Podcasts about Aeroplan

In this episode, the Travel Mom Squad is heading south! Jess shares her birthday trip to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and Pam and Alex walk us through their tropical getaway to Roatán, Honduras. From charming colonial cities to vibrant beachside resorts, both of these escapes were powered by points and miles—and they're breaking down exactly how you can do it, too. Jess's San Miguel de Allende Birthday Getaway For her birthday, Jess wanted a trip that was cute, walkable, and filled with culture—and San Miguel de Allende checked all the boxes. She used points to book her flights and free nights at a boutique hotel that had cash rates of $800/night—a steal!  Jess shared how San Miguel felt totally different from places like Cancun—more Spanish-speaking, with rooftop restaurants, cobblestone streets, and an artsy vibe. She loved practicing her Spanish and appreciated how kid-friendly the town was (though leave the stroller at home). Highlights included a rooftop pool, the hotel's mascot dog Pancho (who even has his own Instagram), and a standout breakfast. Pro tip: order the San Miguel–style eggs! Roatán with Pam & Alex: Direct Flights & Island Vibes Pam and Alex flew to Roatán using United miles and IHG points. They started their stay in a bungalow—secluded, rustic, and quiet—then upgraded mid-trip to a Premium Ocean View room in the newer building.  Beach Time, Dining, and That Sweet Island Energy Roatán was a totally different vibe—bustling but beautiful. From colorful buildings to locals selling snacks on the beach, Pam and Alex loved the laid-back charm. Highlights included hotel spa visits, hospitality hours, and free snorkel gear and kayaks, plus great dining spots in town. Even when the resort was at maximum capacity, it still felt relaxing and fun. Alex and Pam both liked this resort even better than the Kimpton Grand Cayman, which is high praise! If you're dreaming of warm weather and want a new destination to add to your points wish list, this episode is packed with inspiration, strategy, and a few laughs. Tune in and start planning your own tropical escape! ☀️

How can you find rooms for 4 in Scotland? Is Bilt worth it if your rent's only $1500? We answered these questions and more on the Ask Us Anything hosted live on YouTube on April 2nd, 2025. (03:29) -  ​​If you guys could only have cards from one issuer, which would you choose? (11:09) -  ​​What's your thought on how long the us bank 4% card could stay alive? (12:04) -  Do you guys have a comprehensive list of when each type of point expires? For example United Travel Bank expires 5 years after purchasing, Hyatt points i think expire 2 years if no activity etc. Read our post on "How to keep points and miles alive" here: https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-keep-points-and-miles-alive/ (12:34) - ​​Do you think Aeroplan is going to lose value bc of too mamy tiers of pricing for different partners? A big chunk of the value is mixing partners, that's hard if there's so much variance. (17:02) -  ​​Going to Europe for the first time from lax in 1 year. How do I get started figuring out how to use my many Amex mile Read our "Best ways to get to Europe with miles or money" post here: https://frequentmiler.com/best-ways-to-get-to-europe-with-miles-or-money/ You can find our "Which award search tool is best" post here: https://frequentmiler.com/which-award-search-tool-is-best/ (21:05) - Opinions everyone - Will Hyatt ever revamp their personal credit card? (21:56) -  In the US, you can have multiple people in a hotel room yet in Europe it seems impossible to put 4 people in a hotel room. Is there a way to do that in Scotland? Read Nick's post about booking Cottages.com with Wyndham here: https://frequentmiler.com/booking-cottages-com-via-wyndham-rewards/ (29:33) -  ​​When looking for points/miles redemptions, at what point in time before the flight do you consider paying with cash? (31:33) -  You guys stress opening up new cards for Sign up bonuses and using Categories multipliers. How many New Cards do you open for SUB each year and how often apart do you open them? (35:30) - ​​How many credit cards do you typically open in a calendar year and what's the split with the amount of new business versus personal cards? Read the complete guide to credit card application rules by bank here: https://frequentmiler.com/complete-guide-to-credit-card-application-rules-by-bank/ (40:56) - JW Masai Mara will charge you $4,950 PER NIGHT if you booked on points and you cancel less than 90 days out. CSR won't cover it because nothing has been charged on the card in advance. Thoughts? (46:37) - Hi, is it possible I can get a FREE Carnival cruise if I submit just a MGM gold status + Wynn Platinum? Trying to avoid making a trip to Atlantic City for more statuse (49:08) - ​​If my rent is $1500 a month is Bilt card worth a 5/24 spot?

This week we look at the new BMO VIPorter Mastercards, Aeroplan's partner changes - which are not pretty, flying to London for only 12,000 Membership Rewards Points and much more in our weekly credit card and loyalty rewards newscast!

Episode Description On this episode of MTM Travel Shawn is joined by Joe Cheung to discuss his recent application for the Aeroplan card and how Joe is planning on taking his family to the European Christmas markets. The bulk of the show focuses on Shawn's Spring Break trip which included a same day audible from a road trip to a Dallas Fort Worth adventure. We discuss all of the bookings for the trip, how Shawn pulled it off on the same day, what the new Capital One lounge in Vegas looks like, things to do with kids in DFW and why traveling like this can be so much fun. Plus the BBQ.   Subscribe to MTM Travel & 20 Minute Travel in the same feed! Youtube Podcast Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at podcast@milestomemories.com.  You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, or via RSS. Don't see your favorite podcast platform? Please let us know! Melio Offer Terms: This is a business to business payment platform - no personal bills / payments. The offer is for new accounts only. If you sign up using the 20 Minute Travel link new members will get $200 cash back after making a $2000+ in payments via Melio pay. Gal from Melio will reach out to finalize the details of your payment. That is $60 in processing fees for a $200 bonus! After signing up and making your first payment with a vendor you will want to upload your bank info to your Melio account. Do it as the receiving method so you have a checking account set up to receive payments. You will then receive an email from (Gal) Melio saying you are eligible for the $200 bonus and it will tell you to set up your receiving method, or you can share your bank information if you prefer that. Music: Rewind by Jay Someday | https://soundcloud.com/jaysomeday Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License  

What do we think are the best hotel programs for outsized value? Have we noticed some of the same Alaska Airlines quirks that our listeners have? What have our experiences with the EVA Air program been (if any)? We answered these questions and more on the Ask Us Anything hosted live on YouTube on March 5th, 2025. 00:40 - What's the most meaningful miles and points trip you've had? 03:16 - Inspired by Nick's “falling in love with Alaska” post… Let's play a miles themed version of the old FMK game (the acronym will make sense in a moment, Carrie!) We'll call it lust, marry, kill rather than the original name. Between Alaska, Aeroplan, and Avios, which is your torrid love affair, which would you settle down with, which ends up left behind? 05:47 - What's the teams thoughts on how long this Amex to Hawaii to Alaska gravy train will last? 10:56 - Were any of the frequent milers effected by the recent Amex shutdowns? 12:55 - Any tips to reduce/avoid parking fees at airports? I live far enough away that Uber or shuttles are just as much(or more), so is there anything I'm not thinking of? 17:15 - ​​Which airlines offer lie flat seats from the eastern half of the USA to Hawaii with at least some availability via points at a reasonable cost? 19:21 - ​​I don't have any business spend so I'm hesitant to apply for business cards and use it for personal expenses. Is it legal/allowed to put personal spend on business cards? 21:28 ​​Is the 15% Delta Amex discount a real discount or Delta increased the redemption rate before the discount is applied. Their miles seem to be $.012/mile after the 15%. Is their miles really that bad? 24:01 - hey everyone! have any of you ever booked an award flight with EVA? so many quirks to that program but 75-80k to Asia is a good deal. Would love to hear any if your experiences if you have. Thanks! 28:29 - what's up with Alaska's phantom award availability? I've noticed this especially with AA, award space will show in Alaska, sometimes other partners, then Alaska won't ticket. And on Alaska - have you noticed Alaska semi-dynamically pricing AA routes? IE award chart says route should be 7.5k but all routes instead price at 10k or 12.5k? 33:50 - ​​if I took a retention offer to keep amex gold. Will amex take back points if I take an upgrade to platinum offer? 34:31 - ​​I received an offer for the Caesars no annual fee card. with 5000 spend in three months giving me diamond status. Am I crazy for wanting to get it for the free parking, no resorts fee, and food credit 37:45 - When checking if a layover will offer enough time, how can I know in advance if I may be forced to pickup + recheck my bags? Either with a single or multiple carriers? 38:56 - I'm trying to potentially book a Maldives trip with Hilton FNC but I'd like to connect there in style on Qatar and/or Emirates. Considering free night certificates only last a year and flights often are best booked a year out, how would you navigate a trip where flights and hotels might both be high demand options or timelines 44:25 - Which hotel rewards program would you say lately offers the highest probability for outside value? To me, it's not close I believe Hilton shines in this respect. 51:45 - Have you ever gotten weird looks from the clerk while buying gift cards? 55:03 - ​​I found lots of availability at a SLH thru Hilton. Four nights bookable, but when I went to 5 nights, availability vanished. Is the hotel playing games to avoid 5th night free? Any workaround ideas

Watch Us On YouTube! NEW: Chapters are listed at the bottom of the notes! If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! Richard wants to make sure viewers and listeners understand the history of the Detroit Pistons. But, we're much happier to hear about the award he won at his Daddy-Daughter dance.   Ed is asking for the audience's help to decide where he should take his daughter on a summer trip. He also defines the term "Masqueraded" as it relates to the travel world, thanks to Slack member Dan. Richard and Ed are digging into the latest Hyatt Award category changes.   They also discuss the relaunch of Aeroplan's points pooling program.   And, Ed covers his first visit to the newly opened Capital One lounge at Las Vegas airport. Lastly, the guys are talking about the New England Patriots. They may have lost Super Bowls 42 and 46 to the Giants, but they do have their own plane. Sadly, it turns out their players hate the plane.   If you want to support the show, you can subscribe to our private community. We have semi-monthly video Happy Hours where you'll get access to Ed and other travel experts. You'll also get to join the discussion with other members on a host of issues on our private message boards.   Chapters:   (2:52) Detroit Pistons History Lesson (3:32) Daddy Daughter Dance (4:41) Ed Plans Travel with Daughter (10:10) Getting Masqueraded (13:58) Hyatt Category Changes (22:17) Cap One Lounge Vegas (26:15) Aeroplan Family Pooling (31:59) New England Patriots Planes (37:10) Live in what airport for a year???   #hyatt #aeroplan #capitalone #newenglandpatriots #detroitpistons If you're looking for a way to support the show, we'd love to have you join us in our Travel Slack Community.  Join me and other travel experts for informative conversations about the travel world, the best ways to use your miles and points, Zoom happy hours and exciting giveaways. Monthly access Annual access Personal consultation plus annual access We have witty, funny, sarcastic discussions about travel, for members only. My fellow travel experts are available to answer your questions and we host video chats multiple times per month. See More: https://milestogo.boardingarea.com/ Follow Us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milestogopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@milestogopodcast Ed Pizza: https://www.instagram.com/pizzainmotion/ Richard Kerr: https://www.instagram.com/kerrpoints/  

In this Quick Hits episode, DeAndre Coke unpacks groundbreaking shifts in the travel rewards landscape that could redefine your next getaway.  He explains significant changes to Aeroplan's pricing structure—urging listeners to book flights before March 25 to avoid devaluation—and highlights enticing promo rewards from Flying Blue for travel to Europe. DeAndre also shares proven strategies … Read More Read More

Watch Us On YouTube! If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! Richard and Ed are recapping another crazy week in travel.   Ed has had a handful of American Airlines flights this year to compare to his United experiences. He's outlining the positive and negative of both.   Ed also visited the Palazzo in Vegas this week now that the hotels are part of World of Hyatt. He's sharing what the hotel looks like.   Richard is sharing a summary of what's getting ready to happen with new credit cards from Bilt.   Aeroplan has expanded dynamic award pricing to more partners. If you're looking for a way to support the show, we'd love to have you join us in our Travel Slack Community.  Join me and other travel experts for informative conversations about the travel world, the best ways to use your miles and points, Zoom happy hours and exciting giveaways. Monthly access Annual access Personal consultation plus annual access We have witty, funny, sarcastic discussions about travel, for members only. My fellow travel experts are available to answer your questions and we host video chats multiple times per month. See More: https://milestogo.boardingarea.com/ Follow Us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milestogopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@milestogopodcast Ed Pizza: https://www.instagram.com/pizzainmotion/ Richard Kerr: https://www.instagram.com/kerrpoints/

In this episode hosts Angie and Mike discuss strategies for maximizing rewards in 2025. They highlight a community post from Marc, a member who successfully earned 1.4 million points by patiently following advice to apply for the Chase Freedom Unlimited card. The hosts also share notable updates in the travel rewards world, including changes to Aeroplan's “Pay Yourself Back” program, Alaska Airlines' elite status retention challenge, and promotions from Marriott Homes & Villas and their Eat Around Town program.For their 2025 strategies, Angie and Mike review their current credit card portfolios and identify areas for improvement. Angie plans to close several cards to reduce annual fees, open new cards to fill gaps, and maximize her credits and points earnings. Her focus will be on building transferable points balances and utilizing card benefits more efficiently. Mike outlines a similar plan, focusing on keeping key Chase and Amex cards while potentially exploring more Citi cards. He also plans to leverage cards to maintain Hyatt Globalist and AA Executive Platinum status. He also laments his stranded Singapore Airlines Miles and hope to find an adequate use to book travel with them this year.Both emphasize the importance of maximizing bonus categories and ensuring all credits are used to avoid lapsing benefits.The episode wraps up with a practical tip from Angie on using the Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR) credit available through Amex Platinum cards. She recommends using a tool called MaxFHR.com to find affordable properties where the credit can be applied, making it easier to take full advantage of this often-overlooked benefit.Links to Topics DiscussedChase Aeroplan Card Pay Yourself Back ChangesAlaska Airlines Elite Status ChallengeMarriott Homes & Villas Bonus PointsMarriott Eat Around The Town PromoSingapore Krisflyer MilWhere to Find Us The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at 101@award.travel Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist. Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions! Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Hey gang - this is a re-release of one of the most popular episodes ever. Not out of laziness, but because several listeners have reached out to ask about which credit cards will allow them to elevate their travel game.There's no better time than the start of the new year to talk travel :)I interviewed my guest, Ricky Zhang (founder of Prince of Travel), in the summer of 2023. Most of what's discussed here is still very relevant today.CRITICAL: In the conclusion I summarize key changes you will want to know before you sign up any cards.Summary: Ricky's background & the origin of Prince of Travel (5:05)How does the points system work? (8:27)Earning points rapidly through credit cards (12:34)Credit score fundamentals (20:27)Should we keep our credit cards for the long term? (24:00)The credit card game isn't for everyone - who should avoid it? (28:14)Other ways to rack up points at a faster pace (33:00)The best credit card for Canadians: Amex Cobalt (34:07)Credit cards for small business owners, why Amex points are so versatile (35:05)Understanding the RBC Avion point system (38:24)Redeeming points efficiently, dynamic pricing, ideal booking windows (41:07)Example of redeeming points - Toronto to Portugal (46:46)Prince of Travel Concierge services (51:27)Aeroplan elite status (53:35)How to get started (55:00)Rapid fire, including a strong credit card portfolio (56:39)How many credit cards does Ricky have? (60:18)Closing thoughts (61:40)CRITICAL - updates on rewards (62:49)Credit card links (cards I use & benefit from):Amex Business Platinum:https://americanexpress.com/en-ca/referral/business-platinum?ref=yATINC4uFw&XLINK=MYCPAmex Cobalt:https://americanexpress.com/en-ca/referral/cobalt?ref=yATINCwb0U&XLINK=MYCPSocial media links & email:Yatin:beyondmdpodcast@gmail.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/yatin-chadha/Ricky:https://princeoftravel.com/https://www.youtube.com/@PrinceofTravel

What are the best miles and points deals we've seen in 2024, and which deals came out above the rest? In today's episode of Frequent Miler on the Air, we'll decide what we think the best miles and points deal of 2024 was. (01:05) - Feedback about Greg's "Frequent Miler's 2024 State of the Business Report" Read Greg's "Frequent Miler's 2024 State of the Business Report" here. (08:12) - Additional datapoints regarding possible Atlantis stays for after February 1st (12:14) - Greg's Marriott Mattress Run (20:48) - Capital One Offers (26:18) - Easily extend National Free Day (28:41) - Catch our "Bonvoyed of the Year" episode from last week to see which loyalty snafus we thought were the worst in 2024. (29:11) - Buy Aeroplan miles for 1.14cpp: Read more about buying Aeroplan miles here. (30:41) - Big payouts via Capital One Shopping (36:35) - Virgin goes dynamic & lowers surcharges Read more about Virgin's dynamic pricing here. (40:00) - Bilt transfer bonus up to 150% to Flying Blue, Virgin Points, and IHG One Rewards (Jan 1) (42:19) - Bilt transfer bonus up to 100% to Alaska (July 1) (44:05) - Amex +10x restaurants referral offer Read more about this Amex referral offer here. (47:11) - 120K Ink Business Preferred offer + 40K referral (48:27) - Hilton SLH (53:20) - Alaska's awesome shorthaul AA pricing Read more about the Alaksa award chart winners and losers here. (57:41) - SAS Eurobonus Millionaire Read more about the SAS Eurobonus Millionaire challenge here: https://frequentmiler.com/sas-eurobonus-millionaire-promo-frequently-asked-questions-million-mile-madness-2024/ (1:00:02) - Which did we actually take advantage of? (Or which didn't we?) (1:01:59) - So...which was the best? (1:11:10) - Read more about this story here: https://loyaltytraveler.boardingarea.com/2015/05/25/frequent-flyer-history-latinpass-million-miles-mileage-runs-that-bankrupted-a-company/ (1:13:17) - Can you swap a cash seat you've already purchased with Southwest with a companion seat with your companion pass instead? Subscribe and Follow

Episode 48: Show Notes What's the holiday season without a little airing of grievances? Join us for our Festivus 2024 special, where we pull no punches as we dive into the biggest wins and fails of the travel and loyalty program world for 2024. Dia Adams joins us to share her pros and cons of loyalty programs, explain country-specific regulations that hinder travel point usage, and unpack Google's impact on freelance travel advisors. We also explore the best and worst loyalty programs of 2024, the top airline redemption stories, and our Festivus miracles of the year. Join us for insights, laughs, and a look back at an eventful year in travel. Tune in now! Key Points From This Episode: [0:01:07] Introducing Dia Adams and the meaning behind Festivus.  [0:03:20] Dia tells us about her main grievances toward loyalty and hotel programs. [0:08:15] Hear about Dia's criticisms of banks and the Christman gift options for members. [0:11:50] Bonus grievance: Google delisting travel sites and its impact on the community. [0:17:30] Thomas shares his perspective on loyalty programs, Google, and banks. [0:30:20] Trevor talks about his grievances with Turkish Airlines and Bank of America. [0:35:13] Unpack the Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines merger and its effects on loyalty programs. [0:40:22] What airlines, loyalty programs, and banks got it right, according to Thomas. [0:50:43] Explore Hotels.com's One Key loyalty program and why Dia thinks it is a good deal. [0:59:12] Why Choice's one-to-two loyalty program is a great program alternative. [1:04:31] Discover the pros and cons of Air Canada's Aeroplan loyalty program. [1:14:52] Find out what bank made Trevor's "feat of strength" list for the best loyalty program. [1:17:22] Festivus miracles: celebrate highlights from the year and our favorite moments. [1:35:42] Final takeaways, how you can contact Dia, and a thank you to our listeners. Quotes: “Until you have stayed in numerous hotel rooms in Europe, you don't understand the size of hotel rooms in Europe.” — @TheDiaAdams [0:6:19] “If you are using the traditional programs, you could be sitting on a million points and not be able to spend them outside of the United States.” — @TheDiaAdams [0:7:58] “It definitely doesn't sound like [Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines] are in any rush to merge into a single program.” — @TheDiaAdams [0:37:19] “If you are someone who really only wants luxury, Choice also now books into preferred hotels and resorts.” — @TheDiaAdams [1:02:45] “American Express, you are my beastie this year. Keep the good times rolling.” — @tmount [1:16:57] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Dia Adams Dia Adams on LinkedIn Dia Adams on X Dia Adams on Instagram Fortune Accor Alaska Airlines Delta Air Lines Turkish Airlines Air Canada Air Canada | Aeroplan American Express Bank of America Chase Bank Choice Bank Choice Hotels Hotels.com Vrbo® Hyatt Hotels Episode 24: Festivus Edition Episode 36: The Asia Pacific Experience with Spencer Howard Episode 41: Perspective and Camp Mom with Dia Adams Milenomics Thomas Kim on X Trevor Mountcastle on X

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday episode of the Sunshine Travelers Podcast. If you've never heard of Travel Tuesday, think of it as the low-key sibling of Black Friday and Cyber Monday - except instead of gadgets, you can score great deals on travel and give the gift of experiences. It's the perfect excuse to start planning your next adventure without breaking the bank. In this episode we'll share a few of the savings we have discovered, but don't wait! Many of these offers end today. Jump on then now; you'll never regret giving the gift of memorable experiences plus we'll share a few tips along the way that are good anytime! Episodes we mentioned that you'll love: Episode 70 - Europe Family Trip: First-Time Tips & Traveling with Kids Episode 2 - The Galapagos Islands Some links are affiliate links. See our disclosure. Links to some of the deals we talk about in the episode: Never Overpay for a Flight Again, Get Daily Drop Pro and gets flights at up to 80% off plus now you can search for flight redemptions using your points and miles. For a limited time, get $50 off Daily Drop Pro. **Tip**Our tip is to join any flight and hotel rewards programs you think you might EVER use! You'll need those accounts to view available rooms and seats with points and accounts to transfer those points from your credit card programs. You'll want to have them ready and available when you want to use them. Aeroplan - 80% bonus when you buy points (ends Dec 11) TAP Air Portugal - direct flights from NYC to Lisbon for as low as $232 per person American Airlines - Deals to Europe $599 per person, Tokyo for as low as $689 - many more check right away Hawaiian Airlines less than $120 one way from CA to Hawaii One-way flights from NYC to London from $244 on KLM and Virgin Atlantic Booking.com 50% off when purchased by Dec 4 for dates through the end of 2025 Marriott - Until Dec 6, Bonvoy members can get 25,000 Bonvoy bonus points for any 5+ night stay on a Marriott Vacations stay Hilton is offering sales on Stays up to 50% off for various dates and various locations (40% off Hilton Los Cabos) Up to 50% savings by Dec 9 on HX Cruises trip to the Galapagos and Macchu Pichu. Come with us on a Trip of a Lifetime to the 7th Continent! Go to sunshinetravelers.com/grouptrip to sign up for more information about the trip. You will also love: 7 Tips to Make Your Holiday Travel Less Stressful Get Our Ultimate Packing Guide for Traveling Smart and Packing Light + Access to Exclusive Weekly Content here. Protect your privacy & increase your security and keep your browsing data secure and don't get locked out of websites with Express VPN - Use this link to get 4 Free Months with a Yearly Plan and 6 Free Months with a 2 year plan. Learn more about Staying Safe Online when Traveling here! Follow our travels on Facebook Follow our travels on Instagram Save our travel ideas on Pinterest See our travel videos on You Tube Follow us on X (Twitter) Connect with us on LinkedIn Music Credit Music by OYStudio from Pixabay

If you enjoy the podcast, I hope you'll take a moment to leave us a rating. That helps us grow our audience! Kyle Potter from Thrifty Traveler is back with us this week, and he's got an exclusive deal only for Miles To Go listeners/viewers!  Save 60% on a new Thrifty Traveler subscription using the code GO60.  This is the best deal I can recall seeing for a Thrifty Traveler subscription.  I've been a paid subscriber for years and I'm a BIG fan of their service. PRO TIP: Make sure you add on the $24.99 "Hotel Deals" subscription.  If you get one hotel deal that you can take advantage of, you'll pay for years of this subscription! Kyle is also breaking down his awesome stay at Hermitage Bay in Antigua.  Hermitage Bay was one of the very first hotel deals Thrifty Traveler launched with.  You can use your Hilton Honors points to redeem for a villa at this incredible property. Richard is breaking down a new opportunity to earn hundreds of thousands of Bilt Rewards points if you're purchasing a new home! And, we're breaking down other great Black Friday deals, such as a great hotel deal from Aeroplan and a killer price on Points Path Premium!   If you're looking for a way to support the show, we'd love to have you join us in our Travel Slack Community.  Join me and other travel experts for informative conversations about the travel world, the best ways to use your miles and points, Zoom happy hours and exciting giveaways. Monthly access Annual access Personal consultation plus annual access We have witty, funny, sarcastic discussions about travel, for members only. My fellow travel experts are available to answer your questions and we host video chats multiple times per month. See More: https://milestogo.boardingarea.com/ Follow Us! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milestogopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@milestogopodcast Ed Pizza: https://www.instagram.com/pizzainmotion/ Richard Kerr: https://www.instagram.com/kerrpoints/

In Episode 7 of Miles Ahead: The Canadian Points Podcast, Reed, Josh, Danny, and Jeff discuss the unique world of US credit cards and everything Canadians need to know about how they can access and benefit from these cards. The Frugal Flyer team guides listeners through the process of obtaining an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN), a US address, and a US bank account to get started with US credit cards. They also discuss the benefits of US credit cards and how they can often be significantly more beneficial than those offered in Canada. The episode concludes with listener questions on redeeming Aeroplan points for Star Alliance flights, RBC Avion strategies, and assessing a unique RBC banking offer.

This week we talk about BMO making negative changes to their credit cards again, AIR MILES' Redemption Event, Aeroplan extending their credit card 4th night free benefit when redeeming points for hotels and much more in our weekly credit card and loyalty rewards newscast! Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans! Use code rewardscanada at checkout. Download Saily app or go to https://www.saily.com/rewardscanada

Twenty Minute Travel has now joined the MtM Podcast feed! You can catch this show each week right here in addition to the regular MtM Podcast or watch it on Youtube! Episode Description This week American Express announced the death of several of their cards including the Cash Magnet and the popular Everyday cards. With the loss of Everyday, is Amex retooling their lineup in preparation of a new card or are they trying to push customers up to their more expensive Gold card?   In other news the Alaska/Hawaiian merger drama continued this week as transfers from American Express broke briefly, but then came back again. Some terms leave us a bit worried about the future of transfers, but the big question is whether it makes sense to move points now or not. We also discuss China's insane 10,000 drone show, where to use the Hilton Aspire credit, Aeroplan's new 100K welcome offer, 5% categories for the 4th quarter, Hyatt's fall promotion, a tricky Hyatt property and new Amex Offers you want to know about.   Episode Guide 0:00 Saving money for travel 0:39 Alaska/Hawaiian transfer woes and developments 2:44 Will Amex to Hawaiian transfers remain & should you transfer now? 4:25 One Hyatt's tricky “mandatory” charge 7:10 Chase Aeroplan's new 100K welcome offer 8:30 RIP to Amex Everyday cards 10:05 Will Amex replace the Everyday cards in their lineup? 11:20 4th quarter 5% Categories for Chase, Citi and Discover 13:24 Hyatt's new fall promotion is sort of terrible 14:37 Hilton Aspire Resort Credit - How to use it & where it works 15:56 New Amex Offers for Marriott, Hilton, Lowe's & Google Pay 17:35 China's INSANE 10,000 drone show Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at podcast@milestomemories.com.  You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, or via RSS. Don't see your favorite podcast platform? Please let us know! Music: Rewind by Jay Someday | https://soundcloud.com/jaysomeday Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License

Episode Description: As a reminder you can watch this show as well at: https://www.youtube.com/@20minutetravel This week American Express announced the death of several of their cards including the Cash Magnet and the popular Everyday cards. With the loss of Everyday, is Amex retooling their lineup in preparation of a new card or are they trying to push customers up to their more expensive Gold card? In other news the Alaska/Hawaiian merger drama continued this week as transfers from American Express broke briefly, but then came back again. Some terms leave us a bit worried about the future of transfers, but the big question is whether it makes sense to move points now or not. We also discuss China's insane 10,000 drone show, where to use the Hilton Aspire credit, Aeroplan's new 100K welcome offer, 5% categories for the 4th quarter, Hyatt's fall promotion, a tricky Hyatt property and new Amex Offers you want to know about. Episode Guide: 0:00 Saving money for travel 0:39 Alaska/Hawaiian transfer woes and developments 2:44 Will Amex to Hawaiian transfers remain & should you transfer now? 4:25 One Hyatt's tricky “mandatory” charge 7:10 Chase Aeroplan's new 100K welcome offer 8:30 RIP to Amex Everyday cards 10:05 Will Amex replace the Everyday cards in their lineup? 11:20 4th quarter 5% Categories for Chase, Citi and Discover 13:24 Hyatt's new fall promotion is sort of terrible 14:37 Hilton Aspire Resort Credit - How to use it & where it works 15:56 New Amex Offers for Marriott, Hilton, Lowe's & Google Pay 17:35 China's INSANE 10,000 drone show About the Show: We love to travel and love to laugh! 20 Minute Travel is designed to get you all of the info you need to supercharge your travel by utilizing credit cards, travel rewards and other tricks to pay pennies on the dollar.  Shawn Coomer is the founder of Miles to Memories and has traveled all over the world with his family utilizing miles & points. He has been writing and podcasting about miles, points and travel since 2013 and has earned and spent millions of points & miles across dozens of programs. Mark Ostermann is the former Managing Editor of Miles to Memories and is the Managing Editor at Travel on Points. He has been writing about his travel experiences since 2017 and loves to dive into the weeds so you don't have to. He also enjoys a good beer and a laugh or fifty. Each week tens of thousands of people tune into our MtM Vegas news shows at http://www.YouTube.com/milestomemories. If you like this show check it out! Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at 20minutetravel@gmail.com.

(Disclaimer: Click 'more' to see ad disclosure) Geobreeze Travel is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as MileValue.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. ➤ ⁠Free points 101 course (includes hotel upgrade email template)⁠ ➤ ⁠Free credit card consultations⁠ ➤ ⁠Seats.Aero⁠ If you are interested in supporting this show when you apply for your next card, check out https://geobreezetravel.com/cards and if you're not sure what card is right for you, I offer free credit card consultations at https://geobreezetravel.com/consultations ! Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:35 - United sale 06:14 - Southwest sale, is it worth it? 10:04 - Aeroplan sale (targeted?) 15:13 - Finnair sale 20:14 - Outro ===== You can find Julia at: ➤ ⁠Free course⁠ ➤ ⁠Website⁠ ➤ ⁠Instagram⁠ ➤ ⁠Credit card links⁠ ➤ ⁠Patreon⁠

Now that you've amassed a huge stash of Ultimate Rewards points after listening to Episode 271, how what? Today, we talk about the top 10 best (and bottom 5 worst) uses of Chase Ultimate Rewards points. 00:00 Intro 01:10 Announcements 01:12 New "How to" series on Youtube 02:54 Using buying groups to increase spend 04:10 Giant Mailbag: Online grocery is more broadly useful than you think 07:43 Card News 07:45 Increased offers on the Wyndham cards https://frequentmiler.com/increased-welcome-offers-on-all-3-wyndham-credit-cards-earn-up-to-80k-bonus-points/ https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-get-free-cruises-by-gaming-casino-status-matches/ 11:39 What crazy thing.....did Wyndham Rewards do this week? https://frequentmiler.com/apparently-wyndham-credit-card-points-never-expire-positive-change/ 17:00 Mattress Running the Numbers: Aeroplan to Marriott to MGM 23:41 Award Talk 23:47 United vs Aeroplan https://frequentmiler.com/united-vs-air-canada-which-is-the-better-chase-transfer-partner/ 29:59 Discount partner awards for United Premier status https://frequentmiler.com/united-giving-award-flight-discounts-to-premier-members-cardholders-even-on-partners/ 33:12 Which award search tool is best? https://frequentmiler.com/united-vs-air-canada-which-is-the-better-chase-transfer-partner/ 37:50 Graduate Hotels via Hilton Honors (earn & redeem is now live) 38:47 Main Event: Top 10 best and 5 worst uses of your Chase points 39:21 #10: Booking travel through the Chase Travel portal with the Sapphire Reserve at a value of 1.5c per points 40:40 #9: 70% transfer bonus to Marriott 42:07 #8 Transfer to Emirates and book first class from New York JFK to Milan or Newark EWR to Athens for 102,000 points + ~$130 https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-find-and-book-emirates-first-class-awards/ 44:41 #7 Transfer to United for positioning flights 48:10 #6: Transfer to British Airways Avios to fly Qatar Qsuites to Doha for 70K https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-find-qatar-q-suites-award-space/ 49:58 #5: Transfer to Iberia Avios to book business class from the east coast to Europe from 34K Avios one-way https://frequentmiler.com/best-uses-of-avios-british-airways-iberia-qatar-aer-lingus-finnair/ 53:33 #4: Transfer to Hyatt to book a suite https://frequentmiler.com/how-best-to-book-hyatt-luxury-suites/ 56:10 #3: Transfer to Air Canada Aeroplan and book a multi-partner award with a stopover for just 5,000 additional miles https://frequentmiler.com/nicks-6-country-5-airline-award-ticket/ 01:00:36 #2 Transfer to Flying Blue to book Air France or KLM Business Class for only 50K one way https://frequentmiler.com/air-france-klm-flying-blue-lowers-business-class-award-cost-from-the-us/ 01:05:33 #1 : Transfer to Hyatt to book hotels for great value 01:12:18 In-between: Cash out for $0.01 per point 01:14:18 The worst of the worst uses of Chase points 01:14:23 #5 Transferring to any program to book a low-value award 01:16:23 #4 Buying gift cards with your points 01:17:16 #3 Transfer to Marriott without a transfer bonus 01:18:45 #2 Using your points to shop at sites like Amazon 01:20:54: #1 Transfer points to IHG One Rewards 01:23:59 Question of the Week: How do you protect your miles and points? Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads

Send us a textDer CEO von Aeroplan, Mark Nasr, betont die Bedeutung des Verzichts auf Zusatzgebühren bei Prämienbuchungen. Kunden betrachten Prämienflüge als „Gewinn“ und erwarten keine zusätzlichen Gebühren außer den Steuern. Das Programm wurde mit dem Ziel einer fairen und transparenten Gestaltung überarbeitet. Nasr erklärt, dass das Wegfallen von Zusatzgebühren nicht nur die Kundenzufriedenheit erhöht, sondern auch den Wert der Aeroplan-Punkte steigert und das Programm für Partner und Kunden attraktiver macht. Trotz einer Buchungsgebühr von 39 CAD für Partnerfluggesellschaften ist Nasr überzeugt, dass Aeroplan mit liberalen Routenvorschriften, Flexibilität und einem einfachen Buchungserlebnis eine überzeugende Wertsteigerung bietet.#Aeroplan #Vielflieger #Treueprogramm #Reiseprämien #AirCanada #Reisetipps #PunkteUndMeilen #PrämienreisenFrage des Tages: Ist es richtig kiffen in den Lufthansa Lounges zu verbieten? Brauchen wir eine echte Business Class in Europa? Sollten Meilentickets wieder kostenlos sein, bis auf die “echten” Steuern?00:00 Willkommen zu Frequent Traveller TV01:36 Luftfracht hat Problem mit Brandsätzen in Paketen04:44 Lufthansa verbietet “kiffen” in der Lounge08:12 EU-Kommission schaut sich China Verkehre genauer an13:38 Qantas A321XLR mit echter Business Class18:00 Air Canada Aeroplan-Chef: “Es sollte ein kostenloses Ticket sein”22:30Fragen des TagesTake-OFF 31.08.2024 – Folge 202-2024Stammtisch Termine: https://FQTWorld.as.me/meetupKanalmitglied werden und exklusive Vorteile erhalten:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQyWcZxP3MpuQ54foJ_IsgQ/joinHier geht es zu eurem kostenlosen Consulting Link - https://FTCircle.as.me/Damit Du von unserem Wissen profitieren kannst, kannst du ein mindestens 60 minütiges und vor allem auf dich zugeschnittenes Punkte, Meilen, Status Coaching buchen. Nach dem Call bekommst du ein Jahr Zugang zu dieser Gruppe und zahlst so nur 10 Euro pro Monat und kannst sofort profitieren. Hier ist nun der Link zu deinem neuen Punkte, Meilen und Status Deals.MY SOCIALSWhatsApp - https://wa.me/message/54V7X7VO3WOVF1FACEBOOK | Lars F Corsten - https://www.facebook.com/LFCorsten/FACEBOOK | FQT.TV - https://www.facebook.com/FQTTVFACEBOOK | FTCircle - https://www.facebook.com/FTCircleTWITTER | Lars F Corsten - https://twitter.com/LFCorstenINSTAGRAM | Lars F Corsten - https://www.instagram.com/lfcorsten/LINKEDIN - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lfcorsten/Clubhouse - @LFCorsten

The Moose on The Loose helps Canadians to invest with more conviction so they can enjoy their retirement. Download The Canadian Rock Stars List, a selection of the safest dividend stocks in Canada: https://moosemarkets.com/rockstars Webinar: Invest with conviction: https://moosemarkets.com/webinar Webinar Replay: Dividend Income For Life : https://www.dividendstocksrock.com/dividend-income

In addition to our regular weekly podcast, we also host an Ask Us Anything Live on YouTube once a month where the Frequent Miler team answers listener questions about points, miles, rewards cards, and whatever else comes to mind. This episode originally aired on August 14, 2024.  (10:19) - Does Cathay Pacific still do multi-cabin award pricing? I tried both as a one-way and multi-city routing and the price remains the same online and speaking to a rep on phone.  (10:59) - How often can I upgrade - downgrade Surpass to Aspire and vice versa?  (13:22) - You educate us with helpful info. Do you ever have the chance to talk to banks, airlines or hotel programs to influence them?  (15:45) - ​​I have the Wyndham earner biz card and did the AC status match in Feb 2023. I've heard you can rematch at Oceans casino after 18 months. Does Hard Rock have any restrictions on rematching  (17:28) - ​​I have the Wyndham earner biz card and did the AC status match in Feb 2023. I've heard you can rematch at Oceans casino after 18 months. Does Hard Rock have any restrictions on rematching  (18:50) - When you all fly from the US in the evening and arrive in Europe in the mornings, do you typically book another night at the hotel or try and check in early? How do you handle that gap before checkin?  (25:02) - ​​I have about $15k of previously unexpected spend in the next few months, in five chunks of around $3k. What current credit cards offers would y'all pick to parlay that into lounges/status/etc? Thanks!  (27:25) - ​​Probably a question for Greg - is there a way to add a non-AF/KLM frequent flier # to a Flying Blue award? I recently matched to ITA Executive status and want to add to an AF award.  (28:36) - ​​I'm Hyatt globalist. Status match to American Airlines. How do I find the status challenge back with Hyatt?  (35:25) - Hi! I was curious about the timing for the cruises. When you receive the offer, is there a time you have to book, or is the offer for a specific cruise? I'm trying to figure out how to time it.  (38:40) - What is one sweet spot you hope to do in the near future? Either because you're afraid it will disappear soon, or because you just haven't done it yet?  (45:57) - ​​Question about Cap One lounges. I have a regular Cap One Venture card and 2 passes. Can I use the 2 passes on one visit, or do they only work for cardholders?  (46:24) - ​​What did you guys end up doing with your Amex Gold? Keep or cancel?  (50:10) - I don't have any travel plan for next 8 months, but i was targeted for 0.5 cents per point, (Hilton) - do you recommend to buy preemptive or should i wait and hoping that same offer will be back?  (51:21) - I plan to downgrade my Ritz to apply for BONVOY Brilliant. How long do I need to wait after the downgrade from Ritz to get approved?  (54:15) - ​​Is it possible to book an Aeroplan stopover with multiple stops?  (58:01) - Do you have a video that talks about American System-wide upgrades? Just used AA SWU from Tokyo to Japan for 3 people. Paid $1,800 total for $33,000 (website costs) for business class

In this episode, Mike discusses why everyone should be using Air Canada Aeroplan points to travel. He highlights the value of Aeroplan even for US residents who don't travel to Canada or fly on Air Canada. Keep Up With Daily Drop: Read the newsletter: https://www.dailydrop.com Join the Lounge: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailydroplounge Check out our top cards: https://dailydrop.com/pages/our-top-credit-cards Follow along on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailydrop/ Prefer a video podcast? Head over here: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyDropPodcast

On a previous podcast, we discussed the most rewarding card for groceries and dining, picking ~4 cards we thought were good for both of these categories. We got a lot of feedback with other suggestions for cards readers thought we should have included. Were they right? Let's discuss... Find podcast episode 20 here: The most rewarding card for groceries & dining | Coffee Break Ep20 | 7-30-24  (02:11) - Why did we leave out Citi Custom Cash? Learn more about the Citi Custom Cash card here. (3:06) - What about the Amex Everyday Preferred card? Learn more about the Amex Everyday Preferred card here. (03:54) - What about Bilt? Learn more a out the Bilt card here: https://frequentmiler.com/bilt/ (04:34) - Why not include the Amex Hilton Surpass card? Learn more about the Hilton Surpass Card here. (06:42) - Should we have included the Wyndham Earner Plus Card? Learn more about the Wyndham Earner Plus Card here. (08:57) - Why doesn't the Chase Sapphire Preferred card come up in these discussions? Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card here. (13:31) - Why was the Aeroplan card not discussed? Learn more about the Aeroplan Card here Visit frequentmiler.com/subscribe to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don't forget to like and follow us on social media. Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads

Episode Description: As a reminder you can watch this show as well at: https://www.youtube.com/@20minutetravel This week several new credit card offers came onto the scene with some good ones among them. Chase Ink Preferred launched a best ever 120K offer which has a huge amount of value. We also saw some interesting deals from Aeroplan and IHG, both of which brought offers we have never seen before. Good stuff! In other news we discuss how the Paris Olympics are disappointing for many including Delta who will lose $100M on the games. But low demand has opened up opportunities for last minute awards. Are you going to live your Olympic dreams thanks to miles & points? We also discuss baggage anxiety, some changes for old Bilt cardholders, AA's "free hotels" for stranded passengers and why you might want to relocate for your next big flight. Episode Guide: 0:00 Baggage carousel anxiety 1:19 Chase Ink Preferred best ever 120K welcome offer 2:35 Are you eligible for a business credit card? 3:38 Bilt's legacy credit card is going away 6:56 Terrible AA hotel voucher situation 8:01 How you can ensure good travel even when things go wrong 9:59 Flexibility and credit card/travel insurance are key 11:05 Aeroplan's very unique new offer - 40% bonus on spend! 13:08 Relocating to another city for cheaper flights? 14:45 Time or money more valuable? 15:48 IHG's huge 5 free night offer - Better than points? 17:48 Closing out the Mirage hotel in Las Vegas 18:44 Paris Olympics struggling? Delta losing $100M on the games 20:15 How you can score last minute awards for the Paris Olympics About the Show: We love to travel and love to laugh! 20 Minute Travel is designed to get you all of the info you need to supercharge your travel by utilizing credit cards, travel rewards and other tricks to pay pennies on the dollar.  Shawn Coomer is the founder of Miles to Memories and has traveled all over the world with his family utilizing miles & points. He has been writing and podcasting about miles, points and travel since 2013 and has earned and spent millions of points & miles across dozens of programs. Mark Ostermann is the former Managing Editor of Miles to Memories and is the Managing Editor at Travel on Points. He has been writing about his travel experiences since 2017 and loves to dive into the weeds so you don't have to. He also enjoys a good beer and a laugh or fifty. Each week tens of thousands of people tune into our MtM Vegas news shows at http://www.YouTube.com/milestomemories. If you like this show check it out! Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at 20minutetravel@gmail.com.

(00:00) Intro: There are a multitude of ways to fly to Hawaii using miles and points (and even many ways to get a deal on cash tickets). On this week's show, we discuss ways to fly to Hawaii from around the US from as few as 10K or 13.5K points each way. (01:06) New FM intro (03:22) Card Talk: Sonesta World Mastercard https://frequentmiler.com/sonesta/  -Card Details -What are points worth? (16:00) What crazy thing . . . did Marriott and Starbucks do this week? https://frequentmiler.com/link-marriott-starbucks-accounts-to-occasionally-earn-double-stars-minimal-bonus-points/ (19:51) Mattress running the numbers: Wyndham Rewards Hotel Pass https://frequentmiler.com/wyndham-rewards-selling-30-night-hotel-pass/ (27:48) Award Talk (27:55) New Reasonable Redemption Value for Hotel Points https://frequentmiler.com/what-are-hyatt-points-worth/ (30:29) Aeroplan promotion with Miles4Migrants) https://frequentmiler.com/earn-7500-aeroplan-points-with-a-100-miles4migrants-donation/ (34:19) 15% transfer bonus from Citi to Cathay Pacific Asia Miles https://frequentmiler.com/citi-thankyou-offering-15-transfer-bonus-to-cathay-pacific-asia-miles/ (27:03) Enterprise Rent-A-Car Status Match https://frequentmiler.com/enterprise-status-match-giving-status-through-february-2026-match-from-hotel-airline-car-rental-programs/ (30:29) Amex referral bonuses now as high as 45,000 points for targeted cardholders https://frequentmiler.com/amex-referral-bonuses-now-as-high-as-45000-points-per-referral-up-to-100k-per-year-per-card/ (42:44) Main Event: Best Ways to fly to Hawaii https://frequentmiler.com/best-ways-to-fly-to-hawaii-from-the-us-mainland/ (43:04) Cash deals (43:30) Delta companion certificates (44:55) Alaska Companion Fare (46:13) Southwest Companion Pass (47:32) Vacation packages (49:15) Award deals: Economy (49:24) United flights via Turkish Miles & Smiles for 10K each way (50:48) Finnair Avios for American Airlines (15K) or Alaska Airlines (13.5K) (52:52) Alaska Mileage Plan for Alaska from 15K (53:35) Singapore Krisflyer for central/Western US to Hawaii (13-14K) (54:33) Using Alaska miles to fly AA for 17.5K from Dallas and west coast (55:32) Use United to fly United from 11.1K from the west coast (56:42) Aeroplan for 12.5K from the west coast to Hawaii on United (58:00) Qatar Avios for 13K one way from the west coast (59:00) Flying Blue for Delta from 18K (59:16) Virgin Atlantic for Hawaiian Airlines for 20K each way from the west coast (1:00:16) JetBlue for Hawaiian Airlines for 20K each way from the west coast (1:00:48) American Airlines miles for AA from 20K each way (1:01:39) Southwest Airlines when cash fares are cheap (1:02:00) "First class" flights to Hawaii with miles (1:02:57) Turkish miles for United: 15K miles each way (1:05:35) Finnair Avios for American Airlines" 38K miles each way (1:07:00) Alaska Miles for Alaska from 40K miles each way (1:07:21) Hawaiian miles to fly Hawaiian: 40K one way or upgrade from 25K. Possibly more availability with status or as a cardholder. (1:09:25) Virgin Atlantic miles to fly Hawaiian: 40K one way from the west coast (1:09:48) Alaska Mileage Plan for American Airlines: 35K one-way from as far east as Dallas (1:10:10) Air Canada Aeroplan for United for 25K from the west coast (1:10:50) Qatar Airways Avios for American or Alaska for 38,750 Avios from the west coast (1:11:50) Example for how to find award availability (1:19:33) Question of the Week: Is reselling a good low-energy way to generate points? Music credit: Annie Yoder

Greg and Nick have been consumed with last-minute travel the last week and a half so it's great timing for them to summarize 10 important tips for last-minute award travel. (01:17) - Standing ovation for the annual challenge! (Mailbag) (06:43) - Annual Challenge recap and overview Watch the Stage 1 recap video here: https://youtu.be/bMt_NfuuINI?feature=shared Watch the Stage 2 recap video here: https://youtu.be/gyJPtTZN1EE?feature=shared Watch the Stage 3 recap video here: https://youtu.be/HTmEAicB3dw?feature=shared (34:15) - Curve overview (Card Talk) Find out more here: https://www.curve.com/en-us (37:56) - Hilton SLH integrated testing phase (Award Talk) (40:26) - Preferred Hotels / Choice devaluation (55K to 87K) (Award Talk) (42:34) - Aero plan credit card & elite members status match to iPrefer Titanium (before June 28) (Award Talk) (44:18) - Book Oman Air w/ Flying Blue miles (Award Talk) (44:30) - Book El Al with Virgin points (Award Talk) (44:51) - Points Path adds support for Air Canada & Alaska Airlines (Award Talk) Main Event: Top 10 Tips for Last Minute Award Travel (47:00) - General advice (52:38) - Great awards often open last minute (ex: Lufthansa first) (57:16) - Diversify. Having different types of points and miles helps. (58:28) - Become adept at award search tools. Huge time saver. (1:00:26) - Don't rely entirely on award search tools. They don't catch everything (no Virgin Atlantic on a couple, no BA / QR Avios, didn't see LifeMiles for my redemption, etc) (1:03:41) - Consider keeping stashes in programs you use often. This only applies if you have a lot of points and miles, but it could help avoid a failed transfer. (1:05:27) - Watch out for transfer times (1:08:10) - Get a good VPN. I wonder if some of my problems could have been averted if I'd used one all along. (1:11:22) - Know that Aeroplan's contact center isn't 24/7. This can be a big pain when you're overseas. (1:12:37) - Beware the phantom menace. Tons of Swiss space that isn't real. (1:17:02) - Have some tricks up your sleeve. This could alternatively be called "persistence pays off". Don't give up right away. Examples include searching Avianca's site multiple ways, forcing a stopover with Aeroplan to get a flight to show up, booking a refundable something as a backup, etc. (1:20:10) - How do you go about finding activities while you travel? (Question of the Week)

Chatting with Nick Reyes of FrequentMiler Episode 34: Show Notes. Few things are as exhilarating as a competitive travel challenge among like-minded peers! Speaking of birds of a feather, today we are joined by fellow travel enthusiast and author, Nick Reyes. Nick is a prime example of how to follow your travel dreams even when your wallet says that you can't, and today, he shares both new and old travel hacks that will help you conquer your next travel challenge! We learn about the evolution of Avianca's lifemiles program, the flop of Nick's first redemption versus the joys of his most successful one, and how bucket-list adventures are more accessible than you may realize. We also discuss Nick's most complicated (yet worthwhile) travel hack before exploring the wonders of travel as education, the benefits of various rewards programs, the value of reviewing rewards charts, and how to properly plan for a long trip. To end, Nick Reyes shares even more helpful advice for saving time and money on your adventures around the world. Key Points From This Episode: [00:40] FTU: How Trevor and Thomas met today's guest, Nick Reyes. [04:30] How miles and points have evolved since 2013, and assessing Avianca's lifemiles program.  [08:04] Nick's first redemption. [12:44] Highlights from his first (successful) miles redemption trip. [15:06] How once-in-a-lifetime trips become more accessible with miles and points. [18:23] Exploring the wonders of travel as education.  [23:09] The most complicated travel hack that Nick has ever executed.  [34:30] Unpacking various unassuming rewards programs that come with big payoffs.  [35:20] How flying from certain regions saves points and money, and the value of reviewing reward charts. [42:22] The ins and outs of Nick's latest travel challenge and how he's planning for it. [46:20] Why it's important to thoroughly plan your travel, and how to go about it.   [48:48] Time and money-saving travel tips. [53:18] How to connect with Nick Reyes. Quotes: “Before I discovered miles and points, my wife and I already had the travel itch. And so, we would work really hard, sometimes 60; 70; 80 hours a week, and then we would take a month or two off and go travel somewhere as cheaply as we could.” — @NickatFM [08:26] “When we traveled on a shoestring budget back in the day, it was always like, 'Well, we're probably never going to be here again so we've got to see and do everything that we can'. And not having that pressure because of miles and points is such an incredibly liberating feeling.” — @NickatFM [15:32] “[My kids] are learning geography not just by looking at it in a book and memorizing it for a test, but by going to places and seeing things. I think that's incredibly exciting because that's certainly not a world I grew up living in, nor one that I thought I'd be able to provide for my family someday.” — @NickatFM [19:36] “Air Canada's Aeroplan has been something that has really inspired me to be interested in trying to push the boundaries, because their reward chart was made for people like us that get excited about figuring out, 'Okay, how far can I go? What can I do?'.” — @NickatFM [23:46] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Nick Reyes on LinkedIn Nick Reyes on Instagram Nick Reyes on X Frequent Miler FT Association | FTU Avianca lifemiles Air Canada Aeroplan Etihad Turkish Airlines Eat With Thomas Kim on X Trevor Mountcastle on X Milenomics

Episode Description: As a reminder you can watch this show as well at: https://www.youtube.com/@20minutetravel This week we saw quite a few crazy stories including an AA flight attendant filming people in the bathroom and the company's response. How will AA make it right? We also talk about a Hyatt hotel being very sneaky and how one flight attendant overstepped when it came to a purchased extra seat. Plus should you buy an extra seat for yourself. We also discuss increased offers for Hilton, Marriott and Aeroplan cards. Tons of free night certs up for grabs right now! Other topics include: another Amex annual fee increase, rough Delta baggage handlers and how to score an easy 70K with a checking account. Episode Guide: 0:00 Insane Delta baggage handlers 1:07 Last minute trip update - Hawaii & Japan! 3:23 Increased Marriott Business Card Bonus - 5 free nights! 4:59 Big Hilton card offers including valuable free night cert 7:37 Chase Aeroplan 100K “better than public” offer 8:59 Eliza Jane Hyatt hotel - Sneaky surcharges 10:32 Shortsighted customer service in NOLA 11:20 Get 70K Membership Rewards with Amex Business Checking 13:09 AA's PR nightmare and shocking lawsuit response 15:20 Amex leak! Gold card fee increase? 16:35 Getting sick of Amex coupon book credits 17:59 Is it illegal to buy an extra airplane seat for yourself? 19:41 Do flight attendants need more accountability when escalating? About the Show: We love to travel and love to laugh! 20 Minute Travel is designed to get you all of the info you need to supercharge your travel by utilizing credit cards, travel rewards and other tricks to pay pennies on the dollar.  Shawn Coomer is the founder of Miles to Memories and has traveled all over the world with his family utilizing miles & points. He has been writing and podcasting about miles, points and travel since 2013 and has earned and spent millions of points & miles across dozens of programs. Mark Ostermann is the former Managing Editor of Miles to Memories and is the Managing Editor at Travel on Points. He has been writing about his travel experiences since 2017 and loves to dive into the weeds so you don't have to. He also enjoys a good beer and a laugh or fifty. Each week tens of thousands of people tune into our MtM Vegas news shows at http://www.YouTube.com/milestomemories. If you like this show check it out! Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at 20minutetravel@gmail.com.

Everybody loves a one-size-fits-all answer, but today we're discussing which cards are best for which kinds of purchases: grocery, dining, gas, travel, Costco... Sure you can just keep one card in your wallet and earn on that card exclusively, but many of us switch it up depending on what we're purchasing. That's what we'll discuss in today's episode. (01:45) - Datapoints about AA companion certificates (Mail Bag) (05:32) - Hertz charging people to refill Tesla gas tanks (Crazy Thing) (12:07) - Frontier and Spirit eliminate change fees (Award Talk) (13:41) - Cool Alaska trick (Award Talk) Read more here: https://thriftytraveler.com/news/airlines/book-business-class-less-alaska-miles/ (17:31) - Current Kimpton Hotel Secret Password May 24, 2024, to September 2, 2024. (Award Talk) Main Event: Best cards for grocery, dining, gas, travel, Costco, and more (18:54) - Best cards for grocery, dining, gas, travel, Costco, and more (19:45) - Big box stores including Costco, Sams Club, Target, etc Read more about the US Bank Altitude Reserve here: https://frequentmiler.com/USBAR/ (22:55) - Grocery Stores Read more about the Citi Custom Cash here: https://frequentmiler.com/CustomCash/ (23:44) - Read more about Amex Gold here: https://frequentmiler.com/AmxGoldCard/ (24:49) - Read more about the Citi Strata Premier here: https://frequentmiler.com/TYpremier/ Read more about the Capital One Savor card here (https://frequentmiler.com/C1SV/) and the  SavorOne here (https://frequentmiler.com/C1SVO/) (25:28) - Read more about the Aeroplan card here: https://frequentmiler.com/Aeroplan/ (26:18) - Dining / Food Delivery (27:38) - Read more about the Amex Business Gold card here: https://frequentmiler.com/AmxGoldBiz/ (29:13) - Read more about the Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards card here: https://frequentmiler.com/boaCR/ (31:06) - Gas Read more about the Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Card here: https://frequentmiler.com/WyndhamEarnerBiz/ (33:36) - Read more about the Wyndham Rewards Earner Plus Card here: https://frequentmiler.com/WyndhamEarnerPlus/ (38:38) - Travel: Many cards offer enhanced rewards for travel booked through bank portal (39:03) - General Travel (39:50) - Read more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve here: https://frequentmiler.com/CSR/ Read more about the Chase Ink Business Preferred here: https://frequentmiler.com/CIBP/ (39:58) - Read more about the Amex Green Card here: https://frequentmiler.com/AmxGreen/ (40:00) - Read more about the Wells Fargo Autograph card here: https://frequentmiler.com/WellsFargoAutograph/ (41:37) - Airfare Read more about the Amex Platinum card here: https://frequentmiler.com/AmxPlat/ (43:33) - Hotels (43:44) - Read more about the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card here: https://frequentmiler.com/WellsFargoAutographJourney/ (45:44) - Read what Greg keeps in his wallet here (https://frequentmiler.com/whats-in-gregs-wallet-2024-edition/) and what Nick keeps in his wallet here (https://frequentmiler.com/whats-in-nicks-wallet-2024-edition/) (46:07) - See our Best Category Bonuses resource here: https://frequentmiler.com/best-category-bonuses/ (46:54) - Other notable category bonuses (47:08) - Read more about the Ink Business Cash card here: https://frequentmiler.com/CIC/ (47:58) - Read more about the Chase Freedom Flex card here (https://frequentmiler.com/CFF/) and the Freedom Unlimited here (https://frequentmiler.com/CFU/) (50:35) - One of our readers is interested in becoming a content creator and has questions about things to consider. If we were starting out today, what would we do differently? (Question of the Week) (54:20) - Check out our Coffee Break episode on the origin story of Frequent Miler here: https://listen.frequentmiler.com/coffee09

Some credit cards offer extra perks or progress toward elite status for big spenders. On this week's episode, we talk about which of those bonuses might be worth the spend. But before we get into that, this episode is full of news you can use and tips to keep in mind in regular segments like Card Talk and Mattress Running the Numbers. (00:00) Intro (01:26) A tip we neglected to mention regarding positioning flights (Giant Mailbag) (05:33) Card Talk (05:46) Venture X Business card losing Priority Pass restaurant access for new Visa cards (Card Talk) (08:57) Qatar Airways Cardless Cards (Card Talk) (15:16) What crazy thing . . . did Cardless do this week?  https://frequentmiler.com/cardless-appears-to-have-a-1-card-restriction/ (19:32) Mattress running the numbers: Is it worth spending to Qatar Airways elite status? Note: The Qatar Club Infinite card also comes with bonus Qpoints in the first year, which reduce the path to renewing status for your second year. The spend we discussed regarding renewal of status really applies to status for year 3 and beyond. (28:17) Award Talk (28:20) Flying by the Seat of our Points: Frequent Miler's 2024 challenge https://frequentmiler.com/flying-by-the-seat-of-our-points-last-minute-travel-challenge/ (31:33) You can now use JetBlue points to book Etihad and vice versa https://frequentmiler.com/earn-redeem-between-jetblue-and-etihad/ (35:30) Bilt adds a new transfer partner....Hilton Honors https://frequentmiler.com/bilt-adding-hilton-as-newest-transfer-partner-but-transfer-ratio-is-poor/ (37:32) Use Finnair Avios to book Nordic & Scandinavian hotels for great value https://frequentmiler.com/use-finnair-avios-to-book-scandinavian-hotels-at-2c-per-point-or-better/ (40:30) Amex Travel positive experience honoring a fare (46:04) Our favorite big spend bonuses (46:45) Alaska Airlines companion certificates https://frequentmiler.com/as/ https://frequentmiler.com/asbiz/ (48:16) Hilton Surpass card free night certificate https://frequentmiler.com/amxhiltonbiz/ (49:14) Hyatt consumer & business cards https://frequentmiler.com/woh/ https://frequentmiler.com/wohbiz/ (57:39) IHG Premier & Premier Business cards https://frequentmiler.com/ihgprem/ https://frequentmiler.com/ihgbusiness/ (1:01:47) Barclays Aviator Silver Loyalty Point bonuses & companion certificate https://frequentmiler.com/aviatorsilver/ (1:06:20) Aeroplan  https://frequentmiler.com/aeroplan/ (1:09:25) Question of the Week: How did Greg build up capacity for his player 3? Music credit: Annie Yoder

Nick just came back from a weekend in Toronto at the Toronto Travel Summit. In today's Coffee Break episode, he'll share 4 cool things he learned there.   (2:00) - Air France is working on upgrades using miles that sounds like it might be very reasonable. (07:30) - Aeroplan intends to bring back family pooling the same as it was. (09:17) - Aeroplan is actually working on getting partner space back up and running. (12:56) - Hotels could be a good use of Finnair Avios (18:08) - Networking at these things continues to be great! Lots of interested / interesting people & creators with different angles. Visit here to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don't forget to like and follow us on social media.  Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads

Sometimes you book an award ticket that requires you to do some positioning in order to catch that flight - for instance if the flight doesn't depart from your home airport. There are a few best practices to keep in mind when booking these "positioning flights", which we'll discuss in today's Frequent Miler on the Air episode. (01:08) - One reader writes in: "If you have Platinum Honors, I would rank the BofA Premium Rewards Elite card the highest for Priority Access by far. The airline credit offset is very easy to use and you get them all at once so there's no obnoxious coupon book"... (Mail Bag) (03:20) - BOA Premium Rewards (not elite) card (Card Talk) Learn more about this card: https://frequentmiler.com/boaPR/#Goto Revisit Frequent Miler on the Air Episode 204 here: https://frequentmiler.com/how-would-we-spend-1-million-dollars/ (04:57) - Bank of America Premium Rewards Elite card (Card Talk) Learn more about this card: https://frequentmiler.com/BOAPremiumRewardsElite/#Goto (11:17) - Cardless launching two Avianca LifeMiles cards (Card Talk) (12:35) - Marriott Homes & Villas 50K (Mattress Running the Numbers) (16:12) - Transfer bonuses (Award Talk) (21:29) - United increases prices on partner biz class awards within Europe & Asia (Award Talk) (24:06) - Nick: able to change Aeroplan award (Award Talk) (29:50) - Daily Getaways (Award Talk) Main Event: Tips for booking Positioning Flights (32:26) - Award discovery tools like PointsYeah DayDream Explorer tool and Seats.Aero make it easy to find awards such as "business class for 4 from "North America" to "Europe" (36:22) - Avoid checking bags! (37:37) - Departure positioning tips: what NOT to do Read Greg's mad dash story (What NOT to do) here: https://frequentmiler.com/my-award-alert-flight-change-and-a-risky-layover/ (40:33) - Day before is best (41:36) - Non-stop is best (less chance of delay) (41:56) - If not night before.... book primary positioning flight with long airport layover (43:15) - Useful to have lounge access for layover (46:02) - Book freely cancelable alternate positioning flight (49:20) - If back-up positioning flight isn't an option, consider booking back-up for entire one-way trip (50:18) - Best options for free last-minute cancelations (56:48) - Back to Greg's story. How he somewhat protected myself: (1:08:29) - Are there any certificates (like companion certificates) that disappear when you cancel the card? (Question of the Week) Visit here to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don't forget to like and follow us on social media. You'll find all other Frequent Miler on the Air episodes here. Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads

(Disclaimer: Click 'more' to see ad disclosure) Hey there, points people! Today, I'm chatting with Matt, a member of the Geobreezetravel team who left his corporate life behind to see the world fueled by points and miles. In this episode we discuss Matt's experience on Singapore Airlines flying one of the longest routes in the world, paying 0 miles for a business class flight by using strategic routing rules, digital nomad life, long-term traveling, and so much more! If you are looking for a card that earns points to be used on Aeroplan to book similar Singapore flights, consider the Capital One Venture Card. If you are interested in supporting this show when you apply for your next card, check out geobreezetravel.com/cards and if you're not sure what card is right for you, I offer free credit card consultations at geobreezetravel.com/consultations ! ➤ Check out the Capital One Venture Card HERE ➤ Waitlist for The Points Accelerator Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:25 - Get to know Matt 04:21 - Matt started using transfer partners 05:10 - Matt flying to Argentina in Business Class 05:52 - Flying to Asia in Business Class 08:24 - Using the United Excursionist Perk to go to Singapore 11:10 - Pivoting from career to travel 12:36 - How is Matt earning points with low expenses 13:23 - Why does Matt have a car and no home? 14:56 - Flying Air France to Asia 20:06 - Staying in Thailand more than 30 days 22:00 - Economy vs Business Class comfortability 22:50 - Matt's points bank status 23:27 - Matt's advice for earn and burn 25:45 - How sustainable is Matt's digital nomad life 28:10 - Julia's intentions on corporate vs Geobreeze 29:07 - Matt's top tip 30:55 - Outro == ➤ You can find Matt Here ➤ You can find Julia through her ⁠⁠Free Course⁠⁠ (includes hotel upgrade email template) | ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Credit Card Links⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠YouTube⁠ ➤ Sign up for the newsletter for exclusive access to free coaching calls! ➤ Ask me a question or request a free award search tutorial HERE! Geobreeze Travel is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as milevalue.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

In today's episode of Frequent Miler on the Air, we'll talk about different "hidden" opportunities to find great award availability when you otherwise strike out trying to find international lie-flat awards, for example.    (01:13) - Advantage shopping portal vs AAdvantageHotels...when do these bookings' miles post...check in date or purchase date? (Mailbag)   (05:36) - I noticed that you are not doing the mattress running the numbers segment - any particular reason? (Mailbag)   (08:00) - Amex Platinum consumer card is dropping SiriusXM from digital entertainment May 8 (Card Talk)   Learn more about this Amex Platinum change here: https://frequentmiler.com/siriusxm-to-be-removed-from-eligible-services-for-amex-digital-entertainment-credit/   (11:50) - The American Express Business Platinum card 250K offer is still available in a roundabout way. (Card Talk)   Read more about the steps for finding that offer here: https://frequentmiler.com/incredible-250k-welcome-offer-for-the-amex-business-platinum-targeted-link/   (16:14) - United triggers a flight as "supposed to be a paper ticket" upon check in... (Crazy Thing)   (22:33) - Hyatt will be losing SLH partnership on May 15 (Award Talk)   Learn more about the Hyatt/SLH partnership ending here: https://frequentmiler.com/hyatt-slh-partnership-ending-5-15-24-important-things-to-know/   (25:12) - New Alaska award chart slowly going live and expected to be complete by 3/31/24. (Award Talk)   Read more about the Alaska award chart slowly going live here: https://frequentmiler.com/huge-alaska-announces-unified-award-charts/   (29:14) - Bilt adds Alaska as a partner (Award Talk)   (30:00) - Bilt loses AA as a partner in June (Award Talk)   Read more about Bilt's loss of AA as a partner here: https://frequentmiler.com/bilt-losing-american-airlines-as-transfer-partner-in-june/   (35:09) - Ritz upgrade success (again!) (Award Talk)   (36:33) - Delta's new companion certificates really work as advertised (Award Talk)   Read more about Delta's enhanced companion certificates here: https://frequentmiler.com/delta-companion-certificates/   (38:17) - Delta: update about extending elite status with MQM rollovers (Award Talk)   Read more about the last ever Delta MQM rollover here: https://frequentmiler.com/the-last-ever-delta-mqm-rollover/   (40:45) - Award search tool comparisons, including award discovery tools (Award Talk)   Read more about award exploration tools here: https://frequentmiler.com/a-new-breed-of-award-discovery-tools/   Main Event: Where to Find Hidden Award Flights   (45:17) - Opportunities to find great award availability when you otherwise strike out trying to book international lie-flat awards...   (46:20) - Aeroplan has better award space for Singapore Airlines than Singapore itself   (48:05) - JetBlue Mint, book with Qatar Avios   See our video about how to find and book JetBlue Mint flights to the Caribbean using Qatar Avios: https://frequentmiler.com/jetblue-mint-to-the-caribbean-for-26000-avios-where-and-how-to-find-it/   (50:12) - ITA booked with Virgin Atlantic miles (widely available as of the last time Nick looked...)   (52:04) - Hawaiian Air has very good award space to Asia   (54:00) - Emirates: Book lower class of service and upgrade with points at airport   (55:32) - Flying Blue: Don't trust the calendar   (57:57) - AA, Flying Blue: often get much better pricing by flying to/from smaller airports   (01:01:18) - Many airlines (Eva Air, Qatar, Etihad, Lufthansa, BA, Virgin, Turkish, etc) offer better award availability to their own members   (01:10:33) - Book good-enough refundable flights and wait until close-in to find great flights.   (01:14:04) - Sometimes cash (or pay with points) is best option   (01:19:39) - Read our post about how to find great deals with Google Flights: https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-find-incredible-flight-deals-with-google-flights/   (01:19:56) - We review a unique case study where verification details delayed a credit card so long that a new application was required...but in that time, the bonus increased... (Question of the week)  

How do you feel about working with corporate funders. Some people love it, some people head for the hills and try to avoid sponsorship. Suzy Wilcox loves corporate fundraising and the unique partnerships they are engaged in at Evergreen Canada. Suzy has a mix of non-profit, consulting and corporate experience. She loves how fundraising can help bring big, complex ideas to life.  For over twenty-five years she has worked and volunteered with a range of organizations. A common thread throughout her work is building strong partnerships that make a positive difference in and with communities.  After graduating from Princeton University, Suzy worked in Marketing and Development at several US arts organizations, including the American Dance Festival and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She earned her MBA at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management before working in research, project management, and client relations at the renowned Toronto sponsorship agency Arts & Communications. While at Arts & Communications, she analyzed and developed corporate philanthropy and sponsorship programs. She was then recruited by Air Canada to be a Marketing Manager, before moving to Aeroplan in partner relations, primarily with the CIBC Aerogold VISA program. Starting in 2004, Suzy worked for 15 years as a Senior Associate with NetGain Partners. As a NetGain consultant, she had the pleasure of working with a variety of non-profit clients, including MOCA Toronto, Centre of Learning & Development, City of Toronto, and Canada's National Ballet School, helping them with strategic planning and fundraising. Since 2020 Suzy has led Evergreen's fundraising team, working to enable cities that are livable, green and prosperous. When not working, Suzy hangs out with her family, dances, swims, and tends her wild garden. She used to be a mime but decided the rope and the wall could only get her so far. In this episode Suzy shares how her organization is changing the way they build partnerships with corporations, volunteers, staff and community to advance trust based philanthropy. Thank you for joining us. I hope you are inspired to rethink how you build relationships with your funders and your volunteers. Please remember to like, share or review this podcast. Let's keep widening the circle and inviting more people into the conversation.

Back in January, Nick saw that Bilt was going to have a huge transfer bonus to Aeroplan (one of his favorite mileage programs)...but he didn't have a Bilt card yet. With luck on his side though, he suspected he could get the card and get over 100K Aeroplan miles in just a matter of days. Greg thought he was insane, but Nick's gamble payed off. (02:48) - What is Bilt and why was Nick interested?  Learn more about the Bilt card here.  (03:16) - What was the Bilt bonus that finally got Nick's attention?  We published those transfer bonus details here.  (04:25) - Nick outlines the challenge in his timing, applying for the card ~6 days before the scheduled transfer bonus opportunity with lots of things to get done in that time. (06:39) - Nick discovered he still needed to make 5 transactions on his new card, which he was able to do with the digital card he'd gotten upon approval. (08:45) - Nick got lucky and the card arrived early (with one day to spare), and right around then he also got the email for a 5X offer... (10:11) - The second dilemma: in order to maximize the 5X for 5 days of spend he'd need to spend $12,500, which was more than the card's credit limit.  To read Nick's more detailed account of this, make sure and read his "How Nick Built his own Bilt bonus" post here. (12:42) - Nick breaks down his ~$18K in spend which landed him with 62K Bilt rewards which then became 124K Air Canada Aeroplan miles. (15:02) - Nick remembers the points-pooling ability in Air Canada Aeroplan. (16:06) - Greg and Nick talk about how gambles like this can play a significant role in this game. Visit https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don't forget to like and follow us on social media. Music Credit - Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads

Air Canada released their financial statement in a recent investor conference, where CEO Michael Rousseau shared a summary of the company's performance. Amid a slower start in January, Rousseau outlined the company's expectations moving into the subsequent months. "As we look into February and beyond, we are starting to see volumes pick up. We are starting to see some yields also pick up," he told investors. He added that Air Canada's forecast for 2024 is more influenced by volume than yield, a statement reflecting a pragmatic sense of optimism. Key information from the earnings call provided an overview of Air Canada's significant actions and overall performance. Although specific examples were not detailed, the call nonetheless provided critical findings. From a financial standpoint, Air Canada showed progress with a year-over-year increase in operating revenue in both the fourth quarter and the full fiscal year. The airline's focus on effective cost management and debt reduction contributed to this positive development. Essential financial metrics such as EBITDA and leverage ratio seemed promising, reflecting the company's financial recovery, as reported in the earnings call. The call also emphasized the airline's strategic priorities. Areas of attention include hub expansion, improvements in customer service, and product upgrades. The airline's investments in enhancing customer experience, such as improvements in lounges and digital platforms, have led to positive results, as demonstrated by the growth of the Aeroplan loyalty program, as acknowledged by the company. On the earnings call, Air Canada also highlighted strong demand for both domestic and international travel. This observation aligns well with the airline's commitment to customer satisfaction and high-quality service, both of which are essential in meeting consumer expectations and maintaining a competitive position in the airline industry. Looking to the future, the earnings call indicated that Air Canada's capital allocation strategy promises stability. The company's plans for reducing debt, investing in fleet, and providing returns to shareholders represent the company's path towards continued effectiveness. The airline also anticipates increasing its capacity and focusing on operational efficiency and network enhancements – all aspects that indicate a proactive approach to retaining their competitive edge. However, there is the anticipation of a decrease in free cash flow in 2024 due to planned investments. Nevertheless, Air Canada has expressed confidence in maintaining steady financial results, as shared during the earnings call. Combining these insights presents a picture of Air Canada's financial health, strategic initiatives, customer focus, and future investment plans. As a result, while there is cautious optimism for Air Canada's performance, it is nonetheless important to consider the broader dynamics of the aviation industry and the implications of the airline's planned investments on its financial trajectory. AC Company info: https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/AC/profile For more PSFK research : www.psfk.com  This email has been published and shared for the purpose of business research and is not intended as investment advice.

Usually I lock up a summer trip as far ahead of time as possible. But due to the current award travel patterns and my need for 4 seats I found myself without a summer booking and a family wanting to travel. Today Robert and I chat about the ups and downs of the search for a summer trip, award space scarcity, alliance and search engine fragmentation and more. - Enjoy! 01:55 Let's talk about the Constraints of this trip: We didn't have a single destination on our list but rather a short list of places to go 2 Adults 2 children. 3:00 Summer, during Summer Break (June/July) Prices and awards rise dramatically in Jun/Jul and award space dries up even worse than it is during other parts of the year 4:24 No flexibility in cabin (I couldn't even pitch premium economy) As we've gotten older we've taken less trips, but put more into them. Last year we spent 36 years on vacation, but we're trending into longer trips 6:45 Don't want to reposition Saw some options through IAH, PHL. Also saw flights through Canada I don't like clearing customs and then having another flight, with little kids that is a pressure point 9:00 Point balances:  I'm a non-hoarder. I have about 250,000 Alaska, 400,000 AA and very little other miles on hand.  I do have a large MR and UR balance I can draw down. Otherwise I'll cash them out 9:53 AA out of LAX, comparing AA vs BA. points yeah served up LAX-LHR on AA with Alaska Miles: But AA wouldn't show this for a similar 'low' price But adding a leg--searching LAX-CPH showed the low price for the whole flight. This seems like a 'married logic' issue. It means pricing is end to end (LAX/CPH) vs segment by segment. This has become VERY common with dynamic pricing. This makes the old 'get over the pond' mentality dangerous. Searching between city pairs only for long-haul flights won't show you the whole picture (Not just on AA, across most airlines now). This is also a search engine fragmentation because you are relying on the search engine to do the routing logic. 15:41 Let's talk about award space out of LAX I've had an eye on LAX long haul routes for more than a decade. I've never seen it this thin That's on top of more capacity than ever, with better cabins than ever The 64,000 point question is: Will those seats get sold, or will they be released closer to the dates of travel Current space isn't a great indicator. There are very different people wanting to go to Europe in the next 2 months than in Jun/July 18:00 Quick discussion about the ‘loss' of partner award space This has made it more important than ever to hold flexible currencies like MR/UR/Cap 1 One ways with different currencies helps spread out the search net Ultimately you still need that triangle of flexibility we've talked about forever here: Dates, destination or class of service. You have to flex one (or more) of them.  Flights Have to Exist in order for you to take them Flightconnections.com is still the place i go to start any search I look for ALL long haul options out of LAX (remember I don't like to reposition) Some filtering is needed, because these are not all flights that can be booked with miles easily, but without a premium account you'll be limited to filtering by a single airline. 18:40 Options start coming into focus EF showed space on Air Tahiti Nui LAX-CDG in business. I've flow this before. It really isn't great, but it is a lie flat and the flight was an easy feeling one. Unfortunately with a few calls to AA agents none of them could see the space. I tried some other tricks but with no luck. I don't know what's going on there–if it is a block or phantom space From there I saw on pointsyeah some air france awards in the 130,000 per person (plus about $300 in fees).  I didn't love those so I went to Air france's site and started going day by day, looking at all flights i might want to take.  Ontario-TPE, LAX-Manchester, LAX-Oslo/stockholm/Helsinki/Rome.  And something interesting started to show up… The biggest issue is they don't always show you the partner space and they don't by default sort by lowest price in miles (not the only site that does this). Again going city pair by city pair pulled up an option, LAX-OSL for 4 passengers for about 72,000 miles and $225 each. There's a huge hurdle here: Foreign program, I have no miles in and have never used. I'm about to transfer 300,000 MR into it. This better be REAL space. Married logic makes it look even more phantom when you search LAX-CDG and find it is 700,000 per person. Almost makes you want to skiplag an award ticket. Of course people online are talking about phantom space biting them, and I just had that issue with TN and AA. So I called Flying Blue and asked for the rep to see the space, and put it on hold. And he did, which made me feel good about this space.  24:19 Still Need a Return -- Just as Uncertain as before But I still had no return. So the entire search starts again, but this time with even more restrictive constraints. It doesn't help me if I find a return from Tokyo-LAX– not the entire search has to be from Oslo, or somewhere nearby to LAX (or somewhere nearby). And I don't want to clear customs on the east coast with my kids, and have to keep picking up bags, so I'm looking at even less options. AA had an option through LHR. The fees were huge, but I was sure if i called I could get them lower by making the first leg in economy. Aeroplan had space on Air canada (not partner) through montreal in PE. This was not ideal–I didn't want to fly PE and would be putting miles into aeroplan that I would cancel and possibly orphan. 25:30 Let's discuss Stranding miles?  PE Vs J? Anything you like here?  The trend of moderately priced awards with native miles almost guarantees orphaned miles if you cancel a trip. That didn't used to be the case–but the lack of partner space makes it happen Beware expiration of miles (Asian carriers don't allow extending miles for example). 27:30 Book and then garden vs. wait and book   There are benefits to each approach, but drawbacks as well. I probably could have gotten the family on board with a situation like 2 in Business 2 in Premium. But I wasn't even seeing that option Nice upgrade of AA Miles being useful for JAL Premium economy.  31:06 Nothing is Free, Everything is Cash Luck–ultimately was the key. Immense luck in the form of 4 seats OSL-LAX on air france on the exact day I wanted to return at the lowest level I'd seen all search, an average of 48,000 per person (plus $320 in fees). With the outbound on hold I transferred enough for this return, booked it online (if it was phantom I would have used those miles for the outbound) and then transferred again to ticket the outbound on the phone. Total: 491,750 MR plus $2200 in fees.  $2200 in cash is 200,000 Membership rewards cashed out with schwab. Compare to an 88,000 United booking this is very close to the same thing A total of 691,750 MR for 4 people. Compares to Can't really do much to improve this or risk stranding these miles 37:41 This one shook out–but I don't want to let things slip past me like this.  Close in doesn't work for me, both with requesting days off of work and with planning trips So I need to remind myself to start looking NOW for winter break, and soon enough for Summer 2025.  Flex the demand schedule with your family too.

Lately my to-do list has felt never-ending, and it's become overwhelming trying to excel at allll the things. So I've been deep-diving on how to automate my life a bit more so I can easily level up my everyday habits and routines, and make or save more money along the way. The economy is trash and adulting is hard, so I'm not gatekeeping on these hacks that are helping simplify my life and maximize my time and money. Let's do some adulting math! Tune in to learn more about: Apps and browser extensions that will help you save automaticallyThe best bank accounts to maximize your savings and investmentsTravel plug-ins that guarantee cheap flight dealsAutomating your paychecks to savings and investmentsTaking advantage of the best credit cards for pointsUsing loyalty reward apps and cards to earn when you spendHow to use AI to increase your productivityFinding easy and trust-worthy home insuranceWhy you should be setting up your will alreadyThis episode is sponsored by Belair Direct.Resources mentioned:Belair Direct Ritualhttps://www.spliiit.com/enTravel ArrowBobbychat.openai.com/App.willful.coWealth Simple (referral code: YFKOLG)Our show is produced by:Gillian Berner, Host, Producer & EditorOlivia Nashmi, Audio EngineerKyla Killackey, Digital EditorCarolyn Schissler , Designer & Web ProducerFor advertising and sponsorship inquiries, please contact Frequency Podcast Network. PS: If you've been dreaming of pivoting into podcasting but aren't sure where to start or how to grow, check our consulting services at teachmehowtoadult.ca/howtopodcast. Sign up for our monthly adulting newsletter:teachmehowtoadult.ca/newsletter Follow us on the ‘gram:@teachmehowtoadultmedia@gillian.bernerFollow us on TikTok: @teachmehowtoadult

A recap of my recent trip to St. Anton, Austria to go skiing with my brother. The skiing was awesome and it was a really fun trip!Flights:PDX-SFO-FRA-INN on UA/LH/EN for 90k Aeroplan + $94.ZRH-LHR-LAX-PDX on BA/AA/AA for 57.5k AA miles + $102.Hotel:Omaela Apartments: $1,300 for 4 nights. Skiing:$243 for a lift ticket for 3 days (not per day).

Festivus: The non-commercial holiday's celebration, as depicted on Seinfeld, occurs on December 23 and includes a Festivus dinner, an unadorned aluminum Festivus pole, practices such as the "airing of grievances" and "feats of strength", and the labeling of easily explainable events as "Festivus miracles"  0:15 Intro, some history about Festivus as we held it on the Observation Deck. 03:27 Airing of Grievances: Everyone gets two each. ONE towards an airline or loyalty program, ONE towards a bank. Sam: No Knock Devaluations in general. Trevor shared one of these happening in real time. Bank: Bank of America. Fraud happy, and full of themselves. Tom: Alaska Airlines end of 50K to asia MGM stays get bonvoyed Trevor: Loyalty program: Another Alaska no notice devaluation, making JAL awards even more expensive, from 70k to 100k for JAL F to Japan, one way. US Bank: I have a history of being unimpressed, such that I stayed away for a while, however I went back to the well, with a $500 business checking bonus. This may have been self inflicted, but US Bank is not the easiest to work with. 13:45 Alaska/Hawiian Merger Talk 20:20 Hyatt requalification and “Settle for Good Enough” 23:20 Feats of Strength Traditionally, it's "Your favorite redemptions/miles and points usage over the course of the year. But lets switch it up som: ONE towards an airline or loyalty program, and one towards a bank. Doesn't have to be the "best" or "best value", but just the one that defined your 2023 or you will remember going forward" Sam: Japan for 4 in Business class both ways. Not that this was an especially strong feat of strength but it seems like it is. I'm Bank: AA miles with a Citi Business card Tom: Award trip to Australia exact dates i needed for a Trevor: Loyalty Program: The incredibleness that has been Aeroplan with the super cheap lap infant that let us travel at a ludicrous pace. Bank: AMEX Business Gold + Employee cards (though I can of course try picking something else, but having done 80 employee cards on 1 card, and 5 on 3 other cards they moved the needle for me). 37:55 Festivus Miracles This is your deal of the year, or really anything. Whatever brought you the most miraculous joy in the miles and points game this year. Sam: Vacasa with Wyndham Rewards. 1 year ago I bought 300,000 of these for cash on points.com. This year I earned 2x that many from the comfort of my living room. Tom: Surprise Elite Status (thanks Delta) Delta Gold 2024, AS MVP, Spirit, Frontier Trevor: 68k/night Bonvoy points for St. Regis Maldives To close out we ask you to share your Festivus Grievances, Miracles and Feats of strength! Share here in the comments or on Slack! 

Recapping our 2-week trip to India, including Delhi, Rajasthan, and Goa. We faced a lot of unexpected challenges during the trip but overall had a great time!Award Flights:PDX-YVR-DEL on AI Y/J/F for 55k/90k/117k Aeroplan.PDX-SFO-EWR-DEL on UA J for 80k United Miles (in both directions).GOI-DOH-SFO on QR J for 80k Avios.Award Hotels:Hilton Jaipur for 20k HH/nt (upgraded to Diamond floor w/Gold status).Alila Diwa Goa for 9k Hyatt/nt (upgraded to Junior Suite with Explorist status).Club at Alila Diwa for 15k Hyatt/nt.

Alex Barseghian is the GVP of Sales and Marketing for US Retail at Blackhawk Networks. He is responsible for driving over $15B in Revenue through retail and digital channels. Prior, he headed Original Content for Blackhawk where he was in charge of new products, as well as successfully launching Happy Cards in over 50,000 retail locations. Prior to this, Alex was founder of Samba Connects, which was purchased by Blackhawk in 2016. Samba became the fastest growing company in the UK and was top 50 fastest growing company in Canada 2 years in a row prior to the acquisition. He has held various senior positions which include Aeroplan, Royal LePage during their IPO as well as MDS. An entrepreneur at heart, he gets excited about successfully taking complex problems, simplifying and operationalizing them in order to scale products and companies quickly. Connect with Jon Dwoskin: Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: jon@jondwoskin.com Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big!   Connect with Alex Barseghian: Website: www.localmotiontoday.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/alex-barseghian-7b04869

Join Mike for this trip report, bonus episode! He breaks down all of the money saving hacks along the way. You'll hear:A full breakdown of how Mike booked a 49 day around the world tripFlying Blue miles to maximize on Asian & African airlinesSaving your money or your miles on economy seats and how to decide when to do thisBest hotels along the way (points and cash)And more… Episode Timestamps:1:29 - First leg to Tokyo + getting a surprise business class upgrade4:35 - Flying to China with Flying Blue Miles and visa free transit in China9:47 - To Taiwan (Flying Blue Miles again!) in business class14:29 - Cambodia Hyatt hotels20:18 - Kuala Lumpur with a cheap flight + a cheap Marriott24:10 - Flying to Madagascar with Aeroplan miles25:21 - How to decide to use points for business class or just fly economy 32:13 - Flying to Kenya with Flying Blue miles36:56 - Meeting a Daily Drop fan from Uganda37:47 - Flying to Cape Town and discovering the Ethiopian Airlines overnight hack39:30 - Cape Town experience + a Hyatt you might want to pass on42:08 - Flying to Zimbabwe with Air Link43:52 - An border crossing that got Mike stuck in Zambia 48:43 - Flying to Botswana 50:40 - Continuing the journey back home to Toronto 53:54 - Wrapping it up Keep Up With Daily Drop: Stay up to date with the newsletter: https://dailydrop.com/ Join the Lounge: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailydroplounge Check out our top cards: https://dailydrop.com/pages/our-top-credit-cards Follow along on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailydrop/ Hang out on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyDrop Prefer a video podcast? Head over here: https://www.youtube.com/@DailyDropPodcast

Get Thrifty Traveler Premium deal/award alerts sent straight to your inbox. Use promo code “AT101” for $10 off your first year. Head to ThriftyTraveler.com for more details and check out their Google Flights guide. Recent finds include:Business class to Rome for 58KBusiness class to Tokyo for 60KPremium Economy to Europe for 36K R/TYou can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/Premium.Post of the weekElizabeth Holmes Hanes posted about needing to up her hotel redemptions. Was she blinded by status when there was a gorgeous Marriott right around the corner?NewsGet Bonus Hilton points -Is it worth purchasing points? There's a 100% bonus, and it could make sense in certain situations.What's going on with certain Award tools? ExpertFlyer and Seats.aero are having issues. Expertflyer is removing all Star Alliance carriers, plus seats.aero received a cease and desist order from Aeroplan. Is Expertflyer becoming useless?Support the AT101 Podcast/CommunityTrip updatesAngie - has both Australia and a safari booked but can she convince P2 to go?Allison - Still doesn't love her Brazil flight. 2 options booked - which would you choose? Booked a hotel finally, Hilton Copacabana (5th night free). There was a JW Marriott with similar points price, so why did she choose the Hilton?What bonuses did we get?Angie - closed first Business Platinum. Calling to start the Chase Sapphire Reserve product changeAllison - has been holding steady. Should she get something new?Highlight feature: Bali! Doing a $12k trip for less than $1500 out of pocket plus some pointsHow we Booked FlightsBoth of us booked Qatar (QR) by transferring American Express Membership Rewards to British Airways. 100K plus $202Angie: DPS-SIN 14K Lifemiles plus $40.60 then SIN-JFK for 112.5K transferred from Chase Ultimate Rewards (took FOREVER) to Singapore Airlines (SQ) plus $59.92Allison: Same QR price, DPS-SIN was 8.5K SQ miles +$15.95 (transferred from AMEX), plus Etihad Business Class SIN-AUH-JFK was 87.5K and $122.63 booked through Aeroplan.How we Booked HotelsAngie and Allison discuss their Bali Girls Trip:A $12k trip for less than $1500 out of pocket plus some pointsFull trip report posted in the Award Travel 101 Community w/hotel and airline reviewsTip of the weekGo to meetups to make frWhere To Find the Award Travel 101 Community For questions, you can join us in the free 100,000+ member Award Travel 101 Community. For more intermediate and advanced strategies, join Award Travel 201 community To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at contactawardtravel@gmail.com. Our next meetup is located in San Antonio, TX on April 26–28, 2024, and it's SOLD-OUT. You can get on our wait-list, but to learn more visit Taco 'Bout A Fiesta! Support the AT101 Podcast/Community

American Express has a the largest stable of rewards credit cards on the market, but which Amex cards are must-have cornerstones of your wallet? The answers aren't universal, so this week we discuss the Amex cards that could make the cut and who should keep them.   01:23 Giant Mailbag   05:05 What crazy thing . . . did JetBlue do this week?   https://frequentmiler.com/jetblues-mosaic-founderscard-benefit-is-this-a-joke/   13:52 25% transfer bonus from Amex to JetBlue   https://frequentmiler.com/amex-membership-rewards-25-transfer-bonus-to-jetblue-250250/   16:42 Award Talk   16:52 JetBlue is enhancing their elite program for 2024 and beyond   17:45 New JetBlue Signature Perks   19:37 Mosaic 4 members will be able to give Mosaic 1 to another member   20:27 Booking the BLADE helicopter transfers for Mosaic 4   23:21 JetBlue credit card approvals   24:28 AAdvantage Aviator card approvals   https://frequentmiler.com/barclays-aviator-red-now-up-to-75000-miles-with-two-purchases/   26:34 Main Event: Must-have Amex cards   27:40 Transferable points cards   27:44 Blue Business Plus card   https://frequentmiler.com/amxbbp/   30:16 Amex Gold Card   https://frequentmiler.com/amxgoldcard/   32:34 Platinum card   https://frequentmiler.com/amxplat   36:18 Amex Everyday card   https://frequentmiler.com/amxed/   38:50 Amex Green card   https://frequentmiler.com/amxgreen/   40:45 Pick one Membership Rewards card   43:21 Amex Hotel cards   43:27 Amex Hilton Aspire card   https://frequentmiler.com/amxhiltonaspire/   45:51 Amex Marriott Bonvoy Business card   https://frequentmiler.com/spgbiz/   47:23 Amex Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant card   https://frequentmiler.com/spglux/   52:33 Hilton Surpass card   https://frequentmiler.com/hilton-honors-american-express-surpass-card/   55:20 Which is the one Amex hotel card for you?   56:33 Airline cards   57:00 Delta Gold cards   https://frequentmiler.com/dlgold/   https://frequentmiler.com/dlgoldbiz/   57:32 Delta Platinum cards   https://frequentmiler.com/dlplat/   https://frequentmiler.com/dlplatbiz/   59:18 Delta Reserve cards   https://frequentmiler.com/dlrsv/   https://frequentmiler.com/dlrsvbiz/   1:02:22 Which Delta credit card   1:04:27 Question of the Week #1: Is credit card cell phone insurance worth it if you have Apple Care?   1:06:07 Question of the Week #2: For American Airlines partner award bookings, which airlines are not shown on the AA.com website. Can you search Aeroplan's website? Can you call to book more than 331 days in advance?   Music credit: Annie Yoder

You don't need airline elite status to get elite-like treatment. This week, we discuss how to get the perks without the loyalty and how to think about the costs associated if you decide to stay on that hamster wheel. Join our email list: https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ 00:00 Intro 01:42 Giant Mailbag 04:47 What crazy thing . . . did Amex do this week? 06:46 Mattress running the numbers: Aeroplan cardholders can get 4th night free with points https://frequentmiler.com/aeroplan-offering-4th-night-free-on-hotel-stays-but-its-very-poor-value/ 09:55 Card Talk: U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve card https://frequentmiler.com/usbar/ https://frequentmiler.com/ultra-premium-credit-card-travel-insurance/ 22:35 Award Talk 22:37 Choice Privileges sweet spot awards https://frequentmiler.com/excellent-new-set-of-choice-privileges-sweet-spot-rewards-for-stays-through-11-30/ https://frequentmiler.com/a-sweet-spot-hotel-and-a-rookie-mistake/ 25:27 Greg finds an award not on the search tools 28:21 Finnair via Avios 32:02 Main Event: Roll your own airline elite status 32:30 Basic run-down of earning status through flight or credit card spend https://frequentmiler.com/earn-elite-status-aa-vs-delta-vs-united/ 37:48 Do we need elite status at all? How can we be treated elite? 57:53 Why might you actually want airline elite status? 1:04:45 Are the benefits of loyalty worth it? Who should pursue it? 1:09:36 Question of the Week: I accidentally purchased $6500 in United miles while booking an award. I can ask them to reverse the purchase, but is it worth the risk of the ticket getting canceled? Music credit: Annie Yoder

If you're flush with Delta SkyMiles, don't flush them on poor redemptions -- instead, listen to this week's show and learn how you can squeeze good value out of your SkyMiles. One quick update: During our Award Talk segment, we discussed the ability to book Starlux via Alaska Airlines, but that availability and pricing got pulled between the time we recorded and the time we published -- we were right that you had to jump on it quickly, but it died even faster than we expected. 00:00 Intro 00:56 Award Talk 01:07 Bilt: 75% to 150% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club https://frequentmiler.com/bilt-august-rent-day-up-to-150-transfer-bonus-to-virgin-atlantic/ 07:31 Now book ITA via Virgin Atlantic https://frequentmiler.com/ita-airways-bookable-with-virgin-atlantic-miles/ 10:17 Alaska makes Starlux bookable*** Note that we discuss pricing for this award that Alaska has already pulled. See our post for more: https://frequentmiler.com/alaska-airlines-fumbles-launch-of-starlux-awards/ 12:59 Amex adds Qatar as a transfer partner https://frequentmiler.com/amex-transfer-partners/ 15:44 Aeroplan now allows awards to be changed online https://frequentmiler.com/aeroplan-awards-can-now-be-changed-online/ 17:27 Choice and Radisson finally merge https://frequentmiler.com/radisson-to-choice-conversion-low-end-slight-deval-high-end-better-value/ 21:47 Card Talk: Delta Gold SkyMiles and Delta Gold SkyMiles Business cards https://frequentmiler.com/dlgold/ https://frequentmiler.com/dlgoldbiz/ 28:34 Main Event: Wringing value from Delta SkyMiles 29:46 15% discount on Delta awards on Delta metal with several credit cards 30:17 Compare against the round trip prices 31:05 Unannounced sales https://frequentmiler.com/delta-award-sale-40k-miles-in-economy-to-australia-and-more/ 33:50 Westjet to Canada 36:18 Book awards that don't start or end in the US or Canada https://frequentmiler.com/delta-skymiles-business-class-deals/ 41:35 Finding partner award space on Delta.com https://frequentmiler.com/a-great-new-way-to-find-delta-partner-award-availability/ 46:29 Question of the Week: What's the best strategy to get rebooked when your partner award gets cancelled? Music credit: Annie Yoder