Joe returns to host, joined by first-time guest James He and former moderator Eric Holly. The highlight post covers a member’s lost hotel item and how travelers handle forgotten valuables. In the news: Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer devaluation, a new JetBlue–United partnership allowing reciprocal earning and redemptions (with limited premium space), and a rare 25% Chase transfer bonus to Southwest. The team also shares their latest credit card bonuses, milestone progress, and efforts to trim down annual fees.
Trip updates include Eric’s California work travel and future Portugal plans, James’ upcoming premium-class flights to Asia, Africa, and Europe, and Joe’s family trip to Atlanta plus speaking appearances at Chicago Seminars and Zorkfest.
Main topic: JetBlue’s “25 for 25” challenge. Both Eric and James completed it—visiting 25 JetBlue destinations to earn 350K points and Mosaic 1 status for 25 years. Each spent around $3,500 and built trips around existing plans. They explain how to qualify, eligible flights, and why the long-term rewards make it worthwhile. The episode wraps with tips on status matching and using tools like Plastiq to help meet spend goals.
Where to Find Us
- The Award Travel 101 Facebook Community.
- To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
- You can also email us at 101@award.travel
- Buy your Award Travel 101 Merch here
- 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.
