Frequent Miler on the Air

In today's episode, we'll talk about Amex Platinum shutting down paths for earning Delta airline fee credits, Google Hotels adding price drop alerts, and all the many paths that still exist for free cruises in 2026. Main Event: Cruising for free Giant Mailbag (01:07) - Greg gets corrected about Bilt point accelerator vs Rent Day... Crazy Thing: Capital One Shopping (03:27) - Capital One brings Gmail to a crawl Read more about the unfortunate Capital One slow gmail issue here Bonvoyed: Amex Airline Fee Reimbursements (08:48) - Delta tricks are dead Read our resource for Amex airline fee credits and what still works Awards, Points, and More (13:15) - Google Hotels adds price tracking (17:02) - Melio (pay bills with credit card) Learn more about Melio here (19:01) - Chase Travel℠ Points Boost increased to 2.5cpp for a few select properties Read more about Chase Travel℠ Points Boost increase here (21:21) - Guide to booking Preferred Hotels with points (Updated) Find our updated resource for booking Preferred Hotels online here (25:24) - Tools for finding point-bookable events (auctions and buy it now) Visit the discover tools Pointsevents.com and Pointauctions.com Main Event: Cruising for free (29:33) - Learn more about cruising for free in 2026 here (30:44) - There are three main options for free cruises in 2026 (31:08) - Land-based casino loyalty programs & matches (36:26) - Why do casino elite statuses matter for free cruises? (49:00) - Cruise line direct match opportunities for “free” cruises (1:07:09) - Gambling on board might yield a free cruise 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 Mentioned in this episode: Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free. https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world This podcast is part of Voyascape, a podcast network that brings together the world's best travel podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts from around the world at Voyascape.com. If you are interested in advertising or sponsored content on any of our shows you can find out more at the link below. Voyascape Podcast Network

Airline fuel surcharges are going up! We've recently seen Air France KLM Flying Blue and Virgin Atlantic increase surcharges on their awards and it's looking like a trend. In this podcast episode, we'll talk about the different ways you can avoid them. How to avoid airline surcharges (02:02) - Booking with an alliance partner that doesn't pass along surcharges (02:15) - Air France KLM Flying Blue booked with Virgin Atlantic or Japan Airline Mileage Bank miles Learn more about going to Europe starting on Air France or KLM Business Class using Virgin Atlantic points here Learn more about Air France without surcharges via Japan Airline Mileage Bank miles here (04:02) - Rove miles Learn more about using Rove miles here (07:04) - Lufthansa booked through other Star Alliance partners (07:41) - One World is tricky... (11:38) - What can you do about high taxes coming back from the UK? (12:45) - For travel to and from Europe, consider JetBlue's flights booked through Qatar Avios Learn about booking JetBlue with Qatar Avios here (16:34) - SAS (17:51) - Airlines that don't charge surcharges in the first place 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 Mentioned in this episode: Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free. https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world This podcast is part of Voyascape, a podcast network that brings together the world's best travel podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts from around the world at Voyascape.com. If you are interested in advertising or sponsored content on any of our shows you can find out more at the link below. Voyascape Podcast Network

In today's podcast episode, we'll watch as Capital One ventures into business, we'll discuss the best of the best award search tools, and we'll talk about how Wells Fargo is on the upswing. Giant Mailbag (01:00) - Nate has a tip to add to our Free checked bags via credit cards podcast Ep353 Card News (04:41) - Capital One Spark Miles rebranded to Venture Business Learn more about the Capital One Spark Miles rebranding to Venture Business here Crazy Thing: Choice Privileges (09:42) - Choice doubled points to Air France/KLM Flying Blue Read more about the Choice Privileges transfer bonus here Bonvoyed: AA (13:03) - AA bonvoys elite members flying basic economy Read more about American Airlines doing away with basic economy for elite members here Awards, Points, and More (16:42) - We've updated our resource "Which award search tool is best?" Find our "Which award search tool is best" resource here (26:05) - Amex changes referral limits to 5 per year, per card Read more about American Express' referral limit changes here (29:01) - Wells Fargo adds new transfer partner: Wyndham 1 to 2 Read more about Wells Fargo's new transfer partner here Main Event: Wells Fargo journeys forward (31:13) - Wells Fargo Rewards was a 3rd tier transferable points program (31:46) - That's starting to change... (32:46) - Wells Fargo Rewards advantages (34:09) - Transfer partners (37:22) - Wells Fargo rewards credit cards Learn more about the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card here Learn more about the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card here (43:50) - Wells Fargo cash back cards (54:45) - Weaknesses Question of the Week (58:07) - Nick wonders... if Greg had the capacity to spend towards one single elite status, which would it be? 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 Mentioned in this episode: Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world This podcast is part of Voyascape, a podcast network that brings together the world's best travel podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts from around the world at Voyascape.com. If you are interested in advertising or sponsored content on any of our shows you can find out more at the link below. Voyascape Podcast Network Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free. https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/

JetBlue has announced some big changes to its Premier Mastercard, which was previously a real bummer of a card. So when these changes come in "the spring", will they make the card better, and worth that $499 annual fee? JetBlue Polishes its Premium Premier Mastercard (01:00) - New benefits coming to this card Read more about the card changes here: https://frequentmiler.com/the-jetblue-premier-card-might-finally-become-worth-applying-for/ (06:00) - Nick & Greg talk through a few questions like: Is this a good card or does it just seem like it compared to the old stinker? Is the new version of the card worth $499 per year? Is this worth $400 more than the Plus or Business card? (06:30) - What's good about this... (08:46) - What's bad about this... (09:59) - Is this overall a good card (and if so, for whom?) 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 Mentioned in this episode: Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world This podcast is part of Voyascape, a podcast network that brings together the world's best travel podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts from around the world at Voyascape.com. If you are interested in advertising or sponsored content on any of our shows you can find out more at the link below. Voyascape Podcast Network Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free. https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/

What are some unusual cards you find yourself using? What are your least favorite airline websites? Which dead cards do you miss the most? We answered these questions and more on the Ask Us Anything hosted live on YouTube on April 8th, 2026. (01:10) - What are some unusual cards you find yourself using? (08:27) - Did the FM team partake in the British Airways shopping portal promotion for 250x Avios at Kate Spade? I think it’s a runner for deal of the year. (11:28) - What’s your favorite and least favorite airline loyalty website to use? (18:25) - With all the recent and pending devaluations, what hotel reward program, if any, would you recommend for someone who generally only stays in hotels for a week or two each year? (23:12) - I have tried getting a Capital One Venture X but they keep denying me. I have opened 3 personal and 2 business cards in the last 9 months. The last was Dec 31st. What do you think I should do? ​​(25:04) - Does the FM team have any success with credit card reconsideration with Bank of America (business cards)? Any tips? Thank you! ​​ (26:51) - Have anyone's thoughts changed on the Bilt Palladium since they started using it? I have tried doing the math to see if it's worth it, but not sure I did the "bilt math" correctly ​​ See Tim's post about the Bilt Palladium card here: https://frequentmiler.com/bilt-2-0-rewards-you-most-when-you-spend-less/ (30:22) - See our previous episode about Hyatt properties here: https://frequentmiler.com/which-hyatts-will-you-book-before-the-award-chart-changes-ask-us-anything-ep84-3-4-26/ And see our former episode about how many credit cards we have here: https://frequentmiler.com/how-many-credit-cards-does-the-frequent-miler-team-have-ask-us-anything-ep-63/ (31:05) - What airline loyalty top status is it worth pursuing? (34:19) - Tim, do you use Atmos Summit to rent cars overseas. Greg should update Auto Rental post to compare Bank of America Atmos Summit to compare to the others See our guide to Ultra premium card travel protections here: https://frequentmiler.com/ultra-premium-credit-card-travel-insurance/ (37:18) - Do authorized users get the same discount on United award flights as the primary cardholders? ​​ (38:14) - Does the Atmos give status points when paying rent on Bilt platform? (38:33) - The latest collectibles card episode was interesting, are there any dead cards that you particularly miss? See the collectibles podcast episode here: https://frequentmiler.com/credit-card-collectibles-frequent-miler-on-the-air-ep352-4-3-26/ (43:56) - How many Thank You points are you gonna transfer to Preferred hotels before devauationl? I'm thinking about 500k TYP or more Read Greg's strategy here: https://frequentmiler.com/preferred-hotels-worth-4x-transfers/ (46:04) - Does United give elevated offers if you open a bank account? ​​(47:03) - If all airline miles were dynamic the same way Delta Skymiles were (ie around 1-1.5 cpp), would you still play the points and miles game and which cards would you actually find rewarding on spend? ​​(51:33) - Which programs are best for not showing phantom availability? 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 – “swappin’ back n’ forth” by up @ night Mentioned in this episode: Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world This podcast is part of Voyascape, a podcast network that brings together the world's best travel podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts from around the world at Voyascape.com. If you are interested in advertising or sponsored content on any of our shows you can find out more at the link below. Voyascape Podcast Network Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit...

In this podcast episode, we'll talk about how Rakuten doubles select credit card signup bonuses, JetBlue polishes its previously lackluster Premier card, and how to avoid paying those increasing checked bag fees. Giant Mailbag (00:58) - Rick asks about EU regulation 261 Read our post, "$700 richer: My easy UK261 claim experience with United Airlines" here Card News (04:09) - JetBlue Premier Mastercard ($499) Read more about the JetBlue Premiere Mastercard here Awards, Points, and More (07:04) - Rakuten offering bonuses on select Bank of America cards Learn more about the Rakuten bonus here Or learn about the Rakuten referral here (11:33) - Rove adds Virgin Atlantic (and changes url to rove.com) Main Event: Free checked bags via credit cards (13:15) - Learn more about free checked bags via credit card here (14:35) - General info about free checked bags (16:34) - Strategy for infrequent flyers of a particular airline. Example: you don't usually fly Delta, but you have one flight coming up... (22:15) - Which airlines require paying with a specific card to get free checked bags? (24:20) - How many travel companions get free checked bags? (27:08) - Do you get free checked bags on international trips? (29:42) - Cheapest card for free checked bags by airline (31:48) - Other ways to get free checked bags (40:21) - Carry-on instead Question of the Week (44:55) - Turbotax has a higher fee for paying with a credit card. Is there a better way to pay with a credit card when filing with Turbotax? Read more about paying taxes with a credit card here: https://frequentmiler.com/pay-taxes-via-credit-card/ 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 Mentioned in this episode: Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free. https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world This podcast is part of Voyascape, a podcast network that brings together the world's best travel podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts from around the world at Voyascape.com. If you are interested in advertising or sponsored content on any of our shows you can find out more at the link below. Voyascape Podcast Network

Airlines partner up into alliances (oneworld, Star Alliance, and Sky Team), which usually means you can use the miles from one program to book with one of its partners. We'll talk about the best programs within each alliance. Coffee Break: Best miles for each airline alliance (01:12) - Star Alliance (01:24) - United MileagePlus pros and cons (03:28) - Air Canada Aeroplan pros and cons (06:54) - Avianca LifeMiles pros and cons (11:36) - oneworld (11:44) - American Airlines AAdvantage pros and cons (14:08) - Alaska Atmos pros and cons (17:07) - Sky Team (17:20) - Delta SkyMiles pros and cons (19:52) - Air France/KLM Flying Blue pros and cons (22:22) - Virgin Atlantic Flying Club pros and cons 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 Mentioned in this episode: Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free. https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world This podcast is part of Voyascape, a podcast network that brings together the world's best travel podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts from around the world at Voyascape.com. If you are interested in advertising or sponsored content on any of our shows you can find out more at the link below. Voyascape Podcast Network

In this episode, we'll talk about how United credit cards make United miles more valuable, how Southwest discount codes make Southwest points more valuable, and we'll take you on a ride through a classic card show discussing credit card "collectibles". Giant Mailbag (01:34) - Justin: I was annoyed to discover I couldn't change the frequent flyer number on my upcoming award booking from my Atmos number to my AAdvantage number, which would have made me and my girlfriend eligible for Oneworld Emerald perks... Learn more about Alaska not allowing frequent flyer number changes on award tickets here Card News (05:33) - United cards now unlock better earnings on paid flights, 10%/15% discount on award flights, and more Polaris business class saver awards Read more about recent United changes here (10:46) - Amex card offers Learn more about The Business Platinum Card® from American Express here Learn more about the American Express® Business Gold Card here (16:18) - Amazon Business Amex moving to US Bank (17:59) - Southwest cardholder discount codes Read more about Southwest discount codes here Mattress Running the Numbers (20:28) - Hyatt/Under Canvas cardholder promo Learn more about the Hyatt 2K promo here: https://frequentmiler.com/hyatt-promo-earn-2k-bonus-points-per-night-at-under-canvas-properties/ Awards, Points, and More (27:32) - National Car Rental’s One Two Free Promo Returns Learn more about National Car Rental's One Two Free promo here: https://frequentmiler.com/national-car-rentals-one-two-free-promo-returns/ (29:27) - Transfer bonuses Learn more about transfer bonuses here: https://frequentmiler.com/current-point-transfer-bonuses/ Main Event: Credit Card Collectibles (35:00) - Citi® AAdvantage® Globe has us predicting the next credit card collectibles (35:44) - Find our Coffee Break Ep35 here: https://frequentmiler.com/predicting-the-next-credit-card-collectibles-coffee-break-ep35-12-3-24-podcast/ (36:56) - Citi collectibles (53:36) - Chase collectibles (59:54) - Bank Of America (1:01:25) - Capital One (1:06:15) - US Bank (1:14:46) - Almost collectibles Question of the Week (1:28:42) - Do you have suggestions for how to preemptively link loyalty accounts to Chase, Capital One, or Amex without needing to transfer points? 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 Mentioned in this episode: Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world This podcast is part of Voyascape, a podcast network that brings together the world's best travel podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts from around the world at Voyascape.com. If you are interested in advertising or sponsored content on any of our shows you can find out more at the link below. Voyascape Podcast Network Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free. https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/

A recent survey sent out by Citi has us speculating about changes Citi might be considering for the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card. This would include an increased annual fee and increased complexity. Citi might nerf the Strata Premier Read more about the Citi Strata Premiere refresh rumors here (02:55) - Current version vs potential version (09:44) - Why we're not a fan... 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 Mentioned in this episode: Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free. https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world This podcast is part of Voyascape, a podcast network that brings together the world's best travel podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts from around the world at Voyascape.com. If you are interested in advertising or sponsored content on any of our shows you can find out more at the link below. Voyascape Podcast Network

In today's podcast episode, we'll talk about who we would want to buy JetBlue, how Amex missed the mark with its new business card, and the key to preserving our loyalty if Hyatt "mile-stone-ifies" elite benefits. Giant Mailbag (02:16) - Adam: Why does the Aviator Silver card list as $199 annual fee on other sites across the internet, except for yours? Learn more about the Aviator Silver card here Card News (04:33) - New: American Express Graphite™ Business Cash Unlimited Card Learn more about the American Express Graphite™ Business Cash Unlimited Card here Awards, Points, and More (09:03) - JetBlue is looking for a buyer that can clear regulatory approval: United, Alaska, or Southwest (16:16) - Bilt authorized user updates, transfer partner updates (22:31) - Bilt using Points Path Learn more about Bilt changes here (25:17) - Wyndham points sale: Buy Wyndham points for as low as 0.65 cents each thru May 1 (25:51) - MealMaxxer, a cool map tool for finding stacks with Resy, inKind, Bilt Dining, and more Learn more about MealMaxxer here Main Event: The bright side of Hyatt's (potential) Globalist shake-up (28:59) - Learn more about Hyatt may be shaking up Globalist status here (33:40) - Greg's glass-half-full take: Not as bad as many fear & several positives (38:15) - Greg's 1 huge key assumption (40:37) - The potential negatives (46:38) - The potential positives (48:42) - Nick's reaction Question of the Week (56:56) - With more and more merchants adding additional fees for credit card processing, do you consider if it's best to use a debit card? 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 Mentioned in this episode: Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free. https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world This podcast is part of Voyascape, a podcast network that brings together the world's best travel podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts from around the world at Voyascape.com. If you are interested in advertising or sponsored content on any of our shows you can find out more at the link below. Voyascape Podcast Network

For many years, Chase (and later Bilt) was the only transferable points program with valuable hotel options. Namely: Hyatt. But Citi changed that with Choice and I Prefer, offering high transfer rates that made these transfers worth while. Read more about the devaluation here: https://frequentmiler.com/ouch-citi-decreasing-transfer-ratio-to-choice-and-preferred-on-4-19-26/ (02:07) - Hyatt's announced award changes seemed to cement Citi as the best transferable points for hotels... (02:25) - April 19, 2026 is Citi ThankYou Rewards hotel transfer doomsday. Transfer ratios to Choice and Preferred Hotels are dropping. (03:48) - Examples (06:02) - Questions: Will the new transfer ratios still be worthwhile? (12:01) - Should we transfer before April 19th? (17:59) - Is the Citi ecosystem dead to us? 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 Mentioned in this episode: Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world This podcast is part of Voyascape, a podcast network that brings together the world's best travel podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts from around the world at Voyascape.com. If you are interested in advertising or sponsored content on any of our shows you can find out more at the link below. Voyascape Podcast Network Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free. https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/

In today's podcast episode, we'll share 3 ways to improve your Google Wallet, we'll see how Marriott Bonvoyed us again, and Nick will explain how he would spend $115K. Giant Mailbag (01:24) - Mark shares how to arrange the card order in Google Wallet (03:30) - Rick & Heather share another way to arrange cards in Google Wallet (03:55) - Raj shares a way to set a card as default, and customize the nickname of a card on Google Wallet (which Raj uses to specify the rotating category for a card) Card News (05:46) - IHG Biz 200K Offer Learn more about the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card here (12:25) - New/updated resource: Best credit card purchase protections See our Best credit card purchase protections resource here (19:44) - Citi ThankYou Points about to end points-sharing between cardholders? Read more about this here Bonvoyed by Bonvoy (25:04) - Read more about Marriott card eligibility here Learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy® Brilliant® American Express® Card here Learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card here Awards, Points, and More (28:39) - Rove Miles: Redeem Rove Miles for a paid stay at a loyalty-eligible rate and earn hotel points Read more about redeeming Rove miles here (31:43) - Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card / Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ Card Price Match Guarantee Learn more about this here: https://frequentmiler.com/chase-travel-offering-price-match-guarantee-for-hotel-bookings/ (36:52) - Delta's 20-minute baggage guarantee [40:14:26] Main Event: How to best spend $115K....asking for a friend (40:16) - A large capacity for spend could mean many welcome bonuses (43:20) - The contenders (43:34) - Learn more about The Business American Express Platinum Card® card here: https://frequentmiler.com/AmxPlatBiz/#Goto (46:19) - Learn more about the Chase World of Hyatt Business Credit Card: https://frequentmiler.com/WOHBiz/#Goto Learn more about the Chase World of Hyatt Credit Card: https://frequentmiler.com/WOH/#Goto (48:27) - Learn more about the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card here: https://frequentmiler.com/hilton-honors-american-express-surpass-card/#Goto (49:49) - Learn more about the Caesars Rewards® Prestige Visa Signature® Card here: https://frequentmiler.com/CaesarsRewardsPrestigeCard/#Goto Learn more about the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card here: https://frequentmiler.com/VentureX/#Goto (51:43) - Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card here: https://frequentmiler.com/CSR/#Goto (53:02) - Our thoughts Question of the Week (1:10:57) - How might investments enhance the points and miles game? 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 Mentioned in this episode: Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world This podcast is part of Voyascape, a podcast network that brings together the world's best travel podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts from around the world at Voyascape.com. If you are interested in advertising or sponsored content on any of our shows you can find out more at the link below. Voyascape Podcast Network Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free. https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/

There is no single right answer as to what points are worth. With most points, the value depends upon how the points are used. It's often possible to get great value or very poor value from the same types of points. But in this podcast episode, we'll talk about how a "reasonable redemption value" can help you assess the value of your miles and points. (01:20) - How can you evaluate credit card welcome offers without an idea of what points are worth? (02:14) - Reasonable Redemption Values (RRVs) are estimates of how much value you can reasonably expect to get from your points. (03:24) - At Frequent Miler, we use RRVs to calculate... (04:40) - Where do our RRVs come from? (07:14) - Transferable points are a little different (10:18) - The RRV Paradox (13:56) - To see our RRVs, go to frequentmiler.com/rrv 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 Mentioned in this episode: Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free. https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world This podcast is part of Voyascape, a podcast network that brings together the world's best travel podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts from around the world at Voyascape.com. If you are interested in advertising or sponsored content on any of our shows you can find out more at the link below. Voyascape Podcast Network

In today's podcast episode, we see that Marriott tops off their top-offs, Aviator Silver cards become unique collectibles, and we'll talk about the best ways to earn and redeem Rove Miles. Giant Mailbag (01:07) - Diana shares some thoughts regarding a recent podcast episode, Speed up US entry with Mobile Passport Control | Coffee Break Ep96 | 3-10-26 See the Coffee Break Ep96 here. Card News (03:34) - Barclays Aviator to Citi transition April 2026 Learn more about the Barclays Aviator transition to Citi here (12:44) - Robinhood Platinum Credit Card Read more about this card here (15:39) - Southwest companion pass offers ending March 19th 7am ET Mattress Running the Numbers (17:22) - Leading Hotels of the World points sale: Get up to 100% bonus Learn more about the Leading Hotels of the World points sale here (21:42) - Read Nick's post about family-friendly Leading Hotels of the World properties here Awards, Points, and More (24:18) - Marriott making it possible to redeem up to 25K + FNC (up from 15K). (27:59) - You can now add Marriott gift cards to your Bonvoy account (both in-app & on website) Read more about adding Marriott gift cards to your Bonvoy account here: https://frequentmiler.com/you-can-now-add-marriott-gift-cards-to-your-bonvoy-account-both-in-app-on-website/ (30:44) - Amex to fold Tock into Resy in Summer 2026 Read more about Amex's plans with Tock here: https://frequentmiler.com/after-purchasing-tock-amex-to-fold-it-into-resy-in-summer-2026/ (34:08) - Spirit Airlines paid status upgrade: Higher status from $79 Learn more about Spirit Airlines' paid status upgrade here: https://frequentmiler.com/spirit-airlines-paid-status-upgrade-higher-status-from-79/ Main Event: Rove Miles: Transferable Points w/out a credit card (39:54) - What is Rove? (42:43) - How to earn Rove Miles Learn more about Rove Miles here: https://frequentmiler.com/rovemiles/ (56:22) - How to use Rove Miles (1:00:53) - Rove Miles adds Japan Airlines, launches with 50% transfer bonus through 3/31 Read more here: https://frequentmiler.com/rove-miles-adds-japan-airlines-launches-with-50-transfer-bonus-through-3-31/ And read Nick's post about JAL opportunities here: https://frequentmiler.com/best-uses-of-japan-airlines-mileage-bank-miles/ (1:02:23) - Rove adds SAS as new transfer partner with 20% transfer bonus through 4/8. Read more here: https://frequentmiler.com/rove-adds-sas-as-new-transfer-partner-with-20-transfer-bonus/ (1:04:28) - Other good transfer partners Question of the Week (1:14:19) - Why don't you write about the quality of the airline or hotel itself? 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 Mentioned in this episode: Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free. https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world This podcast is part of Voyascape, a podcast network that brings together the world's best travel podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts from around the world at Voyascape.com. If you are interested in advertising or sponsored content on any of our shows you can find out more at the link below. Voyascape Podcast Network

For years, Nick has always used the free Mobile Passport Control app for speedy re-entry into the country instead of Global Entry. In today's episode, we'll talk about this free alternative to Global Entry. (00:18) - Mobile passport control is super easy and free (05:37) - Where can it be used (06:30) - Global Entry has advantages, though 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 Mentioned in this episode: Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free. https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world This podcast is part of Voyascape, a podcast network that brings together the world's best travel podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts from around the world at Voyascape.com. If you are interested in advertising or sponsored content on any of our shows you can find out more at the link below. Voyascape Podcast Network

What would you suggest if your P2 (partner, or "player two") is very reluctant? Which Hyatts will you be book before the award chart changes? We answered these questions and more on the Ask Us Anything hosted live on YouTube on March 4th, 2026 (02:10) - What specific Hyatt properties have you booked/will you be booking before the upcoming award chart changes? (12:17) - How did you guys learn about HOW to find good flights to book with transfer partners? I am trying so hard to learn, but it feels confusing and overwhelming. need more concrete, step-by-step help. Read about the top award search tools here (18:05) - I have a question for Stephen and Carrie. Now that I am retired my wife and I are interested in finding rentals for several weeks at a time. I am pretty good at finding good properties on Airbnb and VRBO for several days but have less experience with navigating longer term rentals. Do you have any tips on how to find good locations and get good deals? (27:32) - Looking to get a Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card and upgrade a Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. Should I do this on 2 different devices at almost the same time or does it not matter? (28:26) - I am planning a trip for 2 weeks covering Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Oslo with 2 year old, do you have recommendations on where to stay? Planning during July Read more about this here: https://frequentmiler.com/use-finnair-avios-to-book-scandinavian-hotels-at-2c-per-point-or-better/ (32:35) - What would you suggest if your P2 (player two) is very reluctant? I can't convince him to open more cards (38:27) - Do the Hyatt changes make you reassess the value of Chase Ultimate Rewards points? (39:58) - Can I request a retention offer for my US Bank Altitude Reserve card and then product change a month later to the Connect? (42:20) - ​​Can I book Hyatt stays now before the changes take effect, and later modify the dates while keeping the same redemption rate? (42:55) - ​What is the best way to use Wyndham Points nowadays, and do you see any new alignments in the future to replace Vacassa (47:44) - Are there good award search engines for hotel award stays? Read more about this here: https://frequentmiler.com/editmaxxer-a-tool-to-maximize-chase-travel-the-edit-credits/ (51:08) - Have/would you guys entertain having all your P2s on for a podcast or AMA so we could hear about their experience through all the shenanigans you play? 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 – “swappin’ back n’ forth” by up @ night Mentioned in this episode: Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world This podcast is part of Voyascape, a podcast network that brings together the world's best travel podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts from around the world at Voyascape.com. If you are interested in advertising or sponsored content on any of our shows you can find out more at the link below. Voyascape Podcast Network Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free. https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/

In this episode, we'll talk about the tools that can help you earn more rewards, organize your points & rewards, and spend your points wisely. Learn more about the tools we use here (01:52) - General / Misc Tools (25:57) - Flight Trip Planning (39:23) - Hotel Trip Planning (45:31) - Car Rentals (50:28) - Trains 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 Mentioned in this episode: Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world This podcast is part of Voyascape, a podcast network that brings together the world's best travel podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts from around the world at Voyascape.com. If you are interested in advertising or sponsored content on any of our shows you can find out more at the link below. Voyascape Podcast Network Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free. https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/

Choice Privileges is a hotel chain with brands like Clarion, Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Radisson Americas etc. In today's podcast, we'll talk about the pros and cons of this program. You can find our Choice Privileges complete guide here. Choice Privileges Pros and Cons Pros / items of interest... (01:37) - Earn elite status through credit card spend thanks to an update in early 2026. (05:59) - (Somewhat) fixed award chart (07:16) - Ability to book premium rooms with points sometimes (09:53) - Preferred Hotels partnership Learn more about this partnership here (11:53) - Transfer 1:2 from Citi or Wells Fargo (12:31) - Buy points for around .7cpp during sales (13:14) - Titanium Travel Award: 50% off award stay up to 7 nights Cons... (16:23) - Not much elite benefit. Breakfast at Diamond, Titanium Travel Award at Titanium. (17:10) - Points expire after 18 months of inactivity (17:37) - Fewer aspirational properties (apart from Preferred Hotels, and even that experience is complicated) 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 Mentioned in this episode: Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free. https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/

In today's podcast episode, we'll talk about stacking dining credits, give a caution about gifting Marriott free night certificates, and will resurrect expired Southwest credits. Crazy Thing (00:57) - Southwest shows different seatmap availability to different passengers Read more about Nick's experience with Southwest's assigned seating here Awards, Points, and More (04:10) - Alaska Vacations adds discounts, VIP perks for elite members Read more about this here (07:05) - “Free” Norwegian cruise for Caesars Diamond Elite members Read more about this here (10:26) - Recent breaking news... Hyatt devaluation Find out more about the Hyatt devaluation here (14:43) - Wyndham Rewards added as new Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner Read more about this here (16:17) - Bilt has launched a transfer bonus Read more about this here [28:03:23 ad] Main Event: Gems from our Giant Mailbag (28:05) - Bridget says: DEN is an airport that has the security reservation program (DEN Reserve)... (29:44) - Chaim says: For Resy and Sapphire Reserve® Exclusive Tables credits you can buy gift cards online for lots of restaurants that trigger the credit. Therefore, you can bank up multiple hundreds of dollars, and then when it works with your plans, you can splurge on an amazing dinner or two... (32:47) - Mark says: I just finished listening to the January 2 podcast. With regards to your answer for the question of the week about which cards you keep in your digital wallet, I recently discovered something about Apple wallet specifically that might be of use, at least to Greg since he is the only one of you using Apple... You can catch that episode here (36:16) - Nathan says: I just listened to episode 343 and wanted to share a data point regarding the $500 Gift of College gift cards... You can catch episode 343 here (39:29) - Mike says: If you look up IHG Destined One Night On Us, there's no result directly from IHG, but multiple hotel booking agents' websites reference a stay x nights get 1 night free promotion for participating hotels. For example: https://bonvivant.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Q3-IHG-Destined-Stay-Pay-Promo-HFP.pdf (44:42) - Panayot says: Convert expired SWA credit to a LUV voucher... (48:51) - Tracy says: I have a data point relevant to your episode on gifting points and miles... Catch that episode here (52:19) - Melissa says: Thanks so much for the article on the pitfalls and warnings booking via I Prefer hotels... Hear some of the pitfalls of booking via iPrefer here and read more about using Citi points for I Prefer here (53:44) - Amalan says: Just sharing a couple of good data points from a quick weekend trip to Chicago... (55:27) - Jefferson says: Thanks to the FM team! Question of the Week (57:33) - Is there a formal appeal or consideration process when Citi declines for high amount of unused credit? Find out more about Citi application tips here 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 Mentioned in this episode: Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free. https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/

Hyatt announced some changes that will come into effect before the end of May. This will include a brand new award chart that splits the 8 categories into 5 pricing bands. You can read more about the new Hyatt overhauls here. (00:51) - New award chart (05:28) - Hyatt intends to maintain value and maintain an award chart (17:24) - Bright spots (27:08) - Does this change how we view our Hyatt points? 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 Mentioned in this episode: Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free. https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/