Doing Hawaii with points | Ep195 | 3-25-23

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 (65) was streamed live on March 6, 2024 and can be viewed in full here.

Here are all the questions asked during this episode (with timestamps):

(05:03) - Have you noticed that Emirates charges insane fuel surcharges out of countries that ban/restrict them?

​(06:19) - When you book Rio Las Vegas with Hyatt points do you not have to pay resort fee and get elite benefits like late checkout?

(08:55) - ​​Would you recommend closing the Chase Marriott business credit card, waiting 30 days, then applying for the AMEX Marriott business credit card? I will keep my JPM Ritz Carlton credit card open.

(11:24) - Can you have more than one Ritz card per person?

(12:46) - As the SLH-Hyatt partnership starts to wind down, I wanted to ask each of you if you might give us ideas/favorites to try and book?

(19:20) - ​Any tips on how to help avoid jetlag for my kids?

(20:15) - ​​I appreciate your “current point transfer bonuses” page. Any plans to create a current buying points and miles list?

(21:01) - ​​Which app is better for managing Flying Blue points, KLM or Air France?

(21:40) - ​​I have to book a Latam flight. What's my best option?

(23:20) - ​​Getting ready for the Beyonce at the Sphere announcement, as soon as those dates leak it's going to be a race to book something before the algorithm sends hotel rates sky high. Any tips or tricks?

(25:35) - ​​There’s a few Marriott sign up bonuses going around. How would you choose between: 5 free nights (up to 50k each; up to 250k total), vs ~185k straight up points?

(29:57) - ​​Any tools to use for planning a road trip in other countries? So many possibilities (i.e. which order to visit things in, transit times, etc) makes my planning spiral out of control.

(35:40) - ​​What is the best airline to credit miles to for each alliance? It's easy enough to understand the value of the miles, but harder to evaluate all the earning rates.

(39:20) - ​​Chase 5/24 question, should I tempt fate and try to apply for the Marriott Boundless 5 free night offer while currently at 5/24? (12 months left) 

(41:55) - ​​Any tips for booking one of the rarer hotel points redemptions? If I book the hotel, I probably won't be able to find biz class flights for those dates. And vice versa if I book the flights first.

(47:52) - ​​Despite the usual recommendation not to speculatively transfer, are there levels of earning (100s of 1000s, millions) and levels of spending that make it worthwhile?

(54:53) - ​​What are your thoughts on the new Wells Fargo Autograph Journey card?

(58:36) - ​​How do we manage Amex cards beyond year one to maintain good standing with Amex? For example when would it be ok to close, downgrade, apply for cards, how many months apart, etc?

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 - "Into the Never" by Annie Yoder

Award program changes often sting, but remember that those storm clouds often have a silver lining. On this week's episode, we discuss the bright spots in the most recent hotel and airline program devaluations

(00:00:00) Intro
(00:01:45) Giant Mailbag triple-header! 

See episode 244 for more details about Platinum cards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDh7EUEsf2Y
(00:01:50) Schwab bonus with $10mil
(00:02:56) Schwab mortgage counts toward assets
(00:05:50) Don't forget Amex corporate cardholders get statement credits
(00:07:22) Card Talk: Wells Fargo is launching their transferable points program
https://frequentmiler.com/wells-fargo-launching-autograph-journey-visa-card-transferable-points-up-to-5x-earnings-more/

(00:19:33) What crazy thing . . . did Turkish Miles & Smiles do this week?
https://frequentmiler.com/turkish-offers-an-award-sale-thats-very-turkish-miles-smiles-of-them/

(00:23:46) Award Talk

(00:23:47) American Airlines Award Sale: Seats for 5K each way
https://frequentmiler.com/american-airlines-award-sale-500k-seats-for-5k-miles-with-great-availability/

(00:27:59) Rio Las Vegas joins World of Hyatt
https://frequentmiler.com/world-of-hyatt-benefits-at-rio-las-vegas-your-questions-answered/

(00:30:20) Main Event: Bright spots in the latest award devaluations

(00:30:48) Hyatt devaluation
https://frequentmiler.com/ouch-hyatts-2024-devaluation-has-been-announced-its-not-pretty/

(00:41:07) Wyndham Vacasa devaluation
https://frequentmiler.com/wyndham-vacasa/

(00:47:14) Etihad devaluation

(00:53:46) ANA devaluation
https://frequentmiler.com/the-ana-devaluation-its-not-all-doom-and-gloom/

(01:02:10) Turkish devaluation
https://frequentmiler.com/turkish-might-be-demolishing-its-award-chart/

(01:10:09) Question of the Week: If you book a hotel through the AAdvantage shopping portal, will the miles be dated based on the booking date or the checkout date?

Music credit: Annie Yoder

We love talking about points and miles all day, every day. That's why we've decided - in addition to our full-length Frequent Miler on the Air podcast episodes, we're going to share a little something to enjoy during your Tuesday coffee break too. Not a full hour of discussion and analysis like you'll find on the full episodes, but a mini version with a single topic of focus.

While Greg and Nick are traveling, Frequent Miler teammates Stephen and Carrie covered this Coffee Break episode for a topic particularly suited for Stephen.

(01:28) - This Coffee Break topic came from our last Ask Us Anything, Live when one of our listeners asked, "If you could live anywhere in the U.S. based solely on points and miles opportunities, where would you live?"

(01:58) - Stephen and his wife have been on a 7 year road trip to explore every state in the US.

(03:22) - Which places stand out as particularly good for points and miles enthusiasts and why?

(03:56) - Earning opportunities are a significant factor in how Stephen evaluates each destination.

(04:52) - Texas is particularly good for Stephen's points-earning strategies.

(05:54) - Ohio (and particularly Cincinnati) is also good for Stephen's points-earning strategies.

(06:40) - How do those destinations work for award booking? (Or does that matter?)

(08:01) - How much do points and miles factors actually impact Stephen's decision about where to live?

(12:50) - Is any destination better than no destination (as in continuing to be nomadic?)

(14:01) -  What is Buc-ees?

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. You'll find all other Frequent Miler on the Air episodes here. 

Music Credit - Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads

American Express has four different Platinum cards, all with a $695 annual fee. In this episode Greg and Nick not only help differentiate these Platinum cards from one another, they also pick out which one is best (or which is best for which kind of need.)

(01:30) - Data point on calling for reconsideration for targeted 200K Amex business platinum card. Do people without business cards yet have better luck? (Mailbag)

(03:14) - What crazy thing did Asiana do this week? Well...seems like their phone line goes to a very wrong recording. (Crazy Thing)

(05:42) - Etihad is updating their loyalty program in June (Award Talk)

- Find out what other programs' change and cancellation policies are.

(09:33) - American Express has 4 different Platinum cards (which have $695 annual fees) (Main Event)

- Learn more about the American Express Business Platinum card.

- Learn more about what we call the "vanilla" American Express Platinum card.

- Learn more about the American Express Charles Schwab Platinum card.

- Learn more about the American Express Morgan Stanley Platinum Card.

(13:30) - What do all the Platinum cards have in common

(13:50) - Find out what might count for the Airline Incidental Fee credit

(16:29) - What are some Business Platinum card features, unique to the business card?

(18:35) - What are some features that are unique to the consumer Platinum cards?

(23:18) - Is there anything that's unique to the normal "vanilla" Platinum card?

(25:30) - Is there anything that's unique to the Charles Schwab Platinum card?

(27:09) - Is there anything that's unique to the Morgan Stanley Platinum card?

(31:45) - Which of these American Express Platinum cards is the best?

(35:41) - Greg's final pick

(36:19) - Nick's final pick

(40:03) - What can I do with leftover Qantas points? (Question of the Week)

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 - "Ocean Deep" by Annie Yoder

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 paid 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

On episode 243 of Frequent Miler on the Air, Greg and Nick dissect the different factors that make a transferable program "the best". Use the timestamps below to navigate to each individual topic within the episode. 

(Our apologies for the continued audio issues with Nick's mic.)

(01:38) Uni Portable Toll Transponder (Mail Bag)

- Find the Uni transponder here.

(07:22) Capital One to acquire Discover (Card Talk)

(12:12) New Amex refer-a-friend bonuses through May 22 (+10x restaurants worldwide, up to $25K spend for 3 months)

- Learn more about the  Amex refer-a-friend bonus here.

- Learn about the Amex Consumer Gold Card here.

- Learn about the Amex Blue Business Plus Card here.

- Learn about the Amex Business Gold Card here.

(19:22) AA charges more per person for 1 person to fly Madison to Phoenix than for 2 (Crazy Thing)

(22:52) Hyatt Bonus Journeys through 4/30/24 (Mattress Running the Numbers)

- Learn more about the  Hyatt Bonus Journeys here.

(29:29) Citi 30% transfer bonus to Virgin through March 16th (Award Talk)

- Learn more about Virgin Sweet Spots here.

(31:50) AwardTool (one-ups PointsYeah, but with controversy...)

-  Learn more about AwardTool here.

(37:13) PointsYeah adds child award search

- Learn more about PointsYeah updates here.

(39:40) American Airlines news

- Read more about  transferring American Airlines points at half cent here.

- Read more about  American Airlines no longer offering points for flights booked through OTAs and raised checked bag prices here.

(46:05) Contenders for best transferable points program: Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards, Capital One Miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Bilt Rewards (Main Event)

(48:01) Best transferable points program for: point earning opportunities

(56:00) Best transferable points for: transfer partners

(1:03:19) Best transferable points for: pay with points awards

(1:09:04) Best transferable points for: points management (like moving from one person to another)

(1:19:49) Nick’s pick for overall best transferable points program

(1:21:26) Greg’s pick for best transferable points program

(1:23:27) Nick's runner-up pick for overall best transferable points program

(1:25:42) Greg's runner-up for overall best transferable points program

(1:31:04) Would you feel comfortable booking a Small Luxury Hotel of the World property knowing that the relationship with Hyatt will be ending soon and would you wait for the hopeful integration of Mr. and Mrsh. Smith properties... (Questions of the Week)

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: "Ocean Deep" by Annie Yoder

We love talking about points and miles all day, every day. That's why we've decided - in addition to our full-length Frequent Miler on the Air podcast episodes, we're going to share a little something to enjoy during your Tuesday coffee break too. Not a full hour of discussion and analysis like you'll find on the full episodes, but a mini version with a single topic of focus.

On this "Coffee Break" mini episode, Greg and Nick chat about a pair of Marriott offers for 5, 50K free night certs (and who this opportunity may be good for.)

(02:24) - The consumer card has a lower spend requirement...but does that mean it's the better option? 

Check out the Marriott consumer card here, and the Marriott business card here.

(03:26) - What is the Marriott "matrix of doom" and why are business cards easier for navigating the matrix?
(Read this post to find out which Marriott cards you're eligible for.)

(06:13) - The business card is the only option for stacking.

(06:36) - Is this a good offer (regardless of whether you get the business or consumer version?)

(08:38) - What are the drawbacks of free night certs?

(10:50) - How does using a cert impact the fifth night free benefit?

(14:23) - Let's review...is this a smokin' hot deal for everyone? 

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 gives Nick a lesson in which Delta credit cards are best (and which are best for a smattering of different goals.) His ultimate conclusion might surprise you.

(While Greg schools Nick on this topic, you may notice that Nick's audio is a little subpar. We apologize for this and we're troubleshooting that for next episode.)

(01:25) Cheryl is back! (Mail Bag)

(02:40) Whitney has a question about our "Mastering Avios" episode 241 (Mail Bag)
Read our Mastering Avios Episode 241 post here...

(09:20) Greg gives an AA Executive card update (Card Talk)
Find the American Airlines Executive Card episode here... 
Learn all about the AA Executive Card here... 

(17:10) T-Mobile Magenta status is mostly a nothingburger (Crazy Thing)
Read our post on the T-Mobile Magenta status here...

(24:05) Turkish devaluation is real (Award Talk)

(26:26) Nick talks about his AA elite status mad dash (Award Talk)
Read about Nick's mad dash to AA elite status here...

(29:13) Greg talks about his Alaska match (Award Talk)

(31:58) Greg talks about his experience booking JetBlue Mint to London (Award Talk)
Read more about Greg's JetBlue Mint experience here...

(40:19) Which Delta Card is Best? (Main Event)

(40:31) Overview of Delta cards

(40:38) You might remember our episode on Delta's Big Flip-Flop | Ep225 | 10-21-23
Find the Delta's Big Flip-Flop | Ep225 here...

(41:11) Delta Gold Card Overview
Find out more about the Delta Gold Card here...

(41:49) Delta Platinum Card Overview
Find out more about the Delta Platinum Card here...

(43:21) Delta Reserve Card
Find out more about the Delta Reserve Card here...

(47:23) Coupons: Are any Delta cards free after rebate? Best card depends on what you value...

(00:58:56) If you value Delta miles...
Find out more about the Amex Blue Business Plus card here...

(01:03:32) If you value free checked bags...

(01:04:08) If you value the companion ticket...

(01:04:54) If you value elite status...

(01:08:43) If you value Sky Club access...

(01:14:17) Conclusion: The best Delta card may not be actually even be a Delta card...
Find Greg's post about which premium cards he's keeping and which he's canceling here...

(01:15:30) “What happens if you apply for a credit card and then immediately after the offer increases? ” (Question of the Week)

To subscribe to Frequent Miler content, visit https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/. And to submit a comment or question to our Mail Bag or Question of the Week segments, email us at mailbag@frequentmiler.com

Avios is the rewards currency for British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling, Qatar, and soon Finnair. This means it's worth some attention. On this week's episode, we discuss how you can earn, use, and maximize this reward currency.

Here are some of the topics you'll find in the episode...

(01:41) Player Two chimes in (Mailbag)

(03:37) Chase British Airways Visa Signature® Card (Card Talk)

Learn more about this card: https://frequentmiler.com/ba/

(09:30) Turkish award search shows random non-partner flights (Crazy Thing)

(13:30) Best Western: Stay Twice & Earn Free Night Voucher (Mattress Running the Numbers)

Read more about this: https://frequentmiler.com/best-western-stay-twice-earn-free-night-voucher/

(17:37) Turkish devalues (Award Talk)

Read more about this: https://frequentmiler.com/turkish-might-be-demolishing-its-award-chart/

(22:03) SLH ditches Hyatt for Hilton (Award Talk)

Read more about this: https://frequentmiler.com/small-luxury-hotels-slh-ditches-hyatt-for-hilton/

(26:10) Bilt announces milestone rewards (Award Talk)

Read more about this: https://frequentmiler.com/bilt-introduces-unrewarding-milestone-rewards/

(31:50) Referral points don’t count towards Bilt status, h/t Chris from All the Hacks (Award Talk)

(32:58) Mastering Avios, the rewards currency for BA, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling, Qatar, and (soon) Finnair (Main Event)

Read all about Avios here: https://frequentmiler.com/complete-guide-to-avios-british-airways-iberia-and-aer-lingus/

(33:22) Earning Avios

(34:30) Moving Avios between programs

Read more about this: https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-transfer-avios-between-aer-lingus-ba-and-iberia/

(40:52) BA Household Accounts

(42:40) Using Avios

Read more about using Avios with Jet Blue: https://frequentmiler.com/jetblue-mint-to-the-caribbean-for-26000-avios-where-and-how-to-find-it/

(01:03:37) How do you plan acitivites? (Question of the Week)

(00:44) - Should Nick upgrade his Aviator card? 

(04:12) - Would you advise to get United Club card and pay the annual fee with 30k points? Is it a good deal? 

(06:03) -Just got my first Amex a BLUE BUSSINESS PLUS. how do I avoid pop up jail when I’m ready to apply to other Amex cards 

(07:27) - Chase and Barclays have declined me due to too many credit checks. How do you work around this? 

(09:38) - What are the best hotel keeper cards currently?

(14:32) - ​What is a reasonable cost to upgrade from economy to business on a transatlantic flight? 

(16:36) - I have the Bonvoy Boundless, planning on getting the Brilliant, and then upgrading the Boundless to the Ritz-Carlton. What is the best timing for upgrading and applying to get all the free night certs? 

(19:34) - Does it make sense to transfer Chase points to Marriott to top up free night certificates? 

(22:06) - Would you hold off on getting American Airlines cards, given your prediction that a devaluation is coming soon? 

(27:18) - This question is for everyone. If you could live anywhere in the U.S., or the world for that matter, based solely on travel hocking opportunities, where would you live? 

(31:58)- What's your prediction on Wells Fargo transfer partners, there was a leak that WF autograph Journey is getting 5x on hotels, 4x on airlines, 3x on travel and dining with $95 annual fee 

(33:19) - Is it worth spending $15K on your Hyatt card through Plastiq to get a free night certificate? 

(34:29) - Will Chase not approve my SouthWest Performance Business card if I didn’t put any post-sign-up-bonus spend on my SouthWest Premier Business card I got a few months ago? 

(35:09) - How do I keep my Delta Platinum status or get to Diamond this year 

(36:30) - ​Has Bilt changed the game with their 150% transfer bonuses regarding the rule of thumb against doing speculative transfers?

(42:30) - What credit card would you recommended to maximize hotel award redemption for a family of five?

(45:59) - With all AMEX Platinums being part of the same family and can only get one sign up bonus for this family, are there any strategies or benefits to getting more than one AMEX Platinums (of any version)?

(48:43) - How is Greg dealing with Detroit Lion loss to the San Francisco 49ers? Which city has best airline and hotel redemption to Vegas?

(53:00)- ​I'd love to hear some hotel tips from things Stephen has learned from his 50 state road trip. I'm planning a month long road trip and would love tips on maximizing value of points