Award Travel 101

This week's discussion includes tips on earning sign-up bonuses with limited spending for those looking to accumulate points for Singapore travel. Members shared what they collect on their travels and how they display them. News highlights include Virgin Red Cruises offering awards for just over one card bonus, potential changes in Aeroplan and Etihad Guest programs, and Marriott Bonvoy'...

This week Joe and Angie detail 8 steps to better award travel. Build Healthy Credit Transferrable Over Fixed Points Start With Chase Expand to Other Banks Amex Citi Capital One Business Cards Maximize Spend Finding Award Space Utilize Card Benefits Links to news discussed Southwest Points and Companion Pass Bask Bank Interest Increases r ates (Is it better than AAdvantage miles) Delta co-branded c...

Angie and Joe talk about creating memories through trips big and small. Angie is planning an African Safari (and making several rebookings) while Joe is taking a summer trip to Croatia with his almost 80 year old dad . Recently he also took a  trip to Florida with daughter   Links to news discussed Alaska Devalues award program  Amex Centurion Lounges limited to cardholder - IHG 175K Card Offer -...

In this episode, we discuss Angie's upcoming trip to South Africa, how she booked (and rebooked), and the 5 Steps we use to find award flights : Google Flights Searching the Airline website Using/checking the AT101 Transfer Matrix Searching partner airlines Searching Credit Card portals Where to Find Us The Award Travel 101 Facebook Community . To book time with our team, check out Award Trav...

How two regular Award Travel 101 members became community managers of a 90,000 member Facebook community.  Angie and Joe discuss how they got started in Award Travel and how they went from nearly no credit cards to ramping up and building their knowledge and maximization skills. Where to Find Us The Award Travel 101 Facebook Community . To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1 . Y...

We're bring the Award Travel 101 Podcast back to life after a lengthy hiatus, and we're looking to share fun stories of how you can win in Travel & Loyalty by helping you do extraordinary things on ordinary money! 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 Aw...

With over 64,000 members, there are lots of posts, comments and questions to sort out in the Facebook group. That's why we're so lucky to have such awesome moderators to help make sure Award Travel 101 is the best it can be. Now's your chance to get to know our moderators a bit better - to learn a little more about them than what you find out just chatting with them in the group. To...

Sam Kemmis joins us today to talk about how NerdWallet is working to build up their travel rewards content and help people not only with their credit cards and finances but also with figuring out how to travel for less. We touch on his professional background which includes some pretty well-known comedy writing, a bit of time working remotely, and an unusual master's degree. Finally, we chat...

Mark Ostermann from Miles to Memories joins us today to talk about a few recent posts of his that struck a nerve with his audience. FOMO - we all experience it and sometimes it makes us book silly trips. Mark and Jeff Talk about some of the crazy things they've booked and a few they are thinking about. Is it possible that they travel too much? Listen to this episode to find out. Finally, a bi...

We're "live" from Prague - interviewing friends on the road as Jeff continues his adventures through Europe after Oktoberfest. Tune in to hear about how five folks all booked different ways using points and miles to get to the same place! Links https://www.facebook.com/groups/10xtravel/ https://www.facebook.com/60SecondsWithStu/ https://www.instagram.com/youreanyaway https://bougiem...

This week's episode features a conversation with Award Travel 101 group member Kevin Lawler . He and Jeff chat about both growing up as picky eaters and how/what they eat has evolved with age and intertwined with their love of travel. Tune in to hear the story of how someone who was a picky eater ends up becoming a restaurant owner! Let alone, a food and travel blogger! Kevin shares some of h...

With over 62,000 members, there's a lot of posts, comments and questions to sort out. That's why we're so luck to have awesome moderators to help make sure Award Travel 101 is the best it can be! Now's your chance to get to know our moderators a bit better - beside just chatting with them in the group. Today, Jeff chats with Julie Breeze, a moderator who was one of the first fe...

If you've been using points and miles for award flights, you might have learned it's hard enough to find a great redemption, let alone when there's a big cultural event happening where you want to go. An event such as Oktoberfest! Spencer Howard from Straight to the Points is back on the Award Travel 101 podcast this week to chat with Jeff about their upcoming group trip to Germany....

Coming to you from FinCon , Jeff is joined this week by Brandon Neth of Finance Buzz . He shares his story of how he and his wife travel the world on points and miles and how he ended up joining FinanceBuzz . As a community manager for their Facebook group, FinanceBuzz Elite , he and Jeff chat about what it's like to put on events and moderate group chats for a living. Links FinanceBuzz Elite...

This week Jeff is joined by Lee Huffman from Bald Thoughts and the We Travel There podcast. They chat about the benefits of attending an award travel/frequent flyer event such as the Chicago Seminars or CardCon . Find other folks to "geek" out with and in the mean time, you never know what you might learn! Tune in to get an exclusive scoop on an upcoming Award Travel 101 event too! Links...

There's usually two kinds of award travelers. Those who earn points and miles through credit card spend and others who do so from being road warriors. It's easy to think the grass is greener - those always on the road dream of a week at home and vice versa. Well, then there's Ray Noriega, a friend of Jeff's, a US Soccer fan, comedian, tv personality and now IT road warrior. Tun...

How much do you know about Award Travel 101's newest community manager? If you enjoyed learning about Jeff and his wife Chrissy on last week's episode - there's more where that came from! This week Jeff shares 10 unique and interesting facts about him and how he got into this world of points and miles. NowBoarding: The Official BoardingArea Podcast Tune in every Tuesday to NowBoardi...

Jeff is back from his Ultimate Africa Trip! Joining him on his first episode piloting the Award Travel 101 podcast is his wife, Chrissy. Or as Jeff says, his "Better Half". They share a the story of how they met and the life changing moment on 9/11 that lead her to become a teacher. Tune in to learn more about how they plan travel with a perfect mix of fun, adventure and education as the...

Guest Host Ed Pizzarello from Miles to Go is filling in for Jeff while he's on vacation with the family. This week we tackle a on of questions submitted with the Award Travel 101 Facebook Group. Topics include dealing with flight delays, lost luggage and how far in advance to book award travel. Links Miles to Go: EC 261 - Passenger Rights in the EU What Is EU261 Compensation For A Delayed Or...

We're going deal hunting this week and who better to lead the way than Jen Yellin from Deals We Like ! She joins guest host Ed Pizza this week to chat about maximizing bonus miles on back to school shopping, Amex offers and a recent promotion on purchasing Hyatt points . Today's Guest Deals We Like was started in January 2011 by Jennifer Yellin. The blog became part of the well known tra...

Guest Host Ed Pizzarello from Miles to Go is filling in for Jeff while he's on vacation with the family. This week we tackle a on of questions submitted with the Award Travel 101 Facebook Group. Touching on elite status, flight bookings, point transfers and the like. Speaking of transfers, Gary Leff from View from the Wing joins us for a special discussion on how to best transfer any Citi Tha...

"So, Everybody, I'm not going to say goodbye, but we'll see you next time..." As was announced at the beginning of this week, founder of Award Travel 101 , Richard Kerr , is passing the baton to a new community manager. Not leaving the group, but transitioning from a moderator role to being a member, he's starting a full time job with The Points Guy . In this episode, he i...

This week, Spencer Howard from God Save the Points and the mastermind behind the Straight to the Points Awards Alerts Newsletter joins Richard for a chat about all things award travel. They tackle the breaking news on Marriott getting sued over resort fees, the big changes to Citi credit cards and a whole lot more! Timestamps 1:54 - Meet Spencer Howard 4:10 - Marriott getting sued over Resort Fees...

"Group Think is one of my biggest pet peeves..." What does a near miss with a nuclear submarine and foolishly discounting Delta SkyMiles as "useless" have in common? The concept of "Group Think". While redeeming points and miles aren't necessarily life and death, Richard highlights just some of the ways you're leaving money on the table when you follow &quot...

"It was just a palace...if you've been to one...I mean, you've been to them all, right?" Tune in this week for a full recap of Richard and Emily's 10th Anniversary trip to Europe! They offer reviews on flying the new British Airways First Class soft product, Lufthansa Business Class on an A350, the Hyatt Andaz in Munich, Sheraton in Salzburg and more! Congrats to Jonathan...