Frequent Miler on the Air

In today's episode, we'll talk about how Chase Point Boost is going bust, how Avianca sucks some life out of LifeMiles, and rewards for spending BIG. Giant Mailbag (01:16) - Mike says "I have a subscription to Award Wallet Plus, and it has a “Merchant Category Lookup Tool,” where you can enter a merchant name and it will give the related merchant category name..." Find our Wells Fargo Journeys For...

Hyatt is changing their award charts on May 20th, 2026, and it's pretty devastating with a new 5-tier pricing system and huge increases in prices. Today, we'll see if there's some good news in all of this. (00:12) - New 5-level award charts: lowest, low, moderate, upper, top (prev: off-peak, standard, peak) (02:08) - Is there any good news? (06:59) - Some good news about premium suites (11:49) - T...

Does product changing ruin trip protections? Frequent Miler reader Jay P wrote in saying: "I used my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to book a flight and hotel for a future trip. Now, I would like to product change my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card before that trip. Are there any negative impacts if I product change before travel?" We've been answering a reader or listener question at the end of ea...

In today's episode, we'll talk about Amex Platinum shutting down paths for earning Delta airline fee credits, Google Hotels adding price drop alerts, and all the many paths that still exist for free cruises in 2026. Main Event: Cruising for free Giant Mailbag (01:07) - Greg gets corrected about Bilt point accelerator vs Rent Day... Crazy Thing: Capital One Shopping (03:27) - Capital One brings Gma...

Airline fuel surcharges are going up! We've recently seen Air France KLM Flying Blue and Virgin Atlantic increase surcharges on their awards and it's looking like a trend. In this podcast episode, we'll talk about the different ways you can avoid them. How to avoid airline surcharges (02:02) - Booking with an alliance partner that doesn't pass along surcharges (02:15) - Air France KLM Flying Blue...

In today's podcast episode, we'll watch as Capital One ventures into business, we'll discuss the best of the best award search tools, and we'll talk about how Wells Fargo is on the upswing. Giant Mailbag (01:00) - Nate has a tip to add to our Free checked bags via credit cards podcast Ep353 Card News (04:41) - Capital One Spark Miles rebranded to Venture Business Learn more about the Capital One S...

JetBlue has announced some big changes to its Premier Mastercard, which was previously a real bummer of a card. So when these changes come in "the spring", will they make the card better, and worth that $499 annual fee? JetBlue Polishes its Premium Premier Mastercard (01:00) - New benefits coming to this card Read more about the card changes here: https://frequentmiler.com/the-jetblue-premier-card...

What are some unusual cards you find yourself using? What are your least favorite airline websites? Which dead cards do you miss the most? We answered these questions and more on the Ask Us Anything hosted live on YouTube on April 8th, 2026. (01:10) - What are some unusual cards you find yourself using? (08:27) - Did the FM team partake in the British Airways shopping portal promotion for 250x Avi...

In this podcast episode, we'll talk about how Rakuten doubles select credit card signup bonuses, JetBlue polishes its previously lackluster Premier card, and how to avoid paying those increasing checked bag fees. Giant Mailbag (00:58) - Rick asks about EU regulation 261 Read our post, "$700 richer: My easy UK261 claim experience with United Airlines" here Card News (04:09) - JetBlue Premier Master...

Airlines partner up into alliances (oneworld, Star Alliance, and Sky Team), which usually means you can use the miles from one program to book with one of its partners. We'll talk about the best programs within each&nbsp...

In this episode, we'll talk about how United credit cards make United miles more valuable, how Southwest discount codes make Southwest points more valuable, and we'll take you on a ride through a classic  card  show disc...

A recent survey sent out by Citi has us speculating about changes Citi might be considering for the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card. This would include an increased annual fee and increased complexity.  Citi might nerf the Str...

In today's podcast episode, we'll talk about who we would want to buy JetBlue, how Amex missed the mark with its new business card, and the key to preserving our loyalty if Hyatt "mile-stone-ifies" elite benefits. Giant Mailbag (02:16) - Adam: Why does the Aviator Silver card list as $199 annual fee on other sites across the internet, except for yours? Learn more about the Aviator Silver card here...

For many years, Chase (and later Bilt) was the only transferable points program with valuable hotel options. Namely: Hyatt. But Citi changed that with Choice and I Prefer, offering high transfer rates that made these transfers worth while. Read more about the devaluation here: https://frequentmiler.com/ouch-citi-decreasing-transfer-ratio-to-choice-and-preferred-on-4-19-26/ (02:07) - Hyatt's announ...

In today's podcast episode, we'll share 3 ways to improve your Google Wallet, we'll see how Marriott Bonvoyed us again, and Nick will explain how he would spend $115K. Giant Mailbag (01:24) - Mark shares how to arrange the card order in Google Wallet (03:30) - Rick & Heather share another way to arrange cards in Google Wallet (03:55) - Raj shares a way to set a card as default, and customize t...

There is no single right answer as to what points are worth. With most points, the value depends upon how the points are used. It's often possible to get great value or very poor value from the same types of points. But in this podcast episode, we'll talk about how a "reasonable redemption value" can help you assess the value of your miles and points. (01:20) - How can you evaluate credit card wel...

In today's podcast episode, we see that Marriott tops off their top-offs, Aviator Silver cards become unique collectibles, and we'll talk about the best ways to earn and redeem Rove Miles. Giant Mailbag (01:07) - Diana shares some thoughts regarding a recent podcast episode, Speed up US entry with Mobile Passport Control | Coffee Break Ep96 | 3-10-26 See the Coffee Break Ep96 here. Card News (03:3...

For years, Nick has always used the free Mobile Passport Control app for speedy re-entry into the country instead of Global Entry. In today's episode, we'll talk about this free alternative to Global Entry. (00:18) - Mobile passport control is super easy and free (05:37) - Where can it be used (06:30) - Global Entry has advantages, though Visit https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe to get updated on...

What would you suggest if your P2 (partner, or "player two") is very reluctant? Which Hyatts will you be book before the award chart changes? We answered these questions and more on the Ask Us Anything hosted live on YouTube on March 4th, 2026 (02:10) - What specific Hyatt properties have you booked/will you be booking before the upcoming award chart changes? (12:17) - How did you guys learn about...

In this episode, we'll talk about the tools that can help you earn more rewards, organize your points & rewards, and spend your points wisely. Learn more about the tools we use here (01:52) - General / Misc Tools ( 25:57 ) - Flight Trip Planning (39:23) - Hotel Trip Planning (45:31) - Car Rentals (50:28) - Trains Subscribe and Follow Visit https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ to get updated on...

Choice Privileges is a hotel chain with brands like Clarion, Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Radisson Americas etc. In today's podcast, we'll talk about the pros and cons of this program. You can find our Choice Privileges complete guide here. Choice Privileges Pros and Cons Pros / items of interest... (01:37) - Earn elite status through credit card spend thanks to an update in early 2026. (05:59) - (So...

In today's podcast episode, we'll talk about stacking dining credits, give a caution about gifting Marriott free night certificates, and will resurrect expired Southwest credits. Crazy Thing (00:57) - Southwest shows different seatmap availability to different passengers Read more about Nick's experience with Southwest's assigned seating here Awards, Points, and More (04:10) - Alaska Vacations add...

Hyatt announced some changes that will come into effect before the end of May. This will include a brand new award chart that splits the 8 categories into 5 pricing bands. You can read more about the new Hyatt overhauls here. (00:51) - New award chart (05:28) - Hyatt intends to maintain value and maintain an award chart (17:24) - Bright spots (27:08) - Does this change how we view our Hyatt points...

Virgin Atlantic Rewards and Virgin Red both earn Virgin Atlantic points. Now through February 28th, Chase has a 40% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic, so in this episode, we'll talk about some of the best uses of these points. Best uses for Virgin points (00:36) - Read more about the 40% bonus from Chase to Virgin Atlantic here (02:07) - Fly Delta economy (03:52) - Fly Virgin Atlantic (07:09) - Fl...

In this episode, we'll talk about how Chase wants you to stay Calm and give a WHOOP, we'll talk about how Bank of America wants you to be a millionaire, and how United wants you to get its credit cards. Giant Mailbag (00:45) - Doug: Parking at a Bilt Neighborhood Parking garage on Hyatt award stay Card News (03:15) - It may be possible to product change US Bank Altitude Reserve Read more about thi...