Milenomics ² Podcast - No Annual Fee Edition

It's been too long since we've released a No Annual Fee epsiode. This week we take stock of the many Amex offers currently available, many of which can earn welcome bonuses even if you've had - or still have - the card. There's some nuance to it through, which we cover in detail. Enjoy! 0:25 Amex Opportunity Roundup NLL 250,000 Business Platinum ( link to check , may still get pop-up) $30,000 in 6...

Robin Hutson from Luxe Recess comes back to chat with Robert about... 0:45 Travel Trends Prices on airfare and lodging as travel comes back big time Seeing this domestically and internationally? 11:05 The Sad State of Amex Platinum Travel ( Loyalty Lobby ) 19:15 The Bahamas Baha Mar Atlantis 33:25 Italy Hotels mentioned: Laconda Rossa Palazzo Margherita 49:15 Disney Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser...

Milenomics community member Lillian joins me to talk about her trip to Uruguay, Argentina, Tahiti and beyond. I'd recommend taking a look at Google Maps while listening to follow along. Enjoy! 0:30 Premise and Parameters 4:50 AA Business Class 115k pp round trip AUS-MIA-MVD Accessed the Centurion lounge and AA Flagship Admirals Club in MIA 11:00 Montevideo, Uruguay SORO Montevideo, Curio Collectio...

Too much news for our Patreon Podcast this week, so we broke the following out into this No Annual Fee Episode. Enjoy! 0:26 JetBlue News Roundup Boston to London service begins this summer ( Link ) Bids for Spirit ( Link ) Has service recovery issues ( Link ) 04:11 Marriott Bonvoy Dynamic Pricing Goes Live Seems to be a mixed bag Booked Ritz-Carlton Maldives for 335,000 now 385,000 (not bad) JW Ma...

This week I chatted with Milenomics community member CF Frost about his recent stay at the new Hilton LXR Mango House Seychelles and we do a deep dive into the Hilton program . You may remember CF from this post he wrote about a now-expired opportunity to get Amex Hilton Aspire cards without an annual fee. Those Aspire cards kick off free night certificates and resort credits that are now enabling...

"Checking In" is a show on the Milenomics Podcast Network where I usually chat with members of the community about some specific trip, loyalty program, or method they've been using to generate points & miles. Today's show is a little different because my guest is Milenomics founder Sam Simon. And since it's a Disneyland trip report and totally "above board" we're releasing it here on the No An...

Today's special episode is hosted by Gideon the Free-quent Flyer. [Cold open] Harraseeket Inn holiday buffets: https://www.harraseeketinn.com/dine-1 Hello, and welcome to The Manifesto with Gideon, the Free-quent Flyer, on the Milenomics Podcast Network. I’m Gideon, the Free-quent Flyer, and I’m joined today by Ted Fleischaker, board member of Portland, Maine’s Etz Chaim Synagogue and publisher of...

We discuss the addition of Wyndham/Vacasa as a Citi ThankYou Point transfer partner, ZIPAIR from LAX to Tokyo, Frontier leaving Newark, and a $500 brokerage bonus from "Tastyworks." Let's get right into it. Citi TYP Shakeup: AA Out (for now?) Wyndham In Wyndham 1:1 from Premier/Prestige, 5:4 from lower level cards Wyndham opens up Vacasa rentals--and really is a wonderful option for family travel...

Three major loyalty programs updated their schemes this week. We discuss this and more in this week's No Annual Fee podcast... Marriott Bonvoy Changes ( Direct Link ) Doing away with award chart March 2022, points required will track cash price Free Night Certificate Top Off limited to 15k, starts “early 2022” Certificates/status extended again ( FM ) Hyatt Peak/Off-Peak Goes Live Gave a cursory l...

Robert chats with Robin Hutson from Luxe Recess about trends she's seeing in the luxury travel market. They compare notes on recent travels with an eye towards planning for the coming year. Last Chatted in January, 2021 ( listen ) Vaccines were just becoming available Things looked like they were getting better, then Delta variant What are you seeing in terms of travel hesitancy right now? And how...

Today's Podcast comes to you from Gideon The Freequent Flyer who has a companion piece to t his podcast on his site. Hello and welcome to The Manifesto with Gideon the Free-quent Flyer on the Milenomics Podcast Network. I am Gideon the Free-quent Flyer and I’m joined today by the Director of Travel Rewards at Bilt Rewards, Richard Kerr. Richard, welcome to the Manifesto. [0:30] Plugs Social: @Kerr...

Today we're releasing an episode of "Checking In with Robert Dwyer" that's normally reserved for subscribers of the Milenomics Podcast Network . Robert chats with Joe Cheung about what it's like to visit Disney Parks these days, and what's coming in the near future to Disney World. 0:22 What Joe has been up to since Saverocity Observation Deck Producing Miles to Memories Podcast. Disney Deciphered...

Four great credit card welcome bonuses to consider from Bank of America. Let’s discuss them, how we’d prioritize them, and also navigating the complicated and ever-changing approval standards over at Bank of America. 0:54 BofA Amtrak 50,000 + $100 Statement Credit ( DoC ) Do a dummy booking to see offer $79 AF not waived $2,500 min spend in 90 days Amtrak points are worth 2.9 cpp towards non-Acela...

On today's No Annual Fee show we discuss: 0:30 Q3 2021 5x Categories Chase Freedom Grocery Stores Select Streaming Services Discover Restaurants PayPal Citi Dividend Gas Stations Home Improvement 3:50 New Citi Custom Cash Card (HT DoC ) Direct Link 20,000 TYP for spending $750 in first 3 months No AF 5x TYP on up to $500 spend each month in biggest category, 1x after that Don’t have to activate (t...

A Hot news week has us sitting down to discuss the following: 0:29 Chase Sapphire Preferred 100,000 Direct Link   Subject to 5/24 $95 AF (not waived first year) Try generating a referral if you/your spouse have one (chase.com/referafriend) “Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.* That's $1,250 toward travel when redeemed throu...

0:30 JetBlue New York - London Now Bookable Direct Link Website was down when they released these (classic JetBlue) Starts August 12, 2021 Economy “from” $595 roundtrip Mint “from” $1,979 roundtrip 4:55 New Airlines: Avelo and Breeze Avelo is a new West coast airline that has set up from BUR ( Link for more details ) Routes are somewhat unique, to about a dozen western destinations.  In most cases...

0:23 Earn Singapore Status Through Bank Point Transfer ( link ) Get 1 elite qualifying mile for every 5 bank points transferred Transfer 250,000 bank points between April 7, 2021 and February 28, 2022 Get Star Alliance Gold for 12 months Gets you UA lounge access when travelling domestically and other Star Alliance Gold benefits Singapore miles expire 3 years after they’re earned even with activit...

Many of you reading this might not even know there is a podcast called The Milenomics Second Podcast (MSP). We're celebrating on the blog today the ending of season 1 of the Milenomics Second Podcast, hosted by our very own Garth Grawburg. Feats of Strength On the Saverocity Observation deck Festivus Episodes Joe and Trevor often cover of feats of strength. Garth's first season on MSP is, in fact,...

We've got a full show today. Let's get right into it... 0:25 Q2 2021 5x Categories Chase Freedom Gas Stations Home Improvement Stores Discover Gas Stations Wholesale Clubs Select Streaming Services Citi Dividend Supermarkets Drugstores 3:15 Amex 40% Transfer Bonuses to Hilton/Marriott 1,000 MRs become 2,800 Hilton 1,000 MRs become 1,400 Marriott One use model: Marriott to “high value” foreign carr...

Last year year we launched a podcast network, adding the Manifesto hosted by Gideon the Free-quent Flyer to the Patreon Feed. In this episode Gideon sits down with Kelly de Schaun, Chief Executive Officer of the Galveston Park Board. Enjoy this special episode, and if you're interested in even more great podcast content, check us out on Patreon. Hello, and welcome to The Manifesto with Gideon, the...

Robert: Amex has been ratcheting up the complexity on their offers and benefits. Partially due to covid, wanting to retain customers, and wanting to maintain and build engagement. The gamification of Amex is in full swing. Sam: These credits are not free money, and they’re definitely not always easy as we’ll discuss today... For each of these let’s discuss: The Promise The Problems Possible soluti...

Robert chats with Robin Hutson from Luxe Recess about luxury family travel trends, blending points & miles with a trip booked through a full-service travel agency, and where families are going in Florida in addition to Disney. 0:30 Travel Planning Picking Up 1:15 Luxe Recess LuxeRecess.com Origin story What Luxe Recess is/isn't Robert's articles on Luxe Recess What are the defining characteris...

I received an offer via email the other day for a wine-focused rewards credit card I've been monitoring for a while, the Grand Reserve World Mastercard. They've temporarily bumped the welcome bonus on the card to 75,000 points (worth around $450 towards wine and accesories) so I reached out to Grand Reserve Founder and CEO Matthew Goldman for a chat on the podcast. Besides the points & miles s...

We're back today with a show we've talked about recording for some time now. The topic of booking travel in 2021 is a unique one because this is a very unique time in travel, miles and points. Spurred on by cancellations last year by both of us, large travel bank balances, and plenty of want for travel we talk about our best practices for booking in 2021. Feel free to comment below with your best...

We're back with a packed No Annual Fee episode of the podcast. Let's get right into it... 0:22 2021 Amex Perks/Offers ( Summary from Amex ) Personal $30 PayPal Credit Per Month (no activation required) [Targeted] $50 back on $50 at Best Buy (use twice, activation required) [Targeted] $50 back on $50 at Home Depot (use twice, activation required) Business Additional 4x on Gas, Office Supply, Wirele...