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  • Greg, Nick, and Stephen are spent the last two weeks competing to satisfy the SAS EuroBonus Millionaire promo with the most style, affordability, and speed. If you've been following along by reading their journal posts, you know that this was a much harder task than they bargained for and they relied on reader input along the way. We've got some cool prizes planned for the reader who was most helpful including certificates to cover five free Hilton hotel nights and more! But to determine that winner, we need your help deciding which traveler achieved the goal with the most SAS! Cast your vote here!

    (00:22) - SAS offering 1 million miles to anyone who registers and flies 15 qualifying SkyTeam airlines

    (01:00) - FM turned it into a team challenge:

    (02:50) - During the challenge the team met live on Youtube a couple of times. There we recapped what we'd achieved to-date and the judges awarded us interim scores.

    (03:30) - Catch up on the live check-in recordings during the Million Mile Madness challenge

    Cast your vote here!

    (1:21:00) - Wrap up of Nick's final travel days after the last live check-in

    (1:24:38) - We will host a final livestream on Tuesday November 26th PM ET where final scores will be announced.

    Subscribe and Follow

    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

  • Rewards credit cards are often most valuable for their welcome bonuses, but many of them also have very valuable perks just for having the card. So which credit cards have the best perks for a variety of categories? (Learn more about all the best current credit card offers here.)

    (00:40) - Best airport lounge benefits?

    (07:34) - Best Automatic Elite status

    (10:45) - Best award discount/rebate

    (12:59) - Best Automatic Free Night (no spend required)

    (15:57) - Best Companion Ticket

    (18:45) - Best miscellaneous perk

    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

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  • United recently announced an increase in elite requirements for 2025. Will Delta follow suit? Luckily, for this year, there's still time...

    (02:18) - A reader has a datapoint for us about the Equinox credit saying: "My wife successfully used the equinox credit for a massage. She enrolled in an equinox plus membership that came with a 7 day free trial. She was able to book and complete her massage within the 7 day trial period. The credit posted within 2 days and she canceled the membership."

    (06:17) - Last year Delta announced a drastic increase in elite requirements in 2024 for the 2025 elite year. After a public outcry, they reduced the requirements so much that in 2024 it is easier than ever to earn Delta elite status.

    Read more about the easy path to Delta elite status here.

    (08:05) - Multiple elite levels...

    (13:44) - Besides paying big $ for flights, how can you get status?

    (19:02) - Delta Status match, which you can read more about here.

    (23:03) - In summary, what are the easiest paths...

    (24:48) - Delta cards may be expensive but offer a lot of value

    Learn more about the Delta Platinum card here, and the Delta Reserve card here.

    (31:17) - What's the best way to do a long-haul holiday flight for a family with young children?

    See which award search tools are best here.

  • Kiva is a clearing house for microlenders to help them find funding for microloans. You don't earn interest on these loans, but this can be an interesting way to accumulate spend on reward cards without fees...

    (00:37) - Kiva is like a clearinghouse for microlenders to help them find funding Read more about Kiva loans here: https://frequentmiler.com/why-i-love-kiva-for-earning-rewards-and-doing-good/

    (01:32) - You choose which loans to fund and how much to fund. (You do not earn interest. At best: 100% of money back.) But you can pay with credit card with no fee!

    (03:33) - How much $ can you float? (And how long can you float?)

    (04:22) - No guarantee of pay back

    (05:00) - Avg default rate: 1.82% (mine: 1.73%)

    (06:03) - Tool to make it easier to find safe loans: KivaLens

    Read about KivaLens here: http://www.kivalens.org/

    And read about updates to KivaLens here: https://frequentmiler.com/kivalens-resurfaces-better-than-before/

    (06:40) - KivaLens gives you an ability to filter loan types

    (07:48) - KivaLens also gives you an ability to sort

    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

  • The SAS EuroBonus Millionaire promotion may turn out to be 2024's Deal of the Year. We just have to fly 15 SkyTeam airlines before the end of the year to earn 1 million miles. However, if for some reason SAS doesn't honor the promotion, they'll make it to our 2024 naughty list for sure. As you listen to this, Nick, Greg, and Stephen are in the air somewhere in the world trying to complete this promotion in 2 weeks or less. Learn all about the promotion and how we're going about tackling it in today's main event.

    (02:43) - A reader has a tip about the US Bank Travel Portal allowing AR point redemptions at 1.5c for Disney theme park tickets, at the Disney retail pricing...

    (04:34) - Trick for finding Finnair Avios award availability
    Read more about our solution for finding Finnair award availability here.

    (06:44) - Opportunities to buy miles cheaply (can be great for people who can't get USA credit cards)

    (07:27) - Read more about Flying Blue's subscriptions to buy miles here.

    (07:50) - Alaska/Hawaiian for 1.25c per mile
    Read more about buying Alaska / Hawaiian miles for 1.25 c per mile here.

    (09:01) -What is Million Mile Madness?

    Follow the Million Mile Madness challenge here.

    ​​(15:39) - Hi FM Team, do you have any backup or contingency plans in place if one of your flights is cancelled or severely delayed? Good luck on your adventure!

    (19:12) - Departing soon? Best wishes to all the contestants

    (24:07) - Will there be a live wrap up show for the challenge?

    (26:50) - What have you done ahead of time for tight connections during your challenge? Like buying seats in the front of plane, familiarize the airport layout, etc…

    (31:11) - ​​Which airline are you most and least looking forward to flying as part of the challenge?

    (37:11) - What is each contestant most confident they'll be the "best" at?

    (44:29) - ​​I was trying to book a flight on AA using Alaska taking off in 2 days, and their website said that the itinerary is "too close to departure." Is this phantom award space?

    (46:05) - You know “player 2” is a common topic among the hobby. Would anyone here consider having their spouse joint one podcast explaining their thoughts of their significant other engaging in the hobby?

    (48:06) - ​​My Hyatt globalist expires soon. Can/should I make bookings after expiration and guest of honor myself?

    (51:33) - ​​Hawaiian biz card only offers 50k after $4k spend now (used to be 80k after $2k spend) Considering it may go away, should we jump on it now?

    (53:41) - Greg, Delta Amex companion certificates terms are very restrictive. Any best practices to find eligible fare class for non-holiday weekends far in advance?

    (54:58) - ​​Is their a resource for which Hilton Resorts accept pre-payments?

    (55:47) - What is each contestant's personal mission?

    (1:00:44) - Does booking yourself a Hyatt GOH earning an additional elite night?

    (1:01:59) - Did you get confirmation that SAS will allow you to award the miles to the helpful readers?

    (1:02:41) - Do you think you'll run into each other during the challenge?

    (1:005:46) - The Amex Platinum card offer requires a lot of spend so one reader made an $11K estimated tax payment to meet that spend, but an agent later told them that kind of expense is not eligible for meeting spend requirement, outlining a few other ineligible expenses as well. Is this true?

  • A Southwest Companion Pass can be massively valuable if you use it a lot. In this episode of Coffee Break, we'll break down how you can fly with a friend for free using the Southwest Companion Pass.

    (00:26) - Overview - read our complete guide to the Southwest Companion pass here.

    (00:46) - What is the Southwest Companion Pass?

    (03:36) - What are the requirements to earn a Southwest Companion Pass?

    (04:28) - Which points count?

    (13:02) - Online Shopping for the Southwest Companion Pass through the Southwest Rapid Rewards shopping portal

    (14:25) - Hotel partners, or book hotels through Rocketmiles

    (15:03) - Rental Cars

    (15:09) - Referring businesses for SWABIZ (25K per business)

    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

  • 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?

  • In today's coffee break, we'll talk about how to earn miles while saving for, and paying for college. There are mileage earning strategies for contributing to college savings, paying for college, or paying towards student loans.

    (01:23) - Use rewards credit cards to buy "gift of college" gift cards

    Read more about earning miles for college here: https://frequentmiler.com/miles-for-college/

    (02:26) - Best options for buying Gift of College gift cards

    (06:06) - Best online option for buying Gift of College gift cards

    Visit GiftCards.com here

    (07:56) - Use either of above to earn welcome bonuses with ANY card

    (08:37) - The Great Double Dip for earning while saving for college, and then again while spending for college

    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

  • Have you heard about our newest team challenge yet? The good news is we have some prizes to share this time, and the bad news is...it is proving to be way more challenging than expected!

    (01:25) - One reader sends their appreciation for the fresh look of our podcast on YouTube.

    (02:47) - You can find all our how-to videos on our Resources page here.

    (03:41) - Waived award redemption fees / surcharges, even on one-way tickets – with Cardless Qatar Card

    (08:02) - Citi adds Preferred Hotels iPrefer at 1:4 ratio [new transfer partner]

    (13:24) - Amex launches 200K Biz Gold / 250K BizPlat referral offers

    Learn more about the American Express Business Gold card here.

    Learn more about the American Express Business Platinum card here.

    (17:42) - Hawaiian Business Card duplicate account number issue resolved...and more thoughts about Hawaiian / Alaska merger

    (21:15) - Chase reduces travel protections

    (31:45) - What crazy thing . . . .did Air France do this week?

    (36:37) - Transfer bonuses from Citi to Virgin and Wyndham: Yay or nay?

    (39:23) - Million Mile Madness!

    Find out more about challenge updates and details here.

    (40:20) - SAS EuroBonus Millionaire basics...

    (42:29) - Is the SAS EuroBonus Millionaire promo worth it?

    (52:12) - Million Mile Madness 2024 - how you can participate and what you could win!

    (1:03:08) - Stephen's challenge status so far...

    Help Stephen with some tips (and potentially win an awesome prize for your tips) here.

    (1:05:14) - Nick's challenge status so far...

    Help Nick with some tips (and potentially win an awesome prize for your tips) here.

    (1:09:51) - Read our post on what still works for Amex airline incidental credits here.

    (1:12:25) - Find frequently asked questions about the SAS challenge here.

    (1:15:44) - Greg's challenge status so far...

    Help Greg with some tips (and potentially win an awesome prize for your tips) here.

    (1:26:15) - Check out Nick's FAQ post about the SAS EuroBonus promo (and our Million Mile Madness challenge) here.

    (1:28:08) - What are some best practices to make sure points don't expire?

  • In a lot of ways, American Airlines and Alaska are similar programs - both in the One World alliance for example, with some reciprocal elite benefits as well. But they're plenty different as well. We'll discuss how these programs differ and why you mind find one better than the other.

    (00:26) - Comparing AA to the new Alaska program (starting 1/1/25)

    (00:34) - American Airlines and Alaska are Similar programs in a lot of ways...

    (01:48) - Why AA miles might be more valuable...

    (05:30) - Why Alaska miles may be more valuable...

    (08:36) - Free stopover on one-way award

    Learn how to book a stopover on Alaska award flights here: https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-book-alaska-mileage-plan-stopover-awards-video/

    (10:57) - So which one do we think is best?

    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

  • Alaska Airlines is making some big changes in 2025! We'll talk about why we think these changes are exciting...(and will share an exciting announcement of our own!)

    (01:20) - Greg was recently curious about if the Hawaiian Miles personal card would be getting elevated offers and one reader says the answer is yes! Check your emails for higher offers!

    Listen to our episode about the Hawaiian / Alaska merger here: https://frequentmiler.com/podcast-alaska-hawaiian-airlines-wedding-planning-frequent-miler-on-the-air-ep269-8-23-24/

    (03:25) - Fly 15 SkyTeam airlines (and credit to SAS or redeem SAS miles) by end of year and get 1 MILLION MILES... you all had ideas for us related to this challenge...

    (05:29) - Greg's post "Catching up on 2 weeks of big miles & points news" (Read the post here: https://frequentmiler.com/catching-up-on-2-weeks-of-big-miles-points-news)

    (07:04) - For the first time ever, the FM team will do 2nd challenge within 1 year...and we want you to participate!

    Read more about our newest challenge here: https://frequentmiler.com/start-your-engines-for-frequent-miler-million-mile-madness/

    (19:47) - Alaska / Hawaiian transfers live

    (22:28) - Spirit Airlines adds free WiFi and ditches award fees for Free Spirit members.

    (23:56) - Virgin Atlantic to go to dynamic award pricing - companion and upgrade vouchers may become more usable

    (28:33) - Choice Privileges max award pricing for Preferred Hotels reduced from 118k to 87k. Only 9 out of 310 are currently priced 80K or higher. Meanwhile, 68 properties are priced 30K or lower.

    (30:43) - Bilt adds Accor Live Limitless and TAP Air Portugal as transfer partners.

    (36:18) - Marriott & Aeroplan launch reciprocal status match opportunity.

    (42:42) - Huge mostly positive changes to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan coming 2025...

    Read more about the changes to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan here: https://frequentmiler.com/alaska-mileage-plan-updates-earn-status-with-award-flights-credit-cards-shopping-portal-spend-more-other-changes/

    (43:03) - Earning Elite Status with Alaska Airlines

    (53:59) - Mileage Plan Milestones

    (1:04:46) - Other changes

    (1:13:11) - Some more negative changes

    (1:15:14) - Summary of our assessments

    (1:17:46) - Someone wrote in asking if the Alaska changes change our mind about whether it makes sense to earn Alaska miles when paying rent through Bilt

  • Recently news broke that Hyatt and American Airlines plan to change their partnership with each other. Was the partnership "deepened" like we suggested when we wrote this post, or was it "devalued" like our readers thought in the comments? (Or is it somehow both?)

    (00:41) - Read our post "Hyatt & American Airlines deepen partnership, add more reciprocal earning opportunities" here.

    (02:49) - What is the current Hyatt / AA relationship like? (Until 12/31/24)

    (03:39) - New AA benefits for Hyatt elites...

    (08:33) - Comparing Old vs New

    (13:27) - Stephen's thoughts

    (14:21) - Nick's thoughts

    (16:57) - Greg't thoughts

    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 today's episode, we'll look at how Nick booked his baller family of 4 a round-the-world adventure featuring Taylor Swift in Europe, a free Mediterranean cruise, tropical beaches in Mauritius, and DisneySea in Japan!

    (01:28) - Beware of agents erroneously telling you your free night certificate is not applicable at SLH properties!

    (05:30) - What is this segment even about? (And how should you evaluate opportunities?)

    (11:42) - Amex airline fee reimbursements

    Learn more about airline fee reimbursements here.

    (19:05) - Read more about Nick's incredible trip here.

    (22:22) - Getting to Europe on JetBlue in Mint (business) class via Qatar Avios

    Read how to book JetBlue Mint via Qatar Avios here.

    (27:25) - Getting around Europe

    (35:04) - “Free” MSC cruise from Venice to Montenegro, Croatia, Greece, and Italy

    Read how to get free cruises through casino status matching here.

    (39:45) - Venice to Paris: Air France Business Class via Virgin Atlantic for 9,000 points + ~$22 each

    (45:19) - Big Air Canada Aeroplan award from Paris to Japan

    (1:01:40) - Train to Tokyo

    (1:10:49) - Tokyo to Hawaii to New York

    (1:24:45) - Amex Gold card now has a coupon for a $7 Dunkin' credit. Does it work for Baskin Robins too?

  • Not to be confused with the Preferred card, the Chase Ink Business Premier card is different in a few very important ways - most notably, it is a charge card and does not transfer directly to travel partners.

    (00:10) - The Chase Ink Business Premier is quite different from the Chase Ink Business Preferred, discussed in episode 4 of Card Talk here.

    (01:28) - This is a Visa Signature Business Charge Card

    (02:23) - Earning with the Chase Ink Business Premier card

    (02:53) - Points are best used by cashing out (unlike other Chase Ink cards, which earn Ultimate Rewards points that can be transferred to partners.)

    (05:37) - Purchase protections include Cell phone protection (up to $1K per claim) and Travel protections

    (06:58) - Watch our video tutorial for how to apply for Ink cards here or read the blog post here.

    Subscribe and Follow

  • 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 October 2, 2024. Greg was busy vacationing, but the rest of the gang answered a broad range of listener questions about points, miles, and rewards cards.

    (00:35) - Is the Maldives worth it?

    (06:25) - Nick, how painful will the virgin dynamic pricing be?

    (08:03) - Is anyone finding it harder to use debit cards for money orders?

    (10:45) -Why is award availability to Asia so bad right now, and is there any relief in sight?

    (15:13) - Which US airport hub do you like to transit through (ie ease of traveling through terminal, number of connecting destinations, lounge access, etc)

    (18:40) - Miles and Earn Burn is saying that the recently AMEX Biz Gold to Plat upgrade offer links may not be "safe" to use. What is your take?

    (20:44) - When do you think the strata elite or wells beyond will come out?

    (24:37) - In general, what services do you rec for big or ongoing purchases that don’t usually take credit cards? Other than the % fee, should we be careful using these services?

    (29:40) - Delta Amex companion certificates terms are very restrictive. Any best practices to find eligible fare class for non-holiday weekends far in advance?

    Read Greg's post about companion certificates here: https://frequentmiler.com/travel-companion-tickets/

    Watch our How To video about using Delta Companion Certificates here: https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-use-delta-companion-certificates-video/

    (31:42) - What has been the most outstanding deal so far in 2024 and will you do a coffee break if an outstanding deal happens?

    (36:33) - Hi FM Team, what was your most difficult / challenging travel experience and what did you learn from it?

    (49:25) - What do you guys think about Aero plan card in the context of them extending the PYB for travel at 1.25 Cpp especially with possible transfer bonus from Chase. Good way to cash Chase UR Points ?

    (51:32) - Does Amex allow stacking of offers? Specifically, looking to stack a $100 credit with a 15k MR point bonus for a Leading Hotels resort in Rome. The hotel is listed on both Amex offers. Thanks

    (52:47) - ​​If the Barclays Aviator red converts to Citi Strata, can I product change to a Custom cash and immediately apply for Citi Strata for the SUB?

    (54:10) - Is there any airline proram where if i buy my ticket with miles I can still earn miles? TY 4 all you do!

    Subscribe and Follow

  • Last week we talked about how to earn Citi ThankYou Rewards, but now we'd like to discuss some of the best (and worst) ways you can use your Citi ThankYou Rewards.

    Catch last week's episode about accumulating Citi ThankYou Rewards here.

    (01:17) - In a recent podcast Greg stated that United hadn’t before offered discounted business class awards to elites. One listener writes in with a correction that Platinum and 1K have had expanded access to saver awards in business class.

    (04:06) - How to evaluate credit card welcome bonus offers

    Compare all the best credit card sign up offers here.

    (11:57) - Counting down the best uses of ThankYou Rewards from least favorite to most favorite...

    Learn more about the Citi Premier card here.

    (13:40) - 10. Transfer to Wyndham to book Vacasa, Cottages, etc.

    (15:30) - 9. Transfer to Emirates. Book Emirates 1st class for 102K (JFK to Milan, or Newark to Athens)

    Learn how to find and book Emirates first class awards here.

    (17:19) - 8.Transfer to Turkish to book 10K one-way to/from Hawaii

    (18:12) - 7.Virgin: fly AF/KLM Business class to Europe starting at 48,500; also intra-Europe as low as 4K

    (19:55) - 6.Transfer to Avianca LifeMiles to book business class to Europe for 70K without surcharges (LifeMiles+)

    (22:11) - 5.Transfer to Choice 1 to 2. Book Nordic hotels, Japan, Preferred, etc.

    (24:19) - 4.Transfer to Leaders Club. Book Leading Hotels of the World for 1.6cpp

    (25:24) - 3.Transfer to Qatar Avios. Book Qatar QSuites for 70K

    Learn more about finding award space for Qatar QSuites here.

    (27:30) - 2.Transfer to EVA Air Infinity MileageLands. One-way business class flights from the US to Taipei cost 75K to 80K miles

    (30:27) - 1.Transfer to Qatar Avios then to Iberia. Book Iberia biz class from east coast to Spain for 34K off-peak or 50K peak

    (33:42) - BEST USE: Transfer to Flying Blue. Book Air France/KLM biz class to Europe for 50K

    Learn more about viewing the Flying Blue award calendar here.

    (36:31) - Find out about current point transfer bonuses here.

    (40:18) - WORST 5: Counting down from best of the worst to worst of the worst

    (40:34) - 5.Buy gift cards

    (41:46) - 4.Book travel through Citi

    (43:46) - 3. Transfer to AeroMexico (or transfer to ANY program to book low-value award)

    (44:59) - 2. Pay with Points (0.8 cpp value)

    (46:44) - 1. Shop with Points (usually: 0.8 cpp value)

    (49:38) - Do you have tips about rental car programs and how to maximize value with car rental rewards?

  • This is one no-fee, cash back card that's worth talking about because of a few unique features, which we'll discuss in today's Card Talk.

    (00:34) - Basic details of the US Bank Altitude Connect card

    Read more about the US Bank Altitude Connect card updates here.

    (01:19) - Other (more unique) card perks (like complimentary Priority Pass Select with 4 free visits)

    Learn more about the US Bank Altitude Connect card here.

    (03:23) - This card also comes with up to $100 in credits for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry

    (03:40) - US Bank Altitude Connect also comes with "GigSky" through November 15, 2025. GigSky advertises that you can "stay connected in over 125 countries with complimentary GigSky global mobile data plans."

    (08:11) - Important note: points cannot be moved from the Altitude Connect card to the Altitude Reserve card

    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

  • We all get especially excited when we use our points for knock-your-socks-off hotel properties. The Travel and Leisure's Top 100 list can be a useful way to get ideas about which properties have this wow-factor. Every year, Greg likes to go through this list and find which hotels can be reasonably booked with points. In this episode, he'll discuss his findings.

    (00:49) - The Best Points-Bookable Hotels in the World (2024) [based on Travel & Leisure Top 100]

    See Greg's analysis of points-bookable hotels on the Travel & Leisure's top 100 list here.

    (03:40) - How to book the Hyatt, Marriott, and IHG hotels

    (04:43) - How to book Hilton/SLH hotels

    (06:13) - Leading Hotels of the World / Leaders Club

    Learn more about booking Leading Hotels of the World properties via Citi ThankYou points here.

    (08:02) - See our How To video for using Rooms.aero for finding difficult award availability here.

    (10:09) - Choice Privelages and Preferred Hotels

    (13:42) - The Citi Rewards+ advantage

    Read more about the Citi Rewards+ card here.

    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

  • We've been talking a lot lately about unique uses for Citi ThankYou points such as transferring to Leading Hotels of the World, but how do you accumulate these points? That's what we'll talk about in today's episode of Frequent Miler on the Air.

    (01:20) - During Ask Us Anything, Greg said that Amex to Hilton transfer bonus would have to be 70% to match standard Chase to Hyatt transfer value. One reader thought of a situation where a 1.7 cents per point value could be reached via Bilt to Virgin Atlantic 125% transfer bonus for Platinum members.

    Watch our recent Ask Us Anything here.

    (07:53) - Hilton Aspire resort credit-eligible hotel list shrinks

    Read more about the Hilton Aspire resort credit eligible hotel list changes here.

    (09:29) - Targeted 120,000 Membership Rewards points Business Platinum upgrade offers

    Read more about the 120K Membership Rewards points Business Platinum upgrade offers here.

    (13:36) - Venture X and Venture X Business Cards: Hertz President's Circle status NOT ending 12/31.

    Read more about the Venture X card here, and the Venture X Business Card here.

    (14:50) - What crazy thing did Nick and Greg do? (They missed the 70K Hawaiian card bonus change to 50K, hours before discussing it on the podcast.)

    (15:10) - Listen to our conversation about the Alaska / Hawaiian merger here.

    (17:21) - What crazy thing did Barclays do?

    (21:15) - Targeted IHG double elite night credits on up to 2 stays through 12/31/24 (Read more here.)

    (28:01) - Wells Fargo Rewards® points now transfer to Virgin

    (29:02) - Targeted Avianca LifeMiles sale - 200% bonus (through MONDAY 9/30) (Read more here.)

    (31:46) - AA Targeted promo to get Loyalty Points when spending AA miles

    (32:37) - Melio business bill payment service now has paid membership tiers
    Read more about Melio here.

    (35:28) - Pepper Rewards adds point history and pending point information

    Learn more about Pepper here.

    (39:23) - Spirit updates, including removing redemption fees and free wifi for Gold members

    (40:55) - ThankYou Rewards quick overview and basics

    Find out about unique rewards you can get with ThankYou points here.

    (46:23) - Welcome bonuses

    Learn more about the Strata Premier card here.

    Learn more about the Double Cash card here, and the Custom Cash card here.

    (50:54) - Earn through spend...

    (1:01:02) - Targeted Bonuses

    (1:02:44) - Retention Bonuses

    (1:07:19) - 2 person (or "2 player") strategy

    (1:10:10) - A reader won 50K American Airline miles from a work event and is considering accumulating more...

  • There are two issuers of American Airline's credit cards - Citi and Barclays. But recent reports suggest American Airlines may be considering an exclusive arrangement with Citi as their only credit card issuer.

    (00:10) - Citi is in talks with American Airlines to become the sole issuer of American Airlines credit cards.

    Read more about the Citi / American Airlines news here.

    And read the original source article here.

    (01:33) - Why might this be bad news?

    Read more about the best American Airlines credit card (the Silver card) here.

    (05:10) - Why might this be good news?

    (08:58) - What should we do now to get ready for a Citi-only American Airlines credit card world?

    Read more about the Aviator Red card here.

    (13:09) - Read about how to application rules for cards like this here.

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    Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads