Did you know that the AAA card in your wallet that you rely on to jump start your car when the battery dies, tow you to the mechanic when the engine (inexplicably) starts sputtering or brings you gas when you (embarrassingly) thought you could make it to the gas station up the road, can also save you a great deal of money when it comes time to take that long awaited and much-deserved vacation? Its true. The American Automobile Association is a powerful travel partner and the benefits of flashing their well known and widely accepted card can save you on the airfare, the hotel, the rental car and the food and souvenirs on your vacation. You can also use a AAA card to get great discounts on world-wide cruises and tours to popular destinations. Additionally the AAA travel agents can help you book the trip thats right for you and your budget. The scope of AAAs savings programs is enormous and they offer their members discounts on flights, hotels, cruises, train tickets, rental cars, dining, shopping, shows, attraction admissions and events and much, much more. In addition to the fringe benefits all AAA memberships still come with the basic breakdown assistance protection which can be a real life saver when you are stuck on the roadside in some foreign town in a rented car whos engine (inexplicably) started sputtering.
In addition to the discounts offered to members of AAA, are lesser known member travel discounts from merchants and organizations such as The American Association of Retired Persons, Sams Club, BJs, and Costo memberships. Typically the yearly membership fee is recouped in the substantial saving one receives by booking travel through a membership service.
Another form of membership that will enable you to save while traveling are the various, free hotel, airline and car rental loyalty programs that are available with travel related companies such as Southwest Airlines where members can accrue two points for every roundtrip flight they make and they automatically earn a free flight anywhere in the US after they have accrued 16 points or 8 round trip flights. American Airlines reward program AAdvantage, was the pioneer of loyalty programs and offers members miles each time they purchase an eligible ticket and fly on American Airlines or any of their numerous airline partners. Members can also earn additional miles for purchasing business fare or first class tickets on American Airlines. Airline miles can also be quickly accumulated by enrolling in one of many airline sponsored credit cards where, in addition to customary introductory miles, the chosen airline usually credits you with two miles for every dollar spent on goods and services at a nearly unlimited list of merchants. Excellent resources for comparing the different airline credit card offers that are available are Creditcards.com and Creditcardguide.com.
Lowes Hotels offers a rewards program where upon enrolling guests automatically become eligible for room upgrades, based on availability, complimentary newspapers, and are presented with their pre-chosen amenity upon check in, such as cookies and milk or red wine and salted, mixed nuts. The InterContinental Hotels Group that owns the Crown Plaza, Holiday Inn and Candlewood Suited brands offers a loyalty program on its website that can be paired with many partnering airlines, car rental agencies, credit cards and online merchants, making the accumulation of rewards points even faster and easier.
Rental car agencies such as Avis and Thrifty also offer loyalty rewards programs that offer guests upgraded cars, complimentary newspapers and the benefit of bypassing lines at the check-in counter.
