Rewards credit cards are often most valuable for their welcome bonuses, but many of them also have very valuable perks just for having the card. So which credit cards have the best perks for a variety of categories? (Learn more about all the best current credit card offers here .) (00:40) - Best airport lounge benefits? (07:34) - Best Automatic Elite status (10:45) - Best award discount/rebate (12:59) - Best Automatic Free Night (no spend required) (15:57) - Best Companion Ticket (18:45) - Best ...
Nov 19, 2024•20 min
United recently announced an increase in elite requirements for 2025 . Will Delta follow suit? Luckily, for this year, there's still time... (02:18) - A reader has a datapoint for us about the Equinox credit saying: "My wife successfully used the equinox credit for a massage. She enrolled in an equinox plus membership that came with a 7 day free trial. She was able to book and complete her massage within the 7 day trial period. The credit posted within 2 days and she canceled the membership." (0...
Nov 15, 2024•42 min•Ep. 281
Kiva is a clearing house for microlenders to help them find funding for microloans. You don't earn interest on these loans, but this can be an interesting way to accumulate spend on reward cards without fees... (00:37) - Kiva is like a clearinghouse for microlenders to help them find funding Read more about Kiva loans here: https://frequentmiler.com/why-i-love-kiva-for-earning-rewards-and-doing-good/ (01:32) - You choose which loans to fund and how much to fund. (You do not earn interest. At bes...
Nov 12, 2024•9 min
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 t...
Nov 08, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 280
A Southwest Companion Pass can be massively valuable if you use it a lot. In this episode of Coffee Break, we'll break down how you can fly with a friend for free using the Southwest Companion Pass. (00:26) - Overview - read our complete guide to the Southwest Companion pass here. (00:46) - What is the Southwest Companion Pass? (03:36) - What are the requirements to earn a Southwest Companion Pass? (04:28) - Which points count? (13:02) - Online Shopping for the Southwest Companion Pass through t...
Nov 05, 2024•19 min
If you learn a few advanced tricks, you can book awards for less miles than you'd think, and for better products or flights than you might think as well. (01:07) - About our Coffee Break: Earn miles while saving and paying for college | Coffee Break Ep31 | 10-28-24 | Podcast See episode 31 of Coffee Break "Earn miles while saving and paying for college" here. (01:36) - Giftcards dot com added fee - it still seems to be earning GCdotcom rewards, but might not last (02:14) - One reader says as of ...
Nov 01, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 279
In today's coffee break, we'll talk about how to earn miles while saving for, and paying for college. There are mileage earning strategies for contributing to college savings, paying for college, or paying towards student loans. (01:23) - Use rewards credit cards to buy "gift of college" gift cards Read more about earning miles for college here : https://frequentmiler.com/miles-for-college/ (02:26) - Best options for buying Gift of College gift cards (06:06) - Best online option for buying Gift ...
Oct 29, 2024•15 min
Have you heard about our newest team challenge yet? The good news is we have some prizes to share this time, and the bad news is...it is proving to be way more challenging than expected! (01:25) - One reader sends their appreciation for the fresh look of our podcast on YouTube. (02:47) - You can find all our how-to videos on our Resources page here. (03:41) - Waived award redemption fees / surcharges, even on one-way tickets – with Cardless Qatar Card (08:02) - Citi adds Preferred Hotels iPrefer...
Oct 25, 2024•2 hr 34 min•Ep. 278
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 Alas...
Oct 22, 2024•16 min
Alaska Airlines is making some big changes in 2025! We'll talk about why we think these changes are exciting...(and will share an exciting announcement of our own!) (01:20) - Greg was recently curious about if the Hawaiian Miles personal card would be getting elevated offers and one reader says the answer is yes! Check your emails for higher offers! Listen to our episode about the Hawaiian / Alaska merger here : https://frequentmiler.com/podcast-alaska-hawaiian-airlines-wedding-planning-frequent...
Oct 18, 2024•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 277
Recently news broke that Hyatt and American Airlines plan to change their partnership with each other. Was the partnership "deepened" like we suggested when we wrote this post , or was it "devalued" like our readers thought in the comments ? (Or is it somehow both?) (00:41) - Read our post "Hyatt & American Airlines deepen partnership, add more reciprocal earning opportunities" here. (02:49) - What is the current Hyatt / AA relationship like? (Until 12/31/24) (03:39) - New AA benefits for Hyatt ...
Oct 15, 2024•20 min
In today's episode, we'll look at how Nick booked his baller family of 4 a round-the-world adventure featuring Taylor Swift in Europe, a free Mediterranean cruise, tropical beaches in Mauritius, and DisneySea in Japan! (01:28) - Beware of agents erroneously telling you your free night certificate is not applicable at SLH properties! (05:30) - What is this segment even about? (And how should you evaluate opportunities?) (11:42) - Amex airline fee reimbursements Learn more about airline fee reimbu...
Oct 11, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 276
Not to be confused with the Preferred card, the Chase Ink Business Premier card is different in a few very important ways - most notably, it is a charge card and does not transfer directly to travel partners. (00:10) - The Chase Ink Business Premier is quite different from the Chase Ink Business Preferred, discussed in episode 4 of Card Talk here. (01:28) - This is a Visa Signature Business Charge Card (02:23) - Earning with the Chase Ink Business Premier card (02:53) - Points are best used by c...
Oct 10, 2024•8 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 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 dyn...
Oct 08, 2024•57 min
Last week we talked about how to earn Citi ThankYou Rewards , but now we'd like to discuss some of the best (and worst) ways you can use your Citi ThankYou Rewards. Catch last week's episode about accumulating Citi ThankYou Rewards here. (01:17) - In a recent podcast Greg stated that United hadn’t before offered discounted business class awards to elites. One listener writes in with a correction that Platinum and 1K have had expanded access to saver awards in business class. (04:06) - How to eva...
Oct 04, 2024•56 min•Ep. 275
This is one no-fee, cash back card that's worth talking about because of a few unique features, which we'll discuss in today's Card Talk. (00:34) - Basic details of the US Bank Altitude Connect card Read more about the US Bank Altitude Connect card updates here . (01:19) - Other (more unique) card perks (like complimentary Priority Pass Select with 4 free visits) Learn more about the US Bank Altitude Connect card here . (03:23) - This card also comes with up to $100 in credits for TSA PreCheck o...
Oct 03, 2024•10 min
We all get especially excited when we use our points for knock-your-socks-off hotel properties. The Travel and Leisure's Top 100 list can be a useful way to get ideas about which properties have this wow-factor. Every year, Greg likes to go through this list and find which hotels can be reasonably booked with points. In this episode, he'll discuss his findings. (00:49) - The Best Points-Bookable Hotels in the World (2024) [based on Travel & Leisure Top 100] See Greg's analysis of points-bookable...
Oct 01, 2024•17 min
We've been talking a lot lately about unique uses for Citi ThankYou points such as transferring to Leading Hotels of the World, but how do you accumulate these points? That's what we'll talk about in today's episode of Frequent Miler on the Air. (01:20) - During Ask Us Anything, Greg said that Amex to Hilton transfer bonus would have to be 70% to match standard Chase to Hyatt transfer value. One reader thought of a situation where a 1.7 cents per point value could be reached via Bilt to Virgin A...
Sep 27, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 274
There are two issuers of American Airline's credit cards - Citi and Barclays. But recent reports suggest American Airlines may be considering an exclusive arrangement with Citi as their only credit card issuer. (00:10) - Citi is in talks with American Airlines to become the sole issuer of American Airlines credit cards. Read more about the Citi / American Airlines news here. And read the original source article here . (01:33) - Why might this be bad news? Read more about the best American Airlin...
Sep 26, 2024•15 min
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 best points-bookable hotels in the world here . (00:07) - What is Leading Hotels of the World Read Greg's recent post about the best points-bookable hotels in the world here. (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) ...
Sep 24, 2024•15 min
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 first place win at the USA Mullet Championship here ! (11:57) - Learn more about the next Points Travel Festival here . (12:...
Sep 20, 2024•2 hr 32 min•Ep. 273
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 Chase Ink Business Unlimited card here . (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...
Sep 19, 2024•5 min
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 ab...
Sep 17, 2024•19 min
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 https://frequentmiler.com/increased-welcome-offers...
Sep 13, 2024•2 hr 32 min•Ep. 272
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 our TeamLabs experience here . (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 Br...
Sep 12, 2024•1 hr
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 airline rewards probe here . (01:11) - Let's hear ...
Sep 10, 2024•20 min
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 Chas...
Sep 06, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 271
You can read more about the World of Hyatt Business card here 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 Ep270 "Hyatt Elite Milestone ...
Sep 05, 2024•11 min
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 JetBlue's status match here . (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 earne...
Sep 03, 2024•19 min
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 pro...
Aug 30, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 270
