Just realized my hostel loyalty card actually saved me real money

I was in Lisbon last month and needed a place to crash for 5 nights. Normally I just book whatever's cheapest on Hostelworld but I remembered I signed up for this loyalty card from a chain back in Prague. Figured it was just a gimmick to get my email. Turns out I saved $38 total across those nights because of some member rate they didn't even advertise on the main site. Plus they gave me a free breakfast voucher each morning which is huge for a budget trip. The catch is you have to book through their own app instead of a third party site. Has anyone else actually gotten value from hostel loyalty programs or is this a one-off win for me?

3 comments

3 Comments

margaret30423d ago

Oh man that's awesome, I'm honestly so jealous haha. I've signed up for like three different hostel loyalty things over the years and never actually used them because I always forget to check or the app is clunky. $38 is real money, especially when you're traveling on a budget. The free breakfast alone makes it worth it honestly, those hostel breakfasts add up so fast. I love that you found a hidden member rate too, that feels like you're beating the system somehow. I should honestly just pick one chain and commit to it next time instead of hopping around randomly. This gives me hope that those cards aren't totally useless, maybe I just need to actually try harder.

jesse_fisher23d agoMost Upvoted

Ha it's like those gym memberships nobody uses right? Same thing with airline miles, so many people hoard them but actually cashing in takes effort lol.

the_rose19d ago

My buddy Mike signed up for one of those hostel loyalty programs in like 2018 and forgot he had it. Last year he was backpacking through Portugal and realized he had enough points for three free nights at a chain in Lisbon. The front desk lady was super confused when he pulled up his account on his phone, it had been so long since anyone used it. He ended up saving like $120 on a trip he was already doing. Now he's one of those annoying people who brings it up at every dinner.