Frequent Miler on the Air

"Free" up your companion by powering up to Companion Pass status. The timing is right, but be sure that you time the bonuses properly to score free travel for a companion for almost all of next year and all of the year after.

00:00 Intro

01:45 Giant Mailbag

https://frequentmiler.com/best-credit-card-sign-up-offers/

04:04 Card Talk: Southwest Rapid Rewards credit cards

05:10 Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card

08:00 Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier card

08:30 Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Card

14:41 Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Business

15:26 Southwest Rapid Rewards Performance Business

19:28 What crazy thing . . . did Capital One Shopping do this week?

25:20 Mattress running the numbers: Which is better: the 15% Avianca LifeMiles transfer bonus or 165% purchase bonus

33:38 Award Talk: Should you book Southwest flights via the Chase Travel portal?

44:14 Main Event: Your companion is now free to move about the country

44:32 Overview of the Companion Pass

1:16:48 Question of the Week: Help! How do I find partner awards bookable with my airline miles?

Music credit: Annie Yoder

Maximize your charitable giving by earning a great return while doing good in the world. From ways to give without causing your favorite charity to incur processing fees to ways to earn thousands of points for your donation, this week we talk about how to do your charitable deeds (better).

00:00 Intro

01:13 Giant Mailbag

03:32 Giant Mailbag #2: United Quest card details

07:22 Card Talk: Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card & Capital One Venture X Business Credit Card

https://frequentmiler.com/venturex/

https://frequentmiler.com/VentureXBiz/#Goto

18:35 What crazy thing . . . did Marriott do this week?

https://frequentmiler.com/apartments-four-points-express-more-details-about-these-2-new-marriott-brands/

23:27 Award Talk

23:28 Alaska Mileage Plan March 2024 changes

https://frequentmiler.com/huge-alaska-announces-unified-award-charts/

https://frequentmiler.com/new-alaska-award-chart-winners-losers-and-sweet-spots/

https://frequentmiler.com/alaska-us-anything-we-discuss-the-new-alaska-award-chart-video/

37:06 Do you want to collect Alaska miles now?

39:06 Award Talk: Use JetBlue points to book Qatar flights

https://frequentmiler.com/book-qatar-flights-with-jetblue-trueblue-points/

42:15 Award Talk: Marriott free night certificate inside info

https://frequentmiler.com/marriott-rules-for-extending-free-nights/

46:55 Main Event: A good deed is its own reward, but we can do better.

47:15 How do you find charities that do good? (search tools)

48:20 GiveWell

50:03 PayPay Giving Fund

52:15 Kiva Microloans

https://frequentmiler.com/why-i-love-kiva-for-earning-rewards-and-doing-good/

55:29 How do you earn rewards on charitable gifts?

55:47 Ways to earn miles for donating through airline programs, etc

56:48 Credit Card Rewards

46:49 US Bank cards that earn 2x on charitable donations....meh

58:13 Bank of America 2.62% cash back

58:48 Credit Card Big Spend Bonuses

https://frequentmiler.com/best-big-spend-bonuses/

1:00:25 Buying Visa or Mastercard gift cards and using them to donate

1:03:17 Earn a new card welcome bonus

https://frequentmiler.com/best-credit-card-sign-up-offers/

1:06:25 Donating miles and points

1:08:20 Earn Air France elite credit

1:09:38 Question of the Week: Is it worth it to travel to Australia for just a week?

Music credit: Annie Yoder

United Mileage Plus is an extremely popular program, but how can you get the best value out of the miles? This week, we talk about using flexible awards to your advantage, cheap intra-European awards, the Excursionist Perk, and a lot more.

00:00 Intro

01:20 Giant Mailbag #1: Can we get a Delta-free podcast?

02:35 Giant Mailbag #2

03:48 What crazy thing . . . did Delta do this week?

https://frequentmiler.com/deltas-window-seat-shop-of-horrors/

06:46 Card Talk: United Quest card

https://frequentmiler.com/uaq/

11:33 Mattress Running the Numbers: Citi transfer bonus to Accor Live Limitless

https://frequentmiler.com/50-transfer-bonus-from-citi-to-accor-live-limitless-get-1-6-cents-per-point/

17:34 Award Talk

18:00 Bilt adds Marriott as a transfer partner

https://frequentmiler.com/marriott-bonvoy-added-as-bilt-rewards-transfer-partner/

19:40 Marriott's secret award chart

https://frequentmiler.com/marriotts-secret-award-chart/

23:03 Marriott Choice Benefit changes

https://frequentmiler.com/marriott-say-quiet-part-out-loud-with-new-upgrade-award-enhancements/

https://frequentmiler.com/marriott-choice-benefits-now-give-1000-off-mattress-bed-rather-than-40/

29:24 Book JetBlue with Qatar Avios

https://frequentmiler.com/book-jetblue-including-mint-with-qatar-avios/

https://frequentmiler.com/uh-oh-did-qatar-create-a-new-jetblue-award-chart/

35:56 Main Event: Wringing value from United Miles

37:00 First up: the bad stuff

40:20 Higher award prices, but not bad value

41:40 Best uses of United miles

41:46 Dynamic pricing can work in your favor

44:35 Free changes and cancellations

48:55 Cheap intra-Europe flights (from 6K miles)

50:04 Sao Paulo to/from South Africa for 50K miles in business class

50:40 Fly across the length of Africa for less than 25K in economy or 50K in business class

52:15 United Excursionist Perk

https://frequentmiler.com/maximizing-and-understanding-united-excursionist-perks/

https://frequentmiler.com/saving-thousands-of-miles-with-united-excursionist-perk/

https://frequentmiler.com/united-excursionist-perk-maps-visualize-regions-to-optimize-awards/

https://frequentmiler.com/leveraging-the-united-excursionist-perk-to-save-miles/

57:42 Question of the Week: Will a bank extend the minimum spending requirement period?

Music credit: Annie Yoder

American Airlines miles can be used to fly some of the fanciest airlines in the world. They can also be really handy for buying domestic flights to/from non-American Airlines hubs. On this week's episode, we discuss some of our favorite ways to get awesome value out of American Airlines miles.

00:00 Intro

01:23 Giant Mailbag

03:50 Card Talk

03:55 New Citi Application Rule

https://frequentmiler.com/possible-citi-5-day-rule-causing-denials-for-too-many-inquiries/

07:04 Plastiq news

https://frequentmiler.com/plastiq-once-again-accepts-amex-cards/

11:28 Card Talk: Delta Reserve cards

https://frequentmiler.com/dlrsv/

https://frequentmiler.com/dlrsvbiz/

22:46 What crazy thing . . . did Dollar Dig do this week?

26:55 Mattress Running the Numbers: Capital One Premier Collection promotion

https://frequentmiler.com/amazing-deal-get-200-off-capital-one-premier-collection-potentially-free-hotel-stay/https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-find-hidden-capital-one-premier-collection-hotels/

31:15 Award Talk: Hyatt / Mr & Mrs Smith promo

42:17 Main Event

42:30 How do you earn American Airlines miles?

44:51 Using miles for American Airlines flights 

44:52 Close-in bookings 

48:28 Flying from non-AA hubs

50:14 "Roll the dice" flights

52:16 American Airlines partner awards

53:07 North America to Africa (Great for Qatar Qsuites)

55:55 Europe to the Middle East (Great for Etihad apartments)

58:19 Middle East / India to Asia (Great for Etihad first or Qatar Qsuites)

1:00:08 Africa to Africa (get a lot of Qatar biz for a low price)

1:02:53 Asia to South Pacific

1:05:11 American Airlines partners

1:14:17 Question of the Week: Have I opened too many new accounts? Should I slow down?

Music credit: Annie Yoder

Did you know that it is possible to get the same credit card that you have had before and get the new cardmember welcome bonus again? In fact, in some cases, you might be able to open a second of the same card that you currently have and get the bonus again. This week, we discuss the rules by issuer.

00:00 Intro

01:45 Giant Mailbag

05:01 Card Talk: Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card

https://frequentmiler.com/DLplat/

https://frequentmiler.com/DLplatbiz/

17:37 Mattress Running the Numbers

17:41 Bilt Rent Day

https://frequentmiler.com/bilt-november-rent-day-up-to-150-transfer-bonus-to-emirates-skywards/

27:23 Award Talk

27:36 Air France KLM Flying Blue reduces award prices

33:50 Vacasa vacation rentals devalued

https://frequentmiler.com/wyndham-vacasa/

36:53 Main Event: When can you get the same card (and welcome bonus) again?

38:35 Amex

45:46 Bank of America

50:08 Barclays

53:21 Capital One

53:32 Citi

53:48 Chase

1:00:44 Question of the Week: What's up with award space from the West Coast?

Music credit: Annie Yoder

Delta has walked back their elite status changes in a big way. Long-term elites and credit card enthusiasts have come out as good as gold. Has Delta gone too far and made elite status too easy to earn and keep? 

00:00 Intro

01:37 Giant Mailbag

02:56 Hilton credit card changes 

https://frequentmiler.com/big-changes-to-hilton-aspire-and-surpass-cards/

https://frequentmiler.com/amxhiltonaspire/

https://frequentmiler.com/hilton-honors-american-express-surpass-card/

23:23 What crazy thing . . . did American Express do this week?

25:01 Award Talk

25:09 Citi adds Leading Hotels of the World Leaders Club

https://frequentmiler.com/citi-adds-leading-hotels-of-the-world-as-a-transfer-partner-51/

https://frequentmiler.com/citi-adds-a-new-path-to-luxury-hotel-stays/

30:30 Avianca LifeMiles

https://frequentmiler.com/another-crack-at-the-lifemiles-secret-code-turns-up-more-pricing-anomalies/

35:08 Main Event: Delta's flip-flop

https://frequentmiler.com/delta-revises-skymiles-changes-more-skyclub-visits-lower-elite-thresholds-better-1-time-rollovers-vastly-improved-lifetime-status/

36:04 Delta SkyClub Access changes

39:40 Changes to Medallion Qualifying Dollars (MQDs)

42:24 MQD Headstarts

53:27 Accommodations for long-term elites

53:49 Rollover MQMs to buy status extensions

56:04 Million Miler Status

59:49 Is Delta now making elite status too easy?

1:07:48 Question of the Week: What's the best way to earn credit card rewards on student load repayments?
-miles for college

Music credit: Annie Yoder

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

Buying groups can be a highly effective way to increase credit card spend and earn big rewards, but they can also be a perilous path toward problems. Greg and Nick discuss what they are, why you might want to use them, and why they may not be right for you.

00:00 Intro

00:47 Giant Mailbag

08:30 Card Talk: Amex Business Gold card

https://frequentmiler.com/major-changes-to-the-american-express-business-gold-card-heres-whats-happening/

20:37 What crazy thing . . . did Marriott phone reps do this week?

https://frequentmiler.com/marriott-rules-for-extending-free-nights/

25:48 Award Talk: Capital One "Move Rewards" is back

https://frequentmiler.com/huge-if-true-convert-capital-one-cash-back-to-miles-by-moving-rewards/

28:32 Award Talk: JetBlue status match update

https://frequentmiler.com/digging-into-jetblues-amazing-status-match-for-delta-elites/

31:07 Main Event: Buying groups: Big risks / big rewards

42:26 How buying groups operate

45:55 Some common risks

https://frequentmiler.com/a-buying-group-deal-gone-wrong/

58:30 Is it ethical?

1:12:34 Question of the Week: I got the Citi Premier card and forgot to meet the spending requirement, so I never received the bonus. If I close the card and apply new, would I be eligible for the bonus?

Music credit: Annie Yoder

Want to get elite treatment at hotels without investing the time and effort in enough nights for elite status? Instead of spending fifty or sixty nights a year in hotels with one brand, you can simulate status with some simple tricks. 

00:00 Intro

01:52 Giant Mailbag

06:08 Card Talk: Bank of America Alaska Airlines credit cards

https://frequentmiler.com/as/

https://frequentmiler.com/asbiz/

https://frequentmiler.com/alaska-airlines-companion-fare-guide/

20:10 What crazy thing....did Delta do this week?

https://frequentmiler.com/delta-may-walk-back-some-of-their-recently-announced-changes/

26:09 Award Talk: Alaska and JetBlue status matches for Delta elites

https://frequentmiler.com/alaska-airlines-offering-status-match-to-draw-disappointed-delta-frequent-flyers/

https://frequentmiler.com/jetblue-offering-very-generous-status-match-to-delta-elite-members/

33:56 Award Talk: PointsYeah improvements

38:23 Main Event: Roll your own hotel elite status

41:02 Preferred Partner Hotel Booking programs

https://frequentmiler.com/getting-the-elite-experience-without-elite-status-via-luxury-partner-programs/

45:18 Hyatt / SLH partnership

49:04 Earning more points for paid stays

55:21 Room upgrades

https://frequentmiler.com/how-best-to-book-hyatt-luxury-suites/

1:11:38 Free Breakfast

1:13:28 Is elite status worth it?

1:18:43 Question of the Week: What kind of manufactured spending is safe?

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

Delta wants dollars: this week we discuss the massive changes coming to the Delta Sky Miles elite status program and what it means for flyers and cardholders alike.

00:00 Intro

01:24 Giant Mailbag

04:26 What crazy thing . . .did Citi do this week?

06:10 Mattress running the numbers

6:23 American Airlines elite status fast track for some Hyatt elites

https://frequentmiler.com/american-airlines-back-with-instant-status-pass-for-hyatt-elite-members-targeted/

10:25 Hyatt Globalist fast track for AA Platinum Pro & Executive Platinum members

https://frequentmiler.com/new-american-airlines-hyatt-status-match-get-globalist-with-20-nights/

17:51 Wyndham Shopping Portal Promo

https://frequentmiler.com/wyndham-shopping-portal-earn-1k-points-on-1st-purchase-500-bonus-points-per-purchase-after-limit-3k-4k-points/

19:54 Award Talk: Now book Star Alliance awards on Turkish Airlines website again

https://frequentmiler.com/turkish-star-alliance-awards-online-once-again-book-united-to-hawaii-for-7500-miles-one-way/

26:23 Main Event: Delta breaks up with its loyal customers (It's not you, it's Delta!)

https://frequentmiler.com/deltas-2024-elite-program-it-aint-pretty/

31:01 How do you earn MQDs in the newly-announced program?

36:00 No more rollovers

37:45 January 1, 2024 SkyClub access changes for cardholders

https://frequentmiler.com/delta-announces-big-sky-club-access-changes-for-2024-and-beyond/

40:08 Feb 1, 2025 SKyClub access changes

44:12 Who is the winner here?

46:11 What will be the best ways to get SkyClub access moving forward?

48:06 How did Greg do on his predictions?

57:51 What will Greg do about Delta elite status now?

1:06:16 If you're close to Million Miler status . . .

1:07:45 Question of the Week: Better rewards or more peace of mind?

Citi's ThankYou program gets lets attention than other major bank rewards point programs, but it has some unique strengths that deserve your attention. This week, Greg and Nick determine whether and for whom Citi can be an awesome option.

00:00 Intro

00:47 Giant Mailbag

03:38 Mattress Running the Numbers

03:40 Marriott Homes & Villas promo

04:45 Wyndham points on sale for less than 1cpp

08:27 Buy Finnair Plus points 

12:44 Award Talk

12:46 Now transfer Virgin points to a friend with low flat fee

15:04 Air France to deepen partnership with Etihad

17:45 Rooms.aero launches

21:22 Main Event: Citi's awesome rewards program

22:56 High-level view of positives and negatives

24:14 Citi's ThankYou credit cards'

https://frequentmiler.com/typremier/

https://frequentmiler.com/dc/

https://frequentmiler.com/TYRewardsPlus/

https://frequentmiler.com/customcash/

31:55 Citi's unique-ish transfer partners

38:30 Other useful Citi partners

51:34 Question of the Week: Downgrade strategy from Sapphire Preferred to Freedom

Music credit: Annie Yoder

Want a companion to fly with you for free? There are many different companion tickets on the market, but some are far better than others. This week, we discuss which ones are worth it, how to get them, and they they are special.

00:00 Intro

01:08 Giant Mailbag

03:33 What crazy thing . . . did Bilt Rewards do?

https://frequentmiler.com/no-official-bilt-welcome-offer-after-all/

07:07 Award Talk: Booking Turkish via email within 6 hours

https://frequentmiler.com/yes-you-can-still-book-united-flights-through-turkish-miles-smiles/

13:12 Main Event: Two for the price of one: How to get a free companion ticket

https://frequentmiler.com/travel-companion-tickets/

15:28 British Airways Companion Ticket

21:05 Iberia Companion Ticket

22:27 Aer Lingus Companion Ticket

24:13 Cathay Pacific Companion Ticket

25:06 Virgin Atlantic Companion Ticket

29:30 American Airlines Companion Tickets

34:02 Alaska Companion Ticket

https://frequentmiler.com/alaska-airlines-companion-fare-guide/

41:18 Delta Companion Tickets

46:46 Southwest Companion Pass

https://frequentmiler.com/complete-guide-southwest-companion-pass/

https://frequentmiler.com/no-southwest-airlines-is-not-a-valuable-transfer-partner/

59:37 Air Canada Companion Ticket

1:00:56 Question of the Week: How did you earn a Companion Pass through a shopping portal in a month?

Music credit: Annie Yoder

Get your pen and paper and get ready to play along and see if you can beat the blogger as Nick tries to score at least 75,000 points revealing 10 tricks for spending fewer points on your flight and hotel awards.

00:00 Intro

01:52 Giant Mailbag

04:05 Card Talk: Amex Platinum card changes

10:51 Mattress running the numbers: Stand Up to Cancer and earn 50x

https://frequentmiler.com/american-airlines-earn-up-to-50x-aadvantage-miles-with-cancer-research-donation/

14:15 Award Talk

14:20 IHG suite upgrades now apply on award stays

16:41 Finnair is joining Avios

https://frequentmiler.com/finnair-to-start-using-avios-in-early-2024/

19:49 Main Event: 10 tricks for spending fewer points for flights and hotels (gameshow edition)

21:19 How can a person get 1.5 cpp for travel booked directly with travel providers?

https://frequentmiler.com/us-bank-real-time-mobile-rewards-what-works-where/

23:52 How can you get 2 cents per point buying flights with Amex Membership Rewards points?

26:29 Describe two tricks that guarantee lower award prices by flying farther

https://frequentmiler.com/avianca-lifemiles-awesome-mixed-cabin-award-pricing-first-class-for-less/

https://frequentmiler.com/cathay-pacific-asia-miles-mixed-cabin-award-pricing-first-class-for-less/

28:59 Name three ways to incur lower surcharges when flying BA

https://frequentmiler.com/british-airways-adds-option-to-use-more-avios-less-money/

https://frequentmiler.com/business-class-to-london-for-less-with-this-asia-miles-hack/

33:59 How is it possible to fly within Europe for as few as 4,000 points one-way? 

https://frequentmiler.com/air-france-klm-across-europe-for-less-sweet-spot-spotlight/

36:32 How can fly business class across the Atlantic Ocean for 55k United miles?

40:38 Name three ways to pay for a regular room award stay but confirm a suite instead

https://frequentmiler.com/incredible-hyatt-suites-bookable-with-points/

43:31 What type of lodging would cost me 67,500 points per night?

https://frequentmiler.com/wyndham-vacasa/

45:43 How could one pay avg of only 67.5 pct of the original award cost for a hotel? (32.5% off)

50:11 How could one pay 55% fewer points for a hotel award?

54:49 Bonus: What are Delta miles worth in SkyClub for premium drinks?

56:42 Question of the Week: What if any are the best ways to book Airbnbs or 2 hotel rooms with points at a reasonable rate?

Music credit: Annie Yoder

Don't settle for mediocrity - get great value from your credit card points by utilizing some of our favorite techniques to save big on both economy and business class airfare and hotels ranging from simple to simply luxurious.

00:00 Intro

00:48 Giant Mailbag: Trouble with the Schwab debit card and a workaround

06:14 What crazy thing . . . did Bilt Rewards do this week?

14:29 Mattress running the numbers: Frontier's GoWild pass promotion

20:55 Award Talk

20:59 Nick's experience with a British Airways award via American Airlines

26:05 Greg gets the Bilt card

26:47 Alaska trick for saving miles

29:51 Southwest is adding free standby on all fares

33:32 Choice suites thanks to Radisson

34:32 Main Event: Chase Ultimate Rewards points: Best ways to get great value

34:48 Hyatt

40:00 Using Chase Ultimate Rewards points via airline programs

40:39 United Mileage Plus

43:23 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

55:38 Air France / KLM Flying Blue

1:03:40 Air Canada Aeroplan

1:09:48 Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer

1:11:37 Avios

1:16:01 Question of the Week: Which comes first -- the chicken or the egg? Do you book the flight or hotel first to maximize value?

Music credit: Annie Yoder

Big wins start with solid strategy. This week, we talk about which cards you must have before you start applying with reckless abandon as well as which cards you should probably be considering that are all likely limited by the 5/24 rule. If you play your cards right, you can easily end up with all the cards you want and need before you get locked out of more.

00:00 Intro

00:55 Giant Mailbag: A "wea culpa"

03:41 Card Talk: Chase Freedom Unlimited & Chase Freedom Flex cards

https://frequentmiler.com/cfu/

https://frequentmiler.com/cff/

11:47 What crazy thing . . . triple header?

12:08 What crazy thing . . . did Wyndham Rewards do this week?

https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-prevent-wyndham-points-from-expiring/

15:32 What crazy thing . . . did Avianca LifeMiles do this week?

https://frequentmiler.com/current-point-transfer-bonuses/

https://frequentmiler.com/having-issues-booking-with-lifemiles-try-using-the-firefox-browser/

17:38 What crazy thing . . . did Avianca LifeMiles do this week?

https://frequentmiler.com/cancelling-a-lifemiles-award-ticket-maybe-less-painful-than-you-thought/

21:25 Award Talk

21:27 Air New Zealand Business Class wide open close-in

https://frequentmiler.com/air-new-zealand-business-class-awards-wide-open-close-in/

https://frequentmiler.com/avianca-lifemiles-awesome-mixed-cabin-award-pricing-first-class-for-less/

29:30 Contacting the hotel works out well

https://frequentmiler.com/gift-hotel-points-free-night-certificates-and-award-nights-booked-with-points-rules-by-program/

34:50 Main Event: Must-have Chase cards

36:37 Determining your 5/24 count

41:05 The Ultimate Rewards points cards

https://frequentmiler.com/chase-transfer-partners/

47:21 Fee-free UR cards

49:58 Which Ultimate Rewards cards are must-have keepers?

57:53 Which Chase airline cards are keepers?

1:03:30 Which Chase hotel cards are keepers?

1:10:44 Question of the Week: How do you audit and chase down your missing points?

Music credit: Annie Yoder

There are more than 8 million points and miles available via new credit card welcome offers. Here's how to score millions of points in your household.

Join our email list: https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/

00:00 Intro

01:45 Giant Mailbag

09:05 Card Talk: JetBlue Plus and JetBlue Business Cards

https://frequentmiler.com/b6plus/

https://frequentmiler.com/b6biz/

15:37 What crazy thing . . . happened to Greg the Frequent Miler this week?

21:10 Mattress Running the Numbers: 50% transfer bonus from Chase to Marriott

https://frequentmiler.com/chase-ultimate-rewards-offering-50-transfer-bonus-to-marriott/

23:57 Award Talk

24:09 Nairobi to Cape Town....via Doha

27:15 Main Event: How to earn millions of points from credit card welcome offers?

https://frequentmiler.com/best-credit-card-sign-up-offers/

28:59 Won't this ruin my credit score?

32:53 High-level summary

https://frequentmiler.com/the-games-we-play/

36:56 How do you choose which card?

39:30 Start with 5/24 strategy

https://frequentmiler.com/must-have-chase-cards/

42:05 How do you find the best offers?

https://frequentmiler.com/best-credit-card-sign-up-offers/

50:08 Family referrals

58:35 If you get denied, it's not over

1:01:54 Meeting minimum spending requirements

https://frequentmiler.com/manufactured-spending-complete-guide/

1:02:40 Call for a retention offer

1:08:57 Downgrade options

1:17:12 Question of the Week: Why aren't we using Altitude Reserve points to pay for our car rentals?

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

If you're a loyal American Airlines AAdvantage customer, does this card make sense with the new structure? 

00:00 Intro

00:42 Giant Mailbag #1

01:45 Giant Mailbag #2

03:41 What crazy thing . . .did Delta Airlines do this week?

06:13 Award Talk

06:15 MGM and Marriott to partner from October 2023

https://frequentmiler.com/mgm-to-partner-with-marriott-bonvoy-from-october-2023-onward/

10:40 Air Canada has access to more Singapore Airlines space

https://frequentmiler.com/an-air-canada-advantage-far-more-award-space-with-some-partners/

13:49 AAdvantage Hotels

21:00 Main Event: The new AA Executive Card: Is it worth the fee?

https://frequentmiler.com/aa-enhances-the-citi-executive-card-and-encourages-spend-elsewhere/

50:03 Question of the Week

Music credit: Annie Yoder

It takes two to tango -- and you can dance your way to plenty of points and miles to make those dream trips happen twice as quickly when you play the game with a partner. This week, we talk tips and strategies for collecting rewards with a travel partner.

00:00 Intro

00:33 Giant Mailbag

02:18 Card Talk: Chase Sapphire Reserve

frequentmiler.com/csr

19:41 Award Talk

19:44 PointsYeah

https://frequentmiler.com/pointsyeah/

22:28 Fiji Airways ticket refund update

24:38 Choice + Radisson merger news

https://frequentmiler.com/choice-radisson-loyalty-programs-being-combined-on-july-18/

27:01 Hyatt x MGM partnership ending 9/30/23

https://frequentmiler.com/hyatt-farewell-cheap-mattress-runs-status-matching/

29:53 Mattress Running the Numbers: Should you book MGM properties to earn Hyatt elite status?

37:03 Main Event: Partner up to maximize rewards

https://frequentmiler.com/3-inks-approved-again-420k-points-in-the-bag/

1:05:52 Question of the Week: Is it possible to buy Hyatt Globalist status? Are there any shortcuts?

Music credit: Annie Yoder