Award Travel 101

One of the keys in this hobby is maximizing the return on your spend. Joe and Angie talk about the ways to never earn only one point per dollar again. They discuss the idea of building a portfolio/family of cards that return more value. Some good references.TravelGasGroceryDiningOffice Supply & CommunicationsStreamingEverywhereOur friends at CardPointers also provide a fantastic tool to make sure you are using the best card for every purchase. Get CardPointers and SAVE:http://cardpointers.com/at101Links to other Topics discussedWhen and How You Can Book Award Flights for Friends and FamilyIncreased Marriott Bonvoy Credit Card Offers: Up to 185K Points or 5 Free NightsGet Access to Hidden Award Space with United Credit CardsWorld of Hyatt’s Annual Sadness-Inducing Award Changes AnnouncedLittle-Known Southwest Credit Card Perk: 20% Off Discount Code for Southwest Reward FlightsWhere 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.

In this episode's highlight feature, "Let’s Get Crafty," we explore various strategies to maximize credit card rewards tailored to different situations. Whether you have a "Player Two" or are flying solo, Angie and Joe guide you through evaluating upcoming trips and selecting the best cards in 4 scenarios: Scenario 1: Two player mode, both people can get business cards  Scenario 2: Two player mode, only one person can get business cards Scenario 3: Two player mode, no business cards  Scenario 4: Single player mode, no business card  Links to Topics DiscussedEtihad Guest ChangesAwards to Book Before They're GoneCapital One to Purchase Discover?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.

John Ryan is very young and active in the Award Travel 101/201 community and writes for Bougie Miles. He talks with Joe about how his passion for travel began at a very young age. As primarily an economy flyer he discusses the different ways to approach budget travel.Contact info for John:john.ryan@fora.travel@vegasteenager on XWhere 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.

Joe and Angie talk about the value of transferable over fixed points and how to best leverage them for maximum value utilizing the strength of transfer partners. Links to topics DiscussedAir France–KLM Flying Blue Award Sweet SpotsAmex Adds ‘Family’ Restrictions to the American Express® Green CardBook Now: Turkish Airlines to Devalue Miles & Smiles, Introduce New Award ChartsUnited Award Routes That You Can Book for Just 6,000 Aeroplan PointsBack to Basics: An Introduction to the Types of Reward PointsAT101 Transfer Partner ChartWhere 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.

Many of us in this hobby involve our significant others in our award travel strategy, thereby activating "two player mode" which often allows us to double our earnings. However having a Player 2 does also come with it's own costs and frustrations. We have to make sure that P2 uses the correct cards (labels help) but also travel with them (costing more) to utilize the points they helped earn.Links to Topics DiscussedDelta card changes - are the changes all bad?Marriott promo - promo runs February 13 - April 29Wyndham Rewards Earner Business card Keep earning simple for P2 with a 1.5X (or greater) cardChase Freedom Unlimited Chase Ink UnlimitedCapital One Venture XTip of the WeekMarry a P1 (kidding). Shopping portal strategy for valentines day presents. 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.

This week Joe interviews Award Travel 101 community member Allison Tackette who joins us to share tips she's learned over 10 years in the space.Allison is a former teacher who wanted to get out and see the world, but her time off in the summer often resulted in finding peak season pricing. Travel CAN be expensive if you're always paying cash, but pushing people to the brink helps them get creative!Leveraging close-in bookings are often the best ways Allision was able to score some killer redemptions. She highlights some of the aspirational flights she was able to score and gives advice on how to find others inside or 14 days or less including:LufthansaANAJALEmiratesUnsold business/first flights to Australia and New Zealand often open up around a week out (non-airline specific) Which programs offer you the greatest flexibility? Where  You Can Find AllisonInstagram: @luckytictacawardtravelvacations.comWhere 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.

Having a solid credit history is a paramount goal in the Award Travel hobby. Angie and Joe talk about strategies for building healthy credit and finding better offers.Guide to Building Healthy CreditCredit Card StrategyApplication Rules of 4 Major IssuersLinks to topics discussed United Offers (Outrageous) Premier Elite Status Buy-Up OffersNew Alaska Consumer & Business cards as well as  Hyatt Consumer & Business offersDid Marriott just #Bonvoy MGMNew Lounge opening - who can get in?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.

Joe is joined by the most frequent guest of the podcast, Toni Perkins-Southam. Many of you may remember Toni as the longest-running Award Travel 101 moderator and community admin. Toni spent almost five years in the community (two years as a community manager) before taking a position with Forbes Advisor. Toni shares how she got her start writing with AwardWallet and continued her journey after her tenure at Award Travel 101 from 2017 to 2022.Toni's Tip of the weekIf you are already going crazy, might as well do it someplace cool!Where To Find Toni@tonisoutham on InstagramToni Perkins-Southam Forbes advisor profiletperkins@forbesadvisor.comWhere 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.

Joe and Angie recap their prior year card openings and point earning.  Highlight feature: 2023 Trip RecapsAngie: 12 new cardsSUB  = 1.4M pointsReferrals = 390KPoints used = 1.2M (double prior year)Joe: 14 new cardsSUB = 1.5M points + HH FNAReferrals = 500KSpend = 100K Shopping portals = 100KTip of the weekIt's a new year,  with new credits. We mentioned this back in Episode 45, so use all your credits and perks. Don’t wait!Links to topics discused:Updates on the 737-Max9 - is it safe?Top 10 Card offers of 2024Now Live - Hyatt Milestone Rewards Offer Expanded Choices This YearThe Best Business Class Award Sweet Spots for Flights to EuropeWhere 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.

It's a new year and Joe and Angie talk about their resolutions for 2024, including:AngieUpdate and use all/more features of AwardWalletClean up Google PhotosClean up multiple email accountsCreate a spreadsheet of all my cardsExplore casino matching for free cruisesJoeCiti/Barclays AA companion certs - never use(4) UA Club passes - making sure to use(2) Gold monthly Dining credits - I rarely use these(2) Amex Platinum Streaming credits with only one in use and (4) Walmart Plus subscription credits with one in useLinks to news discussedBook Hilton Free Night Awards via ChatAmex Adds Family Language to Marriott cardsChanges to Bilt Rewards StatusAmex Business PlatinumChase Ink Business card bonusWhere 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.