My buddy Dave from Denver convinced me to ditch hotel reward cards

We were talking about his trip to Thailand last month and he spent like $600 total for 2 weeks. I asked how and he said he never books through any chain loyalty program anymore. Just walks into local guesthouses and negotiates cash on the spot. Said the prices on apps are usually double what you can get if you just show up and ask. I always thought points were the way to go but now I'm wondering if I've been leaving money on the table. Has anyone else tried just booking direct with small places?

2 comments

2 Comments

evan_anderson9d ago

Oh man, I was totally in the points camp too (hoarding those hotel points felt like a game to me). But hearing that story, it kinda flips the whole thing on its head. Maybe I've been overthinking it this whole time.

rileygonzalez9d ago

Yeah the whole "hoarding points like a game" thing really hit me. I read somewhere that a lot of those loyalty programs are basically designed so you never actually cash in the full value. And @evan_anderson totally has a point about overthinking it. Dave's approach sounds way more real, like you're actually connecting with the place instead of just racking up points for a free night you probably won't use. Makes me wonder if all that points grinding is just a trap to keep you in their system.