Business travel comes with perks. Here's how to share them
As I write this story, my wife and daughter are enjoying a long weekend at Miraval Berkshires Resort & Spa. It's my wife's third Miraval stay in the past two years, and we didn't pay out of pocket for any of them.
Dropping them off at the airport got me thinking about one of the most overlooked perks of frequent travel: Many elite benefits can be shared.
Road warriors and business owners who spend a lot on credit cards can garner the most elite loyalty perks — many of which they simply don't have time or opportunity to use. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to turn travel perks into memorable experiences for someone else, too.
Luxury wellness stays
You might be wondering how I managed to arrange all those Miraval vacations without denting my wallet. While I was tempted to hold the explanation of this Miraval benefit to the end of the article to keep you reading, I won't keep you in suspense. A couple years ago, World of Hyatt revamped its Milestone Rewards program for loyal members.
World of Hyatt's Milestone Rewards include Miraval Extra Night Awards beginning at 100 qualifying nights. These awards let you add a complimentary night at these highly desirable (and expensive) wellness resorts when booking a paid or award stay.
You can actually earn up to five of these if you accumulate 150 qualifying nights, and World of Hyatt lets you earn qualifying nights through both stays and credit card spending.
While Miraval Extra Night Awards don't include the resort credit that comes with award stays, they still cover accommodations, meals and access to many on-property activities — making them an incredible value, and one you can share with others.
Premium seat upgrades on flights
Several U.S. airlines allow you to upgrade friends and family, but one airline stands above the rest when it comes to flexibility. United Airlines uses a system called PlusPoints for upgrades on United and some partner flights. Platinum, 1K and Global Services members can use PlusPoints to request upgrades into Premium Plus or Polaris on eligible flights, even when they aren't traveling with the passenger.
PlusPoints upgrades currently cost between 10 and 80 points per one-way flight, depending on the route and cabin, but the program will move to a dynamic pricing system in 2027.
What makes PlusPoints especially useful is how the program handles upgrade requests. United only deducts points once an upgrade clears, allowing members to request upgrades on multiple reservations without tying up their balance.
While Delta Air Lines and American Airlines offer ways to upgrade others with rewards, as well, neither program is as flexible as United's.
Elite for a stay
It's worth noting that World of Hyatt is the most generous hotel program when it comes to sharing your benefits with others. In addition to the Miraval Extra Night Awards I mentioned, you can transfer free night awards, suite upgrade awards and (my favorite) Guest of Honor awards to any other member.
Guest of Honor awards let someone enjoy the benefits of Globalist elite status on an eligible stay of up to seven nights. This includes perks like late check-out, free breakfast, Club lounge access, free parking on award stays and complimentary room upgrades — including up to a standard suite, based on availability.
World of Hyatt also goes a step further with Guest of Honor awards, giving you one qualifying night for each Guest of Honor award a friend or family member redeems. Win-win!
Free hotel stays
Most hotel programs allow members to use points for someone else's stay, though some make the process easier than others.
World of Hyatt, IHG One Rewards and Hilton Honors all make it pretty straightforward to book a room for someone else or add their name to a reservation. Marriott will require you to get an agent involved and imposes limits on how many stays can be booked for others each year.
Bottom line
My wife called me from Miraval Berkshires as I was finishing this piece. She spent about 10 minutes telling me about her day with our daughter and my cousin (yes, I was able to score two rooms using Miraval Extra Night Awards). After a brief pause, she said, "Thank you so much for making this happen."
My wife holds our family together during the 100-plus nights I spend on the road each year. A girls' weekend at Miraval doesn't make up for all that time apart, but it is one small way to show my appreciation.
That's what makes transferable travel benefits so valuable. Whether it's a luxury getaway, an upgraded flight or a honeymoon booked with points, these perks can create memories for the people who support us while we're away.