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 Chase Ink Business Preferred card here . (00:34) - The Chase Ink Business Preferred card earns Ultimate Rewards points (00:48) - Usually has great welcome bonus (01:30) - Earning rate: 3X trave...
Aug 29, 2024•16 min
We know occasionally you may have to actually pay for a hotel night (instead of using your points and free night certificates.) In this episode we'll dissect how to even go about deciphering how rewarding your paid stays are. (01:28) - How do we go about even calculating which hotel program is most rewarding on paid stays? Read more about which hotel loyalty programs are most valuable here . (03:17) - There are a few things our analysis did not consider... (03:59) - Which programs are most rewar...
Aug 27, 2024•19 min
Late 2023, Alaska Airlines announced that it planned to acquire Hawaiian Airlines and just last week, the DOJ allowed the merger to move ahead. Today, we'll talk about how to prepare for this "wedding" between programs. (01:12) - The value of my Life miles just disappeared into Finn Air Listen to Ask Us Anything Ep69 here . Listen to Frequent Miler on the Air Ep268 "Best Uses for Virgin Points" here . (02:25) - Dell no longer selling many 3rd party items (headphones, etc) (03:59) - Amex Business...
Aug 23, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 269
The Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard is a new card that's coming out soon to replace the old Bank of America Virgin Atlantic Flying Club credit card. In this episode, we'll discuss more about this upcoming credit card. (00:10) - The Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard replaces the old Virgin Atlantic Flying Club credit card Learn more about the Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard here . (02:10) - Earning rate : 3X Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Hotels and Virgin Voyages ✦ 2X dining, at grocery stores, on select strea...
Aug 22, 2024•14 min
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 August 14, 2024. (10:19) - Does Cathay Pacific still do multi-cabin award pricing? I tried both as a one-way and multi-city routing and the price remains the same online and speaking to a rep on phone. (10:59) - How often can I upgrade -...
Aug 20, 2024•1 hr
You can use these points for cruises, hotels and some really compelling deals on flights, of course. In this episode, we'll discuss some of our favorite uses for Virgin Points. (01:28) - Tips for using AutoSlash for car rentals... (06:50) - The Amex Gold card's Dunkin' benefits can apparently be used at Baskin Robbins! Read more about the Amex Gold Card here . (09:58) - Qatar devaluation impacts using Qatar Avios to book American & Alaska (14:06) - Read more about award ticket change and cancell...
Aug 16, 2024•55 min•Ep. 268
Chris Hutchins is the host of a podcast called "All the Hacks" where he talks about not just travel hacks, but life hacks as well. In today's episode, he shares some of his favorite life hacks with us. (01:09) - You can find the episodes where Chris Hutchins interviewed Greg and Nick on All the Hacks here : https://frequentmiler.com/check-out-greg-and-nicks-podcast-guest-appearances-with-chris-hutchins/ And you can find all the episodes of All the Hacks here : https://www.chrishutchins.com/ (02:...
Aug 13, 2024•20 min
We get asked a lot about how to travel as a family...or how to make family travel better . In today's episode of Frequent Miler on the Air, we'll talk about tips for family travel. (01:11) - Everyone wants more family travel tips! See our Ask Us Anything episode 68, "How do you travel with young kids?" here. (03:31) - Free Spirit Travel More Mastercard Learn more about the Free Spirit Travel More Mastercard here . (12:46) - Don't forget that Qatar Avios can be used to book American Airlines flig...
Aug 09, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 267
There's a rewards program that's in common between Expedia, Hotels.com and VRBO. As a rewards program, it was fairly disappointing, but does that mean Wells Fargo's new One Key+ card is also going to be disappointing? We'll talk about it in today's Card Talk episode... (01:50) - Noteworthy perks of the Wells Fargo One Key+ card... (04:02) - Is the Wells Fargo One Key+ a good card? Read more about the Wells Fargo One Key+ card here (08:42) - Good alternatives to the Wells Fargo One Key+ card Find...
Aug 08, 2024•13 min
On a previous podcast, we discussed the most rewarding card for groceries and dining, picking ~4 cards we thought were good for both of these categories. We got a lot of feedback with other suggestions for cards readers thought we should have included. Were they right? Let's discuss... Find podcast episode 20 here: The most rewarding card for groceries & dining | Coffee Break Ep20 | 7-30-24 (02:11) - Why did we leave out Citi Custom Cash? Learn more about the Citi Custom Cash card here . (3:06) ...
Aug 06, 2024•19 min
We love points that are transferable because we love the optionality of transferring to different hotel and airline partners, but also because there are sometimes transfer bonuses that you can take advantage of to maximize that value - just another reason to love transferable points. (01:33) - Conflicting reports on the ability to transfer IHG points for FREE (01:39) - Find How to gift free hotel nights - Ep265 here (09:20) - Huge Amex Membership Rewards offers (10:25) - Read more about the Amex...
Aug 02, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 266
The Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card has no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, and a decent earning rate. This makes it a pretty easy card to justify keeping. In this episode of our brand new series "Card Talk", we'll highlight all the other notable elements of this card to help you determine if it's right for your wallet. (00:00) - Read more about the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Card here. (00:29) - What is the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Card earning rate? (01:00...
Aug 01, 2024•5 min
Everybody eats! So everyone can make use of earning opportunities at restaurants or grocery stores. In this episode, we'll talk about our 4 favorite credit cards for exactly this. (01:31) - Amex Gold Card earns 4 points per dollar for US grocery stores (up to $25K in spend) and 4x for restaurant dining Read more about the Amex Gold Card here . (03:22) - Citi Strata Premier earns 3 points per dollar for grocery and 3 points per dollar for dining Read more about the Citi Strata Premier Card here. ...
Jul 30, 2024•19 min
(00:00) - Ever wanted to gift a free hotel night to someone else? In today's episode of Frequent Miler on the Air we'll discuss the ways you can do this! (01:18) - In response to Greg's post "Hilton Honors is winning me over, but I’d like one more enhancement…" one reader wonders, "Does Hilton pay influencers to do this?" (Read that post here: https://frequentmiler.com/hilton-honors-is-winning-me-over-but-id-like-one-more-enhancement/ (Mailbag) (03:55) - Updating Card Talk (05:40) - American Exp...
Jul 26, 2024•1 hr•Ep. 265
The Amex Gold Card is about to change. In this episode we'll review the current details for this card, the changes we predict to see, and whether those changes are good or bad. (01:05) - Current card details Learn more about the Amex Gold Card here (02:13) - What's (allegedly) changing? (04:50) - What might be good about these changes? (07:51) - Is it still worth recommending? (15:20) - Which card do we recommend instead for good rewards on grocery and dining? Read more about the Capital One Sav...
Jul 23, 2024•20 min
There are a bunch of hotel credit card offers that are bigger than usual right now, some of them pretty surprising. That's what we'll discuss in this episode of Frequent Miler on the Air. (01:20) - Booking Hilton stays with a mix of points and a free night award - just watch for a 3 night minimum. (Mail Bag) (05:32) - Read how to find SLH hotels bookable with Hilton points and free night certificates using Rooms.aero here (06:29) - At least TWO FM followers got the Wyndham Hotel Pass! (What Craz...
Jul 19, 2024•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 264
(01:37) - Carrie saw Greg speak at Chicago Seminars in 2013 - the topic was Million Mile Madness. (02:10) - The next summer (2014) Drew and Carrie were invited to the "Ann Arbor Art Fair Do". While in Ann Arbor, they met Greg for kayaking. (05:02) - Over the next few years, Carrie periodically did freelance projects for Greg (including an infographic about Redbird, layout design for the card page, editing YouTube videos for Greg's Necker Island visit, etc.) Read more about Greg and Carrie's Neck...
Jul 16, 2024•20 min
Hilton has brought on their partner Small Luxury Hotels of the World which has been a bit more exciting than we expected it would be. In today's Frequent Miler on the Air episode we'll discuss more. (01:07) - a note about the alliteration in "pop-up prison" vs "pop-up jail" (Mail Bag) (02:56) - IHG Premier 60K certs (Card Talk) Read more about the IHG Premier 60K cert offer here : https://frequentmiler.com/chase-ihg-premier-card-best-ever-offer-5-60k-free-night-certificates/ (08:37) - Greg booke...
Jul 12, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 263
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. (01:25) - How do I know how much my points and miles are worth (and are all points and miles worth the same?) (06:04) - I switched an upcoming trip to take a better flight the next day, which means I have to change Hilton/Hertz reservations. Both of them will re-price t...
Jul 09, 2024•1 hr 6 min
The Amex Platinum card has had great welcome bonuses for a while now, but it's a very expensive card. Are there reasons to keep the card once the annual fee comes due? That's what we'll discuss in today's Frequent Miler on the Air episode. (01:36) - Online chat for immediate Avios refunds? (Mailbag) (05:26) - Wells Fargo Attune Card (Card Talk) Read more about the Attune card here. (17:49) - Hyatt promo: Earn 1k bonus points + double elite nights at 15 Florida properties (Mattress Running the Nu...
Jul 05, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 262
Sonesta is a hotel chain with more than 1100 properties that we haven't paid much attention to until Tim wrote a recent post about the Sonesta Travel Pass , a program that sort of came out of nowhere. In this week's Coffee Break episode, we'll chat more about why you shouldn't siesta on Sonesta! (01:24) - Sonesta Travel Pass Basics (04:04) - Elite Status (06:49) - Shortcuts to elite status (11:22) - Points from paid stays (13:08) - Sonesta Travel Pass credit card Read more about the Sonesta card...
Jul 02, 2024•20 min
Amex has long had rules against getting a new welcome bonus for a card you’ve had before. Now, they’ve expanded those rules to include "families" of cards. In this episode we'll help you navigate this confusing and tedious concept. (01:31) - With pointsyeah a reader found an interesting redemption for ANA first class... but found a great discount for “suffering” in economy to HND. (Mailbag) Read more about Avianca LifeMiles’ awesome mixed-cabin award pricing - First Class for less (05:15) - Sout...
Jun 28, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 261
On a previous Coffee Break episode, we talked about the Frequent Miler origin story – Greg’s story . This week, we'll learn about Nick's origin story with the Frequent Miler team. (00:47) -Super quick recap of next 5 years from the start of the blog Greg posted a "Help Wanted" for full time employee, which you can read here (02:21) - How Nick got into miles and points (12:09) - Nick discovers Frequent Miler at an FTU (13:58) - Greg and Nick meet in person at another FTU (16:37) - Nick's wife con...
Jun 25, 2024•24 min
(00:00) Intro: There are a multitude of ways to fly to Hawaii using miles and points (and even many ways to get a deal on cash tickets). On this week's show, we discuss ways to fly to Hawaii from around the US from as few as 10K or 13.5K points each way. (01:06) New FM intro (03:22) Card Talk: Sonesta World Mastercard https://frequentmiler.com/sonesta/ -Card Details -What are points worth? (16:00) What crazy thing . . . did Marriott and Starbucks do this week? https://frequentmiler.com/link-marr...
Jun 21, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 260
(00:00) The Wall Street Journal reported friction in the relationship between Wells Fargo & Bilt. What was reported and what do we make of the details? Find out in this episode of Coffee Break. (01:16) What the Wall Street Journal Article says (02:01) Digging into article details a bit about the Bilt / Wells Fargo relationship (06:34) Fraud and Money Laundering Concerns (09:44) The Wells Fargo and Bilt response (10:34) WSJ article key points quick summary (11:12) Our take about what this all mea...
Jun 19, 2024•20 min
Greg and Nick have been consumed with last-minute travel the last week and a half so it's great timing for them to summarize 10 important tips for last-minute award travel. (01:17) - Standing ovation for the annual challenge! (Mailbag) (06:43) - Annual Challenge recap and overview Watch the Stage 1 recap video here : https://youtu.be/bMt_NfuuINI?feature=shared Watch the Stage 2 recap video here : https://youtu.be/gyJPtTZN1EE?feature=shared Watch the Stage 3 recap video here : https://youtu.be/HT...
Jun 14, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 259
Greg and Nick are busy returning home from a jam-packed week competing in our 2024 annual team challenge "Flying by the Seat of our Points". For this coffee break episode, we've highlighted a portion of the final livestream from Kuala Lumpur where the team reflects on the highlights (and lowlights) of their individual journeys. You can find out all kinds of details about this challenge here: https://frequentmiler.com/2024-annual-challenge/
Jun 11, 2024•19 min
This episode is a little different because Greg and Nick are busy competing with eachother for the Flying by the Seat of our Points Challenge! If unfamiliar, every year we put together a team travel challenge designed to force us to reach challenging and entertaining goals with our points and miles, and showcase what can be done with these tools. It's a fun way to stretch the limits of points and miles and show you all what that actually looks like. For this year's annual challenge, Stephen and ...
Jun 07, 2024•37 min•Ep. 258
(00:00) - You know that sinking feeling when you know things are going wrong? With a brand new travel challenge just launched last night , we've got our past travel challenge snafus in mind. Coffee Break: Our worst travel challenge moments (02:53) - 40K to Far Away Learn more about the 2019 40K to Far Away Challenge here . (03:09) - Greg: Train breaks. Bus breaks Read Greg's story about his South African misadventures here . (06:18) - Nick: Asleep on bus, can’t enter Bangkok, bike ride to nowher...
Jun 04, 2024•19 min
Nick has loved LifeMiles for a long time but Greg has traditionally been less convinced. Recent changes make Greg curious to hear more about Nick's long-time love of LifeMiles. Can Nick convince Greg to become a fan? (01:33) - On Ep 255: Strategizing Hilton cards, credits, and free nights, Greg’s podcasted plan left people with questions about family language for Hilton cards (Mailbag) Find episode 255 here. (05:12) - Hilton cards with new welcome bonuses (Mattress Running the Numbers) Learn mor...
May 31, 2024•2 hr 37 min•Ep. 257
