Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast

Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast: Justin Vacula Responds to Dave Ramsey on FICO Scores and Credit Cards Justin Vacula records an impromptu episode of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast responding point by point to Dave Ramsey’s video, “This Is What Your FICO Score Really Means.” Justin argues that Ramsey misrepresents how credit works by repeatedly equating responsible credit card use with carrying debt. He...

Dave Ramsey Cruise Pricing: $4,115 Interior Room, Massive Upsells & Credit Cards Accepted at Checkout Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast records an impromptu reaction to Dave Ramsey promoting a seven-day Western Caribbean “debt-free celebration” cruise for 2,500 fans. Justin discusses the contrast between Ramsey’s usual frugality, anti-debt, and anti-credit-card messaging and the high...

TrackRak.com Review | Real-Time Rakuten Rate Alerts to Maximize Points, Miles & Cash Back Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast welcomes Carrie from TrackRak.com to discuss how TrackRak helps points and miles users monitor Rakuten shopping portal rates and get real-time alerts when earning rates increase. Recorded June 30, 2026, this episode covers how TrackRak works, why Carrie built th...

Best Credit Cards for Airport Lounge Access | Priority Pass, Chase Sapphire, Amex Centurion, Capital One & Airline Clubs Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast is joined by returning co-host Darren to discuss the best credit cards for airport lounge access, including Priority Pass, Chase Sapphire Lounges, Capital One Lounges, Amex Centurion Lounges, United Clubs, Delta Sky Clubs, Admirals...

Bilt Bulletin June 2026 | Palladium Card Updates, Credit Limit Increases, CFPB Complaints & Bilt Cash Redemptions In this episode, Justin and Darren review key features of the Bilt Palladium Card, including Bilt Cash vs. Rent Multiplier, the welcome bonus, Gold status, hotel credits, and the Point Accelerator feature. They also discuss how they are using the card, what benefits have been useful so...

Wyndham Rewards Earner Premier Card Review | 120K Bonus, 25% Award Discount, $400 Credits & $395 Fee Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast is joined by James from the Churn and Burn Podcast to discuss the newly released Wyndham Rewards Earner Premier Card. This new premium Wyndham credit card has a $395 annual fee and offers up to a 120,000-point welcome bonus, with 90,000 Wyndham Reward...

Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast responds to an NBC News article titled “How High-End Credit Card Perks Are Hurting Shoppers Who Pay in Cash.” Original article: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/credit-card-perks-hurt-shoppers-pay-cash-debit-rcna346905 The article frames credit card rewards as a wealth transfer tied to economic inequality, but Justin argues the story misses...

Points & Miles with Matt Clausen | Rove Stacking, Wells Fargo Cards, JetBlue Premier, and Getting Started Justin Vacula welcomes Matt Clausen to the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast for a conversation about getting started with points and miles, smart card strategy, and some of today’s more interesting opportunities in travel rewards. Recorded on May 11, 2026, this episode covers beginner-friendly advic...

June 2026 Rove Report: 50% Transfer Bonus to Turkish Miles&Smiles + What’s New at Rove Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast welcomes returning guest Carissa Rawson to discuss Rove’s June 2026 transfer bonus to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles and the latest updates from Rove. From June 1 through June 30, 2026, Rove is offering a 50% transfer bonus to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles, meaning...

Bilt Bulletin May 2026 | Bilt Cash, Point Accelerators, Grubhub Changes, Priority Pass Confusion & New Rent Card Options Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast is joined by returning guest Darren for a May 2026 Bilt Bulletin, covering the latest Bilt Rewards updates, Bilt Cash strategy, point accelerators, rent payment options, and recent changes affecting Bilt cardholders. Justin and Dar...

JetBlue Premier Credit Card Refresh: 100K Bonus, Mosaic Status Potential, $300 Travel Credit & BlueHouse Lounge Access Recorded in May 2026, Justin Vacula and returning co-host Darren discuss the refreshed JetBlue Premier Credit Card and whether it's worth the $499 annual fee. They explain the new limited-time 100,000 point welcome bonus, JetBlue Mosaic status opportunities, the annual 25-tile bon...

Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast welcomes Carissa from Rove to discuss the new “It Pays to Chase More Rove Miles” promotion, running May 21 through May 31, 2026. In this episode, Justin and Carissa explain how Rove users can earn elevated Rove Shopping rewards with select merchants offering up to 15X Rove miles. They also discuss stackable opportunities with Chase’s new Paze 10X Ult...

Bank of America Royal Caribbean Credit Card Review (70,000 Points) | Apply or Skip? Justin Vacula and returning co-host Darren discuss the new Bank of America Royal Caribbean Royal ONE Plus Visa Signature credit card. In this episode of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast, they review the card’s 70,000-point welcome bonus after $3,000 in spending within 90 days, worth about $700 in Royal Caribbean rewa...

Justin Vacula reacts to a viral Dave Ramsey Show clip where a caller says she has around $90,000 in student loan debt, has been with her boyfriend for six years, and says he will not propose until she is debt-free. He pays her rent, they've been together for six years, but Dave Ramsey and his co-host Jade says this isn't good enough. In this reaction, Justin responds to Dave Ramsey and Jade Warsha...

Miles & Points in 2026 with Jason Steele Justin Vacula hosts the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast with special guest Jason Steele, founder of CardCon and the Financial Affiliate Marketing Forum (FMAF), for a wide-ranging discussion about the state of miles and points in 2026. In this episode, Jason shares how he first got started with award travel, how he handles credit card annual fees, and why many tr...

Rove Report April 2026 | Virgin Atlantic & Virgin Red Added, App Beta, Sweet Spots, Meetups & More Justin Vacula welcomes Carissa Rawson from Rove back to the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast to discuss the latest Rove updates for April 2026, including the addition of Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and Virgin Red as new transfer partners. With these additions, Rove now offers 17 transfer partners. In this...

April 2026 Bilt Bulletin | Palladium Card, Points Accelerator, Bilt Cash Credits & Wyndham Update Justin Vacula and co-host Darren return with the April 2026 Bilt Bulletin on the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast, explaining the latest developments with Bilt Rewards, including the new Bilt Palladium card, Points Accelerator, Bilt Cash credits, and the addition of Wyndham as a transfer partner. In this ep...

Autopilot Monitors Flight Price Drops After Booking | Save Money, Cash & Points | Sam Hollander Interview Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast interviews Sam Hollander from Autopilot about how travelers can track flight price drops after booking and potentially save money, receive travel credits, or rebook award flights for fewer points. Autopilot helps monitor eligible flights booked d...

Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast shares a full Calala Island trip report from one of the most exclusive Hilton redemptions in the world. This private ultra all-inclusive island resort in Nicaragua was booked with four Hilton Free Night Certificates from American Express Hilton cards, and Justin also received a $2,510 wire bonus in under a week. In this episode, Justin and guest Jame...

Bilt Palladium Card: Month 1 Results | Bilt Cash, Points Accelerator, Dining & Hotel Credits Justin Vacula and returning co-host Darren evaluate their first month with the Bilt Palladium Card, including how they used Bilt Cash redemptions, the Points Accelerator, and stacked valuable hotel, dining, Lyft, Grubhub, and Walgreens credits. In this episode, they explain why the Bilt Palladium Card is a...

MGM Rewards Cruises: How to Book BOTH Gold & Platinum Cruises Can MGM Rewards members book both Gold and Platinum complimentary cruises in the same earned-status year? In this episode, host Justin Vacula is joined by returning guest Marc Konchinsky to break down how it can be done, even when cruise reps and agents give conflicting answers. Marc shares his firsthand experience booking and sailing b...

In this March 2026 Rove Report, Justin Vacula is joined by Carissa Rawson from Rove to talk about ways to earn and use points for travel. They discuss Rove’s growing list of transfer partners, as well as two major recent developments: the new SAS Scandinavian Airlines partnership and the launch of Japan Airlines. They explain the 20% SAS transfer bonus through April 8, 2026, including sweet spots...

FTU Dallas 2026 Preview | New Venue, Speakers, Tours, Live Podcast Studio & Earn/Burn Points Frequent Traveler University Dallas is back for 2026, and host Justin Vacula is joined by returning guest Hunter Threadgill to preview everything attendees can expect from FTU Dallas, May 1–3, 2026. In this episode, Justin and Hunter discuss the new FTU Dallas venue at NYLO Las Colinas, part of Tapestry Co...

Brisbane on a Delta One Flash Deal | Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast Justin Vacula returns home after an exciting trip to Brisbane, Australia. Frequent co-host Darren joins this episode. Justin shares highlights from the journey, including his Delta One experience with a lie-flat seat, plus time at the Delta One Lounge at LAX with private security access. The trip recap includes walks around downtown B...

Miles, Points & Creative Spending: A Tribute to Bill Dickerson (Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast) Justin of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast remasters and re-releases an episode recorded 2–3 years ago with twins Eric and Bill Dickerson as a tribute to Bill, following his death from stroke-related complications. This conversation captures their early journey into miles and points and creative spending: cre...