Milenomics ² Podcast - No Annual Fee Edition

Today's Podcast comes to you from Gideon The Freequent Flyer who has a companion piece to this podcast on his site. Hello and welcome to The Manifesto with Gideon the Free-quent Flyer on the Milenomics Podcast Network. I am Gideon the Free-quent Flyer and I’m joined today by the Director of Travel Rewards at Bilt Rewards, Richard Kerr. Richard, welcome to the Manifesto. [0:30] Plugs Social: @KerrPoints everywhere Bilt Rewards: https://www.biltrewards.com/ [2:35] Background What was your path into the rewards industry? Did you start as a travel hacker, as a writer, or on the business side? What was your biggest score/favorite play, on the earnings or redemption side? What do you like most these days in terms of rewards programs? [8:25] Bilt Rewards - overview 3 legged stool: partner rewards, landlords, credit cardLoyalty programs: 1:1 transfer to American Airlines AAdvantage, Air Canada’s Aeroplan, Emirates Skywards, FlyingBlue, Turkish Miles & Smiles, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, HawaiianMiles, World of Hyatt, IHG RewardsCredit card: white label MasterCard issued by Evolve Bank & Trust, earns 2x on rent payments, 1x everywhere elseLandlords: “Bilt Rewards Alliance,” 24 large residential real estate holding companies, plus option to mail check to any landlord. [12:10] Bilt Rewards - news Annual cap of 50k rent points instead of monthly 4k cap0-1-2-3$0 annual fee1x on rent (up to 50k annually)1x on everyday spend2x on travel3x on diningUncapped earning on all non-rent spendIHG added 9/21 [18:07] Bilt Rewards - partner rewards My understanding was that loyalty programs had pretty exclusive relationships, i.e. Chase will bail out United by buying a billion United miles, American Express will buy a billion Delta miles, Citi and Barclay a billion American miles, then they dribble them out to customers. As a young company, how do you come in and make them an offer that even gets their attention?How much do you pay for points? During promotions you can buy Hyatt points for 1.8 cents, maybe a little less using a shopping portal, is that the right order of magnitude for what Bilt is paying? Do you pay more for the first member of an alliance to set a ceiling, or have alliance members bid each other down to participate?What do you think your highest value transfer partner is? Hyatt seems the most obvious but do you have a favorite redemption buried in the other award charts?AA: business travel to Europe, South America, web specialsEmirates: JFK-Milan, 50k roundtrip in businessHawaiian: west coast to Hawaii / upgrade from economy to first for 25kAeroplan: stopoversFlying Blue: 11.5k domestic Delta (21+ days out)Turkish: 33,800 business class to Istanbul, 7,500/15,000 to Hawaii on United Virgin: Delta/ANA/upgrading paid Virgin ticketsHyatt: great value everywhereIHG: Holiday Inn ExpressDo you have any favorite non-travel redemptions, anything Bilt got a killer deal on that you can pass on to members?Bilt Rewards AppChampagne Sabre [32:21] Bilt Rewards - landlords What was the process like of selling large landlords on accepting Bilt payments

Today we're releasing an episode of "Checking In with Robert Dwyer" that's normally reserved for subscribers of the Milenomics Podcast Network. Robert chats with Joe Cheung about what it's like to visit Disney Parks these days, and what's coming in the near future to Disney World. 0:22 What Joe has been up to since Saverocity Observation Deck Producing Miles to Memories Podcast. Disney Deciphered Podcast. Disney Travel Agent. 1:30 What's Disney like now, what's it going to be in this "living with Covid" phase we seem to be in now.  Use my trip report to reflect of what you're hearing and experiencing with people you talk with. Planning changes (no Fastpass, but Genie+ coming). Dining reservation challenges, dining experience at this time. In-park experience. 28:40 Attractions No doubt: Masks in Orlando in 90F can be uncomfortable. But we managed. Current policy is masks indoors and on transportation. Outdoor option, but wore then when crowds were dense.No Fastpass seemed to make most wait-times shorter than posted, especially in the morning and evening.No Fastpass was also pretty relaxing.Flight of Passage was pretty great (rope dropped that w/family this time).Mickey & Minney’s Runaway Railway is surprisingly good too (seemed to debut at the worst possible time). 38:20 Dining Ohana Focus was on the return of the noodles, but the real killer is the absence of skewers. The quality of the proteins they dished out there for $55 pp is insulting. Went from being one of our favorites to “Avoid until further notice.”Skipper Canteen Best place in Magic Kingdom for lunch in my book. Cold AC, but again - menu items missing. No salads? They can improvise steak on a house salad but the meat was again really terrible. Chewy. Almost inedible. I mean - who goes to these restaurants and eats everything except for the steak? No shame in their game.Via Napoli Restaurant closing early at 7p I think (hard to get reservations) and hardly any of the employees are Italian at the moment. Thankfully the pizza is still really good.Whispering Canyon Cafe First time there: It was fun. Some gags, but seemed toned down a bit. Just right I’d say. Good food. Menu touts “all you care to enjoy” milkshakes but...the machine was broken and they couldn't get repair parts...due to Covid.California Grill Other than them initially trying to seat us in an “annex” sort of room initially this was a fantastic return to form. Still my favorite Disney restaurant.See also: Ratings of Disney World restaurants prior to Covid 54:10 Coming Soon

Four great credit card welcome bonuses to consider from Bank of America. Let’s discuss them, how we’d prioritize them, and also navigating the complicated and ever-changing approval standards over at Bank of America. 0:54 BofA Amtrak 50,000 + $100 Statement Credit (DoC) Do a dummy booking to see offer$79 AF not waived$2,500 min spend in 90 daysAmtrak points are worth 2.9 cpp towards non-Acela, 2.56 cpp towards AcelaSo this welcome bonus is worth $1,450 + $100 - $79 = $1,471 for non-AcelaOr $1,250 + $100 - $79 = $1,271 towards AcelaThat’s crazy value for people who want to ride AmtrakSee also: How to redeem bank points for up to 1.64 cpp towards Amtrak 03:55 BofA Alaska Business 60,000 (HT Commenter Matt on DoC) Direct Link$3,000 min spend$75 AF not waived65,000 for the Personal Alaska card still availableNot subject to BofA personal churning restrictionsDon’t forget BofA Business Cash Rewards $750 (Direct Link) 06:19 Getting Approved BofA 2/3/4: 2 BofA cards per rolling 2 months, 3 per rolling 12, 4 per rolling 24BofA is said to not approve new BofA card if you have more than 2 new credit cards on your credit report (across all banks) in the past 12 months -or- 6 in the past 12 if you’ve got a checking account with BofAHT DoCOverall exposure with BofA to consider too (lower CL before closing BofA cards)Limits to the number of active credit cards BofA will let you hold? 08:47 Discuss: Is it a mistake to ignore BofA at this point? Robert: “Thanks for joining us for this week. For a more in-depth discussion about points miles visit us at patreon.com/milenomics There you’ll get a special link to listen to additional content, right in your mobile podcast app or on your computer, where we speak more freely about topics like these. Sam: You can reach us on Twitter @Milenomics and @RobertDwyer - we’d love to hear from you. Until then we’ll see you on the site...”

On today's No Annual Fee show we discuss: 0:30 Q3 2021 5x Categories Chase FreedomGrocery StoresSelect Streaming ServicesDiscoverRestaurantsPayPalCiti DividendGas StationsHome Improvement 3:50 New Citi Custom Cash Card (HT DoC) Direct Link20,000 TYP for spending $750 in first 3 monthsNo AF5x TYP on up to $500 spend each month in biggest category, 1x after thatDon’t have to activate (that’s nice)Low cap, but that’s the same as Freedom/Discover/Dividend 5x cardsWould be a great card to product change a bunch of cards into but: “Our policy is to offer only one Citi Custom Cash℠ Card account per customer.”Worth getting one?Citi IT being what it is, will they actually allow multiple cards per customer? 9:30 Staples Fee-Free $200 VGCs Sunday 6/13 - Saturday 6/19/2021 10:10 BofA Alaska 67,000 Mile Offer (DoC) Direct Link42,000 after $2,000 in first 3 monthsAdditional 25,000 after total of $8,000 in spend in 6 months$75 AF not waived first yearCan’t have had a Personal Alaska card in the prior 24 monthsDiscussBetter targeted offer“Famous” Companion FaresWhether Alaska miles are what they once were, especially with travel to Asia still not open If you enjoyed this free show considering subscribing to the Milenomics Podcast Network where you'll gain access to lengthier and more in depth shows. You'll then also be able to join a lively Slack community where points & miles ideas are discussed real-time. Thanks for listening and thank you to our existing Patrons. We've recently hit a record number of subscribers, which is amazing for a travel podcast during a global pandemic. More great content to come as we return to traveling.

A Hot news week has us sitting down to discuss the following: 0:29 Chase Sapphire Preferred 100,000 Direct Link Subject to 5/24$95 AF (not waived first year)Try generating a referral if you/your spouse have one (chase.com/referafriend)“Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.*That's $1,250 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.This product is available to you if you do not have any Sapphire card and have not received a new cardmember bonus for any Sapphire card in the past 48 months.100,000 bonus points is the best offer that Sapphire Preferred has ever had.” 5:54 Rumor: 1.25 cpp Amex Schwab Cashout Going Away (TheFinanceHobbyist on Reddit) Cashout option still mentioned on application but not on landing pageWho knows, but…How big of a hit would this be?How would it affect your perception of the Amex MR value proposition?If you knew for certain it was going away tomorrow would you clean house today?Does the rumor cause you to cash out some MRs? 10:59 Chase Sapphire Lounges Coming (TPG) First location: Boston?Location: Terminal B to C ConnectorAnticipated opening: Q1 2022Out-maneuvered Amex Centurion and CapOne for the space 15:40 Amex 25% Transfer Bonus to Hawaiian In the spirit of always considering a deal...130,000 Boston to Honolulu becomes 108,000 MRs pp one-way in lie-flatFlight is very expensive: They’re asking $7,000 pp roundtripExpires 6/30/2021Last call for 40% bonus to Marriott, ends 6/15/2021 18:32 Stop & Shop/Giant: 3x VGCs Friday 6/4 - Thursday 6/10/2021 If you enjoyed this show consider joining our Patreon where you'll find hundreds of hours of unique, in-depth content and a thriving slack community. Enjoy!

0:30 JetBlue New York - London Now Bookable Direct LinkWebsite was down when they released these (classic JetBlue)Starts August 12, 2021Economy “from” $595 roundtripMint “from” $1,979 roundtrip 4:55 New Airlines: Avelo and Breeze Avelo is a new West coast airline that has set up from BUR (Link for more details )Routes are somewhat unique, to about a dozen western destinations.  In most cases using much more off the beaten path airports than mainline carriers. Ogden Utah, Pasco WA, Grand Junction, CO. Flights seem very aggressively priced. One example to Santa Rosa is interesting me. $60 round trip versus $244 on the only other carrier who flies it nonstop from the LA area. BUR is far for me (50 minutes with no traffic) and I don’t like that. But I’d do the drive if one of these destinations really was on my demand schedule (versus a stop at an airport for example) Breeze seems to be moving closer to launching--livery was posted and they’re setting up their network. Route network now posted on their siteThat makes quite a few ‘regional’ players by my count:SuncountryFrontierAveloSpiritAllegiantBreezeWhile these are not ideal for many reasons--they’re here and they exist. Reminds me of a really short hop flight I took on Spanish LCC Vueling in Italy--it was like $20 per person, we paid for a couple of bags, and it was the only point-to-point option. It was fine.  12:40 Amex Offer: +1x at Lowe’s (HT Garth on Slack) Stack with a card that has +4x Spring 4ward promo for a total of 6x at Lowe’s6x MRs + 3x JetBlue card linked 14:00 $750 Chase Business Checking (DoC) Deposit $10,000 in new money within 30 days of coupon enrollment & maintain that balance for 60 days+ 25 transactionsEarly account termination fee: Six months, bonus forfeit“You can receive only one new business checking account opening related bonus every two years from the last enrollment date and only one bonus per account.” 16:45 US Bank Altitude Connect Visa (DoC) 50,000 points (worth $500) after spending $3,000 in first 120 days$95 Annual Fee waived first year4x on Travel and Gas Stations2x on Dining, Takeout, Groceries, and Streaming Services1x everywhere else That's the news for this week. For more content subscribe to the Milenomics Podcast Network where we've been discussing: The highs and lows of AmexBooking travel coming out of CovidAnd more...

0:23 Earn Singapore Status Through Bank Point Transfer (link) Get 1 elite qualifying mile for every 5 bank points transferredTransfer 250,000 bank points between April 7, 2021 and February 28, 2022Get Star Alliance Gold for 12 monthsGets you UA lounge access when travelling domestically and other Star Alliance Gold benefitsSingapore miles expire 3 years after they’re earned even with activityI do like the potential of status through spend, hope to see other airlines/hotels follow this 06:42 Jetblue Announces BOS-LHR and JFK-LHR Service (Link)  Sounds good but hard to get excited about at the moment (can’t travel there, launch date unclear)Longer term how useful is this development? 13:52 IHG Devaluation (Loyalty Lobby) Evidently they’re going to a scheme where the number of points required is more tied to the cash priceWhat does it mean to you when [arguably] the 4th most important loyalty hotel chain does something with their award chart? 17:47 Alaska Officially Joins OneWorld (Link) 21:40 ANA One-Way Awards Bookable with Virgin Atlantic Miles (OMAAT) And that's the news this week! For more shows join the Milenomics Patreon community.

Many of you reading this might not even know there is a podcast called The Milenomics Second Podcast (MSP). We're celebrating on the blog today the ending of season 1 of the Milenomics Second Podcast, hosted by our very own Garth Grawburg. Feats of Strength On the Saverocity Observation deck Festivus Episodes Joe and Trevor often cover of feats of strength. Garth's first season on MSP is, in fact, a true feat of strength. Garth is well known to many Milenomics slack members, and has always added so much to the discussion on slack. When Robert and I were first talking about launching a second podcast, expanding the idea of the Pateron into a full network, Garth was the first person we thought of for this task. Had he ever podcast before? I don't think so. But we invited him on a show, our first guest ever actually, and realized his personality on Slack and on the mic were nearly identical. Garth is witty, funny, and with a booming laugh that makes me want to laugh more, Garth is a natural at what many of us struggle with: Content Creation. Over 18 episodes he explored the space, introducing us to beloved radio ideas like "Defend the Indefensible," and taking deep dives into cards, products and airlines. Garth brought a feeling to that first season of the podcast that two weathered battle axes like Robert and myself couldn't bring. He's not jaded by a game that's changed 6 ways in the last decade. The show has been incredibly informative. Two plays Garth dedicated entire episodes to I hadn't even considered before. And I'm better off because of those shows, and I know other patrons are as well. Thank you And so the audience for this post is really just one person: Garth himself. Garth: Thank you for jumping in feet first when we asked you to start a travel, points and miles podcast during a worldwide pandemic. For sharing parts of your travel, your love of all things Shop Your Way, Target, Southwest, and more. I know you'll keep playing the game, and can't wait to hear more about it. In celebration of the end of season one we're releasing podcast here on the No Annual Fee feed. Note: This episode was originally released Jan 22, 2021.

We've got a full show today. Let's get right into it... 0:25 Q2 2021 5x Categories Chase FreedomGas StationsHome Improvement StoresDiscoverGas StationsWholesale ClubsSelect Streaming ServicesCiti DividendSupermarketsDrugstores 3:15 Amex 40% Transfer Bonuses to Hilton/Marriott 1,000 MRs become 2,800 Hilton1,000 MRs become 1,400 MarriottOne use model: Marriott to “high value” foreign carrier programsMore on that in the paid show 7:10 Amex Bonvoy Heightened Offers Amex Bonvoy Business 100k$5,000 min spend in 3 months$125 AF$150 statement creditAvailable through referral35k cert on renewalAmex Bonvoy Brilliant 125k$5,000 in 3 months$450 AF$200 back at restaurants$300 Marriott creditNot seeing it available through referral as of yet (affiliate and public only)50k cert on renewal 21:10 Amex Delta Gold 90,000 Offer (HT Brian at FM) Seen while making a booking on Delta.comReferral a better option if you have 30k + 70,000 + $200 creditBut… (see next item) 11:45 Amex Removing Referral Capability for Some (DoC) Seems to be some new kind of penalty boxUsed to be that certain cards were unable to refer from, but other cards (especially new ones) were able toNow it seems to apply to all cards if affectedEven squirreled away links don’t work any more saying: Sorry this referral link is no longer valid and you will not receive the referral bonus.Thought to be related to self-referral but I really don’t think that’s the caseSame household referral for sure, but I really don’t think I self-referredA troubling shot over the bow for sure... 15:30 Buy Aeroplan Miles for as Little as 1.2 cpp (Direct Link) Through April 2, 2021A good example of how cashing out bank points isn’t giving up on travel If you want to hear more, subscribe at patreon.com/milenomics. This week we go deeper into a few of the topics we discussed here as well as: Waiting on AmexCiti ShenanigansRetention Offers and more...

Last year year we launched a podcast network, adding the Manifesto hosted by Gideon the Free-quent Flyer to the Patreon Feed. In this episode Gideon sits down with Kelly de Schaun, Chief Executive Officer of the Galveston Park Board. Enjoy this special episode, and if you're interested in even more great podcast content, check us out on Patreon. Hello, and welcome to The Manifesto with Gideon, the Free-quent Flyer, on the Milenomics Podcast Network. I’m Gideon, the Free-quent Flyer, and I’m joined today from the Running with Miles blog, Charlie Barkowski. Charlie, welcome to the Manifesto. Plugs Blog: https://runningwithmiles.boardingarea.com/Twitter: @runwithmiles Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/runningwithmiles/  [1:14] Background Were you a runner or a travel hacker first? Did one lead into the other?“6 solo marathons on 6 continents in under 5 days.” How is that physically/temporally/geographically/mentally possible? How’d you do it? [10:14] Running with Miles Blog When did the blog start? Has it always been on Boarding Area? What was the process of joining Boarding Area like?Did the blog start as a passion project, a side hustle, a full-time job?How long did it take before you earned enough to take it seriously? Did you ever get discouraged or was it a rocket ship from the start?Has the absence of running events affected your traffic/content/kind of visitors? [16:59] Living/Working in Greece When did you end up in Greece? Where in Greece? Was it always meant to be a permanent move?What has most surprised you about living abroad/living in Greece/living in the EU? What should people know if they want to move permanently/temporarily to the EU?Visas, health insurance (IM Global), retirement savings, schools?What kinds of pandemic restrictions has Greece gone through? How has the vaccine rollout been handled?How are you staying in shape, training, conditioning? Do you have a sense of when the first marathons will resume? Will you be ready? Any sense of whether your times will improve, get worse, stay roughly the same? [33:44] Travel hacking abroad You cover all the usual credit card deals — are you able to participate? Will credit card companies mail new cards internationally? Do you have a US address to receive new cards?Easier or harder to meet minimum spend requirements internationally?Do you take advantage of online MS opportunities (Serve loads, etc.)?Are there travel hacking opportunities that are only available internationally? Sweet spots for mileage runs, unusual award availability, etc? Bank accounts or credit cards only available overseas? Loyalty programs that require residency? [47:19] Quar Question of the Week When you’re outside the United States for a long time, what craving is absolutely impossible to satisfy, or, what’s the first thing you d