Bank Reward Programs Not So Rewarding for Travel

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported on an important side effect of the financial problems of Citigroup and other banks: Credit-card rewards programs are vanishing, especially for travel.

On March 1, Citibank will make a key change to its ThankYou Rewards program for its credit-card holders. You'll have to spend a certain amount each month on your card before you'll be able to earn points for travel.

And travel rewards will become more difficult to redeem, according to a story broken by the Frugal Travel Guy. For example, today you can redeem ThankYou Points for different types of tickets once you've reached a threshold, such as by redeeming 90,000 ThankYou Points for a business-class ticket worth up to $2,700. But under the system the company is about to set up, you'll need to have 100 points per every $1 of airfare. So a $2,700 business-class ticket will now require 270,000 points.

(Citibank defends its move by saying that it will now include the price of taxes and fees as part of its reward. Right now, members have to pay the airline taxes and fees for reward tickets.)

Other news items:
"Last month, American Express eliminated double miles for shopping in a broad range of categories on its Delta SkyMiles card." This may be partly driven by Delta's merger of its frequent flier program with Northwest's program.

"Chase scaled back the cash-back bonus opportunities on its Freedom card for new customers."

"Capital One's new No Hassle Rewards Card requires customers to spend at least $1,000 a month in order to earn double miles for each dollar above that threshold. (Customers earn one mile per dollar spent on all other, non-travel purchases.)"

Banks partly blame the airlines, some of which are hiking the mileage thresholds required to redeem free flights.

Banks are also getting more likely to revoke your points before you get a chance to use them. Says the Journal:

If you're late, not only will you likely see your interest rate jump, but you'll also probably forfeit reward points. Under American Express' Membership Rewards program, for example, members who pay late will forfeit their points for that month (although they can reinstate those points by paying a $29 fee).

The short take: Don't bank those points. If you have a stockpile of rewards points, consider redeeming them for rewards now before they are likely to be devalued.

Be Prepared When Bad Weather Strikes

Air travel can be dicey when the weather outside is frightful, so heed these tips from Fare Compare CEO Rick Seaney if you think you might be affected by bad weather:

* Before heading to the airport, check your flight status on the airline's or airport's Web site.

* Also, make sure you have your airline's phone number hand-programmed in your cell phone or written down somewhere handy with a stash of change for pay phones - so you can call the airline the minute your plans change.

* If you're already at the airport, you'll usually have better luck making alternative arrangements through the gate agent rather than the ticket agent, so head to the gate pronto.

* Anytime you're stuck waiting in line, maximize your chances of reaching someone by getting on the phone with the airline, too.

* If bad weather is going to cause you to get to the airport late and miss your flight, call the airline immediately to get put on the stand-by list. Ditto if you know you're going to miss your connecting flight.

Cruise Industry Posts Increase in 2008

In a surprise announcement, the Cruise Lines Industry Association is predicting that 13.5 million people will cruise North America this year, an increase of 2.3 percent over last year. If the forecast proves accurate, the cruise industry may be the only part of the travel industry to post a gain this year (assuming you don't count the national park system).

Some of that cruise passenger growth will come from non-American visitors to the Caribbean. All told, annual passenger volume has increased 79 percent in the past eight years.

Know Your Camera Before You Hit the Road

Before you leave on that big trip, take the time to know your camera. Afterall, you are likely to see things that you will never see again. And you don't want to miss that once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunity because you can't use your camera properly. Spend some time with camera in the weeks preceding your trip.

Know your lenses, which have traditionally been divided into three basic categories: normal, wide angle, and telephoto.

Normal lenses provide about the same perspective as the human eye and are usually in the 45mm-to-60mm range (again, in 35mm format equivalent). On most zoom cameras, the normal focal length is typically in the middle area of the zoom range. Normal lenses offer a straightforward view of the world that is well-suited to documentary-type images of subjects like architecture or landscapes.

Wide-angle lenses are superb at reaching out their wide-open arms to take in a sweeping view of the world. Those in the 28mm-to-35mm range are the most useful and popular. Creatively, wide-angle lenses can be used to heighten perspective by exaggerating the distance between near and far objects or, when you're shooting upward, the height of nearby objects (exaggerating the height of a tree or a church steeple, for example). Wide-angle lenses are good for a range of subjects, including landscapes (especially where you want to elongate spatial relationships), architecture (when you want to create dramatic or slightly distorted shots of exteriors), and in any situation where shooting space is tight. They also provide inherently greater depth of field than other lenses.

Telephoto lenses have focal lengths that range from about 85mm (great for portraits) to super-telephoto lenses of 300mm to 600mm (lenses in this range are often used by sports and wildlife photographers). All telephoto lenses bring distant subjects closer, and the longer the focal length the greater the magnification. They also effectively compress space—cramming a city skyline into an overlapping two-dimensional pattern of geometric shapes, for example. Use a telephoto lens or zoom setting when you want to make distant subjects appear closer.

Top Ten Travel Innovations

Budget Travel asked its readers to vote on the top ten travel innovations of the last ten years. Here's how the voting turned out.

10. Online maps
MapQuest, Google Earth, and other online mapping tools make any first-time visitor a seasoned traveler before he or she even arrives in a place.

9. Digital photography
You can "take hundreds of photos" with a digital camera and "see right away whether you got the right shot"—so you don't have to "pay heaps of money to develop a ton of photos that didn't turn out."

8. Online flight check-in
Nothing has helped "shorten wait times at airports" like the ability to "bypass lines at the ticket counter" by checking in for your flight on the Internet and "printing your boarding pass at home."

7. GPS navigation
Driving is so much easier with a global positioning system to show you the way.

6. Worldwide ATM access
Being able to withdraw money from your bank account anytime "on almost every street corner in the world" alleviates the stress of "running out of cash" after "the banks have long since closed for the day."

5. Cell phones
Having the option of "checking the hours of a tourist attraction," reserving a table at a restaurant, or "making a hotel booking from the road" is a "huge travel blessing."

4. Global Internet access
A "cheap and convenient" way to keep in touch when you're traveling, the Internet is available today even "in the most remote parts of the world."

3. TripAdvisor
With "real people" sharing their "unbiased opinions" about hotels, restaurants, and tourist sights, TripAdvisor offers travelers the kind of "detailed information that guidebooks never have the space to include."

2. Online travel booking
Before the Internet, travelers were "limited to brochures, a few books, and travel agents" to help them plan and book their trips. Now, with websites like Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, and Priceline, "anyone can be their own travel agent."

1. Roller bags
Unlike "the old suitcases with four wheels and a strap," today's roller bags have retractable handles and two wheels—"a simple concept" that keeps them from tipping over easily. "People of all ages and physical abilities" can now "move quickly through busy airports without having to carry heavy luggage." These bags have "changed absolutely everything" about travel.

Special Wolf Treks Offer

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Think Before You Pack

Now that most airlines are charging $15 to check a bag, more travelers are carrying on things they used to check. Airplane overhead bins cannot handle the extra volume. That means more passengers, usually those who board last, find that there is no room in the overhead bins. Weary flight attendants then gate-check any bag that cannot fit under the seat in front of the passenger. The bags are put into the belly of the plane and returned to travelers at the gate upon arrival. While theft isn't a large problem, who wants to put a $600 digital camera in the cargo hold? Be sure that you pack any valuables or fragile objects in your smaller carryon, such as a backpack, that will fit under the seat in front of you.