After spending a very productive face-to-face week in Colorado with the rest of the Frequent Miler team, I took a red-eye flight from Denver to New York JFK in order to attend a Brooklyn Nets / New York Knicks basketball game last night, giving all new meaning to the Beastie Boys phrase, “No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn”.
I don’t recommend that red-eye. With the game set for an 8pm tip-off, and the 3hr 18min flight time of the 11:55pm departure from Denver meaning almost no time for sleep in-flight, I knew I needed a place to get rested upon arrival. I booked the Hyatt Regency JFK for Thursday night to Friday, counting on my Globalist 4pm late checkout benefit. I called ahead on Thursday to make sure that my room would be held for my Friday morning arrival.
Unfortunately, at check-in at ~6:30am, I was told that the Regency is a “resort” and as such would only provide up to a 2pm checkout. I don’t know when that changed (we’ve had 4pm checkout there in the past), but I was disappointed. I would have booked a room (either overnight or day use) at the Marriott JFK rather than booking the out-of-the-way Hyatt Regency if I had known this.
While the lack of late checkout was disappointing, here’s the real reason I share this story: I met a Frequent Miler reader in the lobby later in the afternoon. He does not have Globalist status, but did ask for a late checkout. When he was offered 2pm, he asked if he could get a 4pm checkout. The desk agent told him no because “that’s for Globalists”. Talk about overpromising and underdelivering! It’s a great example of how a property like that benefits from the way the program is advertised, but fails to meet the program expectations.
The Hyatt Regency JFK is nice enough. It is well-kept, and they proactively upgraded me to a 1-bedroom suite. The reason I share the story isn’t to discourage anyone from staying at the hotel, but rather because Tim wrote yesterday about loyalty program changes being considered by Hyatt. If Hyatt increases award prices, decreases elite benefits, and continues to see properties like this opt themselves out of program expectations, my enthusiasm for the program (and willingness to choose it over competitors) will decrease.
Elsewhere on the blog this week, you can learn about the best credit cards for cruises, how to get to Hawaii using points and miles, the rationale behind our Reasonable Redemption Values, and more.
This week on the Frequent Miler blog…
Is Hyatt going to shake up Globalist benefits?
Uh-oh: rumor has it that Hyatt is considering some major changes to Globalist benefits, and they may introduce an elite status level above Globalist. I have to marvel at the way that Hyatt seems intent on decimating the value of its program. With a much smaller footprint than competitors (and such a sizable portion of the footprint being limited-service brands in out-of-the-way locations), I just can’t see many going out of their way to do more than the 60 nights already required. Losing free parking on award stays and waived resort fees, even if those things get added as limited-use Milestone Rewards, would have me check out on Hyatt. While I don’t love Marriott, they are everywhere I need to be, I can earn a good return on stays between shopping portals and the loyalty program, I can accumulate gift cards through Capital One Shopping, and I have Lifetime Platinum status for free breakfast and 4pm late checkout at many/most brands. The thing that has kept me earning 60 elite nights with Hyatt has been Globalist status. Significant changes to benefits would likely have me heading for the hills.
What are Delta SkyMiles worth?
For the past couple of years, we have been fortunate to partner with Points Path to access data on the value of airline miles for many key programs, as observed over literal millions of data points. Unsurprisingly, over more than six million searches, the Reasonable Redemption Value of Delta SkyMiles remains at 1.1c per mile. While that is relatively weak as airline miles go, it is remarkably consistent, even across cabins. If you come across a redemption opportunity worth more, you probably shouldn’t hesitate tot ake advantage of one of the outlier opportunities.
Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ Credit Card Review (2026)
I really can’t understand the target market for the Chase Sapphire Reserve card. A very small business owner definitely won’t have use for the Zip Recruiter benefit. A big enough business to regularly use Zip Recruiter and add (free) authorized users might want those employees to get lounge access and/or a bonus category for dining or general travel (none of which this card has). The credits just won’t offset the annual fee for most users, and many of the benefits will mostly or only apply to the primary cardholder, yet many of the credits require having a team. I just don’t understand. Tim’s review does a better job than this paragraph of laying out some of the pros and cons, but I have a hard time imagining the target market for this card.
The best credit cards for booking cruises in 2026
With one more cruise on the docket in my long line of cruise match offers, and a family member looking to book a separate cabin on the same cruise, I found myself thinking about the best credit cards for cruises in 2026. The answer to “Which is the best credit card for booking a cruise?” looks very different in 2026 than it did when I got started with “free” cruise offers in 2022 or 2023. The card that is perhaps the best on the market for cruises is one that won’t make many lists of the 10 best travel credit cards, but it might make your shortlist after reading this post.
Best ways to get to Hawaii using points and miles (2026)
If you’re dreaming of a trip to the Aloha state, Tim has fully updated our post with all of the best ways to get there using points and miles.
Elevate your family travel without emptying your wallet: using points, miles, and the right credit cards to hack your family trip
Did you know that Accor offers a Family Rate plan that offers 50% off a second room? I didn’t until recently, and that is of particular interest to me since award prices are tied to cash prices. That set me on the process of updating this post and adding things like 50% off child award tickets with SAS, the Hyatt Family Rate plan, and a new section on the worst award programs for lap infant award tickets (along with many other updates). If you’re a family traveler, this post offers a number of tips that could be very helpful for saving miles or money.
What are points worth? Reasonable Redemption Values Explained | Coffee Break Ep97 | 3-17-26
Our Reasonable Redemption Values are an incredibly important part of Frequent Miler because they help us compare offers and make informed decisions. Our goal with Reasonable Redemption Values is to identify the value you can reasonably expect to get when redeeming points without substantial effort, rather than an indicator of outsized value opportunity. On this week’s coffee break, we talk more about why that is and how we develop our Reasonable Redemption Values, which is an important part of understanding all of our credit card information.
Best Credit Card Purchase Protections
Purchase protections can sometimes really move the needle in terms of which credit card you want to use for a particular purchase. Return protection, extended warranty, and price protection are all examples of terrific benefits that might be provided by the card you use for your purchase. In this fully updated guide, Greg lays out the best options on the market for great purchase protections.
Wyndham Rewards Complete Guide (2026)
Wyndham Rewards is a program that hasn’t gotten much attention in recent years apart from its partnership with Vacasa (which has sadly ended). But there are still some sweet spots and opportunities to do quite well with Wyndham Rewards points for those keeping up with the details. See our complete guide to Wyndham Rewards for everything you need to know about the program.
Amex The Hotel Collection: Earn hotel points/perks while using Amex Platinum® credits
While Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts gets a lot of attention, both for its benefits and because of the prepaid hotel credit available on Platinum cards, The Hotel Collection is the sort of sister program offered by Amex. While the benefits of The Hotel Collection are a bit different, this can nonetheless be a valuable program with some nice upsides. See Greg’s post for everything you need to know about The Hotel Collection.
That’s it for this week at Frequent Miler. Keep an eye on this week’s last chance deals as a number of deals expire as we reach the end of the month.
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