Many frequent travelers are familiar with the elite benefits you get – things like upgrades (when available), priority access, lounge access, breakfast, etc. But, sometimes there are benefits you may get with your elite status that go beyond the actual travel. Knowing about these benefits can help you save even more money!
My Airline Elite Status Saved Me 20% On My Dinner Tonight
One of the airline elite statuses that I hold (and get the most out of) is my Aegean Miles+Bonus Gold. This equates to Star Alliance Gold so it means I get things like lounge access worldwide, priority access, extra baggage, and even a nice perk when flying on United.
I have written before about the nice benefits that come with being Aegean Gold, when you are traveling in Greece. I know there are quite a few of my US readers that still hold Aegean Gold status so if you are coming to Greece, make sure you read this post to take advantage of everything your status affords you when on the ground in Greece!
Tonight, my wife and I went out on a little date and we went to a restaurant that we have come to like called La Pasteria. Yeah, an Italian restaurant in Greece and that was our choice. 🙂 But, we get Greek food all the time and I still love Italian-style food so it is a good fit. The prices are good and the food is very good.
As we walked up tonight, I remembered that Aegean had recently added this location to the list of La Pasteria locations that honor the discount with Aegean members. If you are a basic Aegean Blue member (meaning you sign up for the program) you get 10% off, an Aegean Silver member gets 15% off, and Aegean Gold members get 20% off! All you need to do is to show them your Aegean card (I showed them my digital card so if you don’t have your regular card, that should be fine) before you order and you are good to go!
Sure, enough, our final bill showed a discount on all items of 20%. In a country that sees a 24% VAT on most things, it is nice to see that get almost all wiped out with a discount from my airline elite status! 🙂
What About Your Airline, Hotel, Credit Card?
I am not aware of another elite program that has the breadth of benefits that Aegean offers their members. This would be especially true when looking at US airlines! 🙂 But, are you aware of all the cost saving benefits you may have? I remember when United used to offer Global Entry status complimentary to their 1K members – many 1K members I met didn’t even know about it!
United also as a relationship with Mercedes Benz that offers their members 25,000 – 50,000 miles and preferred pricing (not sure how good it is since I never pursued it). Of course, not everyone is going to be buying a new Benz but if you are planning on it, it may be worth checking that out. Also, United members get discounts and benefits at select golf courses in the TPC Network, if you are a golf fan.
It is also worth checking your credit card. For example, being a Visa card holder can get you discounts for things like Grand Canyon bus tours, GO Card City discounts in some cities (like NYC), and 10% off all Gray Line city tours. While I am sure that some of you know about these benefits and discounts, others may not. It is worth checking them out so that you max out the benefits of the different elite levels and credit cards that you hold!
