Newbie Debate: Best Airline & Best Hotel Chain

Chris and I disagree about many things. An interesting conversation brewed recently between the two of us and we were on opposite ends of the spectrum, to some degree. So, we decided to bring our, at times, heated conversation to the blogosphere.

Here are the two questions:

1)      What is the best US based airline for newbies?

2)      What is the best hotel chain for newbies?

When we use the term, “newbies,” we are talking about someone who has zero loyalty with any airline/hotel chain and they have never signed up for loyalty programs with airlines or hotels. A “newbie” is a virgin to loyalty travel.

 A few ground rules:

1)      Newbie lives in the Washington, DC Area

2)      She/he can fly out of DCA, BWI or IAD.

3)      Newbie has a good credit score, but no airline or hotel cards

4)      Has a job, but does not travel for it.

5)      Newbie is focused on overseas travel with a sprinkle of US base travel.

Over the next few days, Chris and I will lay out our arguments on why Newbie should pick our airline or hotel chain. Arguments will be laid out back to back based on the subject. For instance, today, I will argue for my airline and tomorrow, Chris will lay out his airline choice. Then we will move to hotels.

At the end, we hope you, our loyal readers (all five of you); will vote on who persuaded you the most too sign-up for their airline and hotel loyalty programs.

Let’s Get Ready To Rumble!!!

Important note: Chris and I may talk about the loyalty credit card for our particular airline and hotel in these posts. Credit card sign-up bonuses are an important part of the “game.” If we do decided to use credit card links, they will be public application links taken from the issuer's direct website. We do not earn income from you applying from the links. Similarly, please take an extra minute or two before applying for credit cards. If you do not pay your credit card balance off every month then you should stay away from this aspect of the game. Credit cards can lead to major long-term problems if not used correctly. I encourage you to read my post on Young People and the Chains of Credit Card Debt for more details.

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