Frequent Miler on the Air

Long the laughing stock of the award travel world, recent findings in analyzing award redemption opportunities show that Delta SkyMiles is striking back against popular perception. With a new award discount for cardholders that looks to be as advertised and international business class deals connecting the dots outside of the US, it is possible to get better value out of SkyMiles than you may have otherwise assumed. Join our email list: https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ 00:40 Giant Mailbag 5:04 Mattress Running the Numbers Double-header 5:05 Wyndham Rewards points sale (too late, but good to know) https://frequentmiler.com/buy-wyndham-points-from-0-975c-each/ 7:42 Citi to offer 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club https://frequentmiler.com/citi-thankyou-30-transfer-bonus-to-virgin-atlantic-feb-19-mar-18/ 14:06 What crazy thing....did Caesars Rewards do this week? 18:28 Frequent Miler 2023 Team Challenge Update 23:45 Awards we booked this week: Greg books Vacasa https://frequentmiler.com/wyndham-vacasa/ 31:05 Awards we booked this week: Gifting Hyatt free night certs https://frequentmiler.com/bet-you-didnt-know-gift-hyatt-free-night-certificates-to-someone-else/ 33:30 Main Event: SkyMiles Strikes Back 34:18 15% discount on awards for cardholders https://frequentmiler.com/no-catch-deltas-15-discount-is-real/ 44:53 Opportunities for good value using SkyMiles for premium cabin international awards https://frequentmiler.com/delta-skymiles-business-class-deals/ 57:06 Question of the Week: After Hyatt, which hotel program should be your #2 choice? Music credit: Annie Yoder

Hidden city ticketing could save you a lot of money or miles, but it comes with both challenges and risks. Some find it appealing, others find it unethical. Greg and Nick discuss the details. Join our email list: https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ 00:00 Introduction 00:42 Giant Mailbag 05:19 Mattress running the numbers: Now exchange points between Choice and Radisson https://frequentmiler.com/now-convert-radisson-points-to-choice-privileges-at-a-21-ratio/ 13:04 The News: Delta 15% discount on awards for cardholders https://frequentmiler.com/delta-launches-takeoff-15-cardholders-save-15-on-award-flights/ 18:25 Awards we booked this week: JAL business class for 5 https://frequentmiler.com/wide-open-japan-airlines-business-class-space-not-all-phantom/ 26:00 Main Event: Hidden city ticketing: techniques, challenges, and ethics What is it? https://frequentmiler.com/hidden-city-ticketing-can-save-you-an-absurd-amount-of-miles-with-some-key-caveats/ 30:25 Drawbacks / warnings 30:36 You can never skip anything but the final segment 33:01 Keep it simple: don't check bags 36:40 Irregular Operations (IRROPS) 39:39 Make sure you qualify for entry to the destination of your ticket 40:40 Techniques to find hidden city ticket opportunities 41:05 Skiplagged 42:36 One more warning: Airlines don't like this practice 45:39 Google Flights 49:17 Use cheap prices as a starting point for looking at awards 52:30 Look at flying to Mexico or maybe Canada 53:04 Look where regions meet 56:01 Mixed-cabin award pricing (Avianca LifeMiles, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, and Virgin Atlantic for Air France or KLM) https://frequentmiler.com/cathay-pacific-asia-miles-mixed-cabin-award-pricing-first-class-for-less/ https://frequentmiler.com/avianca-lifemiles-awesome-mixed-cabin-award-pricing-first-class-for-less/ 00:13 Downside of hidden city award tickets 1:01:32 Seats.aero for finding these opportunities 1:03:50 Ethics: Is this practice unethical? 1:18:55 Question of the Week: Is relying on close-in award availability a viable travel strategy, or am I setting myself up for a world of pain? Music credit: Annie Yoder

Do you often read about the luxury travels of bloggers and think "That's nice, but it's not possible to do that with an entire family!"? This week, Greg and Nick decided to bet the Frequent Miler team's reputation as points and miles wizards on our ability to create an amazing trip for not one or two people, but for all five of us. Join our email list: https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ 00:00 Introduction 1:18 Mattress running the numbers: Bilt Rent Day Promo: 100% transfer bonus to Hawaiian Miles 5:45 Mattress running the numbers: Marriott promo for double elite night credits https://frequentmiler.com/marriotts-surprisingly-good-new-promo-earn-1k-bonus-points-per-night-double-elite-nights/ 9:36 Noteworthy news this week Bilt integration with Point.me https://frequentmiler.com/bilt-adds-free-point-me-integration-for-award-searches-with-partners/ 12:22 30 Million+ Amex points for readers https://frequentmiler.com/30-million-membership-rewards-points-earned-by-frequent-miler-insiders-on-referral-threads-in-1-year/ 17:08 Awards we booked this week, AKA... 17:24 Main Event: First Class for 5. Gambling on Frequent Miler's 2023 challenge. https://frequentmiler.com/ana-first-class-wide-open-award-tickets-early-2023/ 59:19 Question of the Week: Will Delta protect your booking if you're traveling on two separate tickets booked via Virgin Atlantic? Music credit: Annie Yoder

What's the strongest transferable points wallet you can muster with just a $250 budget for annual fees? Will Greg or Nick come up with the killer combo -- and can yours beat theirs? 00:00 Intro 00:59 Giant Mailbag 03:32 What crazy thing . . . did Capital One do this week? https://frequentmiler.com/can-the-premier-collection-really-compete-with-fine-hotels-resorts-and-the-sort/ 09:03 Mattress running the numbers: A potentially lucrative Wyndham promotion https://frequentmiler.com/decent-wyndham-all-inclusive-promo-earn-5x-points-get-100-property-credit/ 14:06 Main Event: The single-best $250 wallet for point collectors 18:15 Nick's gas station card 18:39 Greg's gas station card 19:12 Greg's grocery cards 20:20 Nick's grocery cards 22:10  Nick's dining card 22:43 Greg's dining card 23:45 Greg's travel card 24:10 Nick's travel card 25:23 Nick's phone and Internet 26:10 Greg's phone and Internet card 27:14 Greg's everywhere else card 28:00 Nick's everywhere else card 28:56 All of the extra cards 33:55 Question of the Week: What's the best card to pay for a $100K cruise? What about $150K in taxes?

Fresh off the plane from New Zealand, Greg shares highlights from his trip and we discuss the best ways to fly to and stay in New Zealand using points and miles. Subscribe to our email list: https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ 1:06 Giant Mailbag 3:06 What crazy thing . . . did Chase and Aeroplan do this week? https://frequentmiler.com/unlimited-pay-yourself-back-for-travel-at-1-25c-for-aeroplan-cardholders/ 9:47 Mattress running the numbers https://frequentmiler.com/40k-choice-points-100-amex-gift-card-w-bluegreen-vacations-timeshare-offer/ 15:56 Awards we booked this week 21:35 Main Event: Doing New Zealand with points 23:36 United Polaris mini-review 30:48 Qantas business class mini-review 37:23 Ways to book to NZ on points https://frequentmiler.com/best-ways-to-get-to-australia-new-zealand-south-pacific-using-miles/ 42:53 Cheapest way to NZ on points in business class 47:24 How to book impossible awards https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-piece-together-an-impossible-award/ 49:48 The best program for impossible awards 54:27 What are your options for staying in New Zealand? 54:48 Park Hyatt Auckland 1:03:27 The George (SLH via Hyatt) 1:17:14 Eichardt's Private Hotel (SLH via Hyatt) https://frequentmiler.com/eichardts-private-hotel-a-gem-in-queenstown-new-zealand-bookable-with-hyatt-points/ 1:21:24 The Carlin (SLH via Hyatt) 1:24:36 Other options on points in Queenstown 1:24:57 Holiday Inn Express 1:33:55 Question of the Week: Can you do a free stopover in Honolulu on an Alaska award? Music credit: Annie Yoder

Airline, hotel, and rental car programs treat their best customers to the highest level of recognition. Are the perks worth your loyalty? Which elite benefits are the best in the business? This week, we talk about our favorite elite benefits in each of several categories. Join our email list: https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ 00:42 Giant Mailbag 2:43 What crazy thing . . .fourple header! 3:10 What crazy thing . . . did Southwest Airlines do this week? https://frequentmiler.com/southwest-compensating-passengers-25k-points-each-as-a-goodwill-gesture-check-your-email/ 7:28 What crazy things . . . has Marriott done this week? https://frequentmiler.com/marriott-gives-55-elite-night-credits-to-those-with-the-right-card-combination/ 9:47 40K choice benefit free night certificate valid for two years? 10:51 Greg's invisible 40K free night cert https://frequentmiler.com/like-a-thief-in-the-night-watch-out-for-marriotts-latest-naughtiness/ 12:33 Main Event: Elite treats. The best elite benefits int he business. 12:43 Best airline elite benefit https://frequentmiler.com/complete-guide-southwest-companion-pass/ 16:45 Honorable mention via Delta 17:30 Best Hotel elite benefits in the business 17:39 Best on-property benefits 19:58 Best milestone awards 21:42 Best return on spend for top-tier elites 25:11 Best Rental car elite benefit: National free nights https://frequentmiler.com/using-national-free-days-for-one-way-car-rentals-sweet-spot-spotlight/ 27:53 Best casino elite benefits https://frequentmiler.com/caesars-diamond-celebration-dinner/ https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-cruise-for-next-to-nothing/ https://frequentmiler.com/why-you-might-want-to-book-atlantis-while-you-can-via-caesars-diamond-status/ 31:30 Question of the Week Music credit: Annie Yoder

We regularly report on great deals, but this week we discuss the cream of the crop as we try to narrow down the best of the best deals of 2022.  Join our email list so you don't miss great deals like these: https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ 00:50 Giant Mailbag https://frequentmiler.com/frequent-milers-2022-state-of-the-business-report/ 3:55 What crazy thing...did Southwest Airlines do this week? https://frequentmiler.com/southwest-having-operational-meltdown-no-end-in-sight/ 11:10 Mattress running the numbers: Caution on those end-of-year mattress runs 15:45 Awards we booked this week: Alaska one-way with a stopover on a domestic award 18:50 Main Event: What is the 2022 Deal of the Year? 19:40 Amex Offer for 6% back at Belk https://frequentmiler.com/lucrative-belk-amex-offer-make-almost-200-profit-card-linked-portal-earnings-credit-card-rewards/ 25:16 Capital One Shopping offers for 24-30% back https://frequentmiler.com/digging-the-capital-one-shopping-browser-extension/ 29:25 Brussels to New York in business class for 25.5K Avianca LifeMiles https://frequentmiler.com/25-5k-business-class-brussels-to-new-york/ 30:40 Amex Business Platinum No Lifetime Language offers https://frequentmiler.com/more-amex-nll-offers-170k-business-platinum-and-100k-business-gold-targeted/ https://frequentmiler.com/targeted-earn-200000-membership-rewards-when-getting-amex-business-platinum-business-checking/ 33:45 Amex Business Checking 60K offer https://frequentmiler.com/amex-business-checking-cash-out-membership-rewards-points-without-a-schwab-card/ 36:15 Cruise line status matches https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-cruise-for-next-to-nothing/ 39:58 Ritz-Carlton Visa becomes more valuable for the same annual fee https://frequentmiler.com/yes-the-ritz-card-is-now-the-best-value-marriott-card/ 42:38 United offered business class to many parts of the world for 60K miles one-way https://frequentmiler.com/united-offering-60k-biz-class-awards-to-many-locations-worldwide-4-seats-in-many-cases/ 47:00 Narrowing it down and crowning a winner 1:04:09 What are your elite status plans for 2023? Music credit: Annie Yoder

This week, we throw regular segments out the window and cover your end of year checklist before diving into the 2022 Bonvoyed Awards, where we discuss which program has Bonvoyed us the worst in 2022. 01:37 Elite status https://frequentmiler.com/marriott-titanium-achieved-heres-how-i-sprinted-to-the-finish/ 06:34 Expiring free night certs https://frequentmiler.com/gift-hotel-points-free-night-certificates-and-award-nights-booked-with-points-rules-by-program/ 13:41 Airline fee credits https://frequentmiler.com/amex-airline-fee-reimbursements-still-works/ 18:36 Now is the time to apply for Amex Platinum cards 20:14 Saks credit https://frequentmiler.com/platinum-card-saks-credit-what-can-you-get-at-saks-with-50/ 24:34 Fine Hotels & Resorts or The Hotel Collection https://frequentmiler.com/find-your-own-fine-hotels-resorts-deals/ 29:12 Dell credits 35:50 2022 Bonvoyed Awards 37:00 Radisson International 38:35 Hilton's war on breakfast 43:17 Emirates 45:17 Delta's Triple Threat 51:39 Capital One Venture X 54:08 American & United 57:18 Chase Pay Yourself Back 1:05:20 Question of the Week: Where is Aalborg? Music credit: Annie Yoder

American Airlines clearly is not a player-hater: the newly revamped AAdvantage Loyalty Points program seems to be designed with an eye toward gamification. Gone are the days when George Clooney's character from Up in the Air was the ideal of an airline's best customer because this new program values those of us who earn miles without flying. Listen in to hear us discuss our takeaways form this week's AAdvantage announcement -- and a lot more. Join our email list: https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe 1:00 Giant Mailbag: Thanks for the tip on how to use Dell credits https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-convert-xbox-egift-cards-into-microsoft-store-credit/ 4:20 What crazy thing....did Capital One do this week? https://frequentmiler.com/capital-one-shut-me-down-again/ 9:31 Mattress running the numbers: Revamping our Reasonable Redemption Values for hotel points https://frequentmiler.com/what-are-marriott-bonvoy-points-worth/ https://frequentmiler.com/what-are-hyatt-points-worth/ https://frequentmiler.com/what-are-hilton-points-worth-and-should-we-buy-points/ 22:19 Awards we booked this week: Apply Delta Upgrades online https://frequentmiler.com/apply-delta-upgrade-certificates-online/ 30:26 Main Event: American Airlines takes elite gaming to the next level  https://frequentmiler.com/sweeping-changes-at-american-airlines-is-it-more-aadvantageous/ 1:00:08 Question of the Week: How do you know which hotels are eligible for the Hilton Aspire resort fee credit? A weird reader data point. https://www.hilton.com/en/resorts/ Music credit: Annie Yoder

Aeroplan adds the ability to book Emirates awards, British Airways lets you pay more Avios and less money, JetBlue totally revamps its loyalty program and more. Greg and Nick discuss this week's big loyalty news and more. Join our email list to read even more: FrequentMiler.com/Subscribe 00:28 Giant mailbag: Etihad sweet spot on Asiana https://frequentmiler.com/best-ways-to-get-to-asia-using-miles-premium-cabins/ 3:16 What crazy thing....did Southwest Airlines do this week? 7:30 Mattress running the numbers: Necker Island is back and there's a 30% transfer bonus. Is it worth it? https://frequentmiler.com/necker-island-book-with-virgin-points/ 18:09 Awards we booked this week: IHG search results weirdness (don't forget to scroll to the bottom!) 20:49 Main Event: Airline loyalty shakeup: Big news from Aeroplan, British Airways, JetBlue, and more 21:05 Aeroplan adds the ability to earn & redeem on Emirates https://frequentmiler.com/book-emirates-through-aeroplan-econ-business-now-first-class-to-come/ 30:09 British Airways adds option to pay more Avios and less money https://frequentmiler.com/british-airways-adds-option-to-use-more-avios-less-money/ 36:26 Alaska adds the ability to book El Al online https://frequentmiler.com/transfer-partner-master-list/ 40:12 JetBlue's new loyalty program https://frequentmiler.com/jetblue-adding-multiple-elite-status-levels-in-2023/ 1:01:49 Question of the Week: How long does it take for Marriott elite nights to post when you get a new credit card? Music credit: Annie Yoder