Frequent Miler on the Air
Earn miles without flying. Frequent Miler is all about getting the most out of the loyalty game. You can easily earn hundreds of thousands of points and miles without traveling, then learn how to use those points towards luxury travel. In this podcast, Frequent Miler founder Greg, and senior author Nick debate current topics in the points & miles world.
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Wyndham's Excellent Point Sale | Coffee Break Ep50 | 3-25-25
03/25/2025
Wyndham's Excellent Point Sale | Coffee Break Ep50 | 3-25-25
Wyndham is having an excellent point sale that lasts until April 15th (2025). Read or listen to this episode for details. (01:15) - Wyndham point sale: Through April 15th, if you buy 3,000 or more points, you get up to an 80% bonus. (01:47) - Simultaneously, all 3 Wyndham Earner cards have increased welcome bonuses Learn more about the increased bonuses for (02:55) - Vacasa Vacation Rental Learn about (05:55) - Wyndham Grand Visit 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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Getting started with points & miles | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep298 | 3-21-25
03/21/2025
Getting started with points & miles | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep298 | 3-21-25
Winning the game doesn't have to be hard. Points & miles is like complicated board game -- seems overwhelming at first. But the rewards for winning are incredible. In today's main event we'll show you how to get started. (02:09) - Tyler writes in about success with Chase travel insurance Read more about (03:58) - Bilt rent payment method is changing - (07:27) - Chase biz cards: Pre-approved offers showing when logged in - (09:43) - Wyndham launches debit card, (12:24) - Amtrak Guest Rewards Preferred Mastercard increased to 40k points, (14:17) - Citi Rewards+ card may be discontinued soon (16:47) - Read more about the (17:53) - A listener writes in to say, "I feel like I Bonvoyed Marriott last month" by using a 35K cert for a Marriott in Guyana worth $675/night! (21:09) - Expires April 15, 2025.Hyatt Homes & Hideaways 3x promo (23:04) - Delta eliminates surcharges from Europe (25:07) - Frontier offering (26:45) - Get GigSky (28:50) - Redeem 2,000 Wyndham Rewards points for 2 Minor League Baseball tickets (Book by 3/26/25) - (30:35) - Use Hilton for Business for (32:12) - Savewise: (41:05) - Earn credit card rewards (big picture) (42:47) - Check out (43:43) - Visit our (44:08) - Check out Greg's picks for (45:45) - Don't do this unless you pay in full monthly (48:35) - What about credit score? (51:33) - Three types of cards, welcome bonus only, "sock drawer" cards, wallet cards (55:44) - Consider Travel Freely (which you can (1:01:09) - Learn ways to increase your spend (without really increasing your spend) Listen to this (1:03:40) - More rewards with Shopping Portals and bank offers (e.g. Amex Offers, Chase Offers)\ (1:06:03) - Spend your points for travel! (1:09:58) - Use tools to find valuable ways to use your points - (1:14:53) - Check out our (1:15:27) - Keep track of your points (1:18:38) - Multi-Player Listen to podcast (1:20:55) - Greg did a long weekend trip to London using points (flying Delta One) which sounded like a lot of effort (and points) for such a short trip. Is there an ideal? Visit 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
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Loyalty Point Changing Fortunes | Coffee Break Ep49 | 3-18-25
03/18/2025
Loyalty Point Changing Fortunes | Coffee Break Ep49 | 3-18-25
(00:10) - In this episode we talk about the airline rewards programs and hotel rewards programs that seem to be changing in value. Some of them are going up in value and some are going down. (00:42) - Alaska Mileage Plan miles are going up in value (02:08) - Southwest points are going down Listen to our episode about these (02:45) - Avianca Lifemiles are going down (04:43) - Hilton points are going up (06:12) - Hyatt points are going down (10:36) - Which transferable points are going up or down? Visit 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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Best uses for Bilt points | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep297 | 3-14-25
03/14/2025
Best uses for Bilt points | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep297 | 3-14-25
Bilt Rewards is a program that became famous for giving you rewards for your rent payments, but these days there are many ways to earn Bilt rewards. In this episode, we'll pay special attention to how you might want to use your Bilt points. (01:15) - John writes in with a correction for Nick's statement that there's a "zero percent chance" the tax payment won't count toward the bonus. (06:57) - Andrew writes in about applying for an Amex card by opening up a Private Browser and searching for the card there can bring up a higher offer. (08:49) - Bilt 5x offers (targeted after asking for credit increase) Learn Learn more about the (10:38) - Amex coupon credits and bonuses posting slowly (relax / don’t panic) Learn more about (13:30) - Marriott cracking down on "additional guest" reservations, which you can (20:47) - Southwest for the "win". Read about (23:28) - Check out our (23:38) - Nick finally gets his million (25:14) - Reader winner updates (28:38) - Excellent Virgin Atlantic business class availability as low as 29K points + $254 (31:26) - Aviator companion tickets for the win! Read (35:56) - Up to 40% transfer bonus from Capital One Miles to Etihad Guest (41:25) - How not to use your Bilt points (43:46) - 1.25 cpp: book travel through their portal (44:41) - 1.5 cpp: Use points for house down payment (46:23) - Transfer to partners (1:16:55) - Here are the partners you shouldn't transfer to... (1:18:20) - Wait for great Rent Day transfer bonuses (1:20:26) - One reader asks about the Capital One pre-approval tool and whether or not it would cause a hard pull. Visit 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
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Best hotel programs, Alaska quirks, the EVA experience and more | Ask Us Anything Ep73 | 3-5-25
03/12/2025
Best hotel programs, Alaska quirks, the EVA experience and more | Ask Us Anything Ep73 | 3-5-25
What do we think are the best hotel programs for outsized value? Have we noticed some of the same Alaska Airlines quirks that our listeners have? What have our experiences with the EVA Air program been (if any)? We answered these questions and more on the Ask Us Anything hosted live on YouTube on March 5th, 2025. 00:40 - What's the most meaningful miles and points trip you've had? 03:16 - Inspired by Nick’s “falling in love with Alaska” post… Let’s play a miles themed version of the old FMK game (the acronym will make sense in a moment, Carrie!) We’ll call it lust, marry, kill rather than the original name. Between Alaska, Aeroplan, and Avios, which is your torrid love affair, which would you settle down with, which ends up left behind? 05:47 - What’s the teams thoughts on how long this Amex to Hawaii to Alaska gravy train will last? 10:56 - Were any of the frequent milers effected by the recent Amex shutdowns? 12:55 - Any tips to reduce/avoid parking fees at airports? I live far enough away that Uber or shuttles are just as much(or more), so is there anything I'm not thinking of? 17:15 - Which airlines offer lie flat seats from the eastern half of the USA to Hawaii with at least some availability via points at a reasonable cost? 19:21 - I don't have any business spend so I'm hesitant to apply for business cards and use it for personal expenses. Is it legal/allowed to put personal spend on business cards? 21:28 Is the 15% Delta Amex discount a real discount or Delta increased the redemption rate before the discount is applied. Their miles seem to be $.012/mile after the 15%. Is their miles really that bad? 24:01 - hey everyone! have any of you ever booked an award flight with EVA? so many quirks to that program but 75-80k to Asia is a good deal. Would love to hear any if your experiences if you have. Thanks! 28:29 - what's up with Alaska's phantom award availability? I've noticed this especially with AA, award space will show in Alaska, sometimes other partners, then Alaska won't ticket. And on Alaska - have you noticed Alaska semi-dynamically pricing AA routes? IE award chart says route should be 7.5k but all routes instead price at 10k or 12.5k? 33:50 - if I took a retention offer to keep amex gold. Will amex take back points if I take an upgrade to platinum offer? 34:31 - I received an offer for the Caesars no annual fee card. with 5000 spend in three months giving me diamond status. Am I crazy for wanting to get it for the free parking, no resorts fee, and food credit 37:45 - When checking if a layover will offer enough time, how can I know in advance if I may be forced to pickup + recheck my bags? Either with a single or multiple carriers? 38:56 - I'm trying to potentially book a Maldives trip with Hilton FNC but I'd like to connect there in style on Qatar and/or Emirates. Considering free night certificates only last a year and flights often are best booked a year out, how would you navigate a trip where flights and hotels might both be high demand options or timelines 44:25 - Which hotel rewards program would you say lately offers the highest probability for outside value? To me, it’s not close I believe Hilton shines in this respect. 51:45 - Have you ever gotten weird looks from the clerk while buying gift cards? 55:03 - I found lots of availability at a SLH thru Hilton. Four nights bookable, but when I went to 5 nights, availability vanished. Is the hotel playing games to avoid 5th night free? Any workaround ideas
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Southwest takes the luv out of flying | Coffee Break Ep48 | 3-11-25
03/11/2025
Southwest takes the luv out of flying | Coffee Break Ep48 | 3-11-25
Starting May 28 of this year, Southwest will be making some major changes to the things we've known and loved. For example Most people will be losing free checked bags on Southwest starting May 28 of this year, they'll be introducing basic economy, flight credits will now expire (after 6-12 months depending on what type of fare you bought) and the value of points will become much more variable. (01:49) - Commenter Brad says: "I’m an accountant who completely understands the math of cutting expenses or raising revenues to increase profit... I don’t understand, though, what the business strategy is here. Building a strategy that revolves around hoping customers won’t notice you’re charging them more for a worse product doesn’t seem like the kind of pitch that would get you an A in an MBA strategy class." Read the (03:38) - 2 Bags No longer Fly Free for Most (pricing not yet disclosed) (05:58) - Basic economy fares (06:33) - Flight credits will expire (From May 28, 2025) (08:29) - Variable redemption rates Visit 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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The 5 Best Award Search Tools | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep296 | 3-7-25
03/07/2025
The 5 Best Award Search Tools | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep296 | 3-7-25
In today's episode we'll talk about how American Airlines out-crazies Citi, Southwest out-bonvoys Marriott, and we'll talk about what we think are the 5 best award search tools that make it much easier to find those coveted awards. (01:25) - One reader shares their concerns about tax payments made by an American Express card not counting towards sign up bonus spending. (05:28) - Read more about and check out our (05:45) - Capital One Venture X Business cards have a Rideshare Protection benefit (which you can ) (08:00) - Hilton cards offer free night thru 4/29 (which you can ) (10:29) - Wyndham Earner cards big bonuses Read more about these (13:39) - Citi: accidentally credited a client’s account with $81 trillion when it meant to send only $280 (Read ) (15:22) - American Airlines made a huge blunder which you can (19:25) - Marriott StudioRes (26:00) - Southwest for the win Read more about Southwest (29:52) - Alaska starting to roll out mixed partner awards (32:23) - Aeroplan Family Points Sharing Returns (35:20) - Hilton adds more and more SLH properties (38:06) - Find (41:14) - Read our post about (42:47) - Live Searches vs. Cached Discovery (47:23) - Alerts are KEY (50:25) - Flexible Live Search is very important (51:59) - Which is Best? (54:57) - Runner up (59:07) - Best for Beginners (1:02:28) - Best for advanced people (1:05:10) - Best add on (to use in addition to these other tools) (1:08:15) - Worth mentioning (1:12:17) - Discounts available in our post (1:12:28) - What should you do with your Capital One miles? Visit 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
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Predicting the Refreshed Platinum Card | Coffee Break Ep47 | 3-4-25
03/04/2025
Predicting the Refreshed Platinum Card | Coffee Break Ep47 | 3-4-25
Word on the street is the Amex Platinum card is going to be "refreshed" which may mean new benefits, new cost, new rebates, and more. In this episode, we'll make some predictions about what we might see. (01:06) - Predicting the Refreshed Platinum Card annual fee (02:55) - Earning rate change? (04:04) - Coupon changes? (06:49) - Will the airline incidental fees credit change? (11:57) - Perk changes? Visit 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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How we use our Hilton credit card perks | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep295 | 2-28-25
02/28/2025
How we use our Hilton credit card perks | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep295 | 2-28-25
Hilton credit cards come loaded with perks that CAN BE worth more than the card's annual fee IF you use them well. On today's show, we discuss how we use these credits. (01:06) - Hilton points for the win that all starts with the Venture X credit card promo to enter into the special access raffle to buy Taylor Swift tickets. (06:24) - This person was trying to use up a $200 Hilton resort credit for themself and their player 2 account, booking on December 31st for a date beyond the expiration. (09:39) - Hilton has a bad habit of taking a substantial deposit (in this case, several hundred dollars) at many of its resorts at the time of booking. But is booking with points and cash (sliding the cash slider as far as possible) a way around this?. (15:15) - Learn more about (17:15) - Diamond status (18:42) - Annual Free Night Reward every year (20:19) - $400 Hilton Resort Credit per calendar year ($200 semi-annually) (22:11) - $200 Flight Credit ($50 per quarter for purchases directly with airlines or via Amex Travel) (24:05) - $199 CLEAR (R) Plus fee credit per calendar year (24:35) - $100 on-property credit with Aspire Card package (25:24) - Learn about (26:12) - Free night award after $15K spend in calendar year (27:55) - Free Gold status. Diamond elite status with $40K calendar year spend (28:40) - $200 in Hilton credits ($50 per quarter) (30:28) - Learn about (32:16) - Free Gold status. Diamond elite status with $40K calendar year spend (32:31) - $240 in annual credits for Hilton purchases (Up to $60 per quarter) (33:27) - Complimentary National Car Rental(R) Emerald Club Executive(R) status (34:07) - You gave advice that if using "2-player mode", both applicants should open their Hilton Aspire cards on the same day. If you didn't do that and your annual free nights don't post together, is there a way to fix this? Visit 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
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How Greg uses his Delta Platinum credit card perks | Coffee Break Ep46 | 2-25-25
02/25/2025
How Greg uses his Delta Platinum credit card perks | Coffee Break Ep46 | 2-25-25
With a $350 annual fee, the Delta Platinum credit card is not cheap. But like most of these more expensive cards, it comes with perks and credits that help off-set that cost. Since Greg has this card, we'll find out how he makes use of these various perks and credits. Learn more about and (00:15) - $350 (00:55) - 15% off when using miles to book an award flight (Delta metal only) (02:22) - Annual $2,500 MQD Headstart (04:49) - Companion ticket each year upon card renewal Learn more about (07:36) - Delta Stays rebate (09:14) - $10/Month Rideshare (14:12) - $10/Month US Resy restaurants (16:58) - Priority boarding, first checked bag free on Delta flights, and complimentary upgrade list: get added to the complimentary upgrade list after Delta elite members and Reserve cardmembers (17:53) - Cell phone protection Visit 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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How we use our Amex Platinum coupon book credits | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep294 | 2-21-25
02/21/2025
How we use our Amex Platinum coupon book credits | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep294 | 2-21-25
On this week's episode, we talk about our Capital One mistake, how Uber has tried to "Bonvoy" us, and the many ways we use our Platinum credit card credits. (01:27) - OOPS: Capital One doesn't transfer to JetBlue like we implied (02:33) - BUT...then this week Capital One announced they ARE adding JetBlue as a transfer partner, (but at horrible rates) (05:24) - Hotel transfer bonuses, yay or nay? (10:29) - Uber adding 1.5% charge to rides abroad – here’s how to avoid overpaying Read more about (14:37) - How we use our Amex Platinum "coupon book" credits... (15:34) - (16:07) - Both consumer & business cards (30:50) - Amex Platinum (consumer card) Learn more about the (48:37) - Amex Business Platinum Card Learn more about the and read (58:03) - Read about (58:51) - One reader asks for advice about a Qatar Airways issue they experienced on a cash flight (for Q-Suites) where the entertainment system went out and the reimbursement offered for this problem was unsatisfactory. Visit 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
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How we use our Amex Gold Card coupon credits | Coffee Break Ep45 | 2-14-25
02/14/2025
How we use our Amex Gold Card coupon credits | Coffee Break Ep45 | 2-14-25
The American Express Gold Card has a $325 annual fee, but it offers up to $424 of value in credits. Here we'll talk about how we make sure to put those credits to use. Read more about (01:07) - $325 annual fee Find out (01:19) - Category bonuses (01:42) - How do Greg and Nick use those category bonuses? (03:12) - Up to $424 in credits (or as we like to call them, "coupons"). (03:28) - Resy: $50 semi annually (08:59) - Uber: $10/month (12:12) - Dining partners: $10/month (Goldbelly, Wine.com, Five Guys, Seamless/Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory) (14:08) - Dunkin: $7/month Visit 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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Would you pay more for fully refundable rewards? What do you do with pets when you travel? These questions and more | Ask Us Anything, Live Ep72 | 2-5-25
02/11/2025
Would you pay more for fully refundable rewards? What do you do with pets when you travel? These questions and more | Ask Us Anything, Live Ep72 | 2-5-25
Would you pay more for fully refundable rewards? What do you do with pets when you travel? These questions and more came up in our Ask Us Anything, Live Ep72, originally broadcast live on 2-5-25. (04:31) - Who were our most-helpful followers for the Million Mile Madness challenge? These followers will be eligible for prizes for their help! (13:31) - How would you structure your credit card strategy with a P2? See (17:45) - Frequent Miler is by far my favorite travel blog. What blogs do you follow and why? (19:47) - Any tricks to apply for 2 cards in 1 day? I feel like I read a post on how to do this but I can’t find it now. Find (24:02) - are you guys surprised at how many people completed the challenge? (25:00) - I know Greg went big with Alaska transfer, I'm curious how big the rest of the team has gone? And do any of you think the merger and Amex transfer will cause a devaluation soon? (28:32) - Any word yet on Chase’s 1 million point giveaway winners (that ended last week)? (29:13) - any thoughts on aeroplan 25 status match from Marriott Titanium? could be interesting for booking economy award tickets for upgrades on long haul flights? (30:47) - Marriott & Hilton appear out of favor with you these days. Hyatt remains your favorite but If you don't or can't stay at Hyatt, what is now your hotel chain of choice between IHG, Choice, Wyndham or? (33:34) - new SW companion pass promo (personal card, 4K spend in 3 months): is this just through end of 2025? Seems like a great opportunity to try.I can make that spend in a week! (34:32) - have any of you ever had to transfer airports in Taipei. i have a 4-hr layover during which i have to travel between airports with a carry-on. is that even possible? (36:24) - What are the best opportunities for long haul business class availability for 4 "when schedule opens?" With 4 travelers and bound by school schedules I want to book ahead but it's getting very hard. (38:37) - Thoughts on the recent update to Citi’s T&Cs on welcome bonuses for their strata premier when product changing. Seems like it’s a blow against churning (40:26) - How much more are you willing to pay for award ticket that is fully refundable? I find myself going for AA or United flights even though UA may be cheaper on LifeMiles for example (45:23) - really curious... do any of you have pets? what do you do with them when traveling? (51:48) - How often do you folks buy points? I recently started buying IHG, Hilton, Avianca, and Avios points when they are on sale, and find it a great alternative for folks with low spend. (53:36) - any awesome hotel redemptions coming up for you guys? Subscribe and Follow Visit 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
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Capital One: Get more for your Double Miles | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep293 | 2-7-25
02/07/2025
Capital One: Get more for your Double Miles | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep293 | 2-7-25
On today's episode the fellas chat about how to get the Southwest Companion Pass with just one card, whether or not your Marriott points just became more valuable, and how to get great value out of Capital One miles. (01:17) - One of our younger readers talks about a huge award booking success, all achieved without pro award booking tools. (05:40) - Quick overview of the Million Mile Madness challenge Watch our Rewatch the entire (10:27) - Get Southwest Companion Pass through 2/28/26 Learn (13:25) - Frontier Platinum status fast track: Earn 20k Elite Status Points by 4/30/25 Learn (18:46) - Transfer bonuses (21:13) - Earn 20x Avios on hotel bookings & 15x on car hire (book by 2/24/25) Learn (23:58) - Use JetBlue points to book TAP (25:04) - Refreshing posts about award booking tools (30:50) - Are Marriott points more valuable? Learn more about (33:54) - My experience applying for the UK’s electronic travel authorisation (ETA) Learn (36:15) - Capital One Miles usually worth exactly 1 cent each (37:21) - Get more than 1 cent per mile via transfer partners (38:49) - Real-life examples... (49:04) - Cardholder exclusives (51:00) - Capital One cash back can be converted to miles (53:08) - Which flight reward search tool is best if I need specific dates and locations? Visit 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
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How Hilton can win our loyalty | Coffee Break Ep44 | 2-4-25
02/04/2025
How Hilton can win our loyalty | Coffee Break Ep44 | 2-4-25
We love how Hilton incorporates partners like SLH and Autocamp for example. But there are things we don't love about Hilton too. Today we'll talk about the ways they could win our loyalty. (00:00) - We love how Hilton incorporates partners: SLH and Autocamp for example (00:25) - But here's what we don't love... (04:18) - Greg's suggestions for Hilton (05:04) - Hilton's meaningful milestone benefits start way too late (at 40 nights) (06:36) - Milestone benefits of early check-in certificates would really wow us Visit 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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Points & Miles 2 Player Mode | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep292 | 1-31-25
01/31/2025
Points & Miles 2 Player Mode | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep292 | 1-31-25
On this episode, we'll talk about a crazy new premium credit card, we'll debate double elite night hotel promotions to see if they're mattress run worthy, talk about a nice new way to use JetBlue points, and discuss how to double your rewards with a partner. (01:15) - One reader writes in about booking their family with roundtrip business class flights to Australia for Christmas and New Years!!! (05:00) - New JetBlue Premier Card... Learn more about (12:13) - IHG Premier offer up to 170K after $4K spend in 3 months Learn more about (13:33) - IHG overlapping promos Learn more about (14:58) - Learn more about (19:10) - Marriott's overlapping promos: Learn more about (25:58) - Marriott increases top-end point prices Read our (30:30) - CardPointers Learn more about CardPointers here (32:48) - Book TAP Air with JetBlue points (39:13) - More rewards Check out our (43:38) - More spend (44:56) - Companion Flights Find our Find our Complete Guide to Find our (46:10) - Find our (47:33) - Free weekends (50:50) - One reader has One Amex Platinum Card and one Amex Business Platinum Card. If they cancel or downgrade one of the cards, how does that impact their Delta lounge access for the calendar year? Visit 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
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World of Hyatt is broken. Here's how to fix it. | Coffee Break Ep43 | 1-28-25
01/28/2025
World of Hyatt is broken. Here's how to fix it. | Coffee Break Ep43 | 1-28-25
World of Hyatt has been a favorite amongst points and miles enthusiasts for years. You can use your points for excellent properties at typically excellent values and the elite benefits are actually valuable. But...they're far from perfect, especially more recently. Not to worry - we have some suggestions for what they can do to get back on track. (00:10) - Has been a great program for years (02:20) - Long term problem: limited number of hotels (04:29) - But they've killed a lot of the progress they'd made towards the footprint problem and moved instead towards dynamic award pricing (07:54) - Our suggestion: Fix Mr & Mrs Smith awards (10:54) - Or, more realistically: Fix free night certificates Visit 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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Rocking Shopping Portals for Huge Rewards | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep291 | 1-24-25
01/24/2025
Rocking Shopping Portals for Huge Rewards | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep291 | 1-24-25
In today's episode we'll discuss what's up with Hilton gift cards, we'll intensely debate Virgin Atlantic award charts, cover 2 different points millionaire promos, then finally, we'll tell you how to earns tons of rewards through shopping portals. (01:29) - One reader reports on their success with the Southwest Companion Pass with just one of the Southwest business cards when it had the elevated 120k offer. Read more about (04:29) - Chase Bonvoy Bold: now features Chase’s Pay Yourself Back benefit. (08:36) - Citi changed transfer rates to Flying Blue to 1.25 (temporarily) (11:38) - Qantas devaluation Aug 5th Check out our (18:30) - SAS Eurobonus Millionaire update (22:49) - Chase Travel giving away 1 million Ultimate Rewards points to 10 winners (24:12) - Virgin Atlantic still has award charts (32:43) - Westgate Resorts now bookable w/ Choice Privileges (35:15) - Portal Overview (43:00) - Our favorite shopping portals (starting with Rakuten) (55:54) - Portal Myths Learn more about (1:12:08) - Stacking Opportunities For more stacking ideas, check out (1:13:43) - Learn more about (1:15:26) - Gift Cards (1:16:32) - Learn more about (1:18:05) - Super Stack Example (1:24:26) - What's the deal with Hilton Gift Cards? Visit 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
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What's in Our Wallets? (Jan 2025) | Coffee Break Ep42 | 1-21-25
01/21/2025
What's in Our Wallets? (Jan 2025) | Coffee Break Ep42 | 1-21-25
Greg and Nick have a LOT of cards between the two of them and they can't possibly carry all of them in their real-life physical wallets. What happens instead is that they tend to rotate the cards in their wallets based on what the current bonuses are, whether or not there are cards they're trying to reach a spend requirement on...and...whether or not they can find the physical card. In this episode, they'll cover the major real-life spend categories and which cards they're carrying for those purposes. (01:19) - Which cards do Greg and Nick carry for Grocery spend? Learn more about (02:06) - Learn more about the (03:31) - Which cards do we carry around for Gas? Learn more about the (04:09) - Learn more about (05:24) - Which cards do we carry around for dining? (08:28) - Which cards do we carry around for Travel? Learn more about the (12:27) - Which cards do we carry around for Pharmacy? Learn more about (14:30) - Which cards do we carry for spend everywhere else? Learn more about . (16:50) - Learn more about Visit 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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Your ticket to the Delta Sky Club | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep290 | 1-17-25
01/17/2025
Your ticket to the Delta Sky Club | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep290 | 1-17-25
In this episode, Greg and Nick will look at 4 ways to access Delta Sky Clubs, they'll reveal a hot reader tip for a free stay in Atlantis in the Bahamas, and they'll discuss the Air France / KLM Flying Blue devaluation. Check out the full episode below. (01:28) - It seems like a lot of people are running into issues lately with using the $200 platinum credit for Fine Hotels and Resorts. (07:03) - United TravelBank glitch (now resolved) [Reported on Reddit] (09:50) - Air France KLM Flying Blue award prices increase by 15-25% to/from Europe Read more about (18:02) - It's not too late to book Atlantis even if your Caesars Diamond status is about to go away. (20:28) - Sky Clubs vs other airport clubs Read more about how to get into (23:01) - Overall Requirements (24:12) - #1 Premium Credit Cards (24:27) - Amex Platinum (not to be confused with Amex Delta SkyMiles Platinum) Learn more about (31:31) - Delta Reserve consumer or business Learn more about See: (39:58) - #2 Fly Delta One; or any Sky Team airline in business or first class (42:56) - #3 Elite Status Check out our blog post: Or check out our episode (45:51) - #4 Sky Club Membership Learn more about (55:16) - Many times when I'm booking stays, there's only availability for standard rooms. How do approach getting an upgrade if there's no availability? Visit 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
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Our Marriott Bonvoy Wishlist | Coffee Break Ep41 | 1-14-25
01/14/2025
Our Marriott Bonvoy Wishlist | Coffee Break Ep41 | 1-14-25
In today's podcast episode Greg and Nick will talk about the things they wish Marriott would add to their program to make it a really great program. They argue these things shouldn't even have to cost Marriott that much to implement. (01:24) - Fix the Platinum Elite free breakfast benefit Find our (05:00) - Clear Nightly Upgrade Awards from the time of booking (08:21) - Remove the 15K limit on free night certificate top-offs (11:11) - Waive resort fees on free night stays Visit 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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Airline Elite Status via Hotel Stays | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep289 | 1-10-25
01/10/2025
Airline Elite Status via Hotel Stays | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep289 | 1-10-25
There are a few ways now where you can earn elite status on airlines entirely through hotel stays! This is sort of a new development that we're excited to discuss in today's podcast. (01:32) - Whoops: Forgot United offers elite earnings on award tickets (UA flights only) . (04:09) - IHG Choice Benefit annual lounge membership trick worked this year (05:58) - One reader finds a way to get an offer to upgrade back to Amex Platinum for 50K bonus points after 2K spend. (08:03) - Alaska Biz Card 70K offer is back: 70K miles and Companion Fare™ Learn more about . (09:27) - Costco card goes up to 5% at Costco Gas on 1/19/25. All other gas/EV will stay at 4% (12:32) - US Bank Altitude Go: beginning on April 15, 2025, cardholders will be limited to earning 4x on the first $2,000 in dining, takeout and restaurant delivery purchases each quarter. (13:45) - Sonesta credit card taking a siesta (15:34) - Pay1040 fees up, down, all around (21:42) - Hyatt promo: Earn double elite night credits for stays at Under Canvas properties (28:21) - Marriott Choice Benefit 40K expiry (33:30) - BA goes revenue-based (34:45) - Daily Getaways Dead: The program has been discontinued (36:29) - Marriott ->> United Premier Silver AND Air Canada Aeroplan 25K (40:59) - Hyatt ->> American Airlines (50:49) - Hyatt Explorist/Globalist elite members can trade Hyatt points for status for a day (53:33) - Not as many shortcuts with Hyatt as with Marriott (1:03:00) - Should I mattress run with Advantage Hotels the rest of my way to AA Executive Platinum status? (1:06:14) - How do you value your time, for example when an hour of effort will save you a small chunk of change? Visit 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
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Greg's experience booking a Preferred Hotel with Choice points | Coffee Break Ep40 | 1-7-25
01/07/2025
Greg's experience booking a Preferred Hotel with Choice points | Coffee Break Ep40 | 1-7-25
You can book Preferred Hotels with Choice Privileges points, (which has a 1:2 transfer rate from Citi Thank You points), or Preferred Hotel points (which has a 1:4 transfer rate from Citi Thank You points). There are reasons to book with one points over another, but is this worth doing? Greg's recent experience booking a Preferred Hotel with Choice points can help shed some light on the question. (01:24) - The Seagate Hotel & Spa Delray Beach Florida (01:48) - Different booking options... (05:17) - Booking experience... (12:17) - Hotel stay experience (the good and bad) Visit 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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10 point-ish things we're most looking forward to | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep288 | 1-3-25
01/03/2025
10 point-ish things we're most looking forward to | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep288 | 1-3-25
(00:00) - It's a new year and we're excited about all the "point-y" things happening for us in 2025! Give this episode a listen to find out what we're looking forward to. (01:07) - One reader's interesting experience disbanding a United miles pool highlights a possible hack and brings up a few questions.... Learn more about miles-pooling here: (04:17) - Can a pool leader leave a miles pool? (04:35) - Can I leave a miles pool after joining? (07:25) - Chase United card devaluation: TravelBank credits instead of statement credits (11:10) - Chase Aeroplan PYB (Pay Yourself Back) Travel limited to 200K (13:51) - Marriott Choice Benefit 40 night selection expiry Read more about this update here: (16:27) - IHG Ends Annual Lounge Pass Loophole In 2025 (19:52) - Pay taxes via credit card slightly cheaper (starts at 1.75%) but down to 2 processors PayUSATax gone ("We are no longer processing federal tax payments on behalf of the IRS.") Learn more about paying taxes with a credit card here: (25:21) - Greg and Nick’s "Bonvoyed" pick: Hyatt breaks our hearts with Mr & Mrs Smith Read our "Bonvoyed of the year" post here: (26:47) - Readers' "Bonvoyed" picks... (28:10) - Our picks for for Deal of the Year Read our "Deal of the Year" post here: (29:02) - Readers' picks for Deal of the Year (31:01) - Small Luxury Hotels SLH (33:07) - Preferred hotels & Resorts (35:30) - Alaska Mileage Plan mixed partner awards (40:13) - Earning Alaska elite status through award bookings (42:51) - Alaska premium card (45:00) - Digging into SAS awards (47:17) - Finding a great Vacasa redemption (I bought points) (49:17) - Finding great Capital One Miles deals See the "Deal of the Year" episode here: (52:09) - Getting back into the swing of bank account bonuses (54:05) - Trying out the AA bus from PHL-ACY. (58:57) - Would a Delta Gold status be useful for a Korean Air flight booked via Delta miles? Visit 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
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When are points better than cash & vice versa? | Coffee Break Ep39 | 12-31-24
12/31/2024
When are points better than cash & vice versa? | Coffee Break Ep39 | 12-31-24
The Smartly Credit Card (with opportunity for up to 4% cash back everywhere) has us wondering...when should you value cash back over other points and miles or transferable currency rewards? (00:26) - Smartly Credit Card: Up to 4% cash back Learn more about (01:21) - Using 2x everywhere points card is like buying points for 2 cents each (05:12) - So, is cash the final answer? No! (09:07) - So what's the ideal strategy? (13:36) - Learn more about Visit 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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Deal of the Year 2024 | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep287 | 12-27-24
12/27/2024
Deal of the Year 2024 | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep287 | 12-27-24
What are the best miles and points deals we've seen in 2024, and which deals came out above the rest? In today's episode of Frequent Miler on the Air, we'll decide what we think the best miles and points deal of 2024 was. (01:05) - Feedback about Greg's "Frequent Miler’s 2024 State of the Business Report" Read Greg's (08:12) - Additional datapoints regarding possible Atlantis stays for after February 1st (12:14) - Greg's Marriott Mattress Run (20:48) - Capital One Offers (26:18) - Easily extend National Free Day (28:41) - Catch our (29:11) - Buy Aeroplan miles for 1.14cpp: (30:41) - Big payouts via Capital One Shopping (36:35) - Virgin goes dynamic & lowers surcharges (40:00) - Bilt transfer bonus up to 150% to Flying Blue, Virgin Points, and IHG One Rewards (Jan 1) (42:19) - Bilt transfer bonus up to 100% to Alaska (July 1) (44:05) - Amex +10x restaurants referral offer (47:11) - 120K Ink Business Preferred offer + 40K referral (48:27) - Hilton SLH (53:20) - Alaska's awesome shorthaul AA pricing (57:41) - SAS Eurobonus Millionaire : https://frequentmiler.com/sas-eurobonus-millionaire-promo-frequently-asked-questions-million-mile-madness-2024/ (1:00:02) - Which did we actually take advantage of? (Or which didn't we?) (1:01:59) - So...which was the best? (1:11:10) - (1:13:17) - Can you swap a cash seat you've already purchased with Southwest with a companion seat with your companion pass instead? Subscribe and Follow Visit 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
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Alaska / Hawaiian credit card strategy - which card should you get now? | Coffee Break Ep38 | 12-24-24 | Podcast
12/24/2024
Alaska / Hawaiian credit card strategy - which card should you get now? | Coffee Break Ep38 | 12-24-24 | Podcast
In today's episode, we're going to be considering the Alaska / Hawaiian credit card strategy and asking the question: which card should you get now, if any? (01:38) - Current lineup of Alaksa / Hawaiian credit cards (02:17) - Learn more about the Bank of America Alaska Consumer card here: (02:34) - ...and the Bank of America Alaska Business card here: (02:46) - Learn more about the Barclays Hawaiian Consumer card here: (03:15) - ...and the Barclays Hawaiian Business card here: (04:35) - Considering Hawaiian cards (06:02) - Considering Alaska cards (07:40) - What's the best strategy? Visit 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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The 2024 Bonvoyed Awards | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep286 | 12-20-24
12/20/2024
The 2024 Bonvoyed Awards | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep286 | 12-20-24
Today we'll take a look back at the year and talk about what loyalty programs have done to us instead of for us. This is for the loyalty grinches! (01:07) - Revisiting a question we'd answered previously about whether or not several domestic flights a month would be enough for earning status. (06:18) - One reader has some information to share about the Atlantis property they booked now (before their Caesar's Diamond status disappears) for a stay in the future... (10:12) - Flying Blue: Sends emails saying "Congratulations you are now a Flying Blue Ultimate member" (11:44) - IHG: Purchase EQPs. 120K price: $640, no... $800, no... $1000, back to $640... (16:27) - Nick flies to Mexico but doesn't leave the airport (21:12) - Greg and Nick forgot about Bilt Find (23:42) - Preferred Hotels: Greg's ongoing Preferred Hotel booking saga (29:48) - AA: Can now use miles to book Hawaiian flights from mainland US (31:39) - Aviator Silver companion cert ain't all that (38:14) - Hilton Aspire resort credit-eligible hotel list un-shrinks (39:40) - Marriott Upgrade Awards now clear five days out (again) (43:27) - Southwest: assigned seating (46:31) - 2023 Bonvoyed Awards Recap... 2024 Dis-Loyalty Nominees... (51:38) - Chase & Capital One priority pass drops restaurants (55:56) - Virgin goes dynamic (59:08) - Virgin devalues Delta One to Europe (1:02:36) - Wyndham Vacasa devaluation (1:06:19) - BA & Qatar raise prices for short-haul partner awards (AA, Alaska) (1:09:54) - Etihad nerfs award cancelations and point expirations (1:15:43) - Bilt reduces Rent Day earnings to 1K bonus points (1:18:50) - Wyndham Biz kills free cruises (1:21:20) - Hyatt integrates Mr & Mrs Smith (1:23:14) - Final picks (1:30:20) - Why are there so many pop-up ads on your site? Visit 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
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Up to 4% Back Everywhere: US Bank's Smartly Card | Card Talk Ep10 | 12-19-24
12/19/2024
Up to 4% Back Everywhere: US Bank's Smartly Card | Card Talk Ep10 | 12-19-24
Us Bank's Smartly Visa Signature card has no annual fee but also no welcome bonus. Even so, because of a benefit from their savings account which can increase earnings on the card, it's worth a discussion on today's Card Talk episode. (00:21) - What are the basics of the U.S. Bank Smartly™ Visa Signature® Card (01:06) - You can increase earning with a U.S. Bank Smartly Savings account and have certain amounts deposited w/ US Bank... (02:53) - You'll need a Smartly Savings Account (04:13) - But you can point your money toward Self Directed Investing (08:03) - Be careful how you redeem rewards (10:08) - How does the US Bank Smartly Card compare to Bank of America's Platinum Honors? Visit 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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Alaska's fascinating premium card (Coming Summer 2025) | Coffee Break Ep37 | 12-17-24
12/17/2024
Alaska's fascinating premium card (Coming Summer 2025) | Coffee Break Ep37 | 12-17-24
Alaska has announced that a premium card is coming in the Summer of 2025. They've given us just little bits of information so far, but in this episode, we'll talk about what those details are. (01:03) - Pre-register by 12/31/24. Get 500 miles now, 5K extra miles later if/when you sign up for card. (01:44) - Basic details...annual fee of $395 and earn Global Companion Award Certificates (05:20) - Receive waived award ticket fees ($12.50 partner award fee, not surcharges) (05:42) - Earn 3x miles on eligible foreign purchases Visit 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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