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10 Ways You May Get An Upgrade On Holiday Accommodation Or Travel

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From leveraging loyalty programs and doing some strategic travel planning, to simply being polite and presentable… These can all potentially help you get an upgrade on your holiday accommodation or travel. As can just being in the right place at the right time – like early for your flight or hotel book-in. With that in mind, here are 10 suggestions that may help you in your quest for a better seat on the plane, or a room with a better view at the hotel. However, always bear in mind that ultimately whether or not you’re successful comes down to factors like availability and staff discretion.

1.    Join Hotel Or Airline Loyalty Programs:

All the major airlines and hotel chains have loyalty programmes and these offer excellent opportunities to get an upgrade on holiday accommodation or travel so sign up for them. They often have different tiers that offer a range of benefits such as free WiFi, priority check-in, seat upgrades, or room upgrades.

2.    Utilise Your Reward Programme Points or Miles:

Accumulate points through these loyalty and rewards programmes for hotels and airlines, and use them to request upgrades. After all, it’s one of the reasons these programmes exist!

3.    Book Directly With The Hotel Or Airline:

Although booking through a 3rd party-booking platform is often convenient for you as the customer, it does nonetheless reduce the amount the hotel or airline gets (because the platform gets a fee). If you’re planning on asking for upgrades, try booking directly with the hotel or airline instead as hotels and airlines often prioritise clients who do this. That could translate into them being more accommodating when you ask for that upgrade on your holiday accommodation or travel.

4.    Timing Matters So Consider Off-peak Travel:

Hotels and flights are generally less crowded midweek or during off-peak periods so you’re far more likely to find available upgrades if you travel during these times. Indeed, if you’re travelling during peak travel or holiday periods, there are unlikely to be any upgrades available at all, even if you do have rewards points.

5.    Be Prepared To Be Flexible:

Following on from the point above – often there are upgrades available, just not when you had intended to travel. However, being flexible and prepared to change your travel plans to suit will allow you to take advantage of these opportunities when they come up.

6.    Dress and Act the Part:

Appearances matter so, whilst you don’t need to dress like you’re going to a business function or high society cocktail party, being neat, tidy, and presentable does leave a positive, and potentially favourable, impression. This gets back to the point about staff discretion…

7.    Be Polite and Engage in Conversation:

A big smile, friendly attitude, and politeness, also work wonders when it comes to making a favourable impression on the staff that ultimately determine whether you’ll get an upgrade! So, when you’re checking in with the airline or hotel, engage with the staff members processing your booking. Create a positive impression with them by being kind, respectful, and showing genuine interest. This could predispose them to consider your enquiries about upgrades more favourably.

8.    Let Them Know If You’re Celebrating A Special Occasion:

If you’re celebrating something – birthday, anniversary, honeymoon – let the airline or hotel know. They’re often quite happy to contribute to the occasion with a complimentary upgrade (or a gift of some sort).

9.    Use Social Media:

If you’re like most of us, you’ll have at least one social media account. Consider giving the hotel or airline a bit of a plug. Perhaps mention how great the service you’ve received so far has been, or how much you’re looking forward to experiencing a particular feature… Many companies these days monitor social media for feedback and may be inclined to offer upgrades as a gesture of goodwill and a thankyou.

10. Early Birds Are More Likely To Catch Worms:

One of the most common ways to get an upgrade on holiday accommodation or travel is to simply arrive early for your flight or hotel check-in. As you check in, ask about seat or room upgrades. If there are any available, you could secure one simply by virtue of being one of the first to ask about them.

Key Takeaways About How To Get An Upgrade On Holiday Accommodation Or Travel

Upgrading your holiday accommodation or travel is certainly a great way to enjoy your flight more, or have a more enjoyable hotel stay. However, whilst the above strategies may help you get an upgrade on your holiday accommodation or travel, there’s no guarantee. If upgrades are not available, they’re not available! If that’s the case, you can either change your travel plans to times when they are available (if you really want the upgrades) or just go with what you’ve got. Either way, keep a positive and gracious attitude, even if you don’t get an upgrade! There’s always next time…

 

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Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

1.1 Count Limited and its related bodies corporate (collectively ‘Count’, ‘we’, ‘us’, ‘our’) respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your privacy. We understand the importance you attach to information that identifies you (your ‘personal information’) and we want to help you protect it.

1.2 We are bound by, and committed to supporting, applicable privacy legislation including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). This Privacy Policy (‘Policy’) explains how we collect, hold, use, and disclose your personal information that we may obtain when you submit information to us in person, by mail or email, or by visiting our website.


2. How do we collect and hold personal information about you?

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2.5 We will only collect sensitive information from you with your consent, except in permitted general situations which include:

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2.6 We may hold your information electronically or physically and have in place appropriate data and physical security measures and protocols to protect that information from loss or from disclosure not contemplated by this Policy.


3. What type of personal information do we collect?

3.1 The type of personal information we may collect from you includes (but is not limited to):

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5. How do we disclose your personal information?

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5.2 We may use, store, process, or back-up your personal information on servers that are located overseas (including through third-party service providers). The privacy laws in other countries might not be the same as in Australia. However, where we provide your personal information to third parties overseas, we will take such steps as are reasonable to ensure that your information is handled and stored in accordance with Australian privacy laws and this Policy. Currently, we use outsourced service providers in the Philippines, India, and Serbia.


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6.3 Note that we need not provide access to personal information if a request is frivolous, or where to provide access would pose a threat to health or public safety, unreasonable interference with another person’s privacy, or be a breach of the law. If we refuse access, we will provide you with reasons for doing so.


7. Accuracy and correction

7.1 To enable us to keep our records properly, please notify us if you believe that any information we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date and we will take reasonable steps, in the circumstances, to ensure that it is corrected. You can notify us by sending us an email: privacy@count.au (no spam please) or writing to us at Level 1, 45 Clarence Street, Sydney NSW 2000.


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8.2 We will also deidentify and destroy the personal information we hold about you once our legal obligations cease. Our security procedures are reviewed from time to time and we update them when relevant.

8.3 Please be aware that the transmission of data over the internet is never guaranteed to be completely secure. It is possible that third parties not under our control may be able to access or intercept transmissions or private communications without our permission or knowledge. We take all reasonable steps, in the circumstances, to protect your personal information. However, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us. Such transmissions are done at your own risk.


9. Data breach notification

9.1 We are required to give notice to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) and affected individuals of an “eligible data breach”. This means that if we hold personal information about you, and there is unauthorised access to or disclosure of your personal information, and if you, as the “affected individual” would be likely to suffer serious harm from this access or disclosure, we must notify both you and the OAIC.

9.2 “Serious harm” could include identity theft, threats to physical safety, economic and financial harm, harm to reputation, embarrassment, discrimination, or harassment. The test is whether a “reasonable person” would expect you to suffer serious harm.

9.3 If you are likely to suffer serious harm from a data breach, we will notify you of:

  • The nature of the eligible data breach (i.e., how the information was accessed or disclosed);
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  • How to make a complaint with the OAIC.

9.4 We will notify you using the same method that we usually use to communicate with you. If it is not practicable for us to notify you personally, we will publish the notification on our website.

9.5 There are some circumstances in which we do not have to notify you of a data breach. These include:

  • Where we have taken remedial action before any serious harm has been caused by the breach;
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  • If notification would be inconsistent with Commonwealth secrecy laws; or
  • Where the OAIC declares that notification does not have to be given.

9.6 Depending on the nature of the breach and the harm, we may voluntarily inform other third parties such as the police or other regulators or professional bodies.


10. Identifiers

10.1 We will not adopt as our own any government identifiers you may provide to us such as TFNs and will not store these identifiers on any information.


11. Links to other sites

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13. Changes to our Privacy Policy

13.1 From time to time, we may vary this Policy for any reason. We will publish any changes on this website.

13.2 By continuing to use our website and continuing to provide us with your information, you confirm your acceptance of these changes.


14. Complaints resolution

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