Whenever you fly or stay in a hotel, always get a paper copy of the boarding pass, and hotel folio to make sure you get your points & miles!
This TIP is from past experience , from not getting credit when I was supposed to. I know this sounds archaic, and outdated, but sometimes it’s necessary if you have to request mileage or point credit. You cannot always depend on digital versions.
Airlines
To start out, you should never fly without getting mileage or points for it! There are no reasons to not! If you are flying a certain airline, and you are not signed up for their loyalty program, SIGN UP! Many of times, for example, if you fly a partner airline , you can credit the miles to your main airline. An example of this is if your fly Aeromexico, but you normally fly Delta, since they are both part of Skyteam Alliance, and joint venture partners, credit your miles to Delta. Read my article about alliances HERE. In this instance, its particularly important to to save your boarding pass because many times the crediting of miles is not seamless.
If you do not get your miles in a certain amount of time, you may have to request a credit. One of the first things the airlines will do is, guess what… ask for a copy of your boarding pass. You can then scan it ands upload it, or whatever.
Another reason to save your boarding pass is if , for some reason there are problems with your flight, like a cancelation, or if your luggage is lost, you will be asked for your boarding pass for compensation, etc.
Hotels
For the same reasons, you need to save your hotel receipts / folios when you check out. Many times the hotels will ask if you want paper, email or both, I always ask for both. The reason for this is more than once, I never received the email, and one time Marriott was asking for the folio to credit points, and it was a nightmare getting it. Since most hotels are privately owned, Marriott corporate cannot get into the system and get your folio, it has to come from the hotel. If you get a paper copy, you are sure to have it, just in case.
I am a huge Marriott Fan, and VERY loyal to them, but since the merger with SPG, things haven’t went quite as … “smooth” as it should be! Many people are still complaining that points are not posting, and the process is not that easy to get remedied without a folio.
To be fair, this happens with ALL hotel brands, so always get a printed copy!
Wrap-Up
Most of the time, things go smoothly and you fly or stay and you get your much deserved, and valuable miles or points. In the few instances you do not, be proactive and prepared with hard copies!
I will reiterate, that you should never travel without earning something back. The reason for this is eventually you get free stays or flights! READ HERE!
Thanks for reading and PLEASE, TRAVEL MORE!
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