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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Easy path to Delta Elite status in 2024 | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep281 | 11-15-24
11/15/2024
Easy path to Delta Elite status in 2024 | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep281 | 11-15-24
United recently announced an . Will Delta follow suit? Luckily, for this year, there's still time... (02:18) - A reader has a datapoint for us about the Equinox credit saying: "My wife successfully used the equinox credit for a massage. She enrolled in an equinox plus membership that came with a 7 day free trial. She was able to book and complete her massage within the 7 day trial period. The credit posted within 2 days and she canceled the membership." (06:17) - Last year Delta announced a drastic increase in elite requirements in 2024 for the 2025 elite year. After a public outcry, they reduced the requirements so much that in 2024 it is easier than ever to earn Delta elite status. Read more about the (08:05) - Multiple elite levels... (13:44) - Besides paying big $ for flights, how can you get status? (19:02) - (23:03) - In summary, what are the easiest paths... (24:48) - Delta cards may be expensive but offer a lot of value Learn more about , and the (31:17) - What's the best way to do a long-haul holiday flight for a family with young children? See 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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Doing good and earning points with Kiva microloans | Coffee Break Ep33 | 11-12-24
11/12/2024
Doing good and earning points with Kiva microloans | Coffee Break Ep33 | 11-12-24
Kiva is a clearing house for microlenders to help them find funding for microloans. You don't earn interest on these loans, but this can be an interesting way to accumulate spend on reward cards without fees... (00:37) - Kiva is like a clearinghouse for microlenders to help them find funding Read more about Kiva loans here: (01:32) - You choose which loans to fund and how much to fund. (You do not earn interest. At best: 100% of money back.) But you can pay with credit card with no fee! (03:33) - How much $ can you float? (And how long can you float?) (04:22) - No guarantee of pay back (05:00) - Avg default rate: 1.82% (mine: 1.73%) (06:03) - Tool to make it easier to find safe loans: KivaLens Read about KivaLens here: And read about updates to KivaLens here: (06:40) - KivaLens gives you an ability to filter loan types (07:48) - KivaLens also gives you an ability to sort Visit https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don’t forget to like and follow us on social media. Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads
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1 Million Miles in 2 Weeks or Less | Frequent Miler on the air Ep280 | 11-8-24 | Podcast
11/08/2024
1 Million Miles in 2 Weeks or Less | Frequent Miler on the air Ep280 | 11-8-24 | Podcast
The SAS EuroBonus Millionaire promotion may turn out to be 2024's Deal of the Year. We just have to fly 15 SkyTeam airlines before the end of the year to earn 1 million miles. However, if for some reason SAS doesn't honor the promotion, they'll make it to our 2024 naughty list for sure. As you listen to this, Nick, Greg, and Stephen are in the air somewhere in the world trying to complete this promotion in 2 weeks or less. Learn all about the promotion and how we're going about tackling it in today's main event. (02:43) - A reader has a tip about the US Bank Travel Portal allowing AR point redemptions at 1.5c for Disney theme park tickets, at the Disney retail pricing... (04:34) - Trick for finding Finnair Avios award availability (06:44) - Opportunities to buy miles cheaply (can be great for people who can't get USA credit cards) (07:27) - (07:50) - Alaska/Hawaiian for 1.25c per mile (09:01) -What is Million Mile Madness? Follow the (15:39) - Hi FM Team, do you have any backup or contingency plans in place if one of your flights is cancelled or severely delayed? Good luck on your adventure! (19:12) - Departing soon? Best wishes to all the contestants (24:07) - Will there be a live wrap up show for the challenge? (26:50) - What have you done ahead of time for tight connections during your challenge? Like buying seats in the front of plane, familiarize the airport layout, etc… (31:11) - Which airline are you most and least looking forward to flying as part of the challenge? (37:11) - What is each contestant most confident they'll be the "best" at? (44:29) - I was trying to book a flight on AA using Alaska taking off in 2 days, and their website said that the itinerary is "too close to departure." Is this phantom award space? (46:05) - You know “player 2” is a common topic among the hobby. Would anyone here consider having their spouse joint one podcast explaining their thoughts of their significant other engaging in the hobby? (48:06) - My Hyatt globalist expires soon. Can/should I make bookings after expiration and guest of honor myself? (51:33) - Hawaiian biz card only offers 50k after $4k spend now (used to be 80k after $2k spend) Considering it may go away, should we jump on it now? (53:41) - Greg, Delta Amex companion certificates terms are very restrictive. Any best practices to find eligible fare class for non-holiday weekends far in advance? (54:58) - Is their a resource for which Hilton Resorts accept pre-payments? (55:47) - What is each contestant's personal mission? (1:00:44) - Does booking yourself a Hyatt GOH earning an additional elite night? (1:01:59) - Did you get confirmation that SAS will allow you to award the miles to the helpful readers? (1:02:41) - Do you think you'll run into each other during the challenge? (1:005:46) - The Amex Platinum card offer requires a lot of spend so one reader made an $11K estimated tax payment to meet that spend, but an agent later told them that kind of expense is not eligible for meeting spend requirement, outlining a few other ineligible expenses as well. Is this true? 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 your Southwest Companion can fly for free | Coffee Break Ep32 | 11-5-24
11/05/2024
How your Southwest Companion can fly for free | Coffee Break Ep32 | 11-5-24
A Southwest Companion Pass can be massively valuable if you use it a lot. In this episode of Coffee Break, we'll break down how you can fly with a friend for free using the Southwest Companion Pass. (00:26) - Overview - read our (00:46) - What is the Southwest Companion Pass? (03:36) - What are the requirements to earn a Southwest Companion Pass? (04:28) - Which points count? (13:02) - Online Shopping for the Southwest Companion Pass through the Southwest Rapid Rewards shopping portal (14:25) - Hotel partners, or book hotels through Rocketmiles (15:03) - Rental Cars (15:09) - Referring businesses for SWABIZ (25K per business) Visit 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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Advanced Award Booking Techniques | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep279 | 11-1-24
11/01/2024
Advanced Award Booking Techniques | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep279 | 11-1-24
If you learn a few advanced tricks, you can book awards for less miles than you'd think, and for better products or flights than you might think as well. (01:07) - About our Coffee Break: Earn miles while saving and paying for college | Coffee Break Ep31 | 10-28-24 | Podcast See (01:36) - Giftcards dot com added fee - it still seems to be earning GCdotcom rewards, but might not last (02:14) - One reader says as of 2024, you can rollover 529s into Roth IRAs. Learn more about our ongoing challenge at (05:44) - Quick recap SAS Eurobonus allows points pooling (Read more about ) (06:52) - Stephen is all booked! Read (08:35) - Read (11:36) - Greg: "Speed and Style" Read (17:05) - Marriott Homes & Villas promo: Stay 2+ nights & spend $1k+ to earn 30K bonus points Read more about the (18:24) - Choice enhances program in 2025 Read about (20:19) - Virgin Atlantic's dynamic award pricing is live Read more about (23:03) - United increasing elite requirements for 2025 (24:41) - DOT Refund Rule (26:56) - JetBlue's excellent status match Find our episode about . (27:39) - Last minute bookings/changes (29:53) - Same day changes (32:09) - What is Skiplagging? (35:37) - Mix cabins for lower prices (39:25) - Start to End Distance based pricing (43:37) - Weird pricing (45:50) - Distance based award tricks... (51:59) - Avoid sucky programs (1:01:33) - How can I time an Amex Platinum consumer card downgrade to gold card in order to get maximum credits from each, and what happens if I upgrade again later... would I get the benefits again? 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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Earn miles while saving and paying for college | Coffee Break Ep31 | 10-28-24
10/29/2024
Earn miles while saving and paying for college | Coffee Break Ep31 | 10-28-24
In today's coffee break, we'll talk about how to earn miles while saving for, and paying for college. There are mileage earning strategies for contributing to college savings, paying for college, or paying towards student loans. (01:23) - Use rewards credit cards to buy "gift of college" gift cards Read more about : (02:26) - Best options for buying Gift of College gift cards (06:06) - Best online option for buying Gift of College gift cards Visit here (07:56) - Use either of above to earn welcome bonuses with ANY card (08:37) - The Great Double Dip for earning while saving for college, and then again while spending for college Visit 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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Million Mile Madness 2024 | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep278 | 10-25-24
10/25/2024
Million Mile Madness 2024 | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep278 | 10-25-24
Have you heard about our newest team challenge yet? The good news is we have some prizes to share this time, and the bad news is...it is proving to be way more challenging than expected! (01:25) - One reader sends their appreciation for the fresh look of our podcast on YouTube. (02:47) - You can find (03:41) - Waived award redemption fees / surcharges, even on one-way tickets – with Cardless Qatar Card (08:02) - Citi adds Preferred Hotels iPrefer at 1:4 ratio [new transfer partner] (13:24) - Amex launches 200K Biz Gold / 250K BizPlat referral offers Learn more about the Learn more about the (17:42) - Hawaiian Business Card duplicate account number issue resolved...and more thoughts about Hawaiian / Alaska merger (21:15) - Chase reduces travel protections (31:45) - What crazy thing . . . .did Air France do this week? (36:37) - Transfer bonuses from Citi to Virgin and Wyndham: Yay or nay? (39:23) - Million Mile Madness! Find out more about (40:20) - SAS EuroBonus Millionaire basics... (42:29) - Is the SAS EuroBonus Millionaire promo worth it? (52:12) - Million Mile Madness 2024 - how you can participate and what you could win! (1:03:08) - Stephen's challenge status so far... Help (1:05:14) - Nick's challenge status so far... Help . (1:09:51) - Read our post on . (1:12:25) - . (1:15:44) - Greg's challenge status so far... Help . (1:26:15) - Check out . (1:28:08) - What are some best practices to make sure points don't expire? 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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AA vs Alaska: Which miles are more valuable? | Coffee Break Ep30 | 10-22-24
10/22/2024
AA vs Alaska: Which miles are more valuable? | Coffee Break Ep30 | 10-22-24
In a lot of ways, American Airlines and Alaska are similar programs - both in the One World alliance for example, with some reciprocal elite benefits as well. But they're plenty different as well. We'll discuss how these programs differ and why you mind find one better than the other. (00:26) - Comparing AA to the new Alaska program (starting 1/1/25) (00:34) - American Airlines and Alaska are Similar programs in a lot of ways... (01:48) - Why AA miles might be more valuable... (05:30) - Why Alaska miles may be more valuable... (08:36) - Free stopover on one-way award Learn : https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-book-alaska-mileage-plan-stopover-awards-video/ (10:57) - So which one do we think is best? 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 Airline's Exciting Mileage Plan Enhancements | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep277 | 10-18-24
10/18/2024
Alaska Airline's Exciting Mileage Plan Enhancements | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep277 | 10-18-24
Alaska Airlines is making some big changes in 2025! We'll talk about why we think these changes are exciting...(and will share an exciting announcement of our own!) (01:20) - Greg was recently curious about if the Hawaiian Miles personal card would be getting elevated offers and one reader says the answer is yes! Check your emails for higher offers! Listen to our : https://frequentmiler.com/podcast-alaska-hawaiian-airlines-wedding-planning-frequent-miler-on-the-air-ep269-8-23-24/ (03:25) - Fly 15 SkyTeam airlines (and credit to SAS or redeem SAS miles) by end of year and get 1 MILLION MILES... you all had ideas for us related to this challenge... (05:29) - Greg's post "" (Read the post here: https://frequentmiler.com/catching-up-on-2-weeks-of-big-miles-points-news) (07:04) - For the first time ever, the FM team will do 2nd challenge within 1 year...and we want you to participate! Read more about our : https://frequentmiler.com/start-your-engines-for-frequent-miler-million-mile-madness/ (19:47) - Alaska / Hawaiian transfers live (22:28) - Spirit Airlines adds free WiFi and ditches award fees for Free Spirit members. (23:56) - Virgin Atlantic to go to dynamic award pricing - companion and upgrade vouchers may become more usable (28:33) - Choice Privileges max award pricing for Preferred Hotels reduced from 118k to 87k. Only 9 out of 310 are currently priced 80K or higher. Meanwhile, 68 properties are priced 30K or lower. (30:43) - Bilt adds Accor Live Limitless and TAP Air Portugal as transfer partners. (36:18) - Marriott & Aeroplan launch reciprocal status match opportunity. (42:42) - Huge mostly positive changes to Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan coming 2025... Read more about the e: https://frequentmiler.com/alaska-mileage-plan-updates-earn-status-with-award-flights-credit-cards-shopping-portal-spend-more-other-changes/ (43:03) - Earning Elite Status with Alaska Airlines (53:59) - Mileage Plan Milestones (1:04:46) - Other changes (1:13:11) - Some more negative changes (1:15:14) - Summary of our assessments (1:17:46) - Someone wrote in asking if the Alaska changes change our mind about whether it makes sense to earn Alaska miles when paying rent through Bilt 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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Hyatt's partnership with AA: Deepened or Devalued? | Coffee Break Ep29 | 10-15-24
10/15/2024
Hyatt's partnership with AA: Deepened or Devalued? | Coffee Break Ep29 | 10-15-24
Recently news broke that Hyatt and American Airlines plan to change their partnership with each other. Was the partnership "deepened" like we suggested when we , or was it "devalued" ? (Or is it somehow both?) (00:41) - Read our post (02:49) - What is the current Hyatt / AA relationship like? (Until 12/31/24) (03:39) - New AA benefits for Hyatt elites... (08:33) - Comparing Old vs New (13:27) - Stephen's thoughts (14:21) - Nick's thoughts (16:57) - Greg't thoughts Visit 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 Nick booked his baller family of 4 round the world adventure featuring Taylor Swift in Europe, a free Mediterranean cruise, tropical beaches in Mauritius, and DisneySea in Japan | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep276 | 10-11-24
10/11/2024
How Nick booked his baller family of 4 round the world adventure featuring Taylor Swift in Europe, a free Mediterranean cruise, tropical beaches in Mauritius, and DisneySea in Japan | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep276 | 10-11-24
In today's episode, we'll look at how Nick booked his baller family of 4 a round-the-world adventure featuring Taylor Swift in Europe, a free Mediterranean cruise, tropical beaches in Mauritius, and DisneySea in Japan! (01:28) - Beware of agents erroneously telling you your free night certificate is not applicable at SLH properties! (05:30) - What is this segment even about? (And how should you evaluate opportunities?) (11:42) - Amex airline fee reimbursements Learn more about (19:05) - Read more about (22:22) - Getting to Europe on JetBlue in Mint (business) class via Qatar Avios Read how to book (27:25) - Getting around Europe (35:04) - “Free” MSC cruise from Venice to Montenegro, Croatia, Greece, and Italy Read how to get (39:45) - Venice to Paris: Air France Business Class via Virgin Atlantic for 9,000 points + ~$22 each (45:19) - Big Air Canada Aeroplan award from Paris to Japan (1:01:40) - Train to Tokyo (1:10:49) - Tokyo to Hawaii to New York (1:24:45) - Amex Gold card now has a coupon for a $7 Dunkin' credit. Does it work for Baskin Robins too? 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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Chase Ink Business Premier | Card Talk Ep9 | 10-10-24
10/10/2024
Chase Ink Business Premier | Card Talk Ep9 | 10-10-24
Not to be confused with the Preferred card, the Chase Ink Business Premier card is different in a few very important ways - most notably, it is a charge card and does not transfer directly to travel partners. (00:10) - The Chase Ink Business Premier is quite different from the Chase Ink Business Preferred, discussed in (01:28) - This is a Visa Signature Business Charge Card (02:23) - Earning with the Chase Ink Business Premier card (02:53) - Points are best used by cashing out (unlike other Chase Ink cards, which earn Ultimate Rewards points that can be transferred to partners.) (05:37) - Purchase protections include Cell phone protection (up to $1K per claim) and Travel protections (06:58) - Watch our video tutorial for or read . 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 – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads
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Is the Maldives worth it? | Ask Us Anything Ep70 | 10-2-24
10/08/2024
Is the Maldives worth it? | Ask Us Anything Ep70 | 10-2-24
In addition to our regular weekly podcast, we also host an Ask Us Anything Live on YouTube once a month where the Frequent Miler team answers listener questions about points, miles, rewards cards, and whatever else comes to mind. This episode originally aired on October 2, 2024. Greg was busy vacationing, but the rest of the gang answered a broad range of listener questions about points, miles, and rewards cards. (00:35) - Is the Maldives worth it? (06:25) - Nick, how painful will the virgin dynamic pricing be? (08:03) - Is anyone finding it harder to use debit cards for money orders? (10:45) -Why is award availability to Asia so bad right now, and is there any relief in sight? (15:13) - Which US airport hub do you like to transit through (ie ease of traveling through terminal, number of connecting destinations, lounge access, etc) (18:40) - Miles and Earn Burn is saying that the recently AMEX Biz Gold to Plat upgrade offer links may not be "safe" to use. What is your take? (20:44) - When do you think the strata elite or wells beyond will come out? (24:37) - In general, what services do you rec for big or ongoing purchases that don’t usually take credit cards? Other than the % fee, should we be careful using these services? (29:40) - Delta Amex companion certificates terms are very restrictive. Any best practices to find eligible fare class for non-holiday weekends far in advance? Read Greg's post about companion certificates here: Watch our How To video about using Delta Companion Certificates here: (31:42) - What has been the most outstanding deal so far in 2024 and will you do a coffee break if an outstanding deal happens? (36:33) - Hi FM Team, what was your most difficult / challenging travel experience and what did you learn from it? (49:25) - What do you guys think about Aero plan card in the context of them extending the PYB for travel at 1.25 Cpp especially with possible transfer bonus from Chase. Good way to cash Chase UR Points ? (51:32) - Does Amex allow stacking of offers? Specifically, looking to stack a $100 credit with a 15k MR point bonus for a Leading Hotels resort in Rome. The hotel is listed on both Amex offers. Thanks (52:47) - If the Barclays Aviator red converts to Citi Strata, can I product change to a Custom cash and immediately apply for Citi Strata for the SUB? (54:10) - Is there any airline proram where if i buy my ticket with miles I can still earn miles? TY 4 all you do! Subscribe and Follow 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.
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10 Best and 5 Worst uses of ThankYou Rewards | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep275 | 10-4-24
10/04/2024
10 Best and 5 Worst uses of ThankYou Rewards | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep275 | 10-4-24
Last week we talked about , but now we'd like to discuss some of the best (and worst) ways you can use your Citi ThankYou Rewards. Catch last week's episode about (01:17) - In a recent podcast Greg stated that United hadn’t before offered discounted business class awards to elites. One listener writes in with a correction that Platinum and 1K have had expanded access to saver awards in business class. (04:06) - How to evaluate credit card welcome bonus offers Compare all (11:57) - Counting down the best uses of ThankYou Rewards from least favorite to most favorite... Learn more about the (13:40) - 10. Transfer to Wyndham to book Vacasa, Cottages, etc. (15:30) - 9. Transfer to Emirates. Book Emirates 1st class for 102K (JFK to Milan, or Newark to Athens) Learn (17:19) - 8.Transfer to Turkish to book 10K one-way to/from Hawaii (18:12) - 7.Virgin: fly AF/KLM Business class to Europe starting at 48,500; also intra-Europe as low as 4K (19:55) - 6.Transfer to Avianca LifeMiles to book business class to Europe for 70K without surcharges (LifeMiles+) (22:11) - 5.Transfer to Choice 1 to 2. Book Nordic hotels, Japan, Preferred, etc. (24:19) - 4.Transfer to Leaders Club. Book Leading Hotels of the World for 1.6cpp (25:24) - 3.Transfer to Qatar Avios. Book Qatar QSuites for 70K Learn more about (27:30) - 2.Transfer to EVA Air Infinity MileageLands. One-way business class flights from the US to Taipei cost 75K to 80K miles (30:27) - 1.Transfer to Qatar Avios then to Iberia. Book Iberia biz class from east coast to Spain for 34K off-peak or 50K peak (33:42) - BEST USE: Transfer to Flying Blue. Book Air France/KLM biz class to Europe for 50K Learn more about (36:31) - Find out about (40:18) - WORST 5: Counting down from best of the worst to worst of the worst (40:34) - 5.Buy gift cards (41:46) - 4.Book travel through Citi (43:46) - 3. Transfer to AeroMexico (or transfer to ANY program to book low-value award) (44:59) - 2. Pay with Points (0.8 cpp value) (46:44) - 1. Shop with Points (usually: 0.8 cpp value) (49:38) - Do you have tips about rental car programs and how to maximize value with car rental rewards? 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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US Bank Altitude Connect | Card Talk Ep8 | 10-3-24
10/03/2024
US Bank Altitude Connect | Card Talk Ep8 | 10-3-24
This is one no-fee, cash back card that's worth talking about because of a few unique features, which we'll discuss in today's Card Talk. (00:34) - Basic details of the US Bank Altitude Connect card Read more about . (01:19) - Other (more unique) card perks (like complimentary Priority Pass Select with 4 free visits) Learn more about the . (03:23) - This card also comes with up to $100 in credits for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry (03:40) - US Bank Altitude Connect also comes with "GigSky" through November 15, 2025. GigSky advertises that you can "stay connected in over 125 countries with complimentary GigSky global mobile data plans." (08:11) - Important note: points cannot be moved from the Altitude Connect card to the Altitude Reserve card Visit 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 to book the world's greatest hotels with points | Coffee Break Ep28 | 10-1-24
10/01/2024
How to book the world's greatest hotels with points | Coffee Break Ep28 | 10-1-24
We all get especially excited when we use our points for knock-your-socks-off hotel properties. The Travel and Leisure's Top 100 list can be a useful way to get ideas about which properties have this wow-factor. Every year, Greg likes to go through this list and find which hotels can be reasonably booked with points. In this episode, he'll discuss his findings. (00:49) - The Best Points-Bookable Hotels in the World (2024) [based on Travel & Leisure Top 100] See Greg's (03:40) - How to book the Hyatt, Marriott, and IHG hotels (04:43) - How to book Hilton/SLH hotels (06:13) - Leading Hotels of the World / Leaders Club Learn more about (08:02) - See our (10:09) - Choice Privelages and Preferred Hotels (13:42) - The Citi Rewards+ advantage Read 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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How to Amass Citi ThankYou Rewards | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep274 | 9-27-24
09/27/2024
How to Amass Citi ThankYou Rewards | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep274 | 9-27-24
We've been talking a lot lately about such as transferring to Leading Hotels of the World, but how do you accumulate these points? That's what we'll talk about in today's episode of Frequent Miler on the Air. (01:20) - During Ask Us Anything, Greg said that Amex to Hilton transfer bonus would have to be 70% to match standard Chase to Hyatt transfer value. One reader thought of a situation where a 1.7 cents per point value could be reached via Bilt to Virgin Atlantic 125% transfer bonus for Platinum members. Watch our recent (07:53) - Hilton Aspire resort credit-eligible hotel list shrinks Read more about (09:29) - Targeted 120,000 Membership Rewards points Business Platinum upgrade offers Read more about (13:36) - Venture X and Venture X Business Cards: Hertz President's Circle status NOT ending 12/31. Read more about , and (14:50) - What crazy thing did Nick and Greg do? (They missed the 70K Hawaiian card bonus change to 50K, hours before discussing it on the podcast.) (15:10) - Listen to our conversation about (17:21) - What crazy thing did Barclays do? (21:15) - Targeted IHG double elite night credits on up to 2 stays through 12/31/24 () (28:01) - Wells Fargo Rewards® points now transfer to Virgin (29:02) - Targeted Avianca LifeMiles sale - 200% bonus (through MONDAY 9/30) () (31:46) - AA Targeted promo to get Loyalty Points when spending AA miles (32:37) - Melio business bill payment service now has paid membership tiers (35:28) - Pepper Rewards adds point history and pending point information . (39:23) - Spirit updates, including removing redemption fees and free wifi for Gold members (40:55) - ThankYou Rewards quick overview and basics Find out about . (46:23) - Welcome bonuses Learn more about the . Learn more about , and (50:54) - Earn through spend... (1:01:02) - Targeted Bonuses (1:02:44) - Retention Bonuses (1:07:19) - 2 person (or "2 player") strategy (1:10:10) - A reader won 50K American Airline miles from a work event and is considering accumulating more... 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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Citi tires of throupling. Will AA & Citi go exclusive? | Card Talk Ep7 | 9-26-24
09/26/2024
Citi tires of throupling. Will AA & Citi go exclusive? | Card Talk Ep7 | 9-26-24
There are two issuers of American Airline's credit cards - Citi and Barclays. But recent reports suggest American Airlines may be considering an exclusive arrangement with Citi as their only credit card issuer. (00:10) - Citi is in talks with American Airlines to become the sole issuer of American Airlines credit cards. Read more about the And read . (01:33) - Why might this be bad news? Read more about (05:10) - Why might this be good news? (08:58) - What should we do now to get ready for a Citi-only American Airlines credit card world? Read more about (13:09) - Read 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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Citi's transfer bonus to Leading Hotels of the World | Coffee Break Ep27 | 9-24-24
09/24/2024
Citi's transfer bonus to Leading Hotels of the World | Coffee Break Ep27 | 9-24-24
Leading Hotels of the World is a hotel loyalty program with loose affiliation to 400 luxury hotels around the world. You may recognize the name from Greg's recent post about the . (00:07) - What is Leading Hotels of the World Read Greg's recent post about the (01:35) - Citi standard Transfer to Leading Hotels of the World (02:35) - Leading Hotels of the World Details (and "Leader's Club" points) (04:05) - Greg's experience sampling Leading Hotels of the World using Citi ThankYou Rewards Read about (06:41) - Learn more about (07:41) - Who do we think this Citi transfer bonus is (and isn't) for? 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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Winning the Alaska x Hawaiian Airlines Merger | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep273 | 9-20-24
09/20/2024
Winning the Alaska x Hawaiian Airlines Merger | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep273 | 9-20-24
Alaska has announced that their merger with Hawaiian Airlines is complete! So what are the details, and what does this mean for us? We'll discuss this in today's episode. (01:36) - What's with the stupid virus pop-up on our website? (03:40) - Greg's update on the Pacific Northwest Points Travel Festival and some of the folks he met (09:04) - Read about 10-year old Walker's ! (11:57) - Learn more about . (12:50) - Big offers from Delta, Amex Marriot, IHG and more... Read more about Read more about the Read more about . Read more about the (25:22) - Read (30:00) - Read more about (31:39) - Read (33:14) - Read . (33:39) - Chase 50% transfer bonus to Marriott through 11/15. Learn more about . (37:15) - Rental car deals with Avis and National... (42:42) - Citi Transfer bonuses through Oct 19 Learn more about . Learn more about . (44:28) - Hilton adds over 100 additional SLH properties Read more about . (46:59) - In case you missed it, you can find our . (47:26) - Read more about . (47:54) - Quick facts (48:20) - Earn and redeem miles across both airlines (early 2025) (48:31) - Single loyalty program coming (Details mid 2025) (49:09) - Huaka'i by Hawaiian (for Hawaii residents) (50:16) - Seamless miles transfer (52:14) - We still have questions! (57:39) - Listen to . (1:01:39) - What are the short term opportunities to consider? (1:03:27) - Combine Alaska miles into one account for free! (1:06:10) - Apply now for Hawaiian Airlines cards before its too late...orr wait for better last-gasp offers? Learn more about the , and . (1:25:43) - A reader used their Amex Platinum to pay for the tax on an award ticket, then got a charge for trip delay. Doesn't this card already have travel delay covered, though? 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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Chase Ink Business Unlimited | Card Talk Ep6 | 9-19-24
09/19/2024
Chase Ink Business Unlimited | Card Talk Ep6 | 9-19-24
Learn about what makes the Chase Ink Business Unlimited card a popular business card, and learn how to apply. (00:10) - Learn more about the . (00:24) - Quick facts about the Chase Ink Business Unlimited card (00:43) - Chase Ink Business Unlimited earning rate: 1.5X on all purchases (01:17) - Sometimes you can earn more on specific categories: Currently you can earn 5X on Lyft through March 2025 for example (01:38) - Who can sign up for a business card like this? Learn about . (02:40) - The Chase Ink Business card earns Chase Ultimate Rewards Points (03:15) - This card has slightly more lenient rules than other Chase 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 – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads
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Debate: 30% Amex to Hilton Transfer Bonus. Should we do it? | Coffee Break Ep26 | 9-17-24
09/17/2024
Debate: 30% Amex to Hilton Transfer Bonus. Should we do it? | Coffee Break Ep26 | 9-17-24
There's a 30% transfer bonus through September 30th from American Express to Hilton. This means during the transfer bonus, 1,000 points would. become 2,600 Hilton points. Is this a good transfer bonus? Greg and Nick debate that point in today's Coffee Break. (00:26) - Quick facts about the transfer bonus... (01:28) - Past bonuses (02:10) - Nick says "No" to the 30% Hilton bonus (07:55) - Greg says "Yes" to the 30% Hilton transfer bonus (12:23) - But what about the "joy of free"? Read our post about . (14:24) - Conclusion 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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Chase points: 10 Best and 5 Worst uses of Ultimate Rewards | Ep272 | 9-13-24
09/13/2024
Chase points: 10 Best and 5 Worst uses of Ultimate Rewards | Ep272 | 9-13-24
Now that you've amassed a huge stash of Ultimate Rewards points after listening to Episode 271, how what? Today, we talk about the top 10 best (and bottom 5 worst) uses of Chase Ultimate Rewards points. 00:00 Intro 01:10 Announcements 01:12 New "How to" series on Youtube 02:54 Using buying groups to increase spend 04:10 Giant Mailbag: Online grocery is more broadly useful than you think 07:43 Card News 07:45 Increased offers on the Wyndham cards 11:39 What crazy thing.....did Wyndham Rewards do this week? 17:00 Mattress Running the Numbers: Aeroplan to Marriott to MGM 23:41 Award Talk 23:47 United vs Aeroplan 29:59 Discount partner awards for United Premier status 33:12 Which award search tool is best? 37:50 Graduate Hotels via Hilton Honors (earn & redeem is now live) 38:47 Main Event: Top 10 best and 5 worst uses of your Chase points 39:21 #10: Booking travel through the Chase Travel portal with the Sapphire Reserve at a value of 1.5c per points 40:40 #9: 70% transfer bonus to Marriott 42:07 #8 Transfer to Emirates and book first class from New York JFK to Milan or Newark EWR to Athens for 102,000 points + ~$130 44:41 #7 Transfer to United for positioning flights 48:10 #6: Transfer to British Airways Avios to fly Qatar Qsuites to Doha for 70K 49:58 #5: Transfer to Iberia Avios to book business class from the east coast to Europe from 34K Avios one-way 53:33 #4: Transfer to Hyatt to book a suite 56:10 #3: Transfer to Air Canada Aeroplan and book a multi-partner award with a stopover for just 5,000 additional miles 01:00:36 #2 Transfer to Flying Blue to book Air France or KLM Business Class for only 50K one way 01:05:33 #1 : Transfer to Hyatt to book hotels for great value 01:12:18 In-between: Cash out for $0.01 per point 01:14:18 The worst of the worst uses of Chase points 01:14:23 #5 Transferring to any program to book a low-value award 01:16:23 #4 Buying gift cards with your points 01:17:16 #3 Transfer to Marriott without a transfer bonus 01:18:45 #2 Using your points to shop at sites like Amazon 01:20:54: #1 Transfer points to IHG One Rewards 01:23:59 Question of the Week: How do you protect your miles and points? Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads
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How to handle gift card fraud | Ask Us Anything Ep69 | 9-4-24
09/12/2024
How to handle gift card fraud | Ask Us Anything Ep69 | 9-4-24
This time Tim was on vacation, but the rest of the Frequent Miler crew got together on YouTube for another Ask Us Anything, Live. (On the first Wednesday of every month, we host a live YouTube to answer your points and miles questions in real time!) (00:30) - How did TeamLabs "Borderless" compare with "Planets"? Read more about . (04:57) - What are your thoughts on new U.S. bank smartly credit card? (07:08) - Hi team! If I downgrade my Ritz card to get the Amex Brilliant sign up bonus, then upgrade again to the Ritz card, will that affect my Ritz 85k certificate? Anything to be careful of so I don’t lose the 85k Ritz certificate? (08:56) - What is one place (non-US) destination that has a bad reputation for tourists and doesn't deserve it or alternatively is very overrated? (16:45) - Hi Greg, I was 0 for 3 on my CC applications for Barclays Hawaiian Airlines Personal, Barclays Hawaiian Airlines Biz, and Bank of America Sonesta. Did you have better luck with your CC applications? (18:16) - Any suggestions on how to improve odds on getting targeted for useful Amex? offers? (20:28) - I want to stay at Hilton Tokyo Bay for Fam of 5 - Disneyland and Disney Sea…. what card should I get first? Are there specific rules to follow like Marriott? (26:04) - I have big spend coming up, capacity for ~20k in spend, but I can’t get business cards. Any recommendations on sign up bonuses/big spend bonuses? Read more about . (27:57) - Have you ever had issues with gift card fraud? How would you deal with it? (31:13) - What parts of Japan besides Kyoto and Tokyo do you enjoy (33:07) - How much of a transfer bonus from Amex to Hilton would you find to be on the same level as the normal 1:1 transfer from Chase to Hyatt? (34:38) - I have United Silver, is booking basic economy on United and/or Star Alliance partners still going to give me the free checkin luggage? (35:34) -What’s the best bet for a new card or downgrade to keep Amex points when cancelling a Gold? My husband has a Business Platinum and it's too hard to get all the benefits/offsets for a second one. (39:16) - What is the best use of Avios after all the short-haul devaluations? (40:16) - What is your favorite hotel ecosystem for long term commitment? (42:42) - Nick, I got the surpass on July 31 and close to meeting spend. want to work towards the 15k spend for 2nd free night certificate but need to pause since I got approved US Bank Altitude Reserve. Will spend in 2025 before anniversary count? (44:13) - What's your best guess on how long the JetBlue status match offer will be active? I have JetBlue cash flights booked in October (domestic) and December (Mint to London). Trying to time it right. (45:24) - Can’t book JetBlue economy via Qatar? I tried using the article for finding mint via Qatar using ITAmatrix. I used “P” fare class for economy Got the calendar, but Qatar website doesn’t show the flights. (47:44) - what's the best award booking using Lufthansa miles without the exuberant taxes and best way to find availability? (49:43) - Planning trip to Ghana or Kenya next June. Would like to use Flying Blue and Qatar to stop in Ams and Doh. Is it worth it to transfer points now hoping award prices come down closer to the trip? (51:17) - Why don't you guys have a (paid) service for your subscribers to help make award bookings? I've been following for almost a couple of years. I know you teach us to do it on our own, but... (54:36) - NICK and Greg shared an amazing video about finding award availability on Jetblue and booking via Avios. I believe They used Matrix.Ita. Is there a way to find united availability using same process Watch the . (56:25) - Should I go for the Hilton Surpass now for the 150k sign up bonus that I can find via incognito browser or wait for a better offer? 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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Pete Buttigieg's war on airline loyalty devaluations | Coffee Break Ep25 | 9-10-24
09/10/2024
Pete Buttigieg's war on airline loyalty devaluations | Coffee Break Ep25 | 9-10-24
It seems like we report a new loyalty program devaluation each week. Awards cost more, fees go up, etc.. But the U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wants that to stop, sending letters to America's 4 largest airlines demanding information about loyalty program devaluations. In this Coffee Break episode, we'll discuss what this might all mean! (00:26) - U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wants that to stop. Read more about this . (01:11) - Let's hear the press release... (03:15) - AA, Delta, Southwest, and United were ordered to submit information by Dec 4. Here are the categories of information requested... (09:17) - Details indicate a fairly deep understanding of loyalty program issues. (10:28) - What good might come out of this? (14:08) - What bad might come of this? (17:13) - Will anything happen at all? 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 to amass Chase Ultimate Rewards | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep271 | 9-6-24
09/06/2024
How to amass Chase Ultimate Rewards | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep271 | 9-6-24
We love Chase Ultimate Rewards primarily because of the ability to transfer to partners (and we specifically love the ability to transfer to Hyatt.) Chase Ultimate Rewards is actually one of the best ways to get Hyatt points, in fact. We'll talk more about amassing Chase Ultimate Rewards (and why you would want to) in this episode of Frequent Miler on the Air. (01:18) - A reader experiences an issue with a price on his Etihad award that was not as advertised... (08:43) - Read more about the . (10:21) - Read more about the . (19:47) - Read our . (21:29) - Double Elite Night Credit on Marriott Homes & Villas (Targeted, Book by 9/20, stay by 12/31) . (32:34) - 30% transfer bonus from Amex Membership Rewards to Hilton Honors (thru 9/30) (33:24) - Reminder: 30% transfer bonus from Amex Membership Rewards to Avios (thru 9/30) (33:40) - 20% transfer bonus from Capital One to Air France / KLM Flying Blue (thru 9/29) (35:20) - Preferred Hotels now up to 118,000 Choice points (not long ago 55K max!). Read more about great value . (40:03) - We all know that Chase Ultimate Rewards points are super valuable... Learn more about . (41:55) - How to get the Chase Ultimate Rewards points... (42:04) - Chase Ultimate Rewards welcome bonuses Read more about . (42:22) - What are the rules for applying for Chase cards? (What is the 5/24 24 month, 48 month, etc): See our . (42:59) - There are lots of Chase cards available... Again, you can learn more about . (45:29) - Which Ink Business card is not like the others (and will not earn you points that can be transferred to partners)... (48:59) - Earning Chase Ultimate Rewards via referral bonuses (51:06) - 2 Player Mode for Chase Ultimate Rewards (54:28) - What can you earn as you spend on Chase cards? and (1:05:12) - Chase's shopping portal (and other miscellaneous ways to earn Chase Ultimate Rewards points) (1:07:12) - When does it make sense to credit paid flights to a different airline's frequent flyer account (within the partner airline)? (1:10:23) - Learn more about our . (1:11:59) - 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 – “Ocean Deep” by
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World of Hyatt Business Credit Card | Card Talk Ep5 | 9-5-24
09/05/2024
World of Hyatt Business Credit Card | Card Talk Ep5 | 9-5-24
You can read more about the or listen to this episode of Card Talk to hear a quick but useful summary on the World of Hyatt Business card. (00:15) - World of Hyatt Business Card Earning rate and card fee (00:56) - World of Hyatt Business Card Perks (02:03) - What does the "elite qualifying night credit" perk mean? (02:36) - Hyatt Leverage membership (05:01) - Do we like this card and who is this card good for? (10:15) - Find podcast . 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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JetBlue's Excellent Status Match | Coffee Break Ep24 | 9-3-24
09/03/2024
JetBlue's Excellent Status Match | Coffee Break Ep24 | 9-3-24
JetBlue is out with an opportunity to earn status for 3 months by matching from Delta, United, American Airlines, or Alaska elite status. Don't worry if you don't have status in any of those yet - in this episode we'll also talk about how to get some of these statuses quickly and easily to do this match. (00:00) - Read more about . (01:23) - Match to Mosaic 1 or 2 for 3 months. What is Mosaic 1 or 2? (03:57) - Details about the challenge (04:23) - "Tiles" may be earned for this promotion in only three ways... (09:10) - What if you don't have one of these statuses yet? (10:28) - How to get status quickly with Delta (2024) (11:30) - How to get status quickly with American Airlines (12:18) - How to get status quickly with Alaska (2024) (13:09) - Listen to . (13:20) - Listen to podcast . (14:42) - A somewhat risky idea for possibly getting almost two years status 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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Hyatt Elite Milestone spending vs Mattress running | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep270 | 8-30-24
08/30/2024
Hyatt Elite Milestone spending vs Mattress running | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep270 | 8-30-24
CORRECTION NOTE: We've got a correction to add to this episode! In this episode Greg says with the Hyatt Business card you can get back $100 per year on spend at Hyatt hotels: $50 in first 6 monhts and $50 in second 6 months, but we need to correct that! In truth, you can get up to $100 back per membership year, $50 at a time, but you don't have to wait 6 months: you could make two payments in rapid succession to get the full $100. Thanks for your patience with this correction! Hyatt's elite program can be really valuable - for instance when you reach certain milestones you can get valuable perks, and there's multiple ways of reaching those milestones. In this episode, Greg and Nick debate the best way of getting there. (01:21) - Multiple readers (coincidentally named both forms of "John") chime in with feedback from recent podcast episodes... (01:42) - Find podcast . (04:21) - Find podcast . (07:34) - Nick experiences a crazy Hilton resort fee for using the pool (11:42) - Bilt's September 1 Rent Day promo. Should Greg transfer his points? Read more about . (20:58) - Bilt adds Walgreens FSA & point earning Read more about . (28:34) - Delta (probably gone) : US to Taipei on Delta One from 98,000 SkyMiles (83,300 for Delta cardholders) Read more about . (33:26) - (35:10) - Read Greg's post . (36:59) - Read Nick's (39:49) - Hyatt Milestone Details: Earn valuable benefits after every 10 qualifying nights starting at 20 nights (but real value starts at 30)... (47:20) - First let's talk about mattress running... (52:54) - Credit card spend options... (52:56) - Learn more about . (53:43) - Learn more about . (56:26) - Which is better - mattress running or credit card spend? (1:07:33) - A reader just discovered you can redeem Cathay Pacific miles for hotels and wonders if we've heard of anyone doing 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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Chase Ink Business Preferred | Card Talk Ep4 | 8-29-24
08/29/2024
Chase Ink Business Preferred | Card Talk Ep4 | 8-29-24
Chase Ultimate Rewards points are a valuable transferable points currency, and the Chase Ink Business Preferred card is a great card for earning this valuable currency. In this episode, we discuss what makes this a great card, and if it's a good card to keep year after year. (00:30) - Learn more about the . (00:34) - The Chase Ink Business Preferred card earns Ultimate Rewards points (00:48) - Usually has great welcome bonus (01:30) - Earning rate: 3X travel, shipping, internet, cable, phone, and advertising with social media sites (up to $150K spend per year) (02:44) - Other noteworthy perks of the Chase Ink Business Preferred card (04:34)- What are the approval rules for this card? (For example, what is the 5/24 rule and how does it apply here?) (07:19) - Is this a keeper card?
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