If you travel a lot already (say, for work), loyalty programs can provide worthwhile perks. I had a 10-day vacation in Japan a couple of years ago, complete wit

If you travel a lot already (say, for work), loyalty programs can provide worthwhile perks. I had a 10-day vacation in Japan a couple of years ago, complete with first-class flights and luxury hotel stays and only paid ~$500 out of pocket (and $300 of that was for a Japan Rail pass). The rest was paid for out of a combination of airlines mies (three different FF programs) and hotel points (2 chains). If you don't travel a lot, it's probably not worth it, but if you're already going through the motions, why wouldn't you?