MTM Travel - The Fun Side of Points & Travel!

Join MTM Diamond before the price goes up. Limited slots have opened up. More info here: https://www.patreon.com/c/milestomemories Episode Description On this episode of MTM Travel Shawn and Mark discuss their recent weekend trips including more Hilton payment headaches for Mark and a last minute cert redemption at the JW Marriott Las Vegas for Shawn. How do these hotels measure up and is the JW Marriott in Vegas worth staying at even though it isn't on the Strip? We also dive more into the decline in front desk customer service and the art of complaining. Specifically when is it not worth pursuing a complaint and how can you maximize the system within the rules. We also discuss British Airways pulling a promo without any communication and the software hotels use to track you. Episode Guide 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel 0:21 Burning a last minute Marriott cert 1:35 JW Marriott Las Vegas review - One of the best Vegas resorts? 6:47 The death of front desk hospitality 8:40 The downside of Marriott vs. Hyatt and vice-versa 14:19 Mark’s Hilton payment follies continue 21:39 The art of complaining, pushing limits & enjoying your life 27:52 British Airways pulls a popular promo without communication 32:05 Taking advantage of the rules they set & hotel software quirks Subscribe to MTM Travel & 20 Minute Travel in the same feed! Youtube Podcast Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at podcast@milestomemories.com.  You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, or via RSS. Don't see your favorite podcast platform? Please let us know! Melio Offer Terms: This is a business to business payment platform - no personal bills / payments. The offer is for new accounts only. If you sign up using the 20 Minute Travel link new members will get $200 cash back after making a $2000+ in payments via Melio pay. Gal from Melio will reach out to finalize the details of your payment. That is $60 in processing fees for a $200 bonus! After signing up and making your first payment with a vendor you will want to upload your bank info to your Melio account. Do it as the receiving method so you have a checking account set up to receive payments. You will then receive an email from (Gal) Melio saying you are eligible for the $200 bonus and it will tell you to set up your receiving method, or you can share your bank information if you prefer that. Music: Rewind by Jay Someday | https://soundcloud.com/jaysomeday Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License  

Get an easy $200 from Melio for making your first payment! (Affiliate link. Terms below) https://affiliates.meliopayments.com/travelonpointsteam Episode Description This week a lot of credit card news is happening as Chase is currently running increased welcome offers for the United Business and IHG personal cards. We break down the offers including which you should probably avoid. We also discuss the details of JetBlue's new premium credit card which is confusing, not very valuable and probably not for most people.   In other news we go over some of the best practices to avoid credit card application mistakes including why you should avoid using a VPN. We also discuss the tragedy at DCA, a scary hotel food poisoning lawsuit, sidewalks that generate electricity and where you can stay in a 737 hotel room.   Episode Guide 0:00 A 737 airplane in a hotel room! 1:04 Horrifying Dominican Republic food poisoning story 3:08 Fancy hotels vs. street food when it comes to food poisoning 4:08 DCA airplane tragedy 6:30 United’s 100K Business card offer 8:57 IHG credit cards both have increased offers 10:48 Why you should avoid VPNs when applying for credit cards 12:33 Best practices for credit card apps & mistakes to avoid 14:18 Funding a Roth IRA with bank bonuses in 2025 16:19 JetBlue’s confusing new Premier credit card 18:20 Why you probably want to pass on JetBlue’s new card 19:55 Cool S - Sidewalks that generate electricity in Japan Links 737 Hotel room - https://www.corendonhotels.com/corendon-amsterdam-new-west/nl/room/737-suite/ https://x.com/somakazima/status/1884464176094929220?s=46 Food poisoning DR - https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/article/mans-wife-son-die-by-food-poisoning-during-vacation-abroad/ VPNs and credit apps - https://travel-on-points.com/credit-card-applications-using-a-vpn/ Mark’s Bank bonus challenge - https://travel-on-points.com/fund-roth-ira-with-bank-bonuses/ JetBlue premium card launch - https://milestomemories.com/jetblue-and-barclays-launch-new-premier-credit-card/ Japan’s cool sidewalks - https://www.facebook.com/reel/3891368217857166 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXvH5-KhbO8   Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at podcast@milestomemories.com.  You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, or via RSS. Don't see your favorite podcast platform? Please let us know!

Get an easy $200 from Melio for making your first payment! (Affiliate link. Terms below) https://affiliates.meliopayments.com/travelonpointsteam Episode Description On this episode of MTM Travel Shawn and Mark are joined by Joe Cheung to discuss what is going on this week. They start with a discussion of the recently released JetBlue Premier card which has to be one of the most underwhelming new premium cards to come along ever. They also discuss Mark's trip to Minneapolis which included visits to the Ice Carnival and Mall of America plus why Joe is continuing to love slumming it with Spirit Airlines. Episode Guide 0:00 Trashing JetBlue’s confusing new premium credit card 5:10 The golden age of lounges & why JetBlue’s offerings are catching up 10:30 Why we continue to fly Spirit Airlines when it makes sense 14:10 A crazy airplane story - Passengers suddenly deplaning for no reason 16:47 Mark’s Minneapolis Adventure - MOA, Hyatt Regency, Ice Carnival and more 19:40 Hyatt Regency Bloomington review & Ice Carnival 25:12 Nickelodeon Universe at Mall of America - Is the mall dying? 33:03 Downtown Minnesota and other takeaways 37:30 No service on short flights - A modern conspiracy? Subscribe to MTM Travel & 20 Minute Travel in the same feed! Youtube Podcast Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at podcast@milestomemories.com.  You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, or via RSS. Don't see your favorite podcast platform? Please let us know! Melio Offer Terms: This is a business to business payment platform - no personal bills / payments. The offer is for new accounts only. If you sign up using the 20 Minute Travel link new members will get $200 cash back after making a $2000+ in payments via Melio pay. Gal from Melio will reach out to finalize the details of your payment. That is $60 in processing fees for a $200 bonus! After signing up and making your first payment with a vendor you will want to upload your bank info to your Melio account. Do it as the receiving method so you have a checking account set up to receive payments. You will then receive an email from (Gal) Melio saying you are eligible for the $200 bonus and it will tell you to set up your receiving method, or you can share your bank information if you prefer that. Music: Rewind by Jay Someday | https://soundcloud.com/jaysomeday Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License  

Get an easy $200 from Melio for making your first payment! (Affiliate link. Terms below) https://affiliates.meliopayments.com/travelonpointsteam Episode Description This week Southwest announced a huge milestone as part of their huge recent transformation. For the first time they have added an international interline partner with the addition of Iceland Air. Soon you'll be able to connect on to Iceland and Europe, but the airline isn't done yet with another partner coming soon. Are they turning into a "real" airline?   In other news Alaska continues to have problems showing phantom award availability on some of their partners. This is a huge issue with points transfers, but is there anything you can do about it? We also discuss: Chinese nail houses, the quirks of Japanese trains, increased Marriott Bonvoy offers, a new Hilton timeshare deal and how to score 75K points on a very good no annual fee card. Episode Guide 0:00 China’s crazy “Nail Houses” 0:53 Southwest adds Iceland Air as interline partner 2:12 How Southwest’s new partner is a huge change to the airline’s business model 2:52 Flying over 800MPH with the jetstream 4:00 Increased welcome offers on Marriott Bonvoy credit cards 5:27 Why the Bonvoy Bold no annual fee offer is probably the best 6:08 Amex Blue Business Plus 75K no lifetime language & how to check 7:50 Why you probably shouldn’t be afraid of bank issues 1099s 9:30 Hilton’s new timeshare offers - How to score an even better deal 10:45 Why do people still buy timeshares in 2025? 12:20 Alaska’s frustrating phantom award availability 14:08 Why Alaska’s tech issues with partners are a big problem for points transfers 16:19 Cool S - Japanese trains and quirky features 18:00 Japan train tips & what you should know Links House inside highway - https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1882906853690204271 Southwest/Iceland Air - https://milestomemories.com/southwest-airlines-and-icelandair-expand-interline-partnership/ Jetstream flight - https://x.com/bbcweather/status/1882013275132477779?s=46 Blue Business Plus 75K - https://travel-on-points.com/targeted-75k-blue-business-plus-cash-offer/ Thoughts on 1099s - https://travel-on-points.com/what-to-do-with-referral-1099s/ Hilton Timeshare deal - https://milestomemories.com/new-hilton-timeshare-offer-6/ Alaska Phantom - https://travel-on-points.com/alaska-partner-booking-error/ Japan trains - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgJBJa3whEc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ArK5grG7ZY Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at podcast@milestomemories.com.  You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, or via RSS. Don't see your favorite podcast platform? Please let us know!

Get an easy $200 from Melio for making your first payment! (Affiliate link. Terms below) https://affiliates.meliopayments.com/travelonpointsteam Episode Description On this episode of the podcast we dive into Shawn's recent trip to Oahu which included stays at Disney's Aulani in a 2 bedroom villa and the Hyatt Regency Waikiki. We'll go over the hotels including who should and shouldn't stay at Aulani plus some of the issues Shawn ran into at the Hyatt Regency. We also discuss visiting the North Shore, Pearl Harbor, the Dole Plantation, plenty of snorkeling and everything else we did on this one week trip. All paid for with a little bartering and miles & points. Episode Guide 0:00 Oahu trip review - Aulani, Hyatt Regency Waikiki, North Shore, Pearl Harbor and more 2:28 Flying United to Honolulu - TravelBank redemption 3:57 Bartering for our “free” trip to Aulani 6:10 Aulani room review - 2 bedroom villa - Is it dated? 8:25 Kids everywhere - Is that a dealbreaker for visiting Aulani? 11:44 The Disney of Aulani - Planning in advance 15:41 Bottom line on Aulani - Is it worth the price or should you go elsewhere? 19:56 Heading up to Oahu’s North Shore - Snorkeling, Turtle Bay, Surfing & Famous Filming locations 26:12 Visiting the Dole Plantation - Gardens, trains and more 27:40 Hyatt Regency Waikiki problems on arrival 32:18 Shawn’s terrible room at the Hyatt Regency & how they fixed it 34:57 Hyatt Regency Waikiki Ocean Front Suite 39:21 Visiting Pearl Harbor and bringing history to life for children 44:32 Final takeaways from this Oahu trip - What’s next? Subscribe to MTM Travel & 20 Minute Travel in the same feed! Youtube Podcast Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at podcast@milestomemories.com.  You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, or via RSS. Don't see your favorite podcast platform? Please let us know! Melio Offer Terms: This is a business to business payment platform - no personal bills / payments. The offer is for new accounts only. If you sign up using the 20 Minute Travel link new members will get $200 cash back after making a $2000+ in payments via Melio pay. Gal from Melio will reach out to finalize the details of your payment. That is $60 in processing fees for a $200 bonus! After signing up and making your first payment with a vendor you will want to upload your bank info to your Melio account. Do it as the receiving method so you have a checking account set up to receive payments. You will then receive an email from (Gal) Melio saying you are eligible for the $200 bonus and it will tell you to set up your receiving method, or you can share your bank information if you prefer that. Music: Rewind by Jay Someday | https://soundcloud.com/jaysomeday Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License  

Get an easy $200 from Melio for making your first payment! (Affiliate link. Terms below) https://affiliates.meliopayments.com/travelonpointsteam Episode Description This week Hilton was in the news as they added some terms that change the way lounge access is given to elites. Specifically they excluded some hotels, but is this really new or are they just updating policies that have already existed? Plus which elite status actually gets you guaranteed lounge access?   In other news the UK has backtracked a bit on their e-visa and transit passengers. Find out what you need to know if you are heading to the UK. We also discuss United's double billing problem, where to find the best Amex welcome offer deals, a cool bar in the middle of a redwood forest, Hyatt disappointing Bonus Journey promotion and why it could be cheaper to live on a cruise ship.   Episode Guide 0:00 Living on a cruise ship - Cheaper than living in Manhattan? 0:51 UK’s e-visa backtrack 2:22 Tip for faster transit when in London Heathrow 3:36 Hilton makes changes to lounge access terms 6:01 Alaska Airlines 75K Business card offer + “World Famous Companion Fare” 7:18 Tricks for getting approved for Bank of America credit cards 8:05 Where to find the best American Express card offers 10:25 Hyatt Bonus Journeys promo is here 11:55 United TravelBank double billing issue 13:46 Cool S - Bar in the middle of the redwood forest 15:10 The majesty of redwood forests Links Redwood bar - https://www.travelandleisure.com/glen-blair-bar-redwood-forest-california-train-7971207 World cruise cheaper than Manhattan - https://www.travelandleisure.com/holland-america-world-cruise-cheaper-than-manhattan-rent-8719395 UK Backtrack - https://viewfromthewing.com/heathrow-travelers-celebrate-uk-scraps-eta-rule-for-transit-passengers-after-pushback/ Hilton changes - https://loyaltylobby.com/2025/01/13/hilton-honors-terms-conditions-changes-for-club-access-eligible-stays/ Alaska 75K - https://milestomemories.com/alaska-airlines-business-card-75k-bonus/ How to find the best Amex deals/offers - Amex Gold 90-100K - https://travel-on-points.com/amex-gold-90k-welcome-offer/ Amex Gold Resy - https://milestomemories.com/amex-gold-resy/ Amex Plat 150K - https://travel-on-points.com/150k-amex-platinum-offer/ Amex Plat Resy + 15X dining - https://milestomemories.com/amex-platinum-card-resy-offer-with-100k-bonus-plus-15x-on-dining/ Amex Biz Gold 200K - https://travel-on-points.com/amex-business-gold-130k-offer/ Amex BIz Plat 250K - https://travel-on-points.com/amex-business-platinum-150k-offer/ Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at podcast@milestomemories.com.  You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, or via RSS. Don't see your favorite podcast platform? Please let us know!

Get an easy $200 from Melio for making your first payment! (Affiliate link. Terms below) https://affiliates.meliopayments.com/travelonpointsteam Episode Description On this episode of the podcast we dive into our 2025 trip planning including some of the headaches we are facing booking big trips for ourselves and others. We also dive a bit more into family travel, the pains of homeschooling, not underestimating children and some of the places we are eyeing to visit in the upcoming year. Links: Point.me (Shawn's referral) Seats.aero (Shawn's referral) Subscribe to MTM Travel & 20 Minute Travel in the same feed! Youtube Podcast Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at podcast@milestomemories.com.  You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, or via RSS. Don't see your favorite podcast platform? Please let us know! Melio Offer Terms: This is a business to business payment platform - no personal bills / payments. The offer is for new accounts only. If you sign up using the 20 Minute Travel link new members will get $200 cash back after making a $2000+ in payments via Melio pay. Gal from Melio will reach out to finalize the details of your payment. That is $60 in processing fees for a $200 bonus! After signing up and making your first payment with a vendor you will want to upload your bank info to your Melio account. Do it as the receiving method so you have a checking account set up to receive payments. You will then receive an email from (Gal) Melio saying you are eligible for the $200 bonus and it will tell you to set up your receiving method, or you can share your bank information if you prefer that. Music: Rewind by Jay Someday | https://soundcloud.com/jaysomeday Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License  

Get an easy $200 from Melio for making your first payment! (Affiliate link. Terms below) https://affiliates.meliopayments.com/travelonpointsteam Episode Description This week Hyatt was in the news a lot as their credit cards came in window for higher offers while they added Venetian as a new partner. We go over the details of the card offers including why you may not want to jump on this round. We also go into detail of the Venetian partnership explaining the benefits and what Hyatt customers get in terms of benefits and value when booking at Venetian. Hint: it isn't much. Variable pricing is also in effect which is a troubling trend for Hyatt. Will it spread?   In other news Flying Blue devalued their program overnight with awards going up as much as 25%. We also discuss: a cruel airport trick, why you shouldn't leave your balcony door open on a cruise ship, Chase's targeted 5-7X offers, Airbnb's poor fire response, how to earn 10X AA miles for donating to fire relief and travel destinations that live up to the hype.   Episode Guide 0:00 The meanest of airport tricks 1:36 Why you should follow the rules on a cruise ship 3:14 Airbnb’s poor LA fire response - Reason to book hotels? 5:14 Venetian Las Vegas officially joins World of Hyatt 6:45 Who should book Venetian via Hyatt & what benefits you can expect 8:32 Rio Las Vegas vs. Venetian for Hyatt customers 9:47 Increased offers on both Hyatt credit cards 12:04 Chase sends out 5-7X targeted spending offers - How to check 13:40 How to use & extend the IHG Premier United TravelBank credit 15:57 Flying Blue’s overnight devaluation 18:21 Earn 10X AAdvantage miles when donating for LA fires 19:31 Cool S - Travel destinations that live up to the hype Links Airport walkway trick - https://x.com/somakazima/status/1878084848314658925?s=46 Birds on a cruise - https://x.com/stoppfeenin/status/1876888616867135592?s=46 Airbnb fire issues - https://x.com/anammostarac/status/1876872587738833184/photo/1 Hyatt/Venetian partnership - https://travel-on-points.com/hyatt-venetian-las-vegas-partnership/ Hyatt card offers - https://milestomemories.com/new-bonuses-for-hyatt-cards/ Chase targeted offers - https://travel-on-points.com/chase-my-bonus-spending-offers/ United IHG - https://travel-on-points.com/ihg-card-united-travelbank-credit/ Flying Blue deval - https://travel-on-points.com/flying-blue-devaluation/ 10X AA for fire donation - https://travel-on-points.com/los-angeles-fire-donations/ Andy Luten Cool S - https://x.com/andystravelblog/status/1860825360595914809 Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at podcast@milestomemories.com.  You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, or via RSS. Don't see your favorite podcast platform? Please let us know! Music: Rewind by Jay Someday | https://soundcloud.com/jaysomeday Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License

Get an easy $200 from Melio for making your first payment! (Affiliate link. Terms below) https://affiliates.meliopayments.com/travelonpointsteam Episode Description In this conversation, Shawn and Mark discuss various aspects of travel planning, including their upcoming trips, the pros and cons of timeshares, the debate between using Airbnb versus hotels, and the intricacies of booking award travel. They also touch on the use of travel tools and why being cheap isn't always the best option. The episode ends with some discussion of Phuket which Shawn calls the Cancun of Thailand. Find out where to visit in Southern Thailand instead and why you might want to avoid this tourist hotspot. Links: Point.me (Shawn's referral) Seats.aero (Shawn's referral) Subscribe to MTM Travel & 20 Minute Travel in the same feed! Youtube Podcast Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at podcast@milestomemories.com.  You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, or via RSS. Don't see your favorite podcast platform? Please let us know! Melio Offer Terms: This is a business to business payment platform - no personal bills / payments. The offer is for new accounts only. If you sign up using the 20 Minute Travel link new members will get $200 cash back after making a $2000+ in payments via Melio pay. Gal from Melio will reach out to finalize the details of your payment. That is $60 in processing fees for a $200 bonus! After signing up and making your first payment with a vendor you will want to upload your bank info to your Melio account. Do it as the receiving method so you have a checking account set up to receive payments. You will then receive an email from (Gal) Melio saying you are eligible for the $200 bonus and it will tell you to set up your receiving method, or you can share your bank information if you prefer that. Music: Rewind by Jay Someday | https://soundcloud.com/jaysomeday Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License  

This week dives into Hyatt's recent elimination of a beloved suite upgrade trick, leaving frequent travelers questioning their loyalty status. There's also buzz about a lucrative Amex Platinum offer that could elevate your rewards game. Explore clever travel tips and tackle the changing landscape of paying taxes with credit cards. Plus, enjoy highlights of spectacular New Year's celebrations around the world, complete with dazzling drone shows, and learn about innovative theft protection for gift cards.