Those of us who play this game of points and miles love to redeem those currencies for flights or hotels where we can experience luxury in a style that we’d never pay cash for. But one thing that’s great about having points and miles on hand is that they’re available when you need them which can save you from having to unexpectedly shell out cash.
I live in Memphis, Tennessee and on this past Sunday evening we had a series of straight-line winds blow through town. There were over 120,000 people in our county without power shortly thereafter as trees fell on power lines and even utility poles were knocked over. And at least a couple of folks whose private planes were not properly tied down found those planes upside down!
I was one of the unlucky ones without power. Temperatures had reached the mid-90s that day but when my power went out just after 7 PM the storm had dropped them to about 77F. But, as is typical in this area in the summer, the humidity was about 83%. I propped open the back door, hoping the lights would come on soon but at about 8 PM my dog, who was napping, started panting and I knew that we would both be miserable if we had to spend the night without air conditioning.
I have several free night certificates from the credit cards I hold and would have liked to have used some of them that would expire sooner but the closest hotels either didn’t accept pets at all or only pets that are smaller than my dog. So I was able to use my Hilton free night certificate at the Homewood Suites closest to me. This is the same hotel where I lived for four months in early 2020 while my house was being repaired from a fire. I knew the rooms were larger than typical hotel rooms and we’d have a sofa as well as the bed so it was a great fit. The room was quite warm when we arrived but still cooler than my house and we spent the night in comfort.
Just for holding the American Express Hilton Aspire Card I have Hilton Diamond status. And while late checkout is a benefit, it’s not guaranteed. I asked for 4 PM checkout and was told there was no way I could get that but I could get 1 PM checkout. By noon my power was not back on so I went ahead and used points for that night. And naturally, my power was turned back on shortly after 1 PM. But I was out 30K points instead of over $200. That’s a lot easier to swallow! It wasn’t a sexy, luxurious redemption but it was so nice to be able not to have to think about whether or not I could afford a hotel.
There are some who think that chasing points and miles is a loser’s game. And you can certainly get yourself into trouble if you’re not careful. But at times like this it’s wonderful to have those points in your back pocket.
2B Traveling 
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