Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast

Using Points, Miles & Credit Card Bonuses to Travel Better for Less | Special Guest: Joseph Petrovic Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast re-releases and remasters a past conversation with Joseph Petrovic of Award Travel 101 about using points, miles, credit card rewards, transferable currencies, bank bonuses, and loyalty programs to travel at low cost. Recorded again for release in Oct...

Rove Adds JetBlue TrueBlue + Limited-Time 20% Transfer Bonus Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast welcomes Carissa Rawson from Rove to discuss Rove’s new JetBlue TrueBlue partnership and a limited-time 20% transfer bonus running from October 15 through November 14, 2026. Justin and Carissa also explain how Rove works as a free travel rewards platform that does not require a credit card....

Is the Barclays Luxury Card Black Card Finally Worth It? 75K Bonus + Triple-Dip Strategy Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast joins co-host Darren to discuss whether Barclays' $699 annual-fee Luxury Card Mastercard Black Card is finally worth considering after launching an elevated 75,000-point welcome bonus. The new offer awards 75,000 points after $6,000 in qualifying spend. The card...

U.S. Bank Business Essentials Cards 2026: $1,000 Bonus, 5% Category & Jessica Alba Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast is joined by returning co-host Darren to discuss U.S. Bank’s two new business credit cards launching in late September 2026: the U.S. Bank Business Essentials Plus Card and the no-annual-fee U.S. Bank Business Essentials Card. The Business Essentials Plus Card comes wi...

CardPointers V8: Automatic Offer Activation, Siri, AI Updates & Amex Offers Changes with Brooke Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast welcomes returning guest Brooke from CardPointers to discuss the launch of CardPointers V8 and the latest updates to the app for points, miles, cash back, credit card offers, and benefit tracking. Recorded September 23, 2026, this episode explains how Card...

Bilt Bulletin September 2026: Obsidian to Palladium Upgrades, Authorized User Strategy, Grubhub Premium Plus, and Dave Ramsey Rebuttal Bonus Segment Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast is joined by returning co-host Darren for a September 2026 Bilt Bulletin covering new Bilt upgrade offers, authorized user strategy, referral bonuses, Grubhub Premium Plus, Bilt Cash, Point Accelerators,...

Rove Adds Copa Airlines: 40% Transfer Bonus, App Updates, Dining & Gift Cards with Carissa Rawson Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast welcomes Carissa Rawson from Rove to discuss the latest Rove updates, including Copa Airlines ConnectMiles as a new transfer partner, a limited-time 40% transfer bonus, Rove app improvements, Rove Dining, expanded hotel inventory, gift cards, referral bo...

Las Vegas Birthday Deals & myVEGAS Rewards | Free Food, Casino Offers, MGM Perks & Credit Card Stacking Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast is joined by co-host Darren to discuss how to save money in Las Vegas by stacking birthday freebies, restaurant loyalty rewards, myVEGAS rewards, casino offers, and credit card benefits. Recorded during Justin’s September 2026 birthday month, this...

Rove App Launch, Rove Dining, Instant-Earn Gift Cards & Major Rove Hotels Update | August 2026 Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast welcomes Carissa Rawson from Rove to discuss major August 2026 updates, including the launch of the new Rove mobile app, Rove Dining, instant-earn gift cards, in-store shopping, updated browser extensions, and a major Rove Hotels refresh. Carissa explains R...

Bilt Builds Better: Blade Helicopters, Blacklane Rides, Equinox Credits + August 2026 Updates Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast is joined by returning co-host Darren to discuss the latest August 2026 Bilt Rewards updates. In this episode, Justin and Darren focus on new Bilt Cash redemption options, including Blade helicopter rides, Blacklane car service credits, and Equinox credits f...

Hermitage Bay Antigua Trip Report: $2,000/Night All-Inclusive for $0 Using Hilton Free Night Certificates Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast is joined by James from the Churn and Burn Podcast to recap Justin’s all-inclusive stay at Hermitage Bay in Antigua, a luxury resort. Justin and James discuss the full Hermitage Bay experience, including flights on American Airlines, complimentar...

Points & Miles in 2026: Bigger Bonuses, Smarter Cards, and Underrated Loyalty Programs with Andrew Kunesh Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast welcomes Andrew Kunesh, a freelance points-and-miles writer and former CNN staffer, to discuss credit card rewards, airline and hotel loyalty programs, travel strategy, and Andrew’s new short-form newsletter, PNM Now: Fast News for Frequent Flyer...

Save Money Eating Out: Paze $10 Off, Amex Resy Credits, Chase DoorDash/Instacart & More Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast welcomes returning guest Beth to share practical ways to save money eating out by using credit card benefits, restaurant loyalty programs, digital wallet promos, dining credits, and travel rewards strategies. Recorded August 10, 2026, this episode focuses on ways...

Hilton and Hyatt Credit Card Strategy, Citi AAdvantage Executive Changes & Amex Green Strategy with Matthew Dong Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast welcomes Matthew Dong to discuss building a smarter travel rewards strategy with credit cards, hotel programs, airline lounges, and upgrade opportunities. Justin and Matthew compare Hilton and Hyatt strategy, including why Matthew is expan...

NextCard.com Tools to Maximize Points, Miles & Credit Card Credits | Bilt, Dining Stacks, Paze & Hotel Maps Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast welcomes John from NextCard.com to discuss tools for maximizing credit card benefits, tracking statement credits, finding dining stacks, comparing hotel booking programs, and getting more value from points and miles. John explains how NextCard....

Bilt Bulletin July 2026 | Palladium Card Value, Alaska Transfers, Bilt Cash Expiration & More Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast is joined by returning co-host Darren covering the latest Bilt Rewards updates, Bilt Palladium Card strategy, Bilt Cash expiration concerns, and tools from NextCard that help Bilt users. Justin and Darren explain how Bilt Rewards works as a loyalty program w...

Rove Adds Qantas Transfer Partner | 50% Transfer Bonus, Qantas Sweet Spots & July 2026 Rove Update Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast welcomes Carissa Rawson from Rove to discuss Rove’s July 2026 update, including the addition of Qantas Frequent Flyer as Rove’s new transfer partner. Rove now offers 1:1 transfers to Qantas, along with a limited-time 50% transfer bonus through August 14...

Bryce Harper FanDuel Controversy: VIP Video, Gambling Rewards & Responsible Play Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast is joined by returning co-host Darren to discuss the controversy surrounding a Bryce Harper video that was later used by FanDuel for a VIP bettor who allegedly lost $1.5 million. Justin and Darren react to the early media coverage, criticize misleading headlines, and dis...

Cash Back and Points: How to Blend Credit Card Rewards with Amex, Chase, Capital One, Citi, U.S. Bank & More Justin Vacula of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast is joined by co-host Darren to discuss how to combine cashback credit cards with a points and miles strategy. Justin and Darren explain that points and miles can be great for flights, hotels, lounges, and premium travel, and cashback can help...

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...