Flying Thrifty

As I fly to my cruise, I am reflecting on what flying thrifty means. It doesn't necessarily mean flying as cheaply as possible. Time is money as the old adage says. I often take a bus to Boston in order to grab a direct flight somewhere. I have also been known to grab a rewards flight for 75k miles on Delta in Premium Economy and then stack that with a Global Upgrade certificate. Oh those Delta One seats with the lie flat bed and fancy meals. I am already lamenting the fact that these benefits will be out reach next year.

Delta has changed the policy so that you need to spend $20000 on flown tickets per year in order to get those coveted 4 global upgrade certificates per year. What will I do? I don't see myself switching airlines just yet. Ive tried them and Delta seems to be the best for me at the moment. You, dear reader, can read my game plan here first.

First, I'm going to use up my Delta sky miles as fast as possible. Over the years, I have sometimes had more than 1M Sky Miles in the bank. As awesome as it is to shop for and get great redemptions, it feels like the deals are harder and harder to find. I won't feel compelled to. ay for upgrades anymore. I will try to get used to those economy seats. I have been spoiled up front for too many years and I believe this will be tough for me. 

I can use noise cancelling headphones to improve my experience. Honestly, there is a reason they are provided in Delta One on the long flights. You just feel better after a long flight when you use noise cancelling headphones.

I will renew my American Express Platinum card for Business because it gives me access to Priority Pass lounges (including the Delta Sky Clubs). FYI this card just went to $695/yr annual membership fee so I need to revisit total value for it. Being able to shower when you've just flown for fourteen hours to JFK from Tel Aviv or Seoul or your flight is delayed is priceless.  Lately more and more kids are showing up in the sky clubs but mostly they are quiet and well behaved. In my opinion, the lounge is an oasis in the chaos of the airport and a must have.

Since I won't hit Diamond again (this free perk has been glorious), I lose my free CLEAR membership. To me, not waiting in a busy TSA pre-check line is worth the $189! I want to get to the lounge as fast as possible. That said, the CLEAR membership is also free with my American Express Platinum card for Business. (In addition, I get Gold membership to Hilton and Marriott with this card but that is a subject for another day.)

I also hold Delta AMEX Platinum not only allows me to check my bag for free. It also gives me an MQD waiver up to Delta Sky Miles Platinum if I spend $25k on the credit card in a year. I also get a 10K MQM Sky Miles bonus once I hit $25K in spend annually. If you are reading this and don't know what MQMs or MQDs are, be thankful. Just jump to my tips in the summary.

In summary:

• Get a credit card that gives you lounge access, allows you to check your bag for free, gives an MQM waiver after you spend $25k, and CLEAR membership.
• Get some good noise cancelling headphones.
• Calculate how many times you fly a year as some cards offer a pay per use lounge fee and this may be cheaper for you.

I'll revisit this post once I have further explored the credit cards I already have in my wallet and then I'll look at new options to see what may offer me a better value. 

I'm going to stick with Delta for now, but I will be much more selective when it comes to how I consume their services. I have become complacent over the years with the benefits of being Delta Diamond. Unfortunately for me, I just can't justify the cost to my business anymore.