Yahoo Finance ‘Your Rich BFF’ Vivian Tu: How Rich People Get Hidden Travel Perks by Investing
Former Wall Street trader Vivian Tu is the CEO and founder of Your Rich BFF Media, who has 2.2 million Instagram followers and 672,000 YouTube subscribers. In a recent YouTube short, Tu explained how rich people take advantage of offers from various companies to get “hidden” travel perks that most people are not familiar with.
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Here’s a look at the specific examples Tu cites in her video, along with other ways that you may be able to snag some travel benefits for yourself.
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Elite Status and Rewards for Hotel Stock Investments
As pointed out by Tu, certain hotel chains offer discounts, status and rewards for shareholders who invest in their stock. Accor, for example, offers one of the very best shareholder benefits, as owners of even a single share of stock can qualify for an “Accor Live Limitless” gold card, which offers VIP status and benefits. Note, however, that this only applies to registered stock shares, which are printed with an owner’s specific name on them. For bearer shares, which are electronic and the type you are most likely to use in your day-to-day stock transactions, you’ll need 50 shares to qualify for this benefit.
IHG, parent company of 19 hotel brands including InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Kimpton, offers a dedicated, controlled access website so shareholders can avail of a discount. Note that to qualify, shareholders must register their certified shares with the IHG Registrar.
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Onboard Credit for Cruise Stock Ownership
The world’s three largest cruise lines each offer benefits to their stock shareholders. Here are the specifics:
Carnival Corporation: For its North American brands, Carnival Corporation offers a $50 onboard credit for sailings of 6 days or less, a $100 onboard credit for sailings of 7 to 13 days, and a $250 onboard credit for cruises longer than 13 days for those owning at least 100 shares.
Royal Caribbean Group: Shareholders owning a minimum of 100 shares will enjoy an onboard credit of $50 on sailings of 5 nights or less, $100 on sailings of 6-13 nights, $250 on cruises of 14 or more nights, and $1,000 on World Cruises.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings: Owners of at least 100 shares of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings stock can enjoy a $50 onboard credit on cruises of 6 days or less, a $100 onboard credit on 7- to 13-day sailings, and a $250 credit on longer cruises.
Note that each of these companies owns a number of different cruise lines, and in most cases, it applies to all of them. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, for example, owns its namesake brand Norwegian Cruise Lines in addition to Regent Seven Seas and Oceania. Royal Caribbean Group owns Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises, while Carnival owns a whopping nine lines, including Carnival, Princess, Holland America, Seabourn and Cunard.
Elite Airline Status and Rewards
Unlike hotels and cruise lines, there aren’t any U.S.-based airlines that provide status rewards or “onboard credit.” But, if you’re willing to play the credit card rewards game, you can get significant travel rewards just through card ownership.
Most airline-related credit cards offer perks ranging from free baggage and priority boarding to rental car insurance, travel insurance and lost luggage protection. Some elite cards provide airline lounge access and/or jump start account holders towards status through faster accumulation of elite qualifying miles.
Accumulation of Points and Miles
Airline and hotel loyalty programs can pay off in a big way if you’re prudent with how you manage your spending. If you’re going to be flying with a particular airline or staying at a certain hotel anyway, it’s in your best interest to sign up for their loyalty programs.
After a period of time, you may earn enough credits to pay for free airline flights or hotel rooms. To leverage your rewards, try to stay loyal to a particular airline or hotel chain so that you can pile up rewards more rapidly. In this way, a small investment of your time can translate into lucrative perks.
The Bottom Line
There are a number of ways that you can direct your travel spending so that it results in some real benefits. Tu points out shareholder rewards that can result from actually buying stock in various travel companies, but there are other ways, such as through credit cards and reward programs, that you can get plenty of travel perks.
A little bit of research can help you find the programs that offer you the best value.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: ‘Your Rich BFF’ Vivian Tu: How Rich People Get Hidden Travel Perks by Investing
