(MONEY Magazine) -- Remember when getting a free travel upgrade was as easy as walking up to the counter with your biggest smile?
Now that airlines have pared back flights, and rental car agencies have slimmed fleets, it's a lot harder to get a better seat or nicer wheels for no extra cash. (On the plus side, you've still got a good shot at a sweet hotel suite.)
Money asked frequent travelers and people with upgrade-granting power for the secret to moving up in style without moving up in price.
What it's worth. The upgrade from coach to first class on a United Airlines flight from Chicago to L.A. is worth $977.
Your odds: One in 100. With fewer flights, passenger loads are at an all-time high. "Discretionary upgrades are harder to get than ever," says Tim Winship of FrequentFlier.com.
How to improve them:
What it's worth. The upgrade from a standard room to a deluxe room at the Hilton New York in Manhattan is worth $85 a night.
Your odds: One in five. Good news for you: Occupancy rates for the first half of 2010 were estimated at a dismal 56% (down from 63% in '07), reports Smith Travel Research.
How to improve them:
What it's worth. The upgrade from a compact to midsize car, via Hertz at the Los Angeles airport is worth $42 a week.
Your odds: One in 20. Many agencies cut fleets in 2008 and 2009, making upgrades less common.
How to improve them:
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