Disney vacations continue to climb, a new study reveals that nearly one-quarter of consumers have gone into debt to pay for a trip to a Disney park.

In a survey of more than 2,000 individuals, LendingTree reported that 24% went into debt for a trip. This number represents a 33% increase over LendingTree’s 2022 survey, in which only 18% of individuals reported going into debt for a Disney vacation.

Among the costs that sent their vacation budget spiraling, 65% of surveyed Americans said that higher-than-expected food and beverage costs inside the park were to blame; 48% answered transportation costs; and 47% reported that accommodations ultimately put them in the red.

For parents with children under 18, the number of people surveyed that went into debt for a Disney vacation debt climbed to 45%. That’s a 50% increase from the same category in a similar 2022 survey, in which over 30% of Disney visitors with young children reported going into debt for Disney. Parents with kids under 18 took an average of $1,983 in debt for their Disney vacations.

Related: We saved every receipt — here’s how much it actually costs to go to Disney World

Although 59% of parents with young children say they don’t regret going into debt for their Disney excursion, there are several ways to save money at Disney and avoid overtaxing your budget.

No, I don’t have a magic wand (sadly). But I do have the next best thing: a list of tips and tricks to help minimize the effects of Disney’s rising prices so you can do Disney without busting your vacation budget.

How to save money on Disney tickets

Disney ticket prices increase nearly every year, usually with little warning. If you plan a trip and don’t buy your tickets before the prices increase, you’ll be stuck paying the higher price.

That may not sound like much on its own, but it can all add up quickly if you factor in the number of people in your party as well as the date and length of your visit.

Related: How I saved hundreds on a car rental when combining it with theme park tickets

There is a workaround that allows you to purchase tickets at the old prices, but you only have a short window of time to take advantage of it. Reputable Disney ticket resellers like CityPass, Undercover Tourist and Get Away Today usually have an allotment of tickets they sell at the old price until they run out. Savings can run as high as $90 per ticket if you act fast after a price increase. That’s potentially hundreds of dollars in your pocket that you can you use on other things like hotels, dining, souvenirs and other Disney expenses.

Even when you aren’t facing a price increase, ticket resellers like Undercover Tourist price their tickets slightly less than what you would pay directly with Disney — sometimes there’s as much as an $85 savings per ticket.

Choose the right credit card

There are several ways that using the right credit card to pay for your Disney vacation can help you save money — as long as you pay off your monthly balance in full.

Earn a welcome offer

If you open a new credit card with an elevated welcome offer, you could earn a points bonus worth more than $1,000 by putting your vacation purchases like theme park tickets, flights and a hotel stay on your new card. While working toward a welcome bonus doesn’t directly help you save on your current trip, it can help you save on future ones. You can also use TPG’s CardMatch tool to determine if you are prequalified for an even higher offer than publicly available.

Earn bonus points

You don’t have to apply for a new card to save money. Some credit cards earn bonus rewards points or cash back on purchases in select categories like travel and entertainment. For example, you can earn 3 points per dollar on purchases that code as travel when you pay with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® (nonbonus category purchases only earn 1 point per dollar). If you purchase your tickets through one of the resellers mentioned above or as part of a Disney vacation package, your purchase should code as travel, and you’ll earn additional points.

Related: The best credit cards for your Disney vacation

Similarly, you could use a card like the Chase Freedom Flex℠ that earns bonus rewards on rotating categories, including entertainment and amusement parks, to cover eligible purchases. Several Disney purchases, including tickets and Disney Genie+ “skip the line” service, should code as entertainment.

Use a travel credit

The Chase Sapphire Reserve also comes with an annual $300 travel credit that you can use to offset the cost of your trip, but you only use it toward purchases that code as travel. The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card also offers a $300 annual travel credit, but you need to book any vacation expenses through the Capital One travel portal to use this perk. Luckily, several Disney World hotels are bookable via Captial One. Renting Disney Vacation Club points to book your Disney World hotel should also code as a travel purchase, making you eligible for bonus points if you use the right credit card.

Related: The best credit cards to maximize your entertainment spending

Consider a Disney Visa

Finally, it should come as no surprise that the Disney® Visa® Card and the Disney® Premier Visa® Card can also help you save. Both offer a welcome bonus as a statement credit after spending a certain amount on purchases in the first three months. In addition, you can earn a percentage back in the form of Disney Reward Dollars on all card purchases, which you can use as a form of payment at Disney.

Related: Are the Disney Visa credit cards worth it?

The Disney Visa cards also offer discounts on select Disney merchandise and dining purchases, which can help you save money on meals and souvenirs while on vacation.

Use points and miles to cover a portion of the cost

There aren’t many ways to directly use points and miles to cover Disney costs, but we do have a few tricks to share.

With Bilt Rewards and the Bilt Mastercard® (see rates and fees), you can earn points that can be redeemed for Disney tickets directly in the activities section of the Bilt travel portal. You can also redeem Chase Ultimate Rewards points for Disney tickets, hotel stays and vacation packages booked through the Chase Travel℠ portal, though availability is sporadic and limited based on our searches.

Related: How to use points to buy Disney tickets

Other cards, including the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, allow you to redeem Capital One miles at a fixed rate of 1 cent each toward travel purchases made using the card. Remember, this only applies to purchases that code as travel, so be mindful of how you make your purchase if you want to use this method.

Of course, if you have a stash of airline miles or hotel points, you can use those to offset your flight or accommodations. There are several points hotels near Disney World, and there are even a few on the property. While not technically “Disney hotels.” The Walt Disney World Swan, Dolphin Resort and Swan Reserve hotels are located on Disney property between Epcot and Hollywood Studios and participate in the Marriott Bonvoy program.

Save with discounted Disney gift cards

You’ve probably seen Disney gift cards near the checkout counter at Target, but you might have yet to realize their potential beyond Christmas or birthday gifts.

Related: How to save money buying discounted Disney gift cards

Target Circle™ Mastercard cardholders receive a 5% discount when using that card to pay for most items in-store and on Target.com, including gift cards. That means a $100 Disney gift card will only cost you $95. That saving may sound insignificant, but it adds up if you purchase gift cards periodically throughout the year to cover the cost of your vacation.

The information for the Target Circle™ Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Pack your own snacks and drinks

You can lessen the sticker shock of in-park food and beverage purchases by packing along some of your own. Disney doesn’t allow you to bring in a full-size food cooler, but you can bring snacks and drinks in your bag or backpack. I always bring a reusable water ball to refill throughout the day, but you can also pack soda or Gatorade.

Related: The best restaurants at Disney World in 2024

I usually place a grocery order for cereal, yogurt and fruit to eat in the room before I head to the parks, and I take granola bars, crackers and other small bites for myself and my kids to snack on throughout the day. By doing this, we can get away with purchasing only one or two meals each day.

How to get into the parks without paying for MagicBands

I’d be lying if I said Disney’s MagicBand+ isn’t fun to play with at the parks. Like the old MagicBand, you can use MagicBand+ to get into the parks, open your hotel room door, access skip-the-line Lightning Lanes, link PhotoPass photos and charge items to your hotel room bill. You can also use it to play interactive games in the parks.

However, those perks cost between $34.99 and $54.99. A prearrival discount can save you up to $10, and Disney Vacation Club members or annual passholders can save 20%. Those prices sting all the more because, until recently, MagicBands were provided free of charge to Disney hotel guests, and were always free since they were first introduced in 2013.

The good news is that you can still use any old MagicBands you have lying around from past vacations as long as the battery still works. I have MagicBands that are two or three years old that still work just fine.

In even better news, you don’t need a MagicBand at all. At Disney World, you can ask for a “Key to the World” card at guest services or from the hotel front desk if you are staying at a Disney hotel. Key to the World cards look like hotel key cards (but cuter) and perform the same functions as the original MagicBands.

At Disneyland and Walt Disney World, you can use each park’s respective mobile phone app to do everything a MagicBand does, including charging select food and merchandise purchases to your hotel folio. For any other purchases, you could use the virtual wallet on your phone without pulling out your physical wallet.

Look for hotel and ticket discounts

Disney regularly releases discounts that can help you save hundreds on your hotel stay, such as on Disney dining plan and theme park tickets. We have a list of Disney World discounts to help you stay up-to-date on current offers. You can also apply most of these offers retroactively.

Even if you’ve already booked your vacation, you can usually still apply any discounts you are eligible for. This rule is one of the reasons we recommend booking your vacation through an authorized Disney vacation planner; they will keep an eye out for any applicable discounts up until the beginning of your trip.

Know the cheapest times to visit Disney

Disney ticket prices can vary wildly based on when you visit. If you go during peak demand times (like over a holiday season), a one-day Magic Kingdom ticket can run as much as $189 per person. If you visit in August or September, you can pay as little as $109 for the same ticket.

Related: These are the best times to visit Disney World

You may have little control over when you visit, but check Disney’s pricing calendar to help you choose the cheapest, most convenient dates.

How to save money on transportation to Disney

Getting between Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Walt Disney World used to be free to hotel guests via Disney’s Magical Express (may she rest in peace). In its place, a handful of alternatives have popped up, but they sadly all carry a fee.

Of those, I’ve seen the best pricing from Mears Connect. The cost is $16 one-way for adults and $13 one-way for kids (or $32 and $26, respectively, round-trip). You can pay an additional fee for express service that will take you directly to your resort with no stops. It also runs occasional promotions where kids ride for free with a paying adult.

Depending on the number of guests at your party, this service may be less expensive than taking an Uber or Lyft from the airport. During busy times, an Uber or Lyft can cost more than $70 for a one-way trip.

How to enjoy the parks without spending money on Disney Genie+

It still pains me to think about the days when skipping the line at Disney World was free using FastPass+. Yes, there was some anxiety around waking up at 6 a.m. 90 days before each trip to get the most coveted FastPasses and then refreshing the Disney app throughout my trip to snag a few more.

Unfortunately, FastPass+ has gone the way of the dodo and was replaced in late 2021 with a paid, skip-the-line service called Disney Genie+.

At Walt Disney World, the cost of Disney Genie+ varies by park and day. The service starts at $15 per person, per day, but it can go as high as $39, especially likely during holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas or spring break. You can purchase Genie+ for one of Disney World’s four theme parks or get a “multiple park” option, which is valid at all four parks when you buy it through the My Disney Experience app.

At Disneyland, you can snag the service in advance for $30 per person, per day. If you purchase Genie+ on the date of your visit, the starting price is $30, but it can fluctuate on busier days. The highest price on record is $35.

While it certainly can save you time in line, you don’t have to purchase Genie+ to enjoy your Disney vacation.

Along with Genie+, Disney also rolled out a free service called Disney Genie that helps you plan your day by displaying rides with low wait times, creating a personalized itinerary based on your preferences and more. You may not get on Disney’s most in-demand rides unless you are willing to wait, but it does present an opportunity to check out rides with lower waits that you usually skip over. You may find a new favorite.

If you are going the free route, you also must utilize rope drop. “Rope dropping” means arriving at the park at least 30 minutes before it officially opens (or 30 minutes before the start of Early Theme Park Entry for Disney resort guests) and heading straight for your first attraction the moment the rope drops. By arriving early, you can usually knock out one or two popular attractions before the crowds descend on the parks at the busiest part of the day.

If you find the parks so crowded that you don’t want to wait in line, there are many things you can do at Disney outside the parks (even without a park ticket).

Bottom line

As with most things, there’s no getting around the fact that visits to Disneyland and Disney World are getting more expensive. Sometimes, you have to get creative to make your travels affordable, and these tips are a great place to start so you don’t go into debt for your magical vacation — you may even have a few bucks left over to treat yourself to a Dole Whip (or two).

Related reading:

• Tips for visiting Disney World in 2024: 19 ways to save money and have more fun
• 30 best Disney World rides ranked for 2024
• 12 reasons to stay at a Walt Disney World Resort property
• A magical guide for how to plan a trip to Disney World this year