Award Travel 101

Passing the Torch Nov 01, 2024

Todays episode is a special one. It starts off with the routine discussion of the news of the week, including a favorite offer on the Chase Ink Business Unlimited card and adjustments to elite status benefits of the Alaska Mileage Plan program. Angie heads off to India, Joe will be attending Zorkfest and Mike is planning his next crazy adventure which will involve visiting 6 European countries in 3 days.

Joe reflects on the journey of managing the Award Travel 101 (AT101) community, particularly the challenges of leading it through the pandemic and its evolution over the years. Highlights from the past years are shared, including community meetups, family travel, and milestones achieved, like earning Hyatt Globalist status and managing the podcast's relaunch.
Most significantly, Joe has a big announcement and Angie and Mike share their future plans of expanding the AT101 community with initiatives such as creating a merchandise store, continuing to host meetups, and cultivating the AT201 group for advanced travelers. Their goals center on fostering growth, expertise, and continued engagement in the community.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Award Travel 101; Who We Are Oct 25, 2024

In this podcast episode, strategist David Ocamb, delves into the AT101 community's identity and the challenges people face in the points and miles hobby. Key news includes Alaska Airlines' changes to its upgrade policies, opportunities for luxurious travel to Europe, and Virgin Atlantic transfer bonuses.

The highlight feature focuses on Ocamb’s research project on the AT101 community. The study aimed to understand the community better through surveys and interviews, revealing key findings, such as feelings of imposter syndrome among members. The majority of respondents feel they know less than other members, especially when comparing their travel experiences. Social media influences perceptions, with many feeling left out due to influencers' luxurious lifestyles. Interestingly, the community is predominantly female, which David and Joe take pride in. The project will continue to track trends and insights in future surveys.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

History of Award Travel 101 Oct 18, 2024

In Episode 90 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, former team admins Toni Perkins Southam and John Hartnagel join Joe to discuss the history of the community. Member Bess asks about using a credit card for a car down payment.
The hosts also give a shoutout to Cardpointers, one of our favorite tools for maximizing credit card offers. Grab your discounted membership using the link above! They also dive into various travel rewards news, including changes to the Hyatt and AAdvantage partnership, and discuss the potential value of the increased Sapphire Preferred offer.

Joe, John and Toni share updates on their own travel plans and points redemptions, including spending Hilton Honors points on a Presidential Suite in Hiroshima and discussing options for upcoming holidays and spring break.
Finally, they reflect on the growth of the Award Travel 101 community, tracing its history back to 2014, founded by Richard Kerr to the present, where Joe celebrates his upcoming five-year anniversary with the team.
Links to Topics Discussed

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Giving Back Oct 11, 2024

In this episode Jackie Wisniewski, a former Award Travel team member, and Joe's first hire joins him to discuss her journey in the award travel community and her commitment to helping others. Her latest contributions include organizing events like the Chicago Seminars, which raised substantial funds for charity.
Joe reflects on how she’s earned 20-30 million rewards points over the last six years and has used them for charitable causes, helping friends and family, and supporting community members. He also frequently helps others by giving away awards, assisting with award searches, and keeping his DMs open to answer questions from the community.

The episode follows the theme of paying it forward with the post of the week from Erin Hurd, which highlights her story of using her Southwest Performance Business card’s WiFi credits to make random passengers' flights better.
Alongside these anecdotes, the episode covers news about Hyatt’s free night awards, 15k award flights to Europe, and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club’s upcoming changes. Jackie and Joe also share updates on their own trips, with Jackie planning trips to South America and Asia, while Joe prepares for business and leisure travels. Overall, the episode emphasizes the importance of giving back within the award travel world.
Links to Topics Discussed

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Meet The Mods - Maria Oct 04, 2024

In this episode, Mike talks to Award Travel 101 moderator Maria Fung who discusses various travel rewards topics and updates. They feature Ira's mistake of using the wrong credit card, despite labeling them.
News includes Hawaiian/Alaska mileage transfers, changes at Southwest (such as new seats and legroom options), and Bilt's October Rent Day promotion.
Mike and Maria also share recent trip updates, including Mike’s upcoming flights and Maria’s travels to Los Cabos, Bangkok, and Hong Kong.
The highlight feature is an interview with Maria, focusing on her introduction to travel rewards, her favorite redemption (Venice), and her tips for booking. Maria has a passion for family travel but also enjoys taking solo trips. Maria's tip of the week encourages travelers to stay open to all options.
Links to topics discussed:

Hawaiian/ Alaska 1:1 Transfer is Live. As of airtime you can still also transfer from Amex Membership Rewards to Hawaiian Airlines (then on to Alaska)
Southwest Airlines Changes
- No more open seating and adding extra legroom seats
- Keeping free checked bags (still see it as more revenue)
- Partnership with Icelandair
- Elite Benefits
  - A-List Preferred can select extra-legroom seats at time of booking
  - A-List can select extra legroom 48-hours before
- Bilt October Rent Day (passed)
  - - Hilton Gold, Diamond status challenge 14 nights
    - Virgin Cruises benefits
- Wells Fargo Rewards adds Virgin as a Seventh Transfer Partner

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

From Award Travel Hobby to Career Sep 27, 2024

Mike and Joe are on the podcast this week with special guest, former Award Travel 101 moderator and current NerdWallet editor Erin Hurd.
They discuss the post of the week, from Travel Grumps 101 member Paige, who was surprised to find her Global Entry revoked without any clear reason, despite having not been guilty of any customs violations or illegal activities. Joe has particular insight in this matter having gone through it himself.

In travel news, JetBlue is entering the lounge business, and the Hawaiian-Alaska Airlines merger is progressing with 1:1 point transfers between the programs expected within a month. Also provided is a recap the 14th Annual Chicago Seminars where Joe, Mike and Erin met up with 500 other points and miles aficionados to talk strategy and learn tips from over 50 speakers.

In the feature segment special guest Erin Hurd focuses on her transition from hobby to full-time work in the award travel space, covering personal growth, favorite reward programs, and future trends in the industry.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

The Key to Getting the Best Offers... Your Credit Score Sep 20, 2024

Episode 86 hosted by Angie and Joe kicks off with a member's concern about Priority Pass lounge overcrowding due to cardholders bringing in multiple guests. This prompts a discussion about potential guest limitations to improve the lounge experience for all.

The news segment covers a variety of travel-related updates, including how to renew Global Entry membership quickly, finding partner award flight availability, and new Amex credit restrictions. They also highlight opportunities to earn bonus rewards, such as 5 free nights with the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card and elevated Delta Amex card offers.

The main feature focuses on building healthy credit to maximize points and miles. They offer tips like paying accounts on time, keeping credit utilization under 30%, and maintaining a mix of credit types. The hosts explain the differences between FICO and VantageScore models, the impact of opening and closing credit cards on scores, and share a personal story where travel rewards saved a member over $2,000 on last-minute bookings.
Links to Topics Discussed

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Meet The Mods - Justin Walter Sep 13, 2024

This week we feature another installment of “Meet the Mods” Angie talks with Justin Walter who shared his journey into the points and miles hobby, which started in 2021 after being inspired by fellow enthusiast Justin Vacula. His first major redemption, staying at the Hyatt Ziva Cancun, got him hooked, and he now prefers traveling in business class, especially for international trips.
One of his favorite redemptions was flying Virgin Upper Class from JFK to London using Flying Blue miles. He’s now looking forward to his upcoming trip to Japan, where he’ll experience JAL’s first class. Justin’s tip of the week is to always work on hitting minimum spending requirements to continue building points, as it's essential to unlock valuable rewards.
Links to news discussed

Chase Ink Unlimited new elevated bonus
SAS joining Skyteam, now bookable via Delta and Flying Blue
American Airlines switching to dynamic pricing on Fiji Airlines
IHG is back with another airline partnership. Lufthansa Miles & More
Amex launched a 30% transfer bonus from Membership Rewards to Hilton Honors through 9/30.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Challenging the Norms Sep 06, 2024

In this episode the Award Travel 101 podcast, "Book Early, Book Often" Mike and "Backup" Joe share their latest strategies and news updates. Mike discusses his recent approval for the Hawaiian Airlines personal card and transferring 100,000 MR points with a 20% bonus, taking inspiration from Greg and Nick at Frequent Miler. Joe shares his success with a 250K Business Platinum card and his travel plans, including a status match trip to Atlantic City and a booking for a concert using a Hyatt certificate.

The hosts also challenge conventional travel norms, encouraging listeners to make decisions that suit their personal preferences. Mike emphasizes not fearing layovers, ignoring the obsession over credit card rules like 5/24, dismissing the "CPP Police" and not blindly following popular travel trends.
Joe adds that fringe options like lesser-known airlines or using cash when it makes sense can often provide better value than sticking to mainstream choices. He also reminds listeners that award travel is almost never "free travel."
Links to Topics Discussed

Washington Residents: Earn Delta SkyMiles for Seahawks Passing Yards
Five New Southwest Promotions to Earn A-List Elite Status Faster
Latest Marriott Bonvoy Promotions: Bonus Points on Two-Night Stays, up to 10K Points per Night at Select Brands, and More
Bilt and Walgreens Partnership. Extra points on pharmacy purchases but beware of the fine print!

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Chicago Seminars; Second City, but First in Points and Miles Aug 30, 2024

We are less than a month away from this year’s Chicago Seminars, the oldest and largest gathering of points and miles aficionados. Joe and Mike talk about the event and give a preview of lectures both Joe and I will be giving. There is also a survey
Also discussed are strategies to prepare for a potential Alaska and Hawaiian airlines merger now that the USDOJ has green lighted the deal. Lastly should we be putting more focus on the Marriott Bonvoy program and it's mid-tier Platinum status? Our moderator Maria thinks so.
Links to Topics Discussed

Increased Ink welcome offer coming to an end
Choice Hotels Adds New Sweet Spot Rewards starting at 5k points
Bilt Rewards Hawaiian Airlines Transfer PartnershipPermanently Ends
How To Create a Travel Rewards Credit Card Strategy for Families
Podcast Episode 19 - The Tools of Travel
Visit the Chicago Seminars site for tickets. Use code MikeZCS10Discount for $10 off
Award Travel Survey Date to be compiled and presented at Chicago Seminars.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Out to SEA Meetup Aug 23, 2024

Meetups are one of our favorite aspects of this hobby which allow us to interact in person with those who share our same passion/obsession. Angie and Mike are fresh off the latest Award Travel 101 meetup in Seattle where they interreacted with almost 50 other members of the community. They detail the experiences of the weekend and reiterate the benefits of attending meetups and how sometimes it's nice to converse with others who suffer the same affliction as you.
Links to topics discussed

Fontinebleau Las Vegas Status Match
Current Capital One Spark Business Offer
5 issuers raise Global Entry credit to match fee increase
Qatar Avios Devaluation, significantly affects American and Alaska domestic US award.
Amex announces forthcoming Centurion Lounge in Salt Lake City (SLC)
Photos from the OUT to SEA meetup in Seattle (Award Travel 101 Facebook Group)

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Meet The Mods - April Rose Aug 16, 2024

As part of our "Meet The Mods" series Mike talks with April about her background, travel style and of course love of Hyatt. They also discuss the nuances of being native New Yorkers where it's seemingly required to vacation in Florida nearly every year. Further discussion ensues about important credos such as " book early, book often" and "the phone eats first."
Links to Topics Discussed

Hyatt Promos
Hyatt Fast Track, trough AA status match
Enhanced offers on Amex Bonvoy Cards
Rooms.aero compared to other hotel award search engines

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

How to Talk to Muggles Aug 09, 2024

If you have been around this space for awhile you'll inevitably run into issues dealing with "muggles" or those unwise in the magical arts of award travel. Angie and Mike talk about the type of muggles we meet and how to best converse with them without sounding like a crazy person.
Links to topics discussed

Under the Canvas Joins World of Hyatt (Correction: Under the Canvas properties are located NEAR, National Parks, not within their boundaries.)
Flash” 70% transfer bonus from Chase to Marriott (through August 15)
Amex MR 30% Transfer Bonus to Avios
Amex MR 20% Transfer Bonus to Hawaiian
"Pepe Silvia" It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Around-the-World Adventures Aug 02, 2024

This week Mike talks with Joe who has just logged his latest entry in his "Summer of Travel" logbook by traveling Japan Air Lines Business Class JFK to Toyko, intra-Asia flights to Korea and back. Then the culmination of Etihad business and first class from Tokyo to Abu Dhabi back to JFK. Hyatt and FHR stays throughout.

Links to Topics Discussed:

Southwest Eliminating Hallmark Open Seating Policy, plus other changes in the works.
Amex Gold Card Changes, $75 AF increase, more "coupon book" credits
World of Hyatt, how most of Joe's hotel bookings were made
Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts Program, where some other bookings were made through.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Meet The Mods - Cameron Laufer Jul 26, 2024

Angie talks with new moderator and Ohio native Cameron about his background, travel style and favorite trips. He details his passion for travel for both himself and to show his family the world and how points and miles made it all possible.
Links to topics discussed:

Temporarily can not can book AF/KLM through Virgin (until August)
New Amex Centurion Lounge at DCA
Elevated Capital One Venture Welcome Offer- 75k +$250 statement credit for $4k spend.
Charles Schwab Amex Platinum Cash Out Limit Changes

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Life Changes Jul 19, 2024

In this week's episode Mike and Angie discuss some of the recent hotel card offers then get into the main feature of handling major changes in their life such as a new house and a new job and how it affects their award travel strategy.
Links to Topics Discussed in This Week's Episode:

Chase Ink Preferred 120k Offer
IHG Premier Card 5 Free Night Award offer
Chase Bonvoy Bold mediocre refresh
Chase Sapphire Reserve giving 3 months of Bonvoy Gold status... meh
Hilton rolls out 400 more SLH properties. Some good deals are to be found
Double points on stays at Hyatt Place/Hyatt House

Post of the Week
Member David talks about mobile phone service abroad.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Halfway Point - Where Have We Been, Where are We Going? Jul 12, 2024

It's now July, and we're more than half-way through 2024. In this episode, we're reviewing what we've done through the year to this point, along with some of the trips and places we've been able to book thanks to Award Travel!
Post of the week

From this long-time community member, Joe. Have you heard of this guy? Do you take time to recharge with your significant other?
News

Virgin targets another Award Sweetspot
BA Executive Club Stealth Devaluation
Flying Blue Calendar Trick
Bask Bank AAdvantage Bonus
- see post in Award Travel 101 community where I broke down "the math."

For a full transcript of topics, visit the AwardWallet Blog

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Our Airport Lounge Obsession Jul 05, 2024

Award Travel 101 moderator, digital nomad and foodie Anthony Cave talks with Mike about his background, what got him into award travel and how he found living a nomadic life was more cost effective and fulfilling.
Later on Mike and Anthony discuss their love of airport lounges, their most/least favorites and the best ways to access them.
Links to news and topics discussed:

Flying Blue status match for U.S. residents
Alaska status match until the end of 2025
Chase Freedom Flex Q3 Bonus Categories
More Escape Lounges Join Priority Pass
Spacious Delta One Lounge at JFK T4 is Open
Capital One Lounge Coming to JFK
Strawberry Hotels Summer Pass
Qatar Airlines Card

Best Lounge Cards:

Chase United Club- Best for Star Alliance fliers plus some great perks
Citi AAdvantage Executive - Best for oneworld fliers

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Boneheaded Mistakes Jun 28, 2024

In this episode, Angie and Joe cover news of the week along with mistakes we’ve made or we’ve seen friends and family make.

Links to Topics Discussed

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Eye Opening Travel Jun 21, 2024

Mike and Joe discuss new airport lounges, Hilton and Hyatt independent hotel affiliations, tipping culture and the broader featured topic of how travel teaches us new things about every place we visit.
The Award Travel 101 Podcast is brought to you in part by Thrifty Traveler Premium. Get Thrifty Traveler Premium deal/award alerts sent straight to your inbox. Use promo code “AT10” for $10 off your first year. Recent finds include:

Business Class to Stockholm for 54,000 points
Round-trip to Rome for $586
First Class Suites to Hawaii for 31,000 points

You can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/Premium

For a full details, check out the blogpost on AwardWallet.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Meet The Mods - Randy Clinton Jun 14, 2024

This week Angie talks with newest Award Travel 101 moderator Randy Clinton. Randy talks about his background, what got him started in travel rewards and loyalty programs. Randy talks about some of the aspirational products he has flown and how he booked them. He also shares some of his tips for one of his favorite ways to travel, cruises and how to status match for the most benefits.
Links to topics discussed:

Emirates slashed economy partner award pricing by up to 20%
Hilton Surpass 130K + Free Night Award
Cruise Status Matches

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

These Are a Few of Our Favorite Grumps Jun 07, 2024

Joe is off cruising the Mediterranean so Mike and Angie are on this week. We talk about some news such as AA rolling back their unpopular changes to how loyalty points would be earned. Finally we ponder quirks in the award travel world that makes us grumpy from restrictive bank rules to the CPP Police.
Links to topics discussed:

Targeted World of Hyatt Promos
The return of a popular welcome offer on the Bonvoy Business Card
Hilton cards are back with elevated bonuses
Cents Per Point (CPP) calculations
Obsession over Chase 5/24
Citi Strata Premier

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Thrifty Travel with Gunnar Olson May 31, 2024

Joe talks with Gunnar Olson of Thrifty Traveler on how award travel has helped enrich his travels with his Player 2), and they've created fond memories flying some incredible products, by way of his work at Thrifty Traveler.

Joe and Gunnar also discuss how the past 6 months have probably been more brutal than what we’ve seen in any other past period with award price hikes and no-notice changes from many of our favorite programs such as United, Turkish, Virgin Atlantic and World of Hyatt.

Also listen in for Gunnar's tip of the week; the old adage, "Book early, book often!"

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

The Summer of Travel (Pt. 1 - Preparing for Travel) May 24, 2024

This week Joe and Angie discuss lots of news such as the rebranded Citi Strata Premier, Virgin Red Cruise deal, some SLH properties rejoining World of Hyatt via Mr & Mrs Smith and more.
Then then as the summer of travel heats up they discuss the their tips for getting ready for a trip. Something hopefully everyone we be doing soon and often this summer.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Chicago is a Points/Miles Kind of Town May 17, 2024

The 14th annual Chicago Seminars has a long and storied history. In Episode 64: The Most Powerful Tool in Award Travel, we had two of the event's organizers sharing the announcement of this year's event changes.
In this episode, Angie is joined by two more of this year's organizers, Chris Moss and Marty Paz who share more details on the variety of speakers for each level and what attendees can expect.
Links to topics Discussed

New Qatar Privileges Credit card
Bilt Changes
- Pay Condo Fees
- New Hotel Transfer Partner - but don't do it!
New Amex Transfer Bonus
Capital One Removes Restaurant Benefit
Enhanced Sapphire Card offer - will she get approved?
Business Platinum application - can she get another?
Alaska Airlines
- Companion Certificate to the rescue
- Gold Guest Upgrades

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Workhorse Cards (In Our Wallet Right Now) May 10, 2024

Award Travel 101 Community members probably know which cards to start with - Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve, Ultimate Rewards' earning Ink (Preferred, Unlimited, Cash) cards, Amex Gold and Platinum (consumer and business) cards. But what happens when you can't get new cards? Many of us have been in that boat where we can’t open new cards for a while. What's next?

Links to Topics Discussed

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Nice to Meetcha May 03, 2024

We just returned from our meetup in San Antonio for Fiesta. There were over 150 Award Travel 101 and members from the Award Travel 201 communities in attendance. We had a great group of speakers who shared their stories and tips:

Justin Vacula (Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast) blew everybody’s minds with creative ways to hit minimum spend and earn status (Podcast Episode 43)
Toni Perkins-Southam (Forbes Advisor) shared deals over the years as well as the one most important aspects of the Award Travel (Podcast Episode 51)
Logan Robinson (Aligned Incentives) discussed how to simplify meeting minimum spends
Ryan Smith (AwardWallet) shared some under-the-radar card perks and benefits (Podcast Episode 48)

Links to Other Topics Discussed

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Largest Hotel Chains - Which One's Right for You? Apr 26, 2024

We came across an interesting diagram ranking the top 20 hotel programs throughout the world. Do you know which is largest? (Hint: it's not US-based)

Some are less familiar, so we ranked the six we most frequently discuss in the Award Travel 101 Facebook community:

#2 Wyndham - 9,280 properties
#3 Marriott- 8,484 properties
#6 Choice - 7,500 properties
#7 Hilton - 7,165 properties
#8 IHG - 6,164 properties
#16 Hyatt - 1,200 properties

Link to Topics Discussed

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

The Most Powerful Tool in Award Travel Apr 19, 2024

How does one weed out the noise to find what's most useful for your Award Travel strategies? In-person events will provide opportunities for attendees to speak with and listen to experts in the field which help fine-tune their strategies. We encourage you to attend, engage, explore, learn, and ask questions.
Chicago Seminars organizers Jackie and JT join Joe to discuss the next event in September.
Links to Topics Discussed

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

When to Hold 'em and When to Fold 'em Apr 12, 2024

Thanks to a recommendation from a member, we decided to review when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.

Is there long-term value?
Are the benefits enough to offset the annual fee?
If not, is there a retention offer?
If no offer, is there a path to product change to preserve the credit line to help with utilization ratio
If there's no path to product change, consider closing the card as long as it’s not the oldest card
If no annual fee, little reason to close. If you’re not using them though, put a small charge on them periodically.

Links to Topics Discussed

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

How You Doing? Apr 05, 2024

One Quarter into 2024 Joe and Angie discuss their trips and progress towards their point and status goals. Well since we know Angie is a status slacker at least Joe talked about his progress there.

Links to Topics Discussed

8 New Airlines Just Joined PreCheck. Here’s A List of All 99 TSA PreCheck Participating Airlines— Iberia is the biggie here
Chase Sapphire Reserve and Ritz-Carlton Card Priority Pass Benefit Change: No More Restaurants or Markets
You Can Now Redeem Choice Privileges Points Online at Preferred Hotels
Amex Hilton Honors Business Card Shakeup: Priority Pass Out, Spending Credits In, Higher Annual Fee
Chicago Seminars 2024 Dates and New Location Just Announced

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Points Down Under Mar 29, 2024

Mike and Joe discuss their trips to Australia. Mike was there for 8 days in a long anticipated trip to celebrate his 40th birthday while Joe jaunted down for 52 hours. Both flew United and American business class products on their longest routes discuss the pros and cons of each.
Their respective stays at the Hyatt Regency, Park Hyatt and Four Seasons in Sydney were also discussed along with attractions such as the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Hunter Valley wine region, scenic Blue Mountains, famous Bondi Beach and captivating Manly Beach.

Links to Topics Discussed in This Week's Episode:

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

First International Business Class Flight Mar 22, 2024

In this episode, Joe interviews a long-time friend, who was hesitant to open up credit cards for fear of ruining his credit and overspending. Tune-in to hear how he overcame that fear and is now booking his first international business class flights! These aren't the typical domestic carriers a newer Award Traveler might book either (American, Delta, or United).

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Finding Award Space Mar 15, 2024

Finding award space could be difficult and often a frustrating exercise. Joe and Angie outline the steps and give tips on how to improve your results. Flexibility in types of points available, dates of travel, and airline routings. Start your search with your preferred airline, then expand your search out to partner airlines, and compare points needed.

Links to Topics Discussed

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Never Earn (Just) One Point Again - Maximizing Spend for the Most Rewards Mar 08, 2024

One of the keys in this hobby is maximizing the return on your spend. Joe and Angie talk about the ways to never earn only one point per dollar again. They discuss the idea of building a portfolio/family of cards that return more value.

Some good references.

Our friends at CardPointers also provide a fantastic tool to make sure you are using the best card for every purchase. Get CardPointers and SAVE:

http://cardpointers.com/at101

Links to other Topics discussed

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Card Strategies - Let’s Get Crafty Mar 01, 2024

In this episode's highlight feature, "Let’s Get Crafty," we explore various strategies to maximize credit card rewards tailored to different situations. Whether you have a "Player Two" or are flying solo, Angie and Joe guide you through evaluating upcoming trips and selecting the best cards in 4 scenarios:

Scenario 1: Two player mode, both people can get business cards
Scenario 2: Two player mode, only one person can get business cards
Scenario 3: Two player mode, no business cards
Scenario 4: Single player mode, no business card
Links to Topics Discussed
Etihad Guest Changes
Awards to Book Before They're Gone
Capital One to Purchase Discover?

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Budget Travel with John Ryan Feb 23, 2024

John Ryan is very young and active in the Award Travel 101/201 community and writes for Bougie Miles. He talks with Joe about how his passion for travel began at a very young age. As primarily an economy flyer he discusses the different ways to approach budget travel.
Contact info for John:

john.ryan@fora.travel
@vegasteenager on X

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Flexible Over Fixed Points Feb 16, 2024

Joe and Angie talk about the value of transferable over fixed points and how to best leverage them for maximum value utilizing the strength of transfer partners.
Links to topics Discussed

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Oh P2- What Did You Do? Feb 09, 2024

Many of us in this hobby involve our significant others in our award travel strategy, thereby activating "two player mode" which often allows us to double our earnings. However having a Player 2 does also come with it's own costs and frustrations. We have to make sure that P2 uses the correct cards (labels help) but also travel with them (costing more) to utilize the points they helped earn.

Links to Topics Discussed

Delta card changes - are the changes all bad?
Marriott promo - promo runs February 13 - April 29
Wyndham Rewards Earner Business card
Keep earning simple for P2 with a 1.5X (or greater) card

Tip of the Week

Marry a P1 (kidding). Shopping portal strategy for valentines day presents.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Close-in Booking with Allison Tackette Feb 02, 2024

This week Joe interviews Award Travel 101 community member Allison Tackette who joins us to share tips she's learned over 10 years in the space.

Allison is a former teacher who wanted to get out and see the world, but her time off in the summer often resulted in finding peak season pricing. Travel CAN be expensive if you're always paying cash, but pushing people to the brink helps them get creative!

Leveraging close-in bookings are often the best ways Allision was able to score some killer redemptions. She highlights some of the aspirational flights she was able to score and gives advice on how to find others inside or 14 days or less including:

Lufthansa
ANA
JAL
Emirates
Unsold business/first flights to Australia and New Zealand often open up around a week out (non-airline specific)

Which programs offer you the greatest flexibility?
Where You Can Find Allison

Instagram: @luckytictac
awardtravelvacations.com

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Strategies for Building Healthy Credit and Better Offers Jan 26, 2024

Having a solid credit history is a paramount goal in the Award Travel hobby. Angie and Joe talk about strategies for building healthy credit and finding better offers.

Links to topics discussed

United Offers (Outrageous) Premier Elite Status Buy-Up Offers
New Alaska Consumer & Business cards as well as Hyatt Consumer & Business offers
Did Marriott just #Bonvoy MGM
New Lounge opening - who can get in?

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Award Travel to Forbes Jan 19, 2024

Joe is joined by the most frequent guest of the podcast, Toni Perkins-Southam. Many of you may remember Toni as the longest-running Award Travel 101 moderator and community admin.
Toni spent almost five years in the community (two years as a community manager) before taking a position with Forbes Advisor. Toni shares how she got her start writing with AwardWallet and continued her journey after her tenure at Award Travel 101 from 2017 to 2022.

Toni's Tip of the week

If you are already going crazy, might as well do it someplace cool!

Where To Find Toni

@tonisoutham on Instagram
Toni Perkins-Southam Forbes advisor profile
tperkins@forbesadvisor.com

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

How Many Points Did We Earn in 2023 Jan 12, 2024

Joe and Angie recap their prior year card openings and point earning.
Highlight feature: 2023 Trip Recaps

Angie: 12 new cards
- SUB = 1.4M points
- Referrals = 390K
- Points used = 1.2M (double prior year)
Joe: 14 new cards
- SUB = 1.5M points + HH FNA
- Referrals = 500K
- Spend = 100K
- Shopping portals = 100K

Tip of the week

It's a new year, with new credits. We mentioned this back in Episode 45, so use all your credits and perks. Don’t wait!
Links to topics discused:

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

New Year's (Award Travel) Resolutions Jan 05, 2024

It's a new year and Joe and Angie talk about their resolutions for 2024, including:

Angie
- Update and use all/more features of AwardWallet
- Clean up Google Photos
- Clean up multiple email accounts
- Create a spreadsheet of all my cards
- Explore casino matching for free cruises
Joe
- Citi/Barclays AA companion certs - never use
- (4) UA Club passes - making sure to use
- (2) Gold monthly Dining credits - I rarely use these
- (2) Amex Platinum Streaming credits with only one in use and (4) Walmart Plus subscription credits with one in use

Links to news discussed

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Globetrotting - 197* Countries with AwardWallet's Ryan Smith Dec 29, 2023

Ryan Smith, editor for AwardWallet has accomplished a feat that few achieve. He has visited all 197 recognized countries. Ryan first talks talks his background, introduction to travel rewards and loyalty programs and travel style. He also delves into highlights of his globetrotting journey and how he was able to land some deals to travel for as economical as possible.

Where To Find Ryan

To follow Ryan throughout his travels, you can find him on X (Twitter) at @RyanSmithTravel

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Festivus, Yes! Devaluations, No! Dec 22, 2023

Angie, Allison, and Joe jump on this week to share the 100K Member Celebration Winner, their newest cards, trip updates, and to bring you an Airing of (2023) Grievances!

Festivus was created as an alternative to the pressures and commercialism of the Christmas holiday season. The sitcom Seinfeld put their own spin on it, including the airing of the grievances, which consists of each person lashing out at others and the world about how they have been disappointed in the past year. "I got a lotta problems with you people, and now you're going to hear about it!"
We’ve had a lot of negative changes in the Award Travel world in 2023 (25by our count), but here are the program updates that impacted the community most:

Full list of all 25 Program Changes

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Rio, Copacabana, and Taylor Swift Dec 15, 2023

Allison and Jackie take over the podcast to discuss the news and to share more about their recent trip to Rio de Janeiro to see Taylor Swift in concert. They had a fantastic stay at the Hilton Copacabana and despite issues caused by excessive heat which caused one concert to be cancelled they were still able to make friendship bracelets, watch Taylor perform. All while enjoying the local culture and food.

Links to news discussed

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

2023 Trip Recaps Dec 08, 2023

Angie and Joe talk about their trip highlights from 2023. Angie's big trips were an African safari to a girls trip to Bali & Singapore. Meanwhile Joe went on an epic first class trip to Europe with his dad as well as several family trips.
Links to News Discussed

World of Hyatt Updates
Guest of Honor Perk
37 different promos
Alaska purchases Hawaiian
Amex Business Platinum card PLUS checking account offer
Chase Ink Business card
Buy AA miles for ONE cent each AND earn Loyalty Points

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

The Lingo Dec 01, 2023

Feel like you are learning a new language? We often get folks saying “please spell out these acronyms” but when it’s the same word over and over again, you need shorthand. Some examples include 5/24, CSR, SUB, and P2.

Links to News Discussed

Southwest bookable through Chase travel portal
Lifelock at 95% Rakuten
Black Friday
Huge Qatar award dump
Condor and Emirates partner
Alaska changes
Amex Business Gold
Amex Business Platinum + checking offer
Our world-famous Award Travel 101 Transfer Partner Matrix.
FlyerTalk Glossary

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Building Your Point Balances with Justin Vacula Nov 24, 2023

Justin fell into travel rewards programs accidentally as he was working his way through various casino programs. Listen as he and Joe discuss some of the dead deals of the past to learn more about what you can look for in the future.

If you want to hear Part One of this discussion, where Justin interviews Joe, check out the Hurdy Gurdy Podcast. In this particular episode Justin shares how online poker led him to into travel rewards and loyalty programs.

If you are in the area you can also join Justin's Greater Philadelphia Miles & Points monthly meetups. You can find some interesting takes on casino rewards, miles & points, and Dave Ramsey on the Hurdy Gurdy Travel YouTube Channel. For everything else, check out the Hurdy Gurdy Travel website.

Tip of the week

Check out our instructional video on how to use CardPointers with the Company's founder, Emmanuel Crouvisier.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

How Do You Track All of Your Rewards? Nov 17, 2023

Angie's back to catch up on all of the news and to discuss how we can better manage all of our award programs. Namely a Free AwardWallet subscription. You can also get AwardWallet Plus for more enhanced and time saving features. The Award Travel 101 group also celebrates the milestone of reaching 100K members!

Links to News Discussed

New United Card Offers
Avoid Delta’s High Partner Award Rates
British Airways Restricting Award Availability (non-issue for most)
30% Transfer Bonus Hilton Honors
Bilt Rewards new Transfer Partner
Qatar Airways (was 30% - now 25%) Transfer Bonus
Marriott Changing Suite Night Awards
12 Hilton Honors Redemptions
12 Marriott Bonvoy Redemptions
Southwest To Devalue Rapid Rewards

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Let's Get Thrifty Nov 10, 2023

Award Travel 101 Podcast partner and founder of Thrifty Traveler Premium, Jared Kamrowski, joins Joe to discuss how Award Travel fundamentally changed his life and experiences.

Starting as a broke college student, Jared became a road warrior who learned techniques to improve his travel experiences for less. He and his wife wanted to travel more in their personal lives, so like many of us, he dug more into credit cards and reward programs that helped boost his ability to accomplish many of their goals. Eventually, he started his own site, Thrifty Traveler, sharing some of the tips he'd learned. The blog grew quickly, and he left his job to develop the business further, He hasn't looked back, and has grown the business into a 25 member team who scour the web looking for the best cash and award fares for you.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Unique and Aspirational Flights Nov 03, 2023

Joe and Mike talk this week about their recent trips plus aspirational flights they have taken or wish to take in the near future including:

Alaska Pancake Run CLE-PIT-SEA-CLE. In Jan 2024 (Editors note: sadly this flight was cancelled due to the Boeing 737-9 door plug fiasco.
Upper deck of 747. Lufthansa & BA
Aspirational
- Longest- Singapore JFK-SIN (Taking #9 SYD-IAH in the spring)
- Shortest- Loganair Island Hopper Orkney Islands of Scotland. Westray-Papa Westray (1.7 miles)
- United Island Hopper (former Continental Microneasia) 7 Stops HNL to GUM
- Alaska Milk Run- SEA to ANC with several options for stops in between.

Former (defunct)

BA001 Concorde, stopped flying 2003
Other BA001 A318 (stopped in July 2020)
Kai Tak (Hong Kong) Closed in 1998

Links to topics discussed

Year-end Strategies for Top Hotel Elite Status
Best Miles and Points for flights to Hawaii
Air Canada Aeroplan Sues seats.aero
Hyatt Sweet Spots
Mike's trip for Beer, BBQ, Buc-EEs
Driverless Car in Austin
How Joe saved 47K miles United miles

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Chicago Seminars and Zorkfest Recap Oct 27, 2023

Angie and Joe both met for the first time as Joe was traveling to Angie's hometown, so they both love meetups. This week, Angie went to Chicago Seminars, Joe went out west for Zorkfest.

Links to Topics Discussed

Delta Elite status changes
MGM Marriott updates
Transfer Bonuses Flying Blue & Lifemiles
How I Traveled (with my son) Using Awards & $54
Hilton Surpass & Aspire changes
Incredible Chase Freedom Unlimited Offer
Amex Business Gold but need to call for reconsideration

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

QSuites, Longest Flight in the World, and Bali Oct 20, 2023

Angie and Allison talk about how she is going on a girls trip to Bali and paying less than $1500 per person compared to $12,000 if they paid cash. Flights on Qatar (QR) for 100k, Singapore (SQ) for 112.5k and Etihad (EK) for 87.5k.
Full trip report posted in the Award Travel 101 Community w/hotel and airline reviews
Links to other topics discussed

Get Bonus Hilton points -Is it worth purchasing points? There's a 100% bonus, and it could make sense in certain situations.
What's going on with certain Award tools? ExpertFlyer and Seats.aero are having issues. Expertflyer is removing all Star Alliance carriers, plus seats.aero received a cease and desist order from Aeroplan. Is Expertflyer becoming useless?
Angie closed her first Business Platinum
Calling to start the Chase Sapphire Reserve product change

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Underappreciated Award Currencies Oct 13, 2023

Angie's back, and she and Joe jump on the podcast to discuss the state of Amex, their newest bonuses, trip updates, and under appreciated award currencies.
Are all points equal? Should a member get a 140K IHG offer or take less from the 75K United Business or even less from the 60K Citi Premier?

There are things for which you should have a basic understanding:

How much spend until you hit your desired award?
Is there outsized value
New card bonuses vs bonus categories vs non-bonus categories
Is there a reason to continue spending on a non-bonus card

Do your own comparisons and see which cards offer YOU the best returns.

Links to topics discussed

Virgin 30% Transfer bonus (Chase) - Through 11/15
Amex introducing “family” rules across Delta cards and new Gold card restrictions
Amex refresh of biz gold card
Hyatt Gaming Members & Hurting those who have disabilities? (Part of why having a My Hyatt Concierge could be beneficial)
AT101 hit 100k members!

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Starting in Award Travel - Meet the Mods (Sophie Keller) Oct 06, 2023

Award Travel mod Sophie and Joe discuss news, their newest cards, trip updates, and how Sophie has transitioned into the travel business.
Meet Sophie Keller

Background - 1st card- Chase Sapphire Preferred/United Explorer
Highlights - Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana right after it opened last year, Park Hyatt New York and Flagship First before award price hike for 25K Amex Membership Rewards JFK-SFO, and multiple Visits to Secrets Impressions and Moxche
Travel style - A mix of budget and Luxury, typically solo
Favorite programs - World of Hyatt, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and American AAdvantage

Links to news discussed

Maximizing Hilton Honors 5th Night Free - Joe’s story on mistake
Promotions ending
Enhanced Alaska Card $95 card offer
Frontier Status (actual) Match
Enhanced Bonuses are back from Chase

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

I Quit...to Travel Sep 29, 2023

Angie and Joe are off traveling this week, so Mike takes over the podcast with community member Erin Kilpatrick to discuss her “mid-life renaissance” this year which would not have been possible without award travel. Listen to her journey through Ecuador (Galapagos), Uruguay, England/Wales, Norway, Denmark, Faroe Islands and Sweden along with future plans in Portugal, Turkiye, Brazil, Germany, and Tunisia.

By the Numbers Thus Far
4.5 months, 50 hotel award nights, 58 paid nights: (cheap in S. America), 40 other nights free w/ friends/family, volunteer work, 12 award flights, 9 cash flights ($2000)

What Erin Has Learned

Diversification! Variety of points and mile currencies.
Focus on the more important things in life
Hilton program- 5th night free
Choice Hotels - secret of Europe
Amex uber credits work in Ecuador (USD)
Capital One Points- Redeem through Capital One statement credits vs Travel portal.
Fringe benefits of the award travel credit cards/status
Priority Pass - Most lounges are great outside the US, even in tiny airports.

Link to more of Erin's story: Mid-life renaissance!

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Skymiles Devaluation & Managing Pre-Trip Chaos Sep 22, 2023

What happens when you're too loyal to a program - are they loyal back? Angie and Joe discuss developments this week, bonuses they've earned, and prepping for travel.
Links to topics discussed

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

The Power of Business Cards Sep 15, 2023

Angie and Joe jump on the podcast to discuss news, their newest card/s, trip updates, and to share the key to unlocking so many more miles/points - BUSINESS CARDS.
Links to topics discussed

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

40 Cards - Is it Necessary? Will it Ruin You? Sep 08, 2023

Angie is back with Joe to discuss card offers, news, trip updates, and the answer to whether having so many cards will ruin your credit.
Links to topics discussed

New Transfer Bonus
How far out do airlines open their schedules?
If this guy is switching loyalty, should you?
Joe redeemed 153K points worth of Free Night Award certificates
Use tools to identify Premium planes not serving Premium routes

Tip of the Week

Alec Legg -
"A weird tip for those who book partner awards and have trouble booking seats. Try putting the PNR on other airline's "manage booking" tool. I just booked China Airlines through KLM and the China Airlines site wouldn't let me choose seats or even let me pull up my record. I read to try Saudia but that didn't work but I tried Garuda Indonesia and it let me pick my seats!"

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Next Meetup Announcement & Let's Go Crazy with AT in the TC Sep 01, 2023

Mike joins Joe to discuss his newest cards, news, and their most recent trip to educate members on how to ramp up their Award Travel game, the "Let's Go Crazy with AT in the TC. Plus is there a Fiesta in-store?
Links to topics discussed

Hilton Business. 130k + FNA. Immediately redeemed it for Niagara Falls.
Ink Business Preferred. 50% through min spend. Also got two referral bonuses for a total of 80k. Joe - almost done with Chase Ink Preferred Minimum Spend Requirement
Next meetup in San Antonio- Taco 'Bout A Fiesta!

Tip of the week

Our Tip of the Week comes from Mike, who's been updating the Award Travel 101 website. For some of the tools we've produced to answer common questions of group members:

Transfer Partner Matrix - simple view of which card points transfer to which travel partners
Card Earning Charts - quick view of potential earnings
Cents Per Point Calculator - how to value point returns
Transfer Bonus Calculator - helps determine exact requirements
Lounge Map - custom Google Maps
Airport Maps - custom Google Maps

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

What's in Our Wallet Aug 25, 2023

Angie and Joe talk about the cards that they carry on a regular basis and how they leverage each of them to maximize their earnings.
Link to news discussed

American Express makes some changes that most Award Travel 101 members won't be pleased with. What's your take?
Finnair announces changes to their rewards program and follow the steps of Qatar in switching to Avios. Does this excite you?
Angie - tried to apply for the Charles Schwab American Express Platinum - what caused this plan to fail?
Joe - Chase Ink Business Preferred arrived - knocking out his Minimum Spending Requirement easier than expected

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Favorite Card Perks and Putting Them ALL Together Aug 18, 2023

Angie and Joe are back to discuss their most recent card bonuses, some of their favorite card perks, and how Joe managed to combine multiple card offers/discounts plus earn rewards totaling thousands of dollars!

Links to news discussed

Lahina, Maui (Hawaii) #Masterthread

Putting All The Tricks Together

Incidental Credits
Lounge Access
Clear - how to access freely
Precheck/Global Entry
Fine Hotel & Resorts (FHR) Platinum Credit
Rental car status - walked in, skipped lines, had my choice of luxury vehicles for less than $50 per day
Upgrades on AA flights
Southwest flights

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Pancakes and Points Aug 11, 2023

This week Mike talks to Eric Holly, moderator for the Award Travel 101 community, protector of northern California, Alaska Airlines aficionado and colloquially appointed Certified Pancake Machine Repair Technician (CPMRT).
Eric, talks about his start in award travel, reminisces about his most memorable trip and the worst grump he has encountered. He details the “training process” of becoming a CPMRT and fondly remembers his favorite pancake machine location. For travelers who encounter broken pancake machines, Eric offers some practical tips to remedy common issues.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Which Card Offers the Best Travel Protections Aug 04, 2023

In this episode of Award Travel 101, Joe and Angie explore premium credit card travel protections, highlighting features of the Amex Platinum, Capital One Venture X, and Chase Sapphire Reserve .
They discuss their preferred cards for travel protections and the nuances of their coverage. For more detailed information, check out our "Master List" of Credit Card Benefits.
Links to other news discussed

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

All the Upgrades & Traveling With Kids Who Have Special Needs Jul 28, 2023

In this episode, Joe chats with his wife Jessica, a Special Education Intervention Specialist their recent trip to the Andaz Mayakoba in Mexico and how we navigated various obstacles.
Link to topics discussed

Tips for Managing Credit Score - Know what goes into it - significant
Tips for Finding Partner Award Availability - what is it, why do I care
Should the Ink Preferred be your preferred travel card
Hyatt Suite Upgrade Award Milestone Reward

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

What Are Points Worth Jul 21, 2023

Angie and Joe share their latest trip updates and sign up bonus bonus acquisitions, including new card offers from Chase, Amex and Barclays. Our highlight segment examines the value of points across various programs using AwardWallet's data, comparing flexible points and airline miles to hotel rewards. Tune in for insights on what points are worth and how to maximize your travel rewards.

Links to topics discussed

Changes to Citi AA Exec card - increased Annual Fee PLUS fee for Authorized Users
Hyatt/MGM - no longer. The "Break-up." The new partner.
How AwardWallet calculates value
AwardWallet points and mile values

Our favorite transferrable points

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

LIVE From a Lounge & Is American Airlines Status Worth Chasing Jul 14, 2023

Mike's joining us LIVE from the Polaris Lounge in Newark (EWR), where he discusses the ways to gain lounge access via cards, status, or class of service. Joe and Mike also break away from our normal discussion on credit card offers, asking if it's worthwhile to chase or keep top-tier American Airlines status now that benefits that once were only available to Executive Platinum members are now available to all. Is Platinum Pro the new sweetspot?

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Favorite Airline, Hotel, and Flexible Point (Loyalty) Programs Jul 07, 2023

This week as usual Joe and Angie talk trip updates and the bonuses they received or are working on. Additionally in the highlight feature they discuss their favorite loyalty programs in the following categories:

Flexible Point
Airline
Hotel
Car Rental

Also Angie talks about the ever important tactic of "gardening" your reservations. Hotels, flights, car rentals - everything in travel is very dynamic (means ever-changing) right now, and you can likely snag deals by periodically checking over your booked trips for lower prices or last minute award availability.

Links to latest news and enhanced offers

New Chase Ink Preferred Offer
Refer AwardWallet get points - after years of tracking almost 700 other programs AwardWallet now offers a referral program to earn points and transfers to 7 partners
Real data driven info (DL1 on domestic routes) -
30% Transfer Bonus to BA/IB - use GCMap & FlightConnections to see where this could take you.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

First Class Trip to Croatia and Should You Speculatively Transfer Points Jun 30, 2023

Joe talks to Angie this week about his trip to Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Italy with his father. Joe has been planning this trip for some time and discussed it extensively in the group.
Angie also talks about finalizing her trip to Bali with friends.
Finally they discuss the merits and risks of speculatively transferring points.

NEWS & ENHANCED OFFERS

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Crafty Way to See Taylor Swift and Ways to Earn Hotel Free Night Certificates Jun 23, 2023

Allison and Mike are on this week to talk a bit about Taylor Swift and how to earn free night certificates (FNC) from the 4 big hotel brands.
Hyatt

Category 1-4 free night from World of Hyatt Card, Brand Explorer or 30-Night Milestone.
Category 1-7 or A-D free night from 60-Night Milestone

Marriott

35k free night Boundless Card: Business Card
50k free night Bountiful Card: Bevy Card
85k free night Brilliant Card: Ritz Carlton Card

Hilton

Uncapped Free Night Cerificate from Hilton Aspire Card, Hilton Surpass Card, Hilton Business Card

IHG

IHG Premier Card and IHG Premier Business Card

Links to additional news and enhanced offers

Marriott Bonvoy Increased Card Offers
New AA Upgrade Policy
Plaza Premium Lounges Rejoining Priority Pass
Wyndham Status Match
We also say goodbye to moderator Jerod Morales who is moving on to a new opportunity

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Mistakes We've Made Jun 16, 2023

In this episode, we discuss common mistakes travelers make in the points and miles game. Key pitfalls include buying or transferring points from family members, overusing apps without fully understanding the rules, prioritizing airline or program-specific awards over flexible currencies, incurring late charges by not keeping track of due dates, booking travel without considering program flexibility, and chasing elite status without considering the true and opportunity costs involved.

Links to news and offers

Enhanced United offer - the good & the bad
Bask Bank (up to) 20K AA Bonus - never before have they offered anything like this
Use AW to track FNA (Free Night Awards) - just a reminder
Flying Blue promo - 25% transfer bonus ends 6/17
Qatar Privilege Club promo - 30% transfer bonus ends 6/30

What you didn't know

How many times can I change the name for my Companion Pass with Southwest?

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

The Tools We Use for "Free Travel" Jun 09, 2023

In this episode, we start with our "Post of the Week," where Mike Zaccheo shares exciting news about the new Chase Sapphire Lounge in Boston and the upcoming eight lounges, along with the entrance rules for these lounges. This development adds some renewed value to the Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR) card, which had recently lost some of its appeal.

In the news, we discuss reports of Chase shifting credit limits without member approval and Chase Ink cards appearing on personal credit reports, sparking concerns among cardholders.

Our main feature highlights the various tools we use to search for award flights, including In-person meetups, Expertflyer, Point.me, Roame.travel, Flight Connections, Straight to the Points, Thrifty Traveler Premium, FlightRadar24, Flightaware, Wikipedia, Google Flights, Open Hotel Alert, Stay With Points, MaxMyPoint, and Awayz.

Finally, in "What You Didn't Know," we cover which airlines offer a one-month calendar search for award flights, including United, Delta, Virgin Atlantic, Qantas, and LifeMiles, with a special note on Virgin Atlantic’s partial availability, which is further explained in a video from Award Travel 201.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Gorgeous Pictures from Iran and Cards That Earn Status Jun 02, 2023

In this episode we discuss an epic trip from Award Travel 101 member Inga who shared her recent experience visiting Iran, despite a Level 4 travel advisory.

In news and offers, we discuss increased Southwest offers with a 30% discount, a 30% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic, and how to gain Frontier status with a rewards card. For trip updates, Angie is dealing with a termite invasion at home, while Joe recounts his recent travels to Atlanta and Chicago, highlighting the rewards and card benefits he leveraged, including free breakfasts, upgraded flights, and substantial point redemptions.

Our "What Bonuses Did We Get?" segment where Joe shares his frustration with not being able to charge a planned travel expense to his Amex Biz Gold. The main feature focuses on credit cards that can help earn status with major airlines and hotel chains like American AAdvantage, Delta Skymiles, United MileagePlus, Southwest Rapid Rewards, Hilton Honors, IHG One Rewards, Hyatt World of Hyatt, and Marriott Bonvoy.

Finally, in "What You Didn't Know," we share a tip about saving money by paying international bills in the local currency with a card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, saving over $200 in the process.

Links to news and offers

Increased Southwest offers - 30% discount interesting
30% Transfer Bonus to Virgin Atlantic - Virgin Voyages
Frontier Status with Rewards Card

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Husband Cashes in All Their Points AND Programs To Book Round The World Flights May 26, 2023

This week's episode dives into a lively discussion from our group post of the week: Reva humorously asks if anyone needs a "free husband" after her own husband cashed in all their points to pay a bill! We explore what you would do in this situation and if there's any way to recover those points.
Our main feature dives deep into planning Round-The-World (RTW) trips using carriers like Asia Miles, ANA, Aeroplan, and British Airways, highlighting key rules, segment limitations, and unique program idiosyncrasies. Lastly, in our "What You Didn't Know" segment, we offer a tip on avoiding cancellation fees: check if there’s been a schedule change that allows for a free cancellation or consider changing the ticket to a different date, as all carriers have different policies regarding schedule changes.

Links to news and offers

Citi 25% transfer bonus to Flying Blue through 6/17
Amex Hilton cards all have enhanced offers
United Increases the cost of Awards
Purchase Lifemiles for 1.32 cents or Aeroplan miles for 1.24 cents each. Is it worth it?

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Citi Product Change Rules and Meet the Team: Allison Caraway May 19, 2023

In this podcast episode, Award Travel 101 community manager Allison Caraway shares her journey into travel and loyalty programs, discussing her experiences traveling with family, her favorite programs, and her ongoing plans for a trip to Singapore and Bali with friends she met through the community.

The "Question of the Week" comes from Eric, who asks about maximizing bonuses on his Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select card without closing it. The hosts discuss Citi's product change rules and options, such as the AA MileUp, Double Cash, Custom Cash, and Rewards+ cards, each offering different earning strategies. Allison shares her own success using Citi points for a Turkish Business class flight.

Trip updates are shared, with Allison's plans including visits to several baseball stadiums, Belize, Minneapolis, Bali, and more. Joe discusses his recent bookings, including a premium suite with Hyatt points, flights with Delta Skymiles and Southwest Rapid Rewards, and using expiring Marriott and Hyatt free night awards for various stays. He also shares tips on booking premium economy seats for less than economy using a trick known within the community.

Finally, Allison provides a "Tip of the Day" on using the AA Award Map to optimize award bookings. The episode offers a mix of personal stories, practical tips, and updates on maximizing travel rewards.

Links to news and offers

American Airlines Now Offering Mileage Discount When Booking Round-Trip Awards
IHG Business 165K
Maximize Chase Ultimate Rewards
Citi Product Change Rules
- AA MileUp - can help you earn AAdvantage miles 2x faster through Grocery store spend
- Double Cash - 2x on everything
- Custom Cash - 5x earnings on top eligible spend category each billing cycle
- Rewards+ - 2x groceries/gas up to $6k annually. See how Allison flew Turkish Business class for 29K ThankYou Points.
- Citi no-fee options

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Best Card for Groceries and The Award Travel Community (Cleveland) Meetup May 12, 2023

In this podcast episode, the "Post of the Week" focuses on Award Travel 101 group member Maggie's engaging post asking about best card for Grocery spend. The overwhelming consensus among members favored the American Express Gold Card, but other popular options included the Citi Premier, Chase Freedom Flex (during certain quarters), Citi Custom Cash, Amex Blue Cash Preferred, and more, each offering various rewards rates and benefits.

The episode highlights the benefits of attending Award Travel meetups, such as our recent one in Cleveland where you can network, learn new strategies, and discover exclusive tips not widely shared. They also mention Rakuten is having it’s "Big Give Week", a promotion for high shopping portal bonuses, encouraging listeners to stay informed about such deals through their community.

Links to news and offers

Enhanced Ultimate Reward points on our most recommended beginner card
Capital One Venture One zero annual fee card
How to earn elite status with credit cards
Why should one attend an Award Travel meetup?

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Incredible Trip to New Zealand on Points, Plus a Trip to the Freddie Awards May 05, 2023

In this podcast episode, Joe and Mike discuss various topics related to award travel and recent promotions. They feature a trip report by Award Travel 101 member Nicole, who shares how she creatively used expiring Marriott Free Night Awards along with other points and miles for a trip to trip to New Zealand.

They also cover news such as Hyatt's acquisition of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, a recent United Polaris booking frenzy which prompted trips to Australia.

Additionally, the hosts recap their recent travels, including Mike's family trip to the Grand Canyon, and preview future trips.
Lastly Joe details his experience at the results of the Freddie Awards, celebrating standout performers in travel loyalty programs, with Marriott and Aeroplan receiving top honors across several categories.
See more in the Award Travel 101 Community.

Awards Used

Marriott Free Night Award certificate.
55K Alaska miles +$51 per person
65K AA miles + $47.27 per person (one card bonus could net those miles)

Links to news and offers

Marriott Free Night Award certificate.
Hyatt Acquisition of Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Hyatt Bonus Journeys - 3K points every 2 nights

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

How Often Do you Get a New Card Apr 28, 2023

Angie and Joe dive into a topic raised in post by Award Travel 101 member, Scott "How often do y’all apply for a new credit card?" They discuss the importance of timing when applying for cards to maximize rewards and avoid negatively impacting credit scores.
Angie and Joe share their personal strategies, including considering factors like credit score impact, sign-up bonuses, spending requirements, and how often they apply for new cards to stay within a safe range. They also explore the pros and cons of applying for multiple cards within a short period versus spacing out applications.

Links to news and offers

How to Book Emirates 1st Class
New (and enhanced) Chase Sapphire Preferred Welcome Offer. See why we recommend this card so highly.
New Choice Sweetspots
Application Rules

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Status Matching for More Value Apr 21, 2023

In this episode Angie and Joe discuss strategies for leveraging their elite status across different loyalty programs. They share tips on how to maximize benefits by matching status from one program to another and how to navigate the process effectively. They also provide insights into their personal experiences, discussing the value of elite status in travel, hotels, and casinos.

Links to news and offers

Marriott Online Transfer tool
Citi AA Personal Card
ANA cuts fuel surcharges by 40%-(Angie not familiar with ANA, Joe?)
Wyndham Vacation Rental Condos in the US Bookable for Just 7,500 Points Per Night
25% Transfer Bonus from Chase Ultimate Rewards to Air France/KLM Flying Blue and 30% Transfer Bonus When Transferring American Express Membership Rewards to Hilton Honors through May 15
Joe's Atlantic City status match "merry-go-round"

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Avgeeks, Spreadsheets, & Cheatsheets - Meet the Mods (Mike Zaccheo) Apr 14, 2023

This week Joe celebrates his 3 year anniversary leading the Award Travel 101 community. He talks with group moderator Mike Zaccheo about his background, passion for aviation, affinity for spreadsheets and his tips for being based near small non-hub airports. Moral of the story is when in doubt, chart it out and never fear a layover!

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

When to Part with Points & Angie's Safari Trip Apr 07, 2023

This week Angie and Joe discuss Award Travel 101 member Jessie's post about having a hard time parting with points. Jessie says she has plenty but the award space she needs are overpriced due to peak dates. Weighing using points for non-ideal redemptions verses earning them on cash tickets can stresses us out! However as we and often our kids get older we would like to try and make as many memories as possible so sometimes less than ideal redemptions might be for the best.
Angie is also finally back from her long awaited, much reschedule African safari trip so she discusses the highs, lows, things to do differently and how to use points on a $$$$ trip.

Lounge Hopping and Flying KLM
Tarangire National Park and more from Tanzania
Ngongoro Crater, Ndutu Plains, Game Drive, Serengeti
Zanzibar & Bush Plane
Park Hyatt Zanzibar
QSuites for the return home
Wrap-up (How everything was booked)

Links to news and offers

Are you eligible for a business card?
What if you're not approved?
How did Angie accidentally earn the Southwest Companion Pass? Do you know ALL of the ways to earn it?
What 80K AAdvantage miles can book

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Sapphire Lounge Opening, New Bonuses, and Meet the Mods: (Jerod Morales) Business Class for SIX Mar 31, 2023

In this episode's highlight, we meet Jerod Morales, a seasoned travel rewards expert, to discuss his journey into the world of loyalty programs, starting with his first card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred. Jerod shares insights on using rewards to offset the high costs of family travel, recounting a memorable experience of booking a Business Class flight for six on Singapore Airlines’ 5th Freedom route from Houston to Manchester.
He discusses his preferred travel style and favorite programs, including Ultimate Rewards, World of Hyatt, British Airways, and Southwest Rapid Rewards. Jerod also reveals his upcoming travel plans and shares valuable tips for saving, such as using T-Mobile for international travel and clearing U.S. customs in Dublin, which is especially helpful when traveling with family.

Links to news and offers

Details Of New Chase “Sapphire Terrace” At Austin Airport
What are the new 5X Freedom categories?
Bask raises Increases interest rate payout on savings accounts again!
Brex Rewards devaluation - most of us were fired anyway, but will others follow suit?

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Hyatt Changes, AA Domestic First Class Routes, and Meet the Mods (Jackie Wisniewski) Mar 24, 2023

In this episode's main feature, we meet Jackie Wisniewski, one of the standout moderators in the travel community. We dive into her background and how she became a key figure in the group, sharing stories about how her and Joe first met and some of her memorable travel highlights.
Jackie discusses her preferred travel style, her favorite loyalty programs, and her personal preference between window and aisle seats. She also shares her favorite booking experiences and her strengths in navigating the travel rewards world. Jackie wraps up by revealing her upcoming travel plans and what she's most excited about for these future adventures.
Lastly Jackie shares her favorite tip... build your network.

Links to news and offers

Best way to fly lie-flat AA First Class domestically
3/1 is reset day for American Airlines status. See how to re-earn AAdvantage status.
Hyatt category changes - 214 up 158 down.
United Business Card

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Get 90,000 Points Before They're Gone & Traveling the World with JT Genter Mar 17, 2023

Our favorite 90,000 point offer is ending soon. Get yours NOW!
In this episode Joe talks to AwardWallet editor-in-chief JT Genter.
JT is a seasoned expert in travel rewards, known for his deep understanding of maximizing points and miles. With a background rooted in a passion for exploring the world, JT loves traveling in comfort and style, often seeking out unique experiences that enhance his journeys.
His favorite programs include those that offer versatile reward options and exceptional value, such as American Airlines AAdvantage and Hyatt's World of Hyatt. Known for his strategic approach and knowledge of the industry, JT's strengths lie in his ability to find sweet spots in loyalty programs and craft memorable travel experiences.
Currently, JT has several exciting trips booked, including a much-anticipated journey to Japan and a luxury escape in the Maldives, both of which he's eagerly looking forward to for their cultural richness and relaxation opportunities.

NEWS & ENHANCED OFFERS

Complete Guide to American Airlines Status - JT LT EXP (JP 1st time) - why might this be important for readers/listeners
New Etihad Guest Award Chart - up to 3.2X more expensive
Marriott Drops 10% bonus to United, but… - something better for a change
Virgin ANA Chart No-notice changes - +/-s - more to come?
New Bilt earnings on Lyft - why earn 5x when you can earn 12x?
Stacking LifeMiles - Lufthansa biz 25k + $500

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Tracking Your Points with AwardWallet, Chasing Hyatt Status, & Partner Award Sweetspots Mar 10, 2023

In this episode, we address a listener's question on the pros and cons of booking through Avianca versus Air Canada, discuss recent developments in travel rewards including Korean Air’s brief award chart changes, and share valuable sweet spots with Etihad Guest and Citi Transfer Bonuses. We highlight the latest Hyatt promo for earning bonus points and emphasize the benefits of using AwardWallet to track loyalty programs.
The episode also features trip updates from Angie and Joe, and underscores the importance of meetups for enhancing travel knowledge and building connections within the Award Travel community

Links to news and offers

Korean Air - announced & suspended award chart changes in short period
Etihad Guest - alluded to this last episode - before that happens, AT101 moderator Jerod Morales shares some of the sweet spots
Citi Transfer Bonus -
Hyatt Promo & Status Shortcut- World of Hyatt members can earn 3,000 Bonus Points for every two eligible nights, up to 30 nights

Should you be using AwardWallet?

AwardWallet tracks nearly 700 travel and loyalty programs and offers a variety of tools to enhance your travel and rewards experience. Features include tracking hotel certificates, managing travel itineraries, providing early airline change or cancellation notices, analyzing spending habits to maximize points, and tools to identify retailers for earning additional bonus points.

YOU should have AwardWallet, BECAUSE IT'S FREE! AwardWallet+ with more advanced features only costs $30 annually.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Cruise (on Points), Racking and Stacking, and Keep or Kick it to the Curb Mar 03, 2023

This week's discussion includes tips on earning sign-up bonuses with limited spending for those looking to accumulate points for Singapore travel. Members shared what they collect on their travels and how they display them.
News highlights include Virgin Red Cruises offering awards for just over one card bonus, potential changes in Aeroplan and Etihad Guest programs, and Marriott Bonvoy's upcoming shift to fully variable award pricing. There's also concern over American Airlines' removal of traditional "Saver" award charts.
The community shared their recent bonus earnings and trip updates, including cancellations and new bookings. The main feature explores when it's time to let go of a credit card, and the Q&A addresses whether to book flights immediately or wait for potential price drops.

Links to news and offers

Virgin Red Cruises for just over One Card Bonus
Award Travel 101 community member, Ashleigh Sch, booked
75K Venture Rewards - who should get this?
Aeroplan PYB - 1.25 on Trav? Why it matters
Etihad Guest - negative/positive changes on the horizon? Why it matters
Marriott Bonvoy - fully variable award pricing is slated to arrive this month. How bad is it going to hurt and we've not been given an actual date for this to go into effect.
American Airlines - Not only is 3/1 the NEW reset for status and earning Loyalty Points, but there may be more bad news on the horizon as AA is removing the traditional "Saver" award charts

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

8 Steps to Better Reward Travel Feb 24, 2023

This week Joe and Angie detail 8 steps to better award travel.

Links to news discussed

Southwest Points and Companion Pass
Bask Bank Interest Increases rates (Is it better than AAdvantage miles)
Delta co-branded cards 15% off
Ink LTOs (who knows when that'll expire?)
90K Members in AT101

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Creating Memories Through Big AND Small Trips Feb 17, 2023

Angie and Joe talk about creating memories through trips big and small. Angie is planning an African Safari (and making several rebookings) while Joe is taking a summer trip to Croatia with his almost 80 year old dad. Recently he also took a trip to Florida with daughter

Links to news discussed

Alaska Devalues award program
Amex Centurion Lounges limited to cardholder -
IHG 175K Card Offer -
Ink 90K
Choice Hotels - getting 2 Choice points for 1 Citi ThankYou Point AND booking awards (up to suites) all for the price of a standard award.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Booking a Dream (African Safari) Trip Feb 10, 2023

In this episode, we discuss Angie's upcoming trip to South Africa, how she booked (and rebooked), and the 5 Steps we use to find award flights:

Google Flights
Searching the Airline website
Using/checking the AT101 Transfer Matrix
Searching partner airlines
Searching Credit Card portals

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Meet Angie & Joe Feb 03, 2023

How two regular Award Travel 101 members became community managers of a 90,000 member Facebook community.
Angie and Joe discuss how they got started in Award Travel and how they went from nearly no credit cards to ramping up and building their knowledge and maximization skills.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Award Travel 101 Returns to the Air Soon! Jan 25, 2023

We're bring the Award Travel 101 Podcast back to life after a lengthy hiatus, and we're looking to share fun stories of how you can win in Travel & Loyalty by helping you do extraordinary things on ordinary money!

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Meet the AT 101 Moderators: Toni Perkins Dec 13, 2019

With over 64,000 members, there are lots of posts, comments and questions to sort out in the Facebook group. That's why we're so lucky to have such awesome moderators to help make sure Award Travel 101 is the best it can be. Now's your chance to get to know our moderators a bit better - to learn a little more about them than what you find out just chatting with them in the group.
Today, Jeff chats with Toni Perkins, a moderator who has been with Award Travel 101 since well before he even took over. Among other things, Toni talks about her early days clogging, why she's never had the Southwest Companion Pass, and her extended travels with her four kids.
Links

Toni's blog - Nachos con Huevos
Toni's Instagram

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Juggling, The Onion, and Award Travel with Sam Kemmis from NerdWallet Nov 21, 2019

Sam Kemmis joins us today to talk about how NerdWallet is working to build up their travel rewards content and help people not only with their credit cards and finances but also with figuring out how to travel for less. We touch on his professional background which includes some pretty well-known comedy writing, a bit of time working remotely, and an unusual master's degree. Finally, we chat about a couple of our favorite flights and a place we both accidentally ended up flying to. Come join us for the fun!
Links:

Twitter: @samsambutdif
Email: skemmis at nerdwallet dot com

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

FOMO, Too Much Travel, and a NOLA Meetup with Mark from MTM Nov 07, 2019

Mark Ostermann from Miles to Memories joins us today to talk about a few recent posts of his that struck a nerve with his audience. FOMO - we all experience it and sometimes it makes us book silly trips. Mark and Jeff Talk about some of the crazy things they've booked and a few they are thinking about. Is it possible that they travel too much? Listen to this episode to find out. Finally, a big announcement about a February meetup in New Orleans. We hope to see some of you there!
Our Sponsor:
The Award Travel 101 podcast is brought to you by Fuel Rewards Pro. Drive a company car or rent a car for work? For a limited time only, get a personal sign up bonus of 25 cents per gallon after your first work fill up. Go to fuelrewards.com/pro to register for a free Fuel Rewards Pro account today.
Links:
Miles to Memories
Bougie Miles
Straight to the Points
MtM’s Miles, Points, Travel & Deals
Miles to Memories Podcast

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Five Different Miles and Points to Great Group Trip Oct 10, 2019

We're "live" from Prague - interviewing friends on the road as Jeff continues his adventures through Europe after Oktoberfest. Tune in to hear about how five folks all booked different ways using points and miles to get to the same place!
Links

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

From Picky Eater to Restaurant Owner: Traveling for Food with Kevin Lawler Oct 03, 2019

This week's episode features a conversation with Award Travel 101 group member Kevin Lawler. He and Jeff chat about both growing up as picky eaters and how/what they eat has evolved with age and intertwined with their love of travel. Tune in to hear the story of how someone who was a picky eater ends up becoming a restaurant owner! Let alone, a food and travel blogger! Kevin shares some of his most memorable trips booked with points and miles and how he tracks the best places to eat around the world.
Links
Kevin's Blog: Feasting Flyer
Feasting Flyer on Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Kevin's Restaurant: Baker & Rose

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Meet the AT 101 Moderators: Julie Breeze Sep 26, 2019

With over 62,000 members, there's a lot of posts, comments and questions to sort out. That's why we're so luck to have awesome moderators to help make sure Award Travel 101 is the best it can be! Now's your chance to get to know our moderators a bit better - beside just chatting with them in the group. Today, Jeff chats with Julie Breeze, a moderator who was one of the first few dozen Award Travel 101 group members! Tune in to hear how she got bit by the award travel bug in addition to some exciting stories - one even involving her spending the night in a jail cell...not for the reason you'd think!
Links
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-breeze-1b8488/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/MommaTraveler

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Oktoberfest & Booking Awards for Big Events with Spencer Howard Sep 19, 2019

If you've been using points and miles for award flights, you might have learned it's hard enough to find a great redemption, let alone when there's a big cultural event happening where you want to go. An event such as Oktoberfest! Spencer Howard from Straight to the Points is back on the Award Travel 101 podcast this week to chat with Jeff about their upcoming group trip to Germany. Spencer's newsletter is a great resource for not only finding award sweet spots, but options for when you want to book multiple seats.
Links

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Event Planning, Building Community & Traveling The World with Brandon Neth Sep 12, 2019

Coming to you from FinCon, Jeff is joined this week by Brandon Neth of Finance Buzz. He shares his story of how he and his wife travel the world on points and miles and how he ended up joining FinanceBuzz. As a community manager for their Facebook group, FinanceBuzz Elite, he and Jeff chat about what it's like to put on events and moderate group chats for a living.
Links
FinanceBuzz Elite - Travel and Points https://www.facebook.com/groups/financebuzzelite/

FinCon Expo - https://finconexpo.com/

CardCon Expo - https://cardconexpo.com/

FlyerTalk - https://www.flyertalk.com//

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-neth-36a89b15a/

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

How to Master Award Travel By Attending Events Sep 05, 2019

This week Jeff is joined by Lee Huffman from Bald Thoughts and the We Travel There podcast. They chat about the benefits of attending an award travel/frequent flyer event such as the Chicago Seminars or CardCon. Find other folks to "geek" out with and in the mean time, you never know what you might learn! Tune in to get an exclusive scoop on an upcoming Award Travel 101 event too!
Links
BaldThoughts

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Stand-up Comedy, K-POP and World Travel with Ray Noriega Aug 29, 2019

There's usually two kinds of award travelers. Those who earn points and miles through credit card spend and others who do so from being road warriors. It's easy to think the grass is greener - those always on the road dream of a week at home and vice versa. Well, then there's Ray Noriega, a friend of Jeff's, a US Soccer fan, comedian, tv personality and now IT road warrior. Tune in for some hilarious stories from the road, adventures he's had traveling to over 120 countries and how someone goes from being a stand up comedian straight out of high school to hosting a K-pop talk show!
Link
Ray Noriega on Instagram
NowBoarding: The Official BoardingArea Podcast
Tune in every Tuesday to NowBoarding for a recap of the week’s latest news, deals and top posts on BoardingArea!

Recent episodes include:

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

10 Things You Don't Know About Jeff Aug 22, 2019

How much do you know about Award Travel 101's newest community manager? If you enjoyed learning about Jeff and his wife Chrissy on last week's episode - there's more where that came from! This week Jeff shares 10 unique and interesting facts about him and how he got into this world of points and miles.
NowBoarding: The Official BoardingArea Podcast
Tune in every Tuesday to NowBoarding for a recap of the week’s latest news, deals and top posts on BoardingArea!

Recent episodes include:

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Getting to Know Jeff’s Better Half + Ultimate Africa Trip Aug 15, 2019

Jeff is back from his Ultimate Africa Trip! Joining him on his first episode piloting the Award Travel 101 podcast is his wife, Chrissy. Or as Jeff says, his "Better Half". They share a the story of how they met and the life changing moment on 9/11 that lead her to become a teacher. Tune in to learn more about how they plan travel with a perfect mix of fun, adventure and education as they recap their most recent family trip to South Africa. When you think of doing all the things, this family group of 8 did it! Swimming with sharks, dune surfing, safari, wine and more!
NowBoarding: The Official BoardingArea Podcast
Tune in every Tuesday to NowBoarding for a recap of the week’s latest news, deals and top posts on BoardingArea!

Recent episodes include:

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Delay Compensation And Protect Your Miles From Being Hacked Aug 08, 2019

Guest Host Ed Pizzarello from Miles to Go is filling in for Jeff while he's on vacation with the family. This week we tackle a on of questions submitted with the Award Travel 101 Facebook Group. Topics include dealing with flight delays, lost luggage and how far in advance to book award travel.
Links

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

We're Deal Hunting This Week! Aug 01, 2019

We're going deal hunting this week and who better to lead the way than Jen Yellin from Deals We Like! She joins guest host Ed Pizza this week to chat about maximizing bonus miles on back to school shopping, Amex offers and a recent promotion on purchasing Hyatt points.
Today's Guest
Deals We Like was started in January 2011 by Jennifer Yellin. The blog became part of the well known travel network BoardingArea in June 2011 and became a featured blog just a month later. Almost every post is written by Jen with the occasional guest blogger. In just four years, Deals We Like is now read by over 65,000 people a month across 150 different countries.
Links

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

We Answer Your Questions & Bailing On Citi Jul 25, 2019

Guest Host Ed Pizzarello fromMiles to Go is filling in for Jeff while he's on vacation with the family. This week we tackle a on of questions submitted with the Award Travel 101 Facebook Group. Touching on elite status, flight bookings, point transfers and the like. Speaking of transfers, Gary Leff from View from the Wing joins us for a special discussion on how to best transfer any Citi ThankYou Rewards points. If you are planning on closing accounts due to their recent cut to card benefits you can't miss Gary's expert tips and advice!
Today's Guest
Gary Leff
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com and emcee of the Freddie Awards. Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

An Exciting Day for Award Travel 101 Jul 16, 2019

"So, Everybody, I'm not going to say goodbye, but we'll see you next time..."
As was announced at the beginning of this week, founder of Award Travel 101, Richard Kerr, is passing the baton to a new community manager. Not leaving the group, but transitioning from a moderator role to being a member, he's starting a full time job with The Points Guy. In this episode, he introduces Jeff Brownson, a points and miles aficionado who will be taking over day to day management of Award Travel 101, Travel Grumps, Award Travel Advanced and more!
Today's Guest
Miles and points have taken Jeff Brownson, his wife Chrissy, and their two sons, Ryan and Cole, to over 35 countries. They have been seen flying first class, business class, and even in coach on low cost carriers. Whether he’s staying in a hostel dorm, or in a luxury suite at a 5 star resort, Jeff is constantly looking for the best deal to make travel as close to free as possible. A background in math and science provides the analytical basis necessary to manage more than 80 loyalty accounts for his family.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Fireside Chat with Points and Miles Expert Spencer Howard Jul 11, 2019

This week, Spencer Howard from God Save the Points and the mastermind behind the Straight to the Points Awards Alerts Newsletter joins Richard for a chat about all things award travel. They tackle the breaking news on Marriott getting sued over resort fees, the big changes to Citi credit cards and a whole lot more!
Timestamps
1:54 - Meet Spencer Howard
4:10 - Marriott getting sued over Resort Fees
9:45 - Burning is more important than earning
14:00 - Resistance to paying for valuable services
21:50 - People (trolls) who are loud online are usually quiet in public
25:50 - Big changes to benefits for Citi credit cards
32:12 - What's coming in the future for points and miles?
Links
Citi's Own Goal On Travel Protection Is Great News For Chase

Straight to the Points Awards Alerts Newsletter

Today's Guest
Spencer Howard is a credit card rewards and award travel expert. He’s living proof that points and miles can unlock many of the greatest travel experiences and uses his skills to tick off new bucket list items and help others do the same. A native of Kentucky and resident of Washington, DC, he’s a fan of fine bourbon, good debate and usually a combination of the two.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Making The Most of Miles And New Ways To Earn on Fuel Jul 04, 2019

"Group Think is one of my biggest pet peeves..."
What does a near miss with a nuclear submarine and foolishly discounting Delta SkyMiles as "useless" have in common? The concept of "Group Think". While redeeming points and miles aren't necessarily life and death, Richard highlights just some of the ways you're leaving money on the table when you follow "what everyone else says". Following that, Michelle Liu, an AT 101 Facebook Group member, joins Richard to chat about how Shell's new Fuel Rewards Pro program helps you earn on the gas you use if you drive a vehicle for work. Be sure to listen to the end of this week's "Redemption of the Week" and why this member was selected...not for burning points, but for how she earned them!
Timestamps
2:45 - Group Think...what is it?
4:30 - TYPING IN ALL CAPS DOESN'T MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT BETTER
9:10 - The Story of the Midnight Sun AKA how Group Think almost killed Richard
14:30 - What happens in the AT 101 Facebook Group all...the...time...
19:10 - Meet Michelle Liu
23:00 - If you drive for work, Fuel Rewards Pro is for you
25:30 - Billions...with a B?!?!
31:30 - A non grump experience with Marriott Bonvoy?
33:26 - This week's "Redemption of the Week"
Today's Guest
Michelle Liu is the Driver Loyalty Program Manager at Shell Fleet Solutions. She specializes in building loyalty programs and collaborating with brand partners to deliver quality product experiences. At Shell she created Fuel Rewards Pro, the first loyalty program for commercial fleet drivers, developed advertising for 14,000 retail stations, and led the launch of new Pennzoil and Quaker State motor oils with new formulations and innovative packaging.
Sign up for Shell Fuel Rewards Pro

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Seven Days in European Luxury Jun 27, 2019

"It was just a palace...if you've been to one...I mean, you've been to them all, right?"
Tune in this week for a full recap of Richard and Emily's 10th Anniversary trip to Europe! They offer reviews on flying the new British Airways First Class soft product, Lufthansa Business Class on an A350, the Hyatt Andaz in Munich, Sheraton in Salzburg and more! Congrats to Jonathan Wilwayco for his "Redemption of the Week" - Check out his post in the Award Travel 101 Facebook Group to read up on how he used just over 2 MILLION points and miles to book his family a trip that would have cost them over $55,000 out of pocket!
Timestamps
2:35 - Full recap on trip itinerary
5:50 - Air Canada's "deconstructed lasagna"
15:30 - Public transportation in Europe
19:00 - Learning about The Sound of Music
26:30 - Friday night on a party train to Vienna
32:50 - Riding a bike...up a mountain
38:58 - Why you always need to have change on you when heading to the restroom
42:33 - Check out the new British Airways First Class soft product
46:20 - Redemption of the Week!

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Best Ways To Save on Car Rentals and Gas Jun 20, 2019

"There is nothing greater in this world then walking off a flight, scooping up your bag and skipping that massive line of people waiting to pick up their rental car as you head to pick whatever you want to drive from that elite status row..."

Anyone who has rented a car knows that it can be a stressful and confusing process! But, what if if didn't have to be? Richard's got some of the best ways to not only ensure that you're getting the best price, but also how to skip those long lines and save from having to pay for extra insurance. After that, he's joined by Wayne Lin, co-founder of GetUpside an app that scores you unbeatable deals on gas, groceries and restaurants. Learn how to save up to 25¢/gal on filling up, 35% on dining out and 15% on your trip to the market. Last but not least, we wrap up the show with a new segment - "Award Redemption of the Week"! So many Award Travel 101 members share their awesome redemptions in the group that we figured why not offer a shout out here too? Who is the inaugural recipient? You'll have to tune in to find out!
Timestamps
3:10 - Finding the best price for a rental car
8:15 - Why rental car elite status is so good (and easy to get)
11:55 - Using credit card benefits for rental car insurance
17:24 - Meet Wayne Lin, co-founder of GetUpside
31:50 - Can you stack rewards using GetUpside?
34:30 - Redemption of the Week
Links
Sign up for GetUpside
Best Credit Cards for Rental Car Insurance [2019]
How to Get Rental Car Elite Status for Free

Today's Guest
Wayne Lin is the co-founder and COO of GetUpside, a startup that personalizes brick-and-mortar commerce to help communities thrive. With GetUpside, consumers see their dollar go further on everyday purchases like gas and food, while merchants earn more incremental profit. GetUpside is available at 10,000+ locations in 31 states across the U.S.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Getting MileagePlus'd and Spending $10k at a Dollar General Jun 06, 2019

“An agent informed me she was making an exception and correcting the problem…(by refunding)…me back 65,000 miles and then proceeded to take out 15,000 more.”
After Richard's Bonvoy'd anniversary trip battle of wills, it seems like Ed Pizza is set to give him a run for his money. This week's program that is behaving badly is none other than United MileagePlus. Ed recounts all the headaches and hassles from spending 9 hours on the phone for a simple route change request, only to have 170k miles just go missing. Just goes to show that no matter your status level, sometimes you can't get any love. This week the fellas also dish up an intro to manufactured spend. Best case example? Richard spending $10,000 at a Dollar General in one transaction! Tune in to hear the benefits and risks associated with this type of earning strategy.
Timestamps
2:00 - Richard & Ed = the new Statler and Waldorf
3:25 - Spending 9 hours on the phone with United MileagePlus
7:45 - Ed is a points hoarder
11:00 - Losing options for booking travel when agents give you the wrong info
17:55 - What is manufactured spend?
19:55 - Who drops $10k at a Dollar General?
24:41 - Walking the fine line between legal vs. ethical
27:36 - Risks of manufactured spend
Today's Guest

Ed Pizza founded the Pizza In Motion blog on the BoardingArea network. He's considered one of the preeminent voices in the loyalty program space and is a successful entrepreneur. He's also the host of the Miles to Go and NowBoarding podcasts.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Bonvoy-age to the Perfect Anniversary Trip May 30, 2019

“I know this is frustrating, I know what we told you was wrong, but there’s nothing we can do about it”

Was it just last week we were discussing what to do when loyalty programs behave badly? Sigh. Ed Pizza from Pizza in Motion is back this week to recap with Richard on what has been a very interesting week. Aside from some issues with the Award Travel Advanced Facebook group, Marriott has “Bonvoy’d” the Kerr’s 10th Wedding Anniversary trip to Europe. Tune in to hear an absolutely puzzling story of 12-hr Twitter responses, wrong information and just the totally bizarre inability for Marriott’s customer service team to fix their (self-admitted) mistake.

Timestamps

2:05 - Updates on Award Travel Advanced Facebook group
4:40 - Background on their anniversary trip to Europe
9:10 - When you tweet about successful customer service…too soon
13:38 - When customer service via Twitter fails
17:05 - Hyatt to the rescue
23:30 - Keeping perspective & finding a solution

Today's Guest

Ed Pizza founded the Pizza In Motion blog on the BoardingArea network. He's considered one of the preeminent voices in the loyalty program space and is a successful entrepreneur. He's also the host of the Miles to Go and NowBoarding podcasts.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

The Gas Man Cometh: When Loyalty Programs Behave Badly May 23, 2019

"People are so bad at complaining...I'm complaining about how bad people are at complaining...that's where we are right now."
It might come as no surprise that in this world of made up currencies where points don't matter, loyalty programs may not always follow their own rules - or will change them whenever they feel like it. Sure, there are those moments when a considerate customer service representative might take you by surprise and waive a fee, or open up availability. More often than not however, it's easy to feel like the deck is stacked against you.
Complaining can only get you so far. Or, more likely the case you may only have so much time to spend complaining (or fighting for what's right). How do you know when programs are actually acting badly? And, when you do find that moment, what are the best ways to plead your case while having an actual chance at finding resolution or receiving compensation?
Timestamps
2:00 - The feng shui of rooms at Nobu at Caesar's Palace
4:38 - What's bothering Richard this week?
7:47 - When "the system is down" for more than a month...
15:47 - Examples of when loyalty programs behave badly
20:48 - When a travel company actually does the right thing
24:40 - How to positively use emotion to complain
32:30 - What to remember when you need to interact with customer service reps
Today's Guest
Ed Pizza founded the Pizza In Motion blog on the Boarding Area network. He's considered one of the preeminent voices in the loyalty program space and is a successful entrepreneur. He's also the host of the Miles to Go and NowBoarding podcasts.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

What It's Like To Marry A Points Nerd May 13, 2019

"I can't count the number of times you've come into the room and you're like 'I just found...' or 'This is a once in a lifetime trip!' when you literally say that about everywhere...and just said that yesterday."
For the miles and points obsessed, occasionally you'll find couples that are equally into maxing out their earnings and redemptions. More often than not however, there's typically one of the two that's more into it than the other. Less common is when that one who is obsessed decides to turn that obsession into a full time job via a Facebook group. Enter Richard & Emily Kerr. This episode is a one on one interview with Richard's "better half" where she answers some of the Award Travel 101 group's best questions about what it's like being married to a points nerd, how they met and her favorite trips they've taken using points and miles.
Today's Episode Timestamps

3:30 - How Richard & Emily met
10:04 - What's on Emily's Bucket List?
13:00 - Their favorite trip as a couple
19:15 - Tips for keeping young kids occupied on a plane
23:20 - How to help your partner know which credit card to use where

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Christmas in May! Time to Start Holiday Planning May 09, 2019

"If you aren't looking to book those peak holiday dates way ahead of time, then you're gonna be the one who says 'these miles are useless, I can't use them to go see Grandma'."

Many people work hard to save points and miles, only to be frustrated by limited availability during peak travel times. Booking award travel during holidays can be challenging, especially with kids. This week, Summer Hull, aka Mommy Points from TPG Family, shares her top tips for maximizing your redemptions during the holiday season.

Today's Episode Timestamps

3:25 - How can you plan travel a year (or more) in advance?
7:40 - Are there "off peak" destinations to travel to on holidays?
13:30 - Why you might want to start thinking about holiday 2020
19:20 - Researching how your vacation house rental codes & a new AwardWallet tool
22:25 - How to book award travel "speculatively"

Today's Guest - Summer Hull

While studying social work at NYU, she began accumulating frequent flyer miles on trips to visit family in Texas. Her love for miles and points grew, especially after having her two daughters, as she saw how they could help families travel affordably. In 2011, she launched the Mommy Points blog to show that miles and points are for families, not just business travelers. In 2018, Mommy Points was acquired by The Points Guy, where it now continues as part of TPG Family, with Summer leading the content.

Resources

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Do We Know How Many Miles an Award Ticket is Going to Cost? May 02, 2019

"It's exciting times in the world of miles and points...but I'm not terribly excited...more so nervous as a cat in a room of rocking chairs..."
In the past, airlines had fixed award charts, making it easier to know how many miles you'd need for a trip. But now, that’s less predictable. So, how can you plan your next trip when the rules keep changing? Tune in this week for expert insights from Ed Pizzarello on navigating the shifting landscape of points and miles and find out how to best plan your next trip even if it seems like programs keep on moving the finish line.
Today's Episode Timestamps

4:48 - The shift to "variable redemption values"
8:55 - The next airline rumored to drop their award chart
14:30 - Why 2x miles on one card and 1x miles isn't a clear comparison
21:40 - Why Richard is using a cash back card right now & how he's earning 3.75% back
28:20 - Why Ed says not to burn off your balance right away

Today's Guest - Ed Pizza
Ed's father introduced him to travel at a young age, sparking a lifelong passion. As an early road warrior, Ed mastered earning points and miles to enjoy global travel in comfort. Now a husband and father of two, he aims to share the world with his family while maintaining his love for comfy seats and nice hotels. A decade ago, he launched Pizza in Motion to share his travel expertise and enthusiasm, and he also hosts the podcast Miles to Go.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Life Behind the Keyboard Apr 22, 2019

"So I told my wife and son: 'Hey I'm gonna be a blogger!' and they were both scared out of their minds by the idea..."
You might think that a full time job writing a travel blog, or perhaps managing a Facebook group dedicated to points and miles, involves all fun and no pain. Besides the illusion that these folks are just swimming in free points and miles, there's a lot that goes into interacting with people from behind a keyboard. One of Richard's very own heroes in the points and miles world, Greg Davis-Kean of Frequent Miler, joins him this week to chat about the real life of those who blog about travel for a living.
Today's episode timestamps:

1:00 - How Richard was first inspired to start Award Travel 101
6:20 - Getting hooked on points and miles
9:30 - What led Richard to leave the Navy and start managing a Facebook group
16:45 - What does it take to keep blogging year after year
22:45 - When you meet an online troll in person
29:25 - The newest member of Award Travel Advance
35:00 - Geekiest thing Greg has done to earn points and miles

Today's Guest - Greg Davis-Kean
After business travel opened his eyes to the perks of frequent travel, Greg turned to online travel forums and blogs to find ways to keep his elite status with less travel. After getting hooked to the world of points and miles, and developing techniques to maximize earnings with every dollar spent, within six months, Frequent Miler was born and he had a new full time career. Also check out Frequent Miler Insiders

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

What Happens to Points After Death? Apr 15, 2019

"My husband and I were saving up for a big trip for our family. Over half of the points we were planning to use would be from his accounts. Due to his unexpected passing, are all those points gone or can we still use them?"
What happens to our points and miles after we die? On Feb 6th, Greta Anderson posted that very question in our Award Travel 101 Facebook group. Her husband passed unexpectedly at the age of 43, just days before leaving for one of two trips they were planning with points and miles. Greta so graciously shares her experience with Richard on how to secure not only your loved one's points and miles but also how to protect their identity.

Show Timestamps

1:10 - New features at AwardWallet
3:45 - What's AwardTravel Advanced?
9:05 - What happens to points and miles after you die?
14:30 - A hotel program going above and beyond vs. one doing the bare minimum
20:20 - Protecting your credit and identity of those who have passed
27:00 - The importance of passwords and wills

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Never Pay Full Price for Gas Apr 08, 2019

This week Richard has got a jam packed episode with more information than you'd ever think you'd want to know about buying gas. To start things off, he's got his list of the top programs, stacks and apps that not only get you super cheap gas, but could actually pay you for filling up! He's also joined by Daniel Little, General Manager & Head of Marketing, North America for Shell. The both get to chat about the history of fuel loyalty programs, the differences between programs in different countries and some previews of what's to come from the Fuel Rewards program.
Show Timestamps

2:03 - How Richard makes money off of "buying" gas
5:13 - A new type of gas payment
11:40 - The gas app no one knows about
18:35 - What's unique about Fuel Rewards
23:50 - Technological updates for Fuel Rewards
26:55 - Is it worth driving out of our way to save a few cents a gallon?

Join Fuel Rewards

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Marriott May Bonvoy You But Still get The Points Apr 01, 2019

"One complaint came from a member who had (over 1,300) nights with Marriott...That's an average of $266,000 they have spent with this company...and due to tech glitches...properties aren't honoring lifetime status and (other) benefits? It's a bait and switch."

If you've said or heard the phrase "I've/You've been Bonvoy'd", chances are high you've been burned by Marriott's problem plagued SPG merger and new program rollout. The stories of former Marriott Rewards, SPG and Ritz-Carlton members missing nights, points, waiting for hours on hold, and more are endless. This week Richard is joined by Shubhayan Mukherjee, co-founder of Bonvoyed.com! Yes folks. You know that there are more than just a few customers on the fringes that are upset when a website launches dedicated to helping members get the support they aren't receiving.

Show Timestamps

1:30 - Starting out on a positive note with some of the good parts of Marriott Bonvoy
12:00 - Three ways to use those Marriott Bonvoy Points
13:50 - The Mysterious Mister M
16:22 - Bonvoy'd goes viral
18:00 - The problems are everywhere
25:00 - Is there an entitlement issue?

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Can I Redeem Miles for Ambulance Rides? Mar 25, 2019

“It’s difficult ... especially for introverts in 2019 where everything can be done online, to have a support network...”

This week is a special episode where Richard, as promised, shares a glimpse of what life is like when you run a Facebook group for a living. Tune in to hear the recap of a day which included a surprise ambulance trip to the hospital for his two year old. More than just the fear of the unknown (diagnosis), there’s a fear of finances. Richard highlights the importance of not only having a financial plan, but a support network you can turn to when you find yourself in need.
Show Timestamps

3:00 — Signs of concussions
7:05 — A sight no parent wants to see
10:15 — The cost of health insurance
14:15 — The power of community and a support system
16:30 — Wrapping Mary up in bubble wrap & Recap

Samaritan Ministries

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Meet A Points and Miles Addict That's Afraid of Flying Mar 18, 2019

“I was a few rows behind anyone with my kids and I just jumped up and ditched my kids and ran to the nearest person and sat down and said “Can I please hold your hand?! I'm just so afraid!”
Do you get nervous flying? Or, even worse, do you let that fear keep you from traveling? This week Richard chats with Toni Southam, a long time Award Travel 101 moderator and Paul Borish, a licensed counselor who specializes in helping those with a fear of flying. In the episode Paul and Toni offer some different ways to tackle this fear and other resources to help find what can work best for you. Tune in to hear Toni share what it’s like to be both a points and miles addict and afraid of flying.

Show Timestamps

2:20 — Meet Toni, mother of four and points and miles pro.
4:54 — Meet Paul, a licensed counselor who specializes in travel anxieties.
7:43 — What's a typical flight like for Toni?
11:52 — How can you separate rational and irrational fears?
15:30 — How did Toni's first flight after working with Paul go?
19:43 — Paul describes a typical timeline for recovery.
22:30 — Tactical Breathing
24:35 — What kind of emotional support animal is Paul?

Today's Guests
Paul Borish, MA, is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and long time award traveler in PA. In his private practice, he specializes in treating fear of flying (aviophobia) and other travel related anxieties. Utilizing a combination of tele-counseling and in person services, Paul works with clients all over the globe.
Check out his website Travelerspsych.com or reach him by email at: paul@travelerspsych.com

Toni Southam is a moderator for the Award Travel 101 community and travels internationally with a family of six using points and miles. Despite her love for travel and points, her biggest fear is heading to the airport and taking a flight. Paul has been coaching her to help her anxiety.

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Marriott Bonvoy And The Struggle Bus Mar 18, 2019

"The blogs are being told policies before Marriott reservation agents even know whats going on and certainly before front desk agents. No one knows what’s going on.”

The Marriott and Starwood merger has been anything but smooth and leadership of the combined portfolio continues to display tone deaf responses to loyal customers. This week Richard and Ed Pizza discuss the continuing struggles of the new Marriott Bonvoy program, how it got to where it is, the current state of trying to be a Marriott Bonvoy loyalist and what Marriott can do to right the ship.
Show Timestamps

1:12 — Happy Travel Day
2:21 — Bonvoy Merger Disaster
3:51 — Problems attaching award certificate for an award night? Points advance bookings and more
5:19 — Marriott is broken master thread
6:55 — New Bonvoy Co-branded card discussion
7:34 — Marriott's tone deaf responses
10:33 — Has anyone never needed a passport to make a hotel reservation? Probably not
18:07 — What could Bonvoy and Lolo Jones have in common?
20:18 — “Bonvoyed”
24:00 — Is there hope? What Marriott needs to do to improve

Today's Guest
Ed Pizza founded the Pizza In Motion blog on the Boarding Area network. He's considered one of the preeminent voices in the loyalty program space and is a successful entrepreneur.
Resources

Marriott Is Broken #MasterThread in Award Travel 101
Bonvoyed.com
Contact Marriott

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

How To Win Your Battle With Points and Miles Mar 18, 2019

“Three days after you leave the hospital with a broken back, and chemo, and serious multiple myeloma, you decide you're going on this around-the-world trip?”
The Award Travel 101 community is built around sharing and learning knowledge on how to travel the world with points and miles. A side effect of the community has been the stories of people that meet and interact every day and their stories made possible by a Facebook group. This week we introduce you to Mr. Ike Stanfield of Texas who is currently battling aggressive multiple myeloma cancer. In February 2019, Ike posted to Award Travel 101 that he was cashing in his points and miles and taking a solo trip around the world to Singapore, Delhi, and Doha in first and business classes.
During the show, Ike walks us through some of his daily battles that might delay his determination to see his bucket list destinations. Despite the fact that Ike broke his back just one week before he was supposed to leave for his trip, he persevered through pain and surgery and still completed his around the world points and miles trip. Make sure to listen to his inspiration and words of wisdom as he walks us through each part of his two week adventure.
Show Timestamps

3:30 — Meet Ike
8:45 — Ike's health diagnosis
12:30 — Ike's around the world itinerary
17:00 — Getting treated well at the Hilton Singapore
19:30 — “What did you reflect on while you were there?”
22:30 — Ike's advice for those facing challenges
28:30 — Ike's words of wisdom

Resources

Contact Ike
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Intro to the Award Travel 101 Podcast Mar 04, 2019

Welcome to the Award Travel 101 Podcast!
Founded in 2013, the Award Travel 101 Facebook group teaches members how to travel the world using points and miles. Today, our community of over 50,000 people from around the world share, teach and learn how to travel anywhere on any budget. More than just a recap on award travel news and strategy, the Award Travel 101 Podcast offers a glimpse into the stories and lives of our AT101 community members.
For our very first episode, you'll get to learn more about Award Travel 101 founder Richard Kerr. From falling in love with travel after moving overseas as a teenager, to joining the Navy. Find out how starting a family lead to learning how to maximize award travel redemptions and eventually running a Facebook group as his full time job!

Where to Find Us

The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
You can also email us at 101@award.travel
Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!
Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

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