Is it time to give up your travel rewards program? That’s not a theoretical question for Karin Kemp, a retired graphic designer from Matthews, North Carolina.<\/p>\n
With few opportunities to travel last year, her loyalty to United Airlines has wavered. Special offers and bonuses weren’t enough to keep her engaged in her program, and she started to use a different credit card as her primary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kemp is still keeping her Chase-issued United\u00a0credit card active, but only because she has a ticket credit for a canceled flight from Charlotte to Bologna, Italy. She had hoped to get a refund after United canceled one of the flight legs but was only offered an expiring ticket credit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I think they should refund for flights that didn\u2019t go because of the pandemic,” she says. “This year, I\u2019ll be reassessing my loyalty to United.”<\/p>\n
She’s not the only one. Many travelers \u2013 or should I call them former travelers? \u2013 are asking an obvious question as they mull over their New Year’s resolutions: Is it worth being loyal to a loyalty program?<\/p>\n
The travel industry would like everyone to answer “yes.” And they have legions of disciples who will tell you there’s no downside to playing the loyalty game \u2013 none whatsoever.<\/p>\n
But that’s not true. Some travelers will come out ahead by remaining loyal\u00a0but many others will lose. The only real winners are the companies to which you are loyal. And they are doing their best to make sure you don’t give up your rewards program in 2021.\u00a0<\/p>\n