Stay ConnectedEarn miles without flying. Frequent Miler is all about getting the most out of the loyalty game. You can easily earn hundreds of thousands of points and miles without traveling, then learn how to use those points towards luxury travel.
In this podcast, Frequent Miler founder Greg, and senior author Nick debate current topics in the points & miles world.
Copyright: © Frequent Miler
The Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard is a new card that's coming out soon to replace the old Bank of America Virgin Atlantic Flying Club credit card. In this episode, we'll discuss more about this upcoming credit card.
(00:10) - The Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard replaces the old Virgin Atlantic Flying Club credit card
Learn more about the Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard here.
(02:10) - Earning rate: 3X Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Hotels and Virgin Voyages ✦ 2X dining, at grocery stores, on select streaming services and for EV charging ✦ 1X everywhere else
(03:03) - Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard Perks
(05:46) - Is this card worth it?
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Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads
In addition to our regular weekly podcast, we also host an Ask Us Anything Live on YouTube once a month where the Frequent Miler team answers listener questions about points, miles, rewards cards, and whatever else comes to mind. This episode originally aired on August 14, 2024.
(10:19) - Does Cathay Pacific still do multi-cabin award pricing? I tried both as a one-way and multi-city routing and the price remains the same online and speaking to a rep on phone.
(10:59) - How often can I upgrade - downgrade Surpass to Aspire and vice versa?
(13:22) - You educate us with helpful info. Do you ever have the chance to talk to banks, airlines or hotel programs to influence them?
(15:45) - I have the Wyndham earner biz card and did the AC status match in Feb 2023. I’ve heard you can rematch at Oceans casino after 18 months. Does Hard Rock have any restrictions on rematching
(17:28) - I have the Wyndham earner biz card and did the AC status match in Feb 2023. I’ve heard you can rematch at Oceans casino after 18 months. Does Hard Rock have any restrictions on rematching
(18:50) - When you all fly from the US in the evening and arrive in Europe in the mornings, do you typically book another night at the hotel or try and check in early? How do you handle that gap before checkin?
(25:02) - I have about $15k of previously unexpected spend in the next few months, in five chunks of around $3k. What current credit cards offers would y’all pick to parlay that into lounges/status/etc? Thanks!
(27:25) - Probably a question for Greg - is there a way to add a non-AF/KLM frequent flier # to a Flying Blue award? I recently matched to ITA Executive status and want to add to an AF award.
(28:36) - I’m Hyatt globalist. Status match to American Airlines. How do I find the status challenge back with Hyatt?
(35:25) - Hi! I was curious about the timing for the cruises. When you receive the offer, is there a time you have to book, or is the offer for a specific cruise? I'm trying to figure out how to time it.
(38:40) - What is one sweet spot you hope to do in the near future? Either because you're afraid it will disappear soon, or because you just haven't done it yet?
(45:57) - Question about Cap One lounges. I have a regular Cap One Venture card and 2 passes. Can I use the 2 passes on one visit, or do they only work for cardholders?
(46:24) - What did you guys end up doing with your Amex Gold? Keep or cancel?
(50:10) - I don't have any travel plan for next 8 months, but i was targeted for 0.5 cents per point, (Hilton) - do you recommend to buy preemptive or should i wait and hoping that same offer will be back?
(51:21) - I plan to downgrade my Ritz to apply for BONVOY Brilliant. How long do I need to wait after the downgrade from Ritz to get approved?
(54:15) - Is it possible to book an Aeroplan stopover with multiple stops?
(58:01) - Do you have a video that talks about American System-wide upgrades? Just used AA SWU from Tokyo to Japan for 3 people. Paid $1,800 total for $33,000 (website costs) for business class
You can use these points for cruises, hotels and some really compelling deals on flights, of course. In this episode, we'll discuss some of our favorite uses for Virgin Points.
(01:28) - Tips for using AutoSlash for car rentals...
(06:50) - The Amex Gold card's Dunkin' benefits can apparently be used at Baskin Robbins!
Read more about the Amex Gold Card here.
(09:58) - Qatar devaluation impacts using Qatar Avios to book American & Alaska
(14:06) - Read more about award ticket change and cancellation fees here.
(16:02) - LifeMiles devaluation (not all bad news)
(17:44) - Catch our Learning to Love LifeMiles episode 257 here.
(19:03) - Air France/KLM is bookable again with Virgin Points
Main Event: Best uses for Virgin points(21:56) - Virgin Red & Virgin Atlantic Flying Club share same points, just link your accounts
(22:29) - It's easy to get Virgin Points
(22:49) - Learn more about frequent transfer bonuses here.
(23:10) - Learn more about the Virgin Red credit card here.
(23:19) - Delta One to Europe is effectively dead
(24:37) - Now, fly Air France / KLM short distances in/near Europe
(29:36) - Fly Air France/KLM to/from Europe
(33:11) - Economy to/from London (fly Delta or Virgin Atlantic)
(35:50) - Learn more about Virgin Voyages here.
(39:39) - Read Nick's post on getting free cruises from status matches here.
(42:34) - More rare Virgin Point deals...
(47:25) - What do you do when a Marriott nightly upgrade award would put you in a suite with a lower room occupancy than the lower, standard room (and a lower occupancy rate than you need)?
Chris Hutchins is the host of a podcast called "All the Hacks" where he talks about not just travel hacks, but life hacks as well. In today's episode, he shares some of his favorite life hacks with us.
(01:09) - You can find the episodes where Chris Hutchins interviewed Greg and Nick on All the Hacks here: https://frequentmiler.com/check-out-greg-and-nicks-podcast-guest-appearances-with-chris-hutchins/
And you can find all the episodes of All the Hacks here: https://www.chrishutchins.com/
(02:00) - Chris's favorite life hacks for making more time
(06:47) - Chris's favorite life hacks for the home
(09:30) - Chris's favorite life hacks for money
You can find Chris's All the Hacks episode with Remit Sethi here: https://www.chrishutchins.com/live-your-rich-life-ramit-sethi/
You can find Chris's All the Hacks episode with Bill Perkins here: https://www.chrishutchins.com/die-with-zero-bill-perkins/
(16:58) - Chris's favorite life hacks for personal data!
We get asked a lot about how to travel as a family...or how to make family travel better. In today's episode of Frequent Miler on the Air, we'll talk about tips for family travel.
(01:11) - Everyone wants more family travel tips!
See our Ask Us Anything episode 68, "How do you travel with young kids?" here.
(03:31) - Free Spirit Travel More Mastercard
Learn more about the Free Spirit Travel More Mastercard here.
(12:46) - Don't forget that Qatar Avios can be used to book American Airlines flights, and can offer great prices for certain flights... Read more about OneWorld First Class flights for surprisingly low prices here.
(17:39) - See our "Points for family travel", Ep174 here.
(18:20) - Plan one big activity per day
(20:46) - Find a playground
(23:41) - Get a suite
(29:57) - Lounge access is awesome
(31:48) - Get elite status with National Rental Car and/or Hertz to save
(34:16) - Easily collapsible stroller
(36:58) - Car seats: If you're going to bring yours, get a bag for it
(38:46) - Know your lap infant ticket policies
(42:28) - Ask for a child meal
(43:21) - Consider taking a cruise Read our post on how to get free cruises here.
(45:40) - Consider business class. More space = less disruption.
(49:51) - Travel internationally: Be prepared for the world to be more family-friendly than you expect
(52:09) - How does the temporary Southwest credit card bonus impact the Southwest companion pass strategy for 2 companion passes?
Read our Southwest Airlines companion pass guide here. Read more about the two person strategy for 2 Southwest Companion Passes here.
Subscribe and FollowThere's a rewards program that's in common between Expedia, Hotels.com and VRBO. As a rewards program, it was fairly disappointing, but does that mean Wells Fargo's new One Key+ card is also going to be disappointing? We'll talk about it in today's Card Talk episode...
(01:50) - Noteworthy perks of the Wells Fargo One Key+ card...
(04:02) - Is the Wells Fargo One Key+ a good card? Read more about the Wells Fargo One Key+ card here
(08:42) - Good alternatives to the Wells Fargo One Key+ card Find our Best Category Bonuses resource here
(09:30) - Read more about the Citi Strata Premier card here
(10:25) - Read more about the Citi Double Cash card here
(11:44) - You could get other Wells Fargo cards as well... Learn more about Wells Fargo cards here
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Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads
On a previous podcast, we discussed the most rewarding card for groceries and dining, picking ~4 cards we thought were good for both of these categories. We got a lot of feedback with other suggestions for cards readers thought we should have included. Were they right? Let's discuss...
Find podcast episode 20 here: The most rewarding card for groceries & dining | Coffee Break Ep20 | 7-30-24
(02:11) - Why did we leave out Citi Custom Cash?
Learn more about the Citi Custom Cash card here.
(3:06) - What about the Amex Everyday Preferred card?
Learn more about the Amex Everyday Preferred card here.
(03:54) - What about Bilt? Learn more a out the Bilt card here: https://frequentmiler.com/bilt/
(04:34) - Why not include the Amex Hilton Surpass card? Learn more about the Hilton Surpass Card here.
(06:42) - Should we have included the Wyndham Earner Plus Card? Learn more about the Wyndham Earner Plus Card here.
(08:57) - Why doesn't the Chase Sapphire Preferred card come up in these discussions? Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card here.
(13:31) - Why was the Aeroplan card not discussed? Learn more about the Aeroplan Card here
Visit frequentmiler.com/subscribe to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don’t forget to like and follow us on social media.
Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads
We love points that are transferable because we love the optionality of transferring to different hotel and airline partners, but also because there are sometimes transfer bonuses that you can take advantage of to maximize that value - just another reason to love transferable points.
(01:33) - Conflicting reports on the ability to transfer IHG points for FREE
(01:39) - Find How to gift free hotel nights - Ep265 here
(09:20) - Huge Amex Membership Rewards offers
(10:25) - Read more about the Amex Business Gold card here
(11:07) - Read more about the Amex Platinum card here
(11:19) - Read more about the Amex Gold card here
(13:40) - If you get the Amex refer-a-friend error message: try using a different browser
(15:43) - How do American Express Hilton credits work at SLH & AutoCamp?
(19:15) - New blog resource: How to maximize your Hilton cards (with upgrades and downgrades)
(19:47) - Chase Ink Business card 120K offer
See: How to apply for Chase Ink cards here
(21:04) - Bilt torpedoes Rent Day doubling, initially hiding the news in terms & conditions
(26:02) - Current notable transfer bonuses...
(27:22) - Which current transfer bonuses are worth (many people) considering even without a plan?
Main Event: Growing Points via Transfer Bonuses(32:00) - What makes transferable points great?
(35:08) - Transferring your points goes one direction so you can't transfer them back if you change your mind... so when is it an obvious idea, even if you don't have a known use in mind?
(42:26) - Things to consider before transferring your points (if it's not obvious because of known uses)
(47:21) - See expired transfer bonuses here
(56:33) - Which programs should you avoid transferring to if you don't already have a specific plan for how to use them?
(59:35) - Which programs are more or less safe to transfer to, even if you don't already have a plan for how to use them?
(1:05:23) - One reader got the Chase Freedom Unlimited card, then got denied for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card for being at max exposure, despite reducing the limit on the Freedom card. What can they do? This post again could be useful.
Subscribe and FollowThe Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card has no annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, and a decent earning rate. This makes it a pretty easy card to justify keeping. In this episode of our brand new series "Card Talk", we'll highlight all the other notable elements of this card to help you determine if it's right for your wallet.
(00:00) - Read more about the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Card here.
(00:29) - What is the Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Card earning rate?
(01:00) - The Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Card has some temporary Uber benefits, through 11/14/24...
(01:45) - Best of all, you can move rewards to a miles-earning card like the Capital One Venture or VentureX cards...
Read more about the Capital One Venture card here and the Capital One VentureX card here.
(04:09) - Capital One can be tricky for new approvals...but product-changing a card you already have may be an option.
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Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads
Everybody eats! So everyone can make use of earning opportunities at restaurants or grocery stores. In this episode, we'll talk about our 4 favorite credit cards for exactly this.
(01:31) - Amex Gold Card earns 4 points per dollar for US grocery stores (up to $25K in spend) and 4x for restaurant dining
Read more about the Amex Gold Card here.
(03:22) - Citi Strata Premier earns 3 points per dollar for grocery and 3 points per dollar for dining
Read more about the Citi Strata Premier Card here.
(05:11) - Capital One SavorOne gives 3% cash back for dining, grocery stores
Read more about the Capital One SavorOne card here.
(07:14) - Altitude Reserve card earns 3 points per dollar on travel and mobile wallet payments, which could apply to grocery and dining
Read more about the Altitude Reserve card here.
(12:26) - Which card is the best for earning points on grocery and dining spend?
Visit frequentmiler.com/subscribe to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don’t forget to like and follow us on social media.
Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads
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