Is an Alaska Cruise Actually Worth It? We Went to Find Out
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
It is hot in here, and that is because we are live in studio in Scottsdale, Arizona, where it is over 100 degrees. You know where it's not hot, though? Alaska. Where I was last week. That is because I just got back from an Alaska cruise, which we will talk about on today's episode.
Welcome to a special in-studio edition of NerdWallet's Smart Travel Podcast, a deep dive into the tips, tools, and tactics to maximize your travel dollars. I'm Megan Coyle.
And I'm Sally French, coming at you from a real video set. Now, if you want to watch us, not just listen to us, you got to watch us on Spotify, where you can view us right from the app.
And we always say we're the travel nerds that'll help you plan your next big trip, which might be an Alaska cruise.
But first, our disclaimer, and that is that we will talk about a few credit card companies on this episode that are nerd wallet partners that does not influence how we discuss them. The benefits, terms, and fees mentioned were accurate at the time we recorded this, but things can change. Some offers may have expired by the time you're listening. So for the latest details, follow the links in the episode description.
Now we're going to fly back home real quick and record the news. But when we come back, we'll be right here in Scottsdale. Stay with us. Delta has a very controversial new business class fair that we have to discuss. And Chase Sapphire Reserve customers might feel some differences to their dining credits. OK, Sally, the thing everyone is talking about in travel right now is Delta Airlines just debuted their slimmed down version of business and first class fares. What I'm talking about, it's like basic economy, but for business and first class.
This is absolutely nuts. Now, I will say this is not Delta alone in this. In fact, United also began selling basic Polaris business fares earlier this year, which means that Delta is really just following the United trend. And Megan, I got to say, this is a trend I am not so sure about.
So what these basic fares entail is that you will not be able to change or cancel your flight without paying a fee. You might not be able to access the Delta One Lounge if you bought a basic business fare, and you are not going to get as many checked bags as you would previously if you bought these full versions of these fares.
is absolutely bonkers to me and i will say i have always been very open to basic economy fairs this is this trimmed down version where when someone books an economy seat they might have the aisle seat or the window seat which is much more coveted than the middle seat and so what we saw over recent years is this trend for basic economy where you don't get to pick your seat which means that you probably do have the middle seat in the back row. You don't get to check bags. And I love basic economy because I think there's a lot of people who just need to travel. They want the cheapest possible fare. So this might be your broke college student, maybe someone who has a last minute family emergency. They're not checking a bag.
They don't care if they're in the middle seat. They just need to get to their destination as cheaply as possible. But when I see these basic business fares, I'm like, what are we doing, Delta? literally who is trying to save money when they are already buying a business fair which might i add already costs thousands of dollars so i i did search this and i will say availability is already pretty limited of this i searched many routes and did not even see the basic business option but i did find some so here's an example jfk to athens delta one classic was going for five thousand seven hundred dollars basic business was going for five thousand three hundred dollars So you are paying $400 less to not be in the Delta One lounge, to not have as many bags, to not be able to choose your seat within the business area.
However, who is trying to save $400 when you are already spending $5,300 on a flight?
The other surprising thing to me is, you know, the people who are trying to save on those business class flights are people who are using their points and miles.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–5:45
2
What travel headlines are Megan and Sally discussing at the top of the episode?
5:45–6:04
3
How does Delta's new basic business fare work and why is it controversial?
6:04–23:18
4
What changes did Chase make to the Sapphire Reserve dining credit and OpenTable list?
23:18–32:28
5
What updates did Wells Fargo add to its travel portal and who benefits?
32:28–59:49
Speakers
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