Points and Lifestyle Creep
Tl;dr: Credit card points and perks can be a great way to expand your horizons and improve your travel experience—but they can also reset your expectations.
Growing up, my family never flew internationally. I remember being amazed when a high school classmate showed me travel photos from Australia—who could do such a thing? When I finally started traveling abroad with my wife in our 30s, we were thrilled to book a $450 basic-economy ticket to wherever was cheapest. We'd book a cheap Airbnb or microhotel, spend our days wandering free museums, and be delighted. On domestic trips, I refused to pay to check a bag, avoided overpriced airport food, and talked myself into believing I preferred row 22.
Points have changed things dramatically. I’m still frugal. In fact, we don’t even need the $450 fare anymore—we travel more often now, but use points to do it. And thanks to the status and perks that come with our cards, we’re not in row 22 anymore. We check bags—and sometimes skis—for free, eat and drink in lounges, board early, choose preferred or extra-legroom seats, and occasionally receive room upgrades and special welcomes at hotels. Hilton has pushed us especially far in the luxury direction: some of the best redemptions are at Small Luxury Hotels, and my Aspire card gives me a fancy free night every year. Not bad for simply shifting some spending onto a few credit cards.
I’m certainly not complaining about these travel upgrades, but they haven’t just changed the travel experience—they have re-anchored my expectations. Small annoyances that I once accepted as part of the travel experience have become nuisances when they pop up. An overflowing lounge that leaves me relying on airline pretzels now feels like a major downgrade. So does a last-minute booking that sends me to the back of the plane. And I’m increasingly tempted to spend my way out of those situations in a way I never would have before. I have enough points now that I could occasionally fly business class, but I’m not sure I want to do that when I’m perfectly happy with what I have now. I’m not ready for my extra-legroom seat to be a letdown.
Lazy Take 🦥
Points and credit cards can change the way you travel. Just be careful. All these perks and rewards can also change your expectations—and make it hard to go back.