Frequent Miler on the Air

In this episode, we talk about how Rove matches your Mesa, we talk about whether or not you should buy IHG Diamond status, and we announce this year's picks for Bonvoyed of the Year. Giant Mailbag (01:09) - Changing names on reservations/workarounds for using the Fine Hotels and Resorts the Hotel Collection benefit Mattress Running the Numbers (03:59) - IHG Lock in 2026 Diamond status by buying po...

The Mesa Homeowners card abruptly closed all accounts last Friday, with no warning. This is particularly surprising because they had just added Omni as a partner. We'll talk about the aftermath in today's podcast episode. Aftermath of the major Mesa mess (00:17) - Read more about the abrupt closure of Mesa homeowners credit cards here (03:47) - What was the Mesa Homeowners card? You can learn abou...

In today's podcast episode we hear about one reader's status magic, how Nick's family got stuck in HEL-sinki , and we make our end-of-year to-do list with your help. Giant Mailbag (01:41) - One reader's experience with unexpected status benefits See episode 334 "Super Stacking Stories" here. Card News (04:45) - Both Citi AAdvantage Business cardholders & authorized users earn Loyalty Points on...

To our surprise, the Southwest Debit Card is more interesting than we expected! It's been uncommon for debit cards to make waves in points-earning efforts, but this one is proving intriguing. (00:17) - Southwest Debit card is more interesting than we thought! Read more about the Southwest Debit Card here. (00:51) - Some basic details about the Southwest Debit Card (07:09) - Why is this interesting...

In this week's podcast, we'll talk about how Citi Travel hides thousands of hotels, we'll describe our favorite flights from 2025, and we'll find out who on the FM team is willing to book a 3.5 rated hotel... (Skip straight to the main topic here: 1:26:18) Giant Mailbag (01:51) - Hyatt Elite Status Hack See episode 334 "Super Stacking Stories " here. Bonvoyed: (07:07) - Citi Travel blocking hotel...

The conventional wisdom in the miles and points community is that you should "earn and burn" your points. In other words, once you have them, don't be afraid to use them up because there's no guarantee the program won't devalue later, leaving you wishing you'd spent your points when the value was higher. But...is that always the right choice? Is it worth hoarding points? (00:41) - When does it mak...

In today's podcast episode, we'll talk about the many things we got wrong last week (oops!), how Etihad is sinking to a new low, and we'll reminisce about our extreme stacking adventures.  Giant Mailbag (01:06) - Things we got wrong last week in episode 333 "Elite Benefit Battle: Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and IHG" (02:47) - Read about how to earn up to 250K Alaska miles per year here Card News...

Tim wrote a post about which transferable points are most valuable for lodging, and his findings have us wondering: Is Citibank the new transferable points currency worth focusing on?  (Has Citibank now eclipsed Chase and Bilt?) See: Which transferable credit card points are most valuable for lodging? Transferring points to hotels. Has Citi eclipsed Chase and Bilt? (01:11) - Most hotel transf...

In today's Frequent Miler on the Air podcast, we'll look at United's cardholder discount, Hilton's Diamond Reserve status, and we'll rank the perks of hotel elite benefits from Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, and IHG. Giant Mailbag (01:13) - "I just spent the day in Nice and Monte Carlo and I have you to blame..." Bonvoyed (03:30) - United increases prices for close-in award bookings Read more about Unit...

There are some great opportunities to earn a lot of Wyndham points, and today we'll do the math on whether or not this could mean a great mattress-running opportunity. (00:38) - Wyndham promo: Earn 7.5k bonus points when staying 2 nights (up to 4 times) (Learn more about the promo here) (01:44) - Is this double-dip, mattress-run worthy? (02:31) - How much would the 2 nights have to cost to get 0.6...

In this episode, we'll talk about Virgin's double-or-nothing bad math promo, how to fly to Europe for 88 miles, and how to earn more rewards while charitably giving. Giant Mailbag (00:56) - A fun story about Mariner tickets from a Capital One deal where the seats were almost too good. Read more about Capital One Cardholder Exclusives Major League Baseball tickets here Card News (04:56) - Venture X...

How often do you fly to earn points & miles? Do you chase status with an airline you don't intend to fly, with the intention of later matching to another airline? We answered these and many other questions on the Ask Us Anything hosted live on YouTube on November 5th, 2025. (06:10) - ​​How many annual fees do each of you pay a year, and how often do you fly to earn points & miles? (15:08)...

A bunch of game-changing news came up last week, right after we recorded our Coffee Break episode (which we'd recorded a day earlier than usual). We'll cover those changes in today's Coffee Break episode. (00:56) - Rumor: 200K Chase Sapphire Reserve® in-branch offer for some customers (02:49) - Rakuten portal now lets you earn Bilt points  (03:44) - You can learn more about the friend referra...

In today's episode of the Frequent Miler on the Air podcast, we'll talk about the Bilt card 2.0 that's coming, we'll reveal a trick for finding Air France award availability, and talk about 5 ways to super-stack your hotel bookings. Giant Mailbag (01:08) - Air France Availability on JAL searching tip Card News (06:09) - Bilt card 2.0 (replaces current Bilt card) (08:21) - Citi now allows product c...

You have until the end of the year to earn the number of elite nights required for the elite level you're aiming for, so it's time to start thinking strategically! (00:58) - Which status levels are worth targeting? Read more about which Marriott elite benefits apply and when here. (03:23) - Shortcuts (You can read more about this here.) (05:11) - Learn more about Marriott credit card eligibility h...

In this episode of Frequent Miler on the Air, we'll reveal a trick for booking 2 people at single-person award rates, Wyndham & Vacasa are breaking up and breaking our hearts, and we'll talk about how to triple dip towards thousands of dollars in credits. Giant Mailbag (01:11) - Our listener uses a second browser to grab two seats at a low price... Card News (04:56) - Wells Fargo Autograph &am...

Back in June, Chase introduced the new Chase Sapphire Reserve® card with a higher annual fee. Our initial reactions were mixed and a little disappointed because the card was no longer a no-brainer, broadly applicable card in our view. Now that we've had some time, has our opinion changed? (01:53) - High-level view of the card updates (04:15) - Initially, Greg felt like this card would work for him...

As it nears the end of the year, it's time to assess Hyatt elite progress. In today's Frequent Miler on the air podcast episode, we'll focus on how to bridge the gap to the next level of Hyatt status. But we'll also talk about United & JetBlue tying their knot tighter, and how Wyndham's crappy coupon book doesn't add up. Giant Mailbag (01:21) - "We just wanted to say how much we have enjoyed t...

Citi is out with a new mid-tier card called the AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® with a $350 annual fee. We expected a lot from this card, but found it ultimately disappointing. (00:50) - Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® basics (02:04) - Perks, coupons, and elite boost (04:44) - Is this the replacement for Barclays $195 Aviator Silver card? (06:31) - Hear our discussion about the Barclays Avia...

On today's Frequent Miler on the Air Podcast we'll discuss how to fly with 1 free human companion and 1 pet companion for a full year, or how to fly with a free human companion for two years, or how to get 350,000 points and elite status for 25 years! Giant Mailbag (01:15) - "I wanted to share some insights on the Mesa card based on my experience..." Learn more about the Mesa Homeonwers card here....

(00:49) - Background of Frommer's Travel guides and Frommer's Travel Show (04:25) - What makes Frommer's Travel guides different from other guides and travel websites? (05:39) - How is AI changing the landscape of travel guides? (08:01) - Hidden gems with free activities may not get the presence on Google that places with paid activities will (09:47) - When did Pauline get interested in joining he...

This podcast was recorded live on October 8th, at 9 pm ET during our 100K Vacay Annual Challenge final livestream. In that livestream we did our final scoring of Nick and Stephen's trips and crowned the 100K Vacay winner! You'll hear that livestream now, as part of this podcast episode. (You'll notice some audio quality issues with Nick's mic this week - our apologies!) Giant Mailbag (00:39) - "Hi...

Last week, Greg completed his benchmark trip using 100K Chase Ultimate Rewards points for an incredible vacation in Malta. Shortly after he returned, Tim, Nick and Stephen set out to try and out-shine his trip using 100K of the transferable points they chose to compete with. Unfortunately Tim's trip came to an early end due to an unavoidable need back home, so Nick and Stephen were left to tackle...

Greg's benchmark trip is done, and that means it's time for the 100K Vacay team challenge to begin! In this episode, you'll get a chance to listen to the kick-off live stream that aired on October 1st at 9 pm Eastern Time and reviewed all the things that went well (and could have gone better) with Greg's 100K Vacay benchmark trip to Malta. (01:14) - Here's the timeline of the challenge (starting w...

In a recent episode, Greg and Nick talked about their favorite travel gear . In this episode, we're featuring all the cool travel gear we learned about from all of you in your responses to that episode! Favorite travel gear from the Giant Mailbag Listen to the episode "Our favorite travel gear | Ep323 | 9-12-25" here (01:28) - "For packable backpacks , Matador makes ultralight, water-resistant, pa...