One Big Downside of Flying Basic Economy

Last week, I got home from a fantastic vacation to Mexico. My husband and I spent eight days split between Ciudad de Mexico and Tulum, and when I tell you it was a much-needed escape from the lingering grasp of Midwestern winter...whew, it felt good to be in the sun again.

I love to travel, but I'm also thrifty by nature, so I feel better about booking trips more often by seeking out lower-priced fares. This means I usually fly on a basic economy ticket. However, my husband and I each have an airline credit card with different airlines. These cobranded credit cards provide a range of benefits, including priority boarding and free checked bags, so we're almost always able to find a flight at a low price that doesn't feel like a rock-bottom fare.

I've never had any issues with this setup until our most recent trip, and it made me wish we'd paid up for the next fare tier.

When you need to change your flight

I really meant it when I said we had a fantastic trip -- but it wasn't perfect. Our flight from Ciudad de Mexico to Tulum was on a budget airline I'd never flown before, and I was a little nervous about its less-than-stellar reputation online. I didn't have to wait long to experience the reputation myself, unfortunately, because our flight got canceled an hour before it was supposed to depart, which left us scrambling for a resolution and stuck at an airport more than an hour away from the city.

That's a whole other saga, but the short story is: We spent the night at an airport hotel, boarded a new flight the next day, and were soon having tacos on the beach. However, we'd paid for an entire day at our hotel in Tulum that we weren't able to enjoy, and the hotel wasn't going to refund us that portion of our bill. The front desk did offer to shift our reservation a day later, though. That meant we'd just have to push out our return flight home a day later, and we'd be pretty much square.

But, but! That dang basic economy fare. Of the many benefits my cobranded airline card offers, being able to change or cancel a flight reservation is not one of them. So in the end, we flew home on our original itinerary, and we were out the cost of one night at a hotel.

Compare card and fare options

I'm grateful to say I've only ever had to deal with a canceled flight twice before, so my batting average is high. As a result, I don't really consider that possibility when I book plane tickets because I've almost never needed to adjust my itinerary so significantly. But after this experience, it's something I'm going to keep in mind for future trips.

If you're comparing credit cards, look at all the features they offer and select the card that best fits your spending habits and desired use. If you're a homebody, there's not much sense getting a travel credit card. Similarly, if you love to cook, you might not get much out of a credit card for dining and restaurants.

When you're booking plane tickets, it's a good idea to compare the various fare levels before purchasing. If booking a higher-priced ticket would give you the peace of mind in case of any travel hiccups, then it can be well worth it.

Make sure you understand what's included in your ticket, what benefits a cobranded credit card you use for the purchase offers to fill in the gaps, and what your rights are as an airline passenger in case things go haywire. Hopefully, these three things will be enough to ensure you have smooth travels, even if there are some bumps in the road.