Podcasts about award booking

There are some creative ways to use airline miles to fly further with less miles. In other words, you can see more and spend less. We'll talk about these fun tricks in today's episode. (01:00) - The validity of Etihad Guest Miles will be extended by 18 months based on qualifying member flight activity. We thought this means you have to credit paid flights to Etihad to extend your miles...but is that true? (04:20) - How do you handle domestic positioning flights? See our "Tips for booking positioning flights" episode 253 here. (09:30) - Amex targeted referral +5 points on travel & transit (11:21) - Learn more about Amex multi-referrals here. (11:27) - Amex Membership Rewards: You don't need a credit card to transfer to some partners Read more about this here. (15:10) - Chase: 80% transfer bonus to IHG through 4/30 (18:26) - Transfer bonuses (21:14) - Updates to popular award tools (22:56) - National Car Rental's One Two Free Promo Returns (27:43) - Virgin Atlantic jacks up Delta One surcharges departing Europe to more than $1,000 one-way Read more about dumping fees when booking Delta One here. (31:05) - Cautions about skiplagging / hidden city ticketing, etc... (37:34) - Married Segment Logic (42:23) - Start to End Distance Based/ Zone Based Award Pricing (47:25) - Mixed cabin award pricing (51:53) - Multi-partner awards (52:57) - Read Nick's post about Air Canada's United devaluation relief with multi-partner awards here. (58:59) - Creative routing (1:04:40) - Should people wait to get the other Hawaiian Airlines credit card (if they have one of the personal Hawaaiin credit cards already)? (There are two different consumer Hawaiian Airlines cards - one with Bank of Hawaii and one by Barclays (though confusingly both are issued by Barclays)). 

In today's episode we'll talk about how American Airlines out-crazies Citi, Southwest out-bonvoys Marriott, and we'll talk about what we think are the 5 best award search tools that make it much easier to find those coveted awards. (01:25) - One reader shares their concerns about tax payments made by an American Express card not counting towards sign up bonus spending. (05:28) - Read more about paying taxes with a credit card here and check out our podcast Episode239 about paying taxes to earn rewards. (05:45) - Capital One Venture X Business cards have a Rideshare Protection benefit (which you can read more about here.) (08:00) - Hilton cards offer free night thru 4/29 (which you can read more about here.) (10:29) - Wyndham Earner cards big bonuses Read more about these Wyndham Earner bonuses here. (13:39) - Citi: accidentally credited a client's account with $81 trillion when it meant to send only $280 (Read more about this here.) (15:22) - American Airlines made a huge blunder which you can read about here. (19:25) - Marriott StudioRes (26:00) - Southwest for the win Read more about Southwest slashing points earning on Wanna Get Away fares here. (29:52) - Alaska starting to roll out mixed partner awards Read more about this here. (32:23) - Aeroplan Family Points Sharing Returns Read more here. (35:20) - Hilton adds more and more SLH properties (38:06) - Find current transfer bonuses here. (41:14) - Read our post about award search tools here. (42:47) - Live Searches vs. Cached Discovery (47:23) - Alerts are KEY (50:25) - Flexible Live Search is very important (51:59) - Which is Best? (54:57) - Runner up (59:07) - Best for Beginners (1:02:28) - Best for advanced people (1:05:10) - Best add on (to use in addition to these other tools) (1:08:15) - Worth mentioning (1:12:17) - Discounts available in our post about which award search tool is best here. (1:12:28) - What should you do with your Capital One miles?

Alaska has announced that a premium card is coming in the Summer of 2025. They've given us just little bits of information so far, but in this episode, we'll talk about what those details are. (01:03) - Pre-register by 12/31/24. Get 500 miles now, 5K extra miles later if/when you sign up for card. (01:44) - Basic details...annual fee of $395 and earn Global Companion Award Certificates (05:20) - Receive waived award ticket fees ($12.50 partner award fee, not surcharges) (05:42) - Earn 3x miles on eligible foreign purchases 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

In this episode, Greg and Nick review some of the hotel and flight awards that stood out for each of them in 2024 so they can determine the best of the best for their 2024 award travels. (01:06) - Bilt buy house benefit correction See the previous episode where Greg talked about the Bilt buy house benefit here. Read more about the Bilt Buy House benefit here. (02:42) - Greg's latest experience booking Preferred hotels with Choice points See the previous episode here. (10:17) - Greg: "You're a SAS EuroBonus Millionaire!” (11:56) - Nick: Yikes! (19:24) - Stephen: 1 more needs to be credited (21:32) - Business Platinum gains $200 Hilton credit! (29:48) - IRS temporarily displayed lower fees for paying taxes by credit card (32:04) - Should Greg mattress run 1 Marriott night? (37:24) - Alaska news Read more about Alaska Airlines launching premium card here. (41:48) - Waldorf Astoria New York now bookable with points and free night certificates. (44:22) - Greg's candidates for top awards in 2024 - flights (52:20) - Nick's candidates for top awards in 2024 - flights (56:59) - Best flight pick overall (1:00:32) - Greg's candidates for top awards in 2024 - hotels (1:11:07) - Nick's candidates for top awards in 2024 - hotels (1:21:05) - Beat hotel pick overall (1:22:54) - Other top experiences in 2024 (1:30:07) - Which airline would you prioritize to fly and earn miles with: American, United, or Southwest? 

If you learn a few advanced tricks, you can book awards for less miles than you'd think, and for better products or flights than you might think as well. (01:07) - About our Coffee Break: Earn miles while saving and paying for college | Coffee Break Ep31 | 10-28-24 | Podcast See episode 31 of Coffee Break "Earn miles while saving and paying for college" here. (01:36) - Giftcards dot com added fee - it still seems to be earning GCdotcom rewards, but might not last (02:14) - One reader says as of 2024, you can rollover 529s into Roth IRAs. Learn more about our ongoing challenge at https://millionmilemadness.com (05:44) - Quick recap SAS Eurobonus allows points pooling (Read more about SAS points pooling here.) (06:52) - Stephen is all booked! Read Stephen's Million Mile Madness journal here. (08:35) - Read Nick's Million Mile Madness journal here. (11:36) - Greg: "Speed and Style" Read Greg's Million Mile Madness journal here. (17:05) - Marriott Homes & Villas promo: Stay 2+ nights & spend $1k+ to earn 30K bonus points Read more about the Marriott Homes & Villas promo here. (18:24) - Choice enhances program in 2025 Read about Choice Privileges improvements coming in 2025 here. (20:19) - Virgin Atlantic's dynamic award pricing is live Read more about Virgin Atlantic's dynamic award pricing here. (23:03) - United increasing elite requirements for 2025 (24:41) - DOT Refund Rule (26:56) - JetBlue's excellent status match Find our episode about JetBlue's status match here. (27:39) - Last minute bookings/changes (29:53) - Same day changes (32:09) - What is Skiplagging? (35:37) - Mix cabins for lower prices (39:25) - Start to End Distance based pricing (43:37) - Weird pricing (45:50) - Distance based award tricks... (51:59) - Avoid sucky programs (1:01:33) - How can I time an Amex Platinum consumer card downgrade to gold card in order to get maximum credits from each, and what happens if I upgrade again later... would I get the benefits again?

Getting the best deal on an award ticket is rarely done by going to one airline's website and searching round trip. Greg & Nick discuss the artistry that goes into building a masterpiece of a booking. 1:28 Giant Mailbag 5:57 What crazy thing did Radisson do this week? 10:17 Mattress Running the Numbers: Should you product change to the IHG Premier? https://frequentmiler.com/its-time-for-a-new-ihg-credit-card-strategy/ 26:58 Main Event: Award Booking Artistry 31:47 Mixing and Matching Airlines on a single trip 33:38 Look at other International Gateways 36:30 Look at using partner miles 39:11 Throw-away return tickets 43:42 Skiplagging https://frequentmiler.com/skiplagging/ 47:25 Nested Trips 51:27 Alaska stopover rules https://frequentmiler.com/alaska-airlines-companion-fare-guide/ 53:41 United Excursionist Perk https://frequentmiler.com/maximizing-and-understanding-united-excursionist-perks/ 56:37 Leveraging off-peak pricing 1:00:00 Upgrades 1:03:48 Post Roast 1:09:47 Question of the Week: What's up with the American Airlines eShopping portal? https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-earn-american-airlines-loyalty-points-without-flying-cheat-sheet-to-play-the-elite-status-game/ Join our email list: https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ Music credit: Annie Yoder

This week my buddy Summer is back on the podcast talking about Hyatt's recent rollout of Milestone Rewards.  There's a bunch to like here for most travelers.  Jen stops by to break down a new credit card offer that's a bit unique.  Lastly, David Feldman stops by to coach us on how to find award space when traveling Down Under. Don't forget to check out the NowBoarding Podcast where we dive in deep with your favorite travel bloggers, learning how they travel the world with miles and points.

From a psychology degree to the fashion runways in New York, to his own award booking service dolling out countless hours of points and miles advice, John Klukas is an interesting guy.  I saw down to talk all things points and miles, the mindset of an award booker, some sweetspot awards, examples of bookings, and what you can expect if you need help with your next award booking.  John is known as "The Flying Mustache" and definitely knows his stuff.  If you or your family need help with an award booking, contact him to see how he might be able to help, you'll be glad you do!

The biggest news this week in travel has to be the announcements made regarding the newly combined Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest programs (oh and Ritz-Carlton rewards too). Join Ed and Gary Leff from View from the Wing and Book Your Award.com for a deep dive on the some of the most asked about changes - there's so much that we couldn't get to it all! Summer Hull from Mommy Points is back to talk about the benefits of booking awards on alliance partners and shares an example of a recent booking she's made to Europe for this summer. Thanks to our Sponsor! Gogo In-Flight Internet Show Notes Gary's Ultimate Guide to the Marriott/SPG Changes Summer's Reference Post on Award Booking

Gary Leff from View from the Wing is back for Ep. 005 chatting with Ed about travel news of the week: the first fatality caused by an accident involving an autonomous Uber and Hyatt Place quietly testing out eliminating free breakfast for most guests. Followed by, on a lighter note, his expert tips on how to book award tickets like a pro. Jen from Deals We Like spots a transfer bonus for Avios from various hotel programs. Lastly, Andy Luten from Andy’s Travel Blog shares his recommended photo gear and some tips for taking great photos. Thanks to our Sponsors Gogo In-Flight Internet Freddie Awards | Voice of the Frequent Flyer Timestamps: 0:00 - Gary Leff from View from the Wing is back this week for news and notes as well as with expert tips on award booking! For more info check out his other site, BookYourAward.com... 1:00 - First fatality due to an accident involving an Uber autonomous car 5:45 - Hyatt Place testing out eliminating free breakfast for most guests 12:40 - The first thing about Award Booking... 15:50 - Why the airlines really want you to use those miles 17:50 - The amount of time you need to plan a dream award booking 22:05 - What newbies need to know 24:10 - Which carrier sites to find the best awards for other carriers/alliance partners 30:00 - Jen from Deals We Like sharing the current transfer bonuses available between Marriott Rewards and British Airways Avios 36:55 - Travel Photography Tips from Andy Lutton of Andy’s Travel Blog 39:00 - Andy’s go to travel gear 42:30 - What you want your photo to say 47:15 - Top Two Tips 54:07 - The Final Two Pennies: Why you ALWAYS book those insanely cheap tickets & Gogo's Secret Phrase

This show covers the new changes to United’s MileagePlus program. While this is mainly a devaluation, we do cover a newfound sweet spot to the program for those of you that regularly fly around Europe.

On this episode, we help a listener out with going from London to Vegas for a short trip. He has a decent amount of miles and points across a few programs and wants to use them to fly business both ways.