Upgrades Can Be the Economic Way to Enjoy High-End Travel

Updated on December 18, 2007.

PLANNING YOUR NEXT vacation? Consider a few splurges: First-class airline tickets, a luxury hotel suite, a rental car you're not embarrassed to drive.

Happily, getting a five-star vacation doesn't have to come with an equally stunning price tag. Savvy travelers often use upgrades to earn their star treatment, rather than paying for them outright.

Tip No. 1 for ratcheting up your trip? Travel during the off or shoulder season, when securing those upgrades will be significantly easier. Here are four other strategies to try:

The real perks, of course, are offered to frequent travelers. Free upgrades are the primary benefit to earning elite status, though if you're not a business traveler, racking up the necessary 25,000 airline miles or 60,000 hotel club points can be tough. But with new rewards partnerships, elite status is no longer solely the territory of business travelers, says Winship. "You could earn a certain number of elite-qualifying miles by being a frequent buyer rather than a frequent flier," he says.

With Intercontinental Hotels Group, for example, earning 60,000 points in a year gets you platinum elite status — and unlimited free room upgrades. You can reach that total by booking hotel stays (five to 10 points per $1 spent), or through shopping incentives. You'll get 10,000 points for activating new service through T-Mobile, for example, one point per $1 spent (plus 15,000 bonus points) with the Priority Club Rewards Visa and up to 10 points per $1 spent when you link to your favorite retailers through the rewards club site. For more on this program, click here.

American Express Platinum cardholders pay a $395 annual fee, which can quickly turn to savings if you make just a few trips each year. Check the math:

You might also consider so-called Y-Up, and Q-Up fares, says Mark Ashley, editor of UpgradeTravelBetter.com. Buying these full-fare coach tickets comes with an automatic upgrade to the next highest class. "But they're not rock-bottom prices," he cautions. Think of it as a discounted business-class fare rather than an inexpensive upgrade. (Business travelers often use these fares to fly in style, while appearing to book an "economy" fare they can easily expense.) A Y-Up from Las Vegas to Fresno, Calif., on American Airlines, for example, would be $371 — just $49 more than the coach fare for the flight, but $217 more than the cheapest flight available. To find Y-Up and Q-Up fares, check out FareCompare.com.

Airlines may also be able to offer you an upgrade at check-in, although here it's more about policy than the airline clerk's discretion. These last-minute upgrades can be ridiculously cheap — as little as $40, depending on the flight, says Erin Krause, a spokeswoman for Expedia. "In their mind, the airline is still making more money than they would have by not selling that seat," she says. A one-way AirTran ticket from Boston to Fort Myers, Fla. would cost you $136 for a coach seat; $464 for business class. To upgrade at the gate, you'd pay just $60 — a savings of $268 on the business-class fare.