How Kyle Booked a Trip to England & Scotland on Points & Miles

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May 29, 2025

Explore how to book dream trips using points and miles with insights from Kyle's adventure to England and Scotland. Discover tips for securing a business class seat for just 29,000 points and unique hotel stays, including a castle in Scotland. From Phoenix's exciting new nonstop flight to Asia to the bittersweet changes in Southwest Airlines, the hosts discuss the evolution of travel. Plus, don't miss Gunnar's hilarious recount of British beer-drinking rules during a Chelsea match!

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ADVICE

Real ID and Early Flights Matter

Get your Real ID or passport ready for summer travel to avoid delays at security.
Book the earliest flights possible as they have the lowest chances of delay and cancellation.

ADVICE

Best Time to Book Flights

Aim to book flights in August for better prices and lighter crowds especially to Europe.
Take advantage of lower business class fares during June and July when business travel dips.

INSIGHT

Business Travel Drives New Routes

Business travel demand primarily drives new nonstop international flight routes like Phoenix to Taipei.
Major corporate investments can influence airlines to add new routes to serve employee travel needs.

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This week, Kyle walks us through how he booked an epic trip to England and Scotland using points and miles. There’s a business class award to London, an economy flight home, and plenty of flights, hotels and other travel expenses in between. Plus, Phoenix gets its first nonstop flight to Asia and we say goodbye to the Southwest we knew and loved. Do yourself a favor and stick around for Gunnar’s cant-miss, ridiculous story of his own trip to London … when he learned some of England’s beer-drinking rules the hard way at a consequential Chelsea match.

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00:45 - Our top tips for the busy summer travel season (& will Real ID matter?)

05:45 - Something hot: Phoenix’s strange (but explainable) Starlux nonstop flight to Taipei

10:30 - Something cold: Pouring one out with a goodbye to the old Southwest

14:50 - A word from our sponsor: Sign up for our (free) Daily Beat Newsletter today!

16:10 - The Extra Mile: Exactly how Kyle booked a points & miles trip to England and Scotland this summer

19:15 - How he (and about seven other Thrifty Traveler team members!) booked business class for just 29,000 points each way thanks to Virgin’s new pricing mode

22:00 - Booking a nonstop Delta flight home … but not with SkyMiles

28:30 - The best car rental booking tool out there: AutoSlash

31:00 - Booking a hotel stay at a castle in Scotland using Hilton points (at the old, cheaper rate)

32:30 - Using Capital One’s $300 travel credit to fill in the rest

37:00 - Gunnar’s legendary story of learning England’s beer-drinking laws at a Chelsea soccer match the hard way…

42:10 - Listener Question: The Concorde in our studio

45:45 - On the Spot: Travel re-treads, or what trips would we try again? Or not?

Produced by Gunnar Olson & Jackson Newman
Edited by David Strutt
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot

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