Frequent Miler on the Air

Get JetBlue Mosaic-like benefits or Alaska elite-like benefits without ever setting foot on a plane with the American Airlines Loyalty Point game. This week Greg and Nick discuss some reasons you may be missing that might make it worth playing the game. 1:11 Giant Mailbag 2:29 What crazy thing....did Capital One Shopping do this week? 5:35 Mattress running the numbers: Should you do the American Airlines elite status fast track if you have Hyatt elite status? https://frequentmiler.com/american-airlines-launches-a-fast-track-to-status-for-hyatt-elite-members/ 15:50 Awards we booked this week: Hyatt Regency MCO 17:51 American Airlines Loyalty Games Hidden Treasures https://frequentmiler.com/aas-loyalty-point-pursuit-game-earn-status-w-out-flying/ https://frequentmiler.com/aa-status-win-complimentary-extra-legroom-seating-on-jetblue/ 44:59 Question of the Week: What is the best card for unbonused spend? https://frequentmiler.com/best-everywhere-else-rewards-cards/ Music credit: Annie Yoder

Did you know that Amex partners with United and that your favorite UR card might be the one that indirectly offers Grubhub+? On this week's Frequent Miler on the Air podcast, Greg and Nick discuss some of the strange secret partnerships you can find in your wallet and why they may be of interest. Join our email list: frequentmiler.com/subscribe 1:26 Giant Mailbag 3:25 What crazy thing...did Wyndham do this week? 8:15 Mattress running the numbers: Bilt offers 100% transfer bonus to IHG 12:35 Awards we booked this week 15:45 Strange bedfellows and secret alliances 16:25 Amex Platinum Declared partnership: Disney+, Hulu, ESPN through Digital Entertainment Credit Secret relationship: HBO and Showtime (through Hulu) Secret relationship: Paramount+ (through Walmart+) 19:12 CSR Declared relationship: DoorDash Secret relationship: GrubHub+ (via Lyft Pink) 22:56 Amex Declared relationship: Marriott. Easiest path to Marriott Titanium status Secret relationship: United MileagePlus (for elite status) 28:10 United Declared relationship: Marriott Weird relationship: IHG 31:34 Question of the Week: Can I stack Rakuten and the Capital One Shopping extension? Where do I find my Capital One Shipping money? Music credit: Annie Yoder

Whether you're doing some holiday shopping or making day-to-day purchases, you want to stack to get as much back as you possible can. Getting the best deals means peeling back a lot of layers. 00:51 Giant Mailbag 5:46 What crazy thing double header First up: What crazy thing did Hyatt do this week? 11:43 What crazy thing did Marriott do this week? 17:05 Mattress running the numbers: Should we GoWild with Frontier? https://frequentmiler.com/frontier-gowild-all-you-can-fly-pass-599/ 22:39 Awards we booked this week 26:18 Main Event: Extreme stacking for extreme savings https://frequentmiler.com/holiday-shopping-savings-tips-tools/ 27:01 How we find good deals 1st: Slickdeals & Slickdeals Live view 29:24 CamelCamelCamel.com 30:58 Shopping Basket Trick 38:19 Shopping Portals 38:45 How portals work 43:48 How do you find a good portal? 49:15 Best Practices for portaling & favorite portals 59:34 Portal referral bonuses 1:01:43 Capital One Shopping (no Capital One credit card required) https://frequentmiler.com/digging-the-capital-one-shopping-browser-extension/ 1:12:45 Capital One Offers (card required) 1:14:05 Credit Card rewards (welcome bonuses, category bonuses) 1:20:40 Card-linked offers https://frequentmiler.com/card-linked-programs-the-networks-they-run-on-aka-which-programs-stack/ 1:38:18 Question of the Week: In 2 player mode, is it possible to to gift hotel free night certificates so that Player 2's certs can be given to Player 1 to enjoy their elite benefits? https://frequentmiler.com/gift-hotel-points-free-night-certificates-and-award-nights-booked-with-points-rules-by-program/ Music credit: Annie Yoder

Are miles and points free? Do we use them for "free travel"? Does how we earned the miles make the travel more or less free? This week, we talk about costs and trade-offs of "free" travel. Join our email list: https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ 00:43 Giant Mailbag 04:59 What crazy thing....did Barclays do this week? Arrival Plus adds transfer partners https://frequentmiler.com/barclays-arrival-plus-adds-transfer-partners-are-more-changes-in-the-offing/ 10:44 Mattress Running the Numbers: Why Greg isn't transferring to Aeroplan https://frequentmiler.com/chases-30-transfer-bonus-to-aeroplan-is-awesome-but-im-not-buying-on-my-mind/ 16:27 Awards we booked this week Greg: A weak use of a Cat 1-7? Nick: Hyatt suite success 26:20 Main Event: Award travel is free! No, it's not! Does it matter? https://frequentmiler.com/the-joy-and-myth-of-free-travel/ 27:39 Opportunity Cost 31:16 Redeeming points: is it free? 42:50 When people say "my travel is free", are they talking about the earning or redemption side? 52:55 Is acquisition cost relevant to your redemptions? 1:08:44 Does free matter? What is the Joy of Free worth? 1:20:05 Question of the Week: How can one meet minimum spending requirements on business cards?

Does two years of free companion travel and points to cover more than $1500 in airfare sound good to you? Southwest Companion Pass Open Season has officially begun and this week we discuss strategies to take advantage of one of the best deals in domestic (and Mexico/Central America/Caribbean) travel. Join our email list: https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ 1:00 Giant Mailbag: Is the Alaska Airlines Visa worth it anymore? 4:00 What crazy thing....did Chase do this week? 6:42 What crazy thing double header! What crazy thing...did Greg the Frequent Miler do this week? 9:54 Awards we booked this week -Nick: Business class summer 2023 to Europe on Air France under 50K per passenger, from Europe for 25.5K per passenger in business class https://frequentmiler.com/25-5k-business-class-brussels-to-new-york/ https://frequentmiler.com/peak-summer-4-business-class-seats-on-air-france-including-to-brussels/-Greg: Marriott frustrations over website eerrors and free night certificates 15:37 Mattress running the numbers: Should you transfer speculatively to Aeroplan? https://frequentmiler.com/wow-30-transfer-bonus-to-aeroplan-from-ultimate-rewards/ 25:05 Main Event: Southwest Companion Pass Open Season https://frequentmiler.com/increased-southwest-consumer-card-offers/ 29:34 What are the rules for earning the Companion Pass and why is now the time to earn it? https://frequentmiler.com/complete-guide-southwest-companion-pass/ 30:58 Timing of the credit card bonuses 37:35 Can I just pick any do cards? 43:22 Is there an ideal two-card combo? 49:53 Are we going to go for it? 56:39 Question of the Week: Is it worth joining a paid group for tailored award travel guidance? Music credit: Annie Yoder

Wondering how to leverage points, miles, and credit card benefits for a family of four or more? This week, we discuss how to enhance your family award travel. 1:30 Giant Mailbag https://frequentmiler.com/frequent-milers-next-challenge-what-should-it-be/ 6:06 What crazy thing.......did Frontier do this week? https://frequentmiler.com/frontier-gowild-all-you-can-fly-pass-coming-soon-take-unlimited-flights-for-12-months/ 12:44 Awards we booked this week https://frequentmiler.com/free-royal-caribbean-cruise-match-offer-kids-sail-free-stack-parlay-that-carnival-offer/ 18:51 Points for family travel https://frequentmiler.com/business-class-for-4-or-more-finding-multiple-seats-for-family-award-travel/ 19:25 Lap infant tickets https://frequentmiler.com/lap-infant-award-tickets-for-less-new-aeroplan-fee-is-25-cad-or-2500-miles-all-classes-of-service-partners/ 24:31 Award availability for families 28:18 Flexible stopover 32:30 Companion Tickets https://frequentmiler.com/travel-companion-tickets/ 39:03 Vacation packages https://frequentmiler.com/booking-a-flight-its-worth-checking-vacation-packages/ 42:00 Lodging - Vacation rentals (Vacasa) https://frequentmiler.com/wyndham-vacasa/ 47:42 Airbnb 51:27 Hyatt suite awards https://frequentmiler.com/finding-extreme-luxury-in-hyatt-premium-suites/ https://frequentmiler.com/my-misadventures-with-a-hyatt-premium-suite-award/ 54:00 All-suite brands 57:38 All-inclusive resorts 1:02:25 Choice Privileges 1:03:46 Rental Cars (National Executive) 1:05:12 Corporate codes 1:08:37 Airport lounges 1:11:57 Question of the Week Join our email list: FrequentMiler.com/Subscribe Music by Annie Yoder

With one card sporting a $95 annual fee versus a price tag of $550 per year for the other, you might think that the answer here is easy, but it turns out that there's a lot to discuss between these two top travel cards. 1:25 Giant Mailbag 3:59 What crazy thing...did Radisson Hotels do this week?6:07 Mattress running the numbers: Transfer your points from Radisson international to Radisson Americas https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-move-radisson-points-to-radisson-americas-now/ 9:22 Chase Sapphire Reserve vs Sapphire Preferred: Which is better? https://frequentmiler.com/chase-sapphire-reserve-vs-preferred/ https://frequentmiler.com/bwi-airport-now-has-a-priority-pass-restaurant-good-news-for-southwest-fliers/ 49:10 Question of the Week: Which cards have a Priority Pass that includes restaurant access?

Why would anyone want to pay $400 or more for a credit card? This week, Greg and Nick discuss some of the cards on the market that *may* be worth it and which perks would need to matter to you to make them worth the price of admission. 00:46 Giant Mailbag: ANA's friendly change 4:55 What crazy thing....did Air Canada Aeroplan do this week? 9:51 Awards we booked this week: Greg's United award change to New Zealand and Nick's Marriott booking near Disneyland Paris 24:23 Why pay $400 or more for a credit card? 27:09 Capital One Venture X 33:45 Amex Platinum card 35:33 Amex Business Platinum 37:40 Chase Sapphire Reserve 39:41 US Bank Altitude Reserve 41:35 Amex Delta Reserve 43:28 United Club Infinite 46:10 American Airlines Executive Card 47:28 Chase Ritz-Carlton 50:00 Amex Bonvoy Brilliant 55:51 Amex Hilton Aspire card https://frequentmiler.com/maximize-hilton-resort-credit/ 1:00:38 Question of the Week: What can you do for phone access abroad? (Testing Holafly) Music credit: Annie Yoder

All of the best "What Crazy Thing" segments in one place 0:32 Introducing new segment: "What crazy thing did Citi do this week?"1:33 Citi be 5x crazy3:09 Triple header: Everyone wants in3:48 Crazy Chase Hyatt offer4:16 Time to rename to "What crazy thing..."5:12 AA overpromises and underdelivers6:14 Choice fails to roll out terrible deal7:35 Hilton randomly gives out free nights8:19 Greg is now Natalie9:18 Nick's family launders their money (order)11:33 Capital One shuts Greg down12:56 Nothing says ultra-premium like Walmart13:46 Greg receives credit card bill due 52 years ago15:12 Amex tells Greg he is dead16:07 Greg attempts to kick the Capital One football again20:29 A virus has infected gift cards

How far can you really travel on just 3 credit card welcome bonuses? It turns out you can check multiple items off of a bucket list without breaking a sweat. This week, we discuss our favorite highlights from the three 3 cards, 3 continents trips.  03:40 What crazy things . . . has Marriott done this week? 24:02 Pop quiz for Nick 27:25 Main Event 28:46 What was our strategy with our cards? 29:00 Nick's cards 30:59 Greg's cards 36:11 Favorite moments of each others' trips 36:54 Stephen's favorite moments 40:51 Nick's favorite moments 49:35 Greg's favorite moments 1:02:56 Question of the Week: What would Greg change for future challenges?