Credit card hiccups and strategies

Episode 157 of the Award Travel 101 podcast features Angie Sparks in conversation with Tim Qin, founder of the award search tool Roame.Travel. The episode opens with a timely highlight from the Award Travel 101 community, where a member used a Roame alert to snag ANA First Class for 108,000 Avianca miles—award space that no other search tool caught. Angie then runs through the latest news, including Iberia’s 40% off award promotion (making Europe reachable for as few as 9,600 Avios), elevated welcome offers on IHG credit cards, and a brief mention of the newly announced (and somewhat confusing) Bilt 2.0 redemption options.

In the “bonuses and updates” segment, Angie shares recent card application adventures in her household, including abandoning a complicated Bilt Palladium application and dealing with a frozen credit report on a Wells Fargo Autograph Journey application. She also outlines her current strategy to earn a Hilton Free Night Certificate and extra United miles by timing large insurance payments. On the travel front, Angie discusses the challenge of sorting through conflicting information on Swiss train passes, while Tim checks in with his own updates.

The main topic dives deep into Roame.Travel, with Tim explaining what inspired him to build the tool, how its vision has evolved, and what differentiates it in an increasingly crowded award search space. They discuss how Roame can be especially powerful for casual users through alerts and streamlined searches, upcoming enhancements, and current limitations—such as airlines the tool doesn’t yet support, including British Airways and Cathay Pacific. The conversation gives listeners a clear sense of where Roame fits into the award travel ecosystem and how to get the most value out of it.

Episode Links:

• Iberia Promo
• IHG Welcome Offers
• Bilt Cash Redemption Options

Where to Find Us

1. The Award Travel 101 Facebook Community.
2. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
3. You can also email us at 101@award.travel
4. Buy your Award Travel 101 Merch here
5. Reserve tickets to our Spring 2026 Meetup in Phoenix now. award.travel/phx2026

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!

Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Technical note: Some user experience difficulty streaming the podcast while connected to a VPN. If you have difficulty, disconnect from your VPN.