Hotel breakfasts are a big rip-off. Here’s how I get them for free

Hotel breakfast brings convenience, but it can also be one of travel’s biggest rip-offs. It’s eggs on toast, not eye fillet – so why are we sometimes charged upwards of $60 a person for that mere morning meal?

Each year, I spend between 60 and 90 nights in hotels, so I’ve set myself a rule. I refuse to pay for the hotel breakfast.

Let me be clear: I’m not boycotting breakfast itself, nor am I shunning the in-house buffet. I just won’t pay extra for it.

Frequent flyer points are great to bring airfare costs down, but in the hotel game, it’s status that begets the savings. Show enough loyalty and that hefty breakfast price tag reduces or goes away. The hash browns really do taste better when they’re free.

I keep a couple of ‘get out of breakfast free’ cards in my travel wallet. My Accor Live Limitless Platinum membership brings gratis daily breakfast at any Accor restaurant in the Asia-Pacific, when staying in-house.

Separately, my Hilton Honors Gold card delivers either free breakfast or a daily food and beverage credit that can be spent on breakfast – or redeemed later in the day.

Spending time in the air? Virgin Australia Velocity Gold or Platinum status comes with 12 months of Hilton Honors Gold or Diamond membership, respectively. You’ll be greeted like a regular on every Hilton stay, even if it’s your first: and that includes a warm welcome at the breakfast buffet.

Have an American Express Platinum card? Ongoing Hilton Gold membership is one of its perks – just contact Amex to opt-in.

Over at Accor, Platinum membership gets the pancakes: normally, after spending two months on the road each year. But you can halve that hassle. The chain’s ALL Accor+ Explorer membership (previously, Accor Plus) works in tandem with Accor Live Limitless and provides 30 ‘status nights’ towards the 60 needed annually for Platinum.

Take a two-week holiday over Christmas, a week-long mid-year getaway and a few relaxed weekends throughout the year and you’ll easily notch up 30 nights of your own atop the 30 from the membership, bringing you free breakfast. Explorer members even receive a 30 per cent discount on dining in APAC, so your breakfasts cost less while you work to make them free.

Devoid of hotel status? Some premium travel agents can score a breakfast pass on your behalf. Look for agents affiliated with schemes such as Hyatt Prive, Marriott Stars and Virtuoso. Otherwise, hit the ground running by doing breakfast your way.

When the granola isn’t gratis, look beyond the waffle bar. Exploring local cafes is always more enjoyable than scooping soggy scrambled eggs and standing idle as your bread slice transitions to toast along the conveyer.

Speaking of which, one reasonable plate of breakfast is more than enough for me. If eggs on toast hit the spot at home, why curate an assemblage of sausages, dim sum, noodles, grilled tomatoes, pastries, muesli and more just a few hours before lunch?

That’s where outside cafes win. Save some coin, support a local small business and sip on coffee that hasn’t come from a DIY machine. For that, I’ll always happily pay.