MTM Travel - The Fun Side of Points & Travel!

Episode Description In episode 75 Spencer Howard from Straight to the Points and author of the amazing award alerts newsletter swings by to chat about AMEX travel credits, why right now is a great time to book future award travel and the future of his award alerts service. Subscribe to Spencer's award alerts newsletter or follow him on Instagram ! Episode Notes 4:57 - Spencer's miles and points st...

Episode Description In episode 74 we discuss Bonvoy's customer friendly changes, Virgin Atlantic walks back their devaluation some, are Citi ThankYou points overrated & a hotel reviews rant. Episode Notes 10:43 - Positively Bonvoyed? 20:45 - Virgin Atlantic Devaluation - good news 23:36 - Hotel Reviews rant 41:06 - Straight to the Points Premium 42:11 - Amex Uber Credits 42:30 - Citi ThankYou Poin...

Episode Description In episode 73 we discuss the amazing new Amex offers that launched, our application plans for the first part of 2021 and Virgin destroying the value of their program.   Episode Notes 3:04 - AMEX offers 9:26 - Virgin Atlantic devaluation 12:40 - Las Vegas deals through Amex and Chase 16:44 - Mark's 2021 credit card sign up strategy 25:51 - Around the web 26:54 - Rio Las Vegas  ...

Episode Description In episode 72 we each share our favorite segments from the show in 2020.  We go back to the rice and soy sauce incident, why traveling with kids sucks and a nightmare stay at the Atlantis.  We also read our favorite mean reviews from the year. Enjoy! Episode Notes 1:27 - Joe's favorite mean review 2:54 - Why traveling with kids sucks 14:19 - Shawn's favorite mean review 18:09 -...

Episode Description In episode 71 we discuss whether or not we are done cashing out points, for now. We also talk about our favorite holiday trips of the past and ones we are looking forward to in the future.  Lastly, we speculate which program will devalue first in 2021, two cards you should get right now and say goodbye to Observation Deck. Episode Notes 1:38 - Catching up 9:26 - Holiday travel...

Episode Description In episode 70 we discuss whether or not MS is dead at Walmart, something Amazon shoppers need to be aware of and Chase's newest transfer partner.  We also talk about our Chase Freedom first quarter plans and our Thompson Playa Del Carmen review. Episode Notes 4:16 - Chase's new transfer partner ( Details on the new Aeroplan ) 12:38 - Walmart shutting down MS??? 22:05 - Amazon p...

Episode Description In episode 69 Bethany Walsh of Bougie Miles returns to the podcast! We discuss what NYC is like right now, what countries you can visit without quarantining right now and thinking outside the box with a Paypal Key play (that no longer exists, alas). As we recorded, news broke that AMEX shut down a bunch of accounts so we discussed that as well. All that plus rapid fire on a fun...

Episode Description In episode 68 we talk about Hyatt's amazing new promotion and why Shawn isn't a huge fan of it.  We also talk about end of year housekeeping, maxing out a Disney redemption before it vanishes, getting kickbacks for Amazon returns and much more. Episode Notes 5:05 - All about Hyatt's new generous status offer 28:03 - Black Friday reflections 34:41 - End of year housekeeping 40:3...

Episode Description In episode 67 we talk about a big blow to Best Buy resellers and the gift card game overall. We also discuss Black Friday deals, share some tips, discuss avoiding spending creep and recent retention offer data points.  Lastly, we talk about what we are thankful for even in the train wreck of 2020. Episode Notes 9:48 - Is Best Buy gift card reselling dead? 15:13 - Apple/Target g...

Episode Description In episode 66 we talk about how an American was jailed for more than a bad review, some nice new 5X offers and if there are just too many to juggle right now.  We also talk about planning for a post pandemic Disney trip, why you shouldn't use our Platinum links and a ton more. Episode Notes 9:00 - Jail time for a review? 17:18 - Citi 5X bonus 22:27 - Planning a post pandemic Di...

Episode Description In episode 65 we talk about some massive new welcome offers that were launched this week.  We also discuss some more issues with liquidation at Walmart stores and Shawn gives us an overview of his Miraval stay and whether the juice is worth the squeeze or not. Episode Notes 5:01 - New Chase Ink offers 8:13 - AMEX Platinum and Gold offers 14:15 - Co-branded airline card offers 1...

Episode Description In episode 64 we have a special guest, Ryan from Miles to Memories.  We discuss his recent trip to West Africia, how he was denied boarding, discriminate against in the airport and other shenanigans that happened along the way.  We also talk about point valuations and play a fun game in the outtakes.  Episode Notes 2:43 - Mark in Vegas! 6:09 - Mile and point valuations 20:06 -...

Episode Description In episode 63 we discuss the Amex Gold refresh, some unfounded worries (at least for now) about money orders at Walmart and getting ready for Q4 reselling and gift buying.  Episode Notes 1:07 - Mark's flying! 6:51 - AMEX Gold changes 13:07 - Walmart MO concerns ? 18:39 - Black Friday month long sales and preparations 30:19 - Citi Prestige 4th night free analysis 32:26 - Las Veg...

Episode Description In episode 62 we discuss getting wrongfully denied to board a flight, Chase rolling out a new spending offer, an increased bonus ending and our favorite Prime Day wins.  We also talk about Delta's juicy status match offer and a shout out to the great Daryl Grove. Episode Notes 6:00 - Prime Day 15:15 - New Chase spending offer 19:02 - Denied boarding for a flight?? 27:32 - CSP i...

Episode Description In episode 61 we discuss a popular gift card deal ending and what to do when a deal dies.  We also talk about our latest retention offer wins and losses and best overall practices. Lastly, we discuss Citi adding some new anti gaming language, Centurion lounge reopenings, Vegas walking tours & more.  Episode Notes 9:54 - Taking advantage of retention offers 21:55 - RIP to a grea...

Episode Description In episode 59 we discuss why family travel sucks sometimes, the best miles for international first class and a massive 100K offer.  We also talk about Chase extending their popular program, continued issues with the Hilton Surpass & much more. Episode Notes 6:47 - Chase Pay yourself back extended 8:48 - 100K Cap One Venture offer 14:58 - Hilton Surpass continues to have issues...

Episode Description In episode 58 we have a special guest, Grant Thomas from Travel with Grant. During the episode we talk about when MS turns into marriage, savings thousands using everyday rewards and Grant's recent travels. We also give World of Hyatt & Delta customer service tips. Episode Notes 5:45 - Introducing Grant 10:50 - Grant's current road trip to Carmel/Monterrey 16:24 - MSing a wife...

Episode Description In episode 57 we have a special guest, Ian Snyder, who talks about his recent international trip to Istanbul. We talk about the travel experience during the pandemic, customs, top sights in the city and all the dang cats!  Ian also shares Turkish redemption tips, we talk about Hyatt's amazing promo and maxing out the Hyatt Brand Explorer perk. Episode Notes 3:25 - Introducing I...

Episode Description In episode 56 we discuss why people flew across the country for a gift card deal, how the rules keep changing for the Chase Flex card and how a travel agent can save the day at Disney.  We also talk about the most popular posts of August, being the only person staying in a hotel & Vegas' newest property. Episode Notes 7:27 - Using a Disney travel agent 16:47 - Using Disney gift...

Episode Description In episode 55 we discuss Chase bringing the heat with their newest credit card launch.  We also talk about airlines actually doing a customer friendly change, getting compensation from Target, the different types of US Passports & more. Episode Notes 8:43 - New Vegas show ! 10:52 - Chase Freedom FLEX and other changes 19:22 - Getting paid back by Target 23:52 - Airlines elimina...

Episode Description In episode 54 we discuss what it is like living in a Covid free country, Chase shutdowns and reversals and Joe's Cape Cod trip report.  We also talk about playing the upgrade / downgrade game with Citi and how Mark lost brown bag roulette.  Episode Notes 1:12 - Natty Ice! 7:47 - Mortgage rates are super low 12:54 - Cape Cod trip report 19:10 - How Tonga has stayed covid-19 free...

Episode Description In episode 53 we discuss the next credit card we have our eyes on, what our upcoming family travel plans look like and if our thoughts on travel have changed at all.  We also talk about Aeroplan's new award chart and its sweet spots, a new way to cash out ThankYou points and popular YouTube videos. Episode Notes 7:57 - What are the next credit cards on our radar? 18:15 - Our fa...

Episode Description In episode 52 we discuss maxing out Southwest's new voucher system, how awful Vegas' travel numbers look and some juicy new welcome offers on Amex cards.  We also go over how to get credit from Amazon when they mess up and Aeroplan's new award chart. Episode Notes 7:58 - Aeroplan initial impressions 12:11 - Vegas crowds and numbers 24:00 - Southwest convert to points 34:15 - AM...

Episode Description In episode 51 we discuss Chase extending the popular Pay Yourself Back feature, using travel hacking to pay for college, awesome Amex Offers & when a house inspection goes horribly wrong. Episode Notes 1:33 - Choice Hotels CC 6:40 - Mark's Lake House update 13:08 - iTunes working for all Apple products, is it a good or bad change? 19:09 - Chase pay yourself extended 31:26 - Usi...