Frequent Miler on the Air

We talk a lot about the ultra-premium credit cards with expensive annual fees, but there are plenty of people interested in credit cards with more modest annual fees. Luckily, there are some great $95 credit cards that can be supplemented with fee-free cards for a great travel rewards strategy.

(01:20) - Melissa writes in with a question about locking in Hyatt prices before May 20th

(04:48) - Jonathan writes in offering a few key data points to update our Hyatt points advance article, which you can find here

(08:48) - American Express adds $300 in ChatGPT credits on The Business Platinum Card® from American Express and American Express® Business Gold Cards

(12:40) - See our updated resource for the best cards for Priority Pass here

(16:04) - Priority Pass Restaurants

(18:02) - Mastercard Launches Mastercard Airport Dining Experience (‘Taste By/Of Priceless’ Airport Lounges)

(22:13) - JetBlue and United Unlock Reciprocal Loyalty Benefits

(25:51) - Read Nick's post about Citi Travel for rental cars here

(30:49) - Read more about Sixt offering prepaid fuel for $49.99 for rentals in the US for Sixt ONE members here

(34:31) - Points Path Pro now shows United discounted cardholder pricing

(36:23) - Read more about how to keep airline miles and hotel points alive here

(37:37) - We'll focus on which combination of credit cards might make sense for someone to use, but we'll stick to a $95 annual fee budget. We'll focus on transferable points and include cash back that can be converted to transferable points

(40:27) - Capital One

(42:21) - Chase

(47:54) - Citi

(52:03) - Wells Fargo

(56:07) - Other considerations

(1:01:05) - Best Mixed-Bank $95 Wallet

(1:10:40) - Nick's pick for best $95 wallet

(1:13:39) - Greg's pick for best $95 wallet

Visit https://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 – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

With most ultra-premium cards it's possible to simply add up how much you value each perk and see if it meets or exceeds the annual fee, but this card is mostly valuable for its high earning rate from spend... It's definitely worth $495 in the first year due to the welcome bonus, but what about after that?

(01:38) - Palladium Card details

Learn more about the Bilt Palladium card here

(02:37) - Bilt Cash

(06:03) - Is the Palladium card worth $495 in exchange for...

(06:35) - Consider other cards

(07:14) - Our take

Visit https://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 – Annie Yoder

Do any of the luxury hotel booking platforms (like Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts®) allow booking for others? If you are hotel chain agnostic, should you have a hotel credit card? We answered these questions and more on the Ask Us Anything hosted live on YouTube on May 6th, 2026.

(00:16) - I have 14999 Delta Sky Miles and need one more lousy point to be able to book an award ticket. I can transfer 1000 points from Amex, but that seems like a waste. I tried to convince Delta support to comp me a point, but they were seemingly unable to help. Any suggestions (other than getting the Delta Amex card)?

(04:03) - If you have complete flexibility to position to any airport in Europe to fly home to the USA, are flexible on arrival airport in the USA/Canada/Mexico, and time wasn’t a constraint, but you would like a good points redemption in J (not first), where would you position to and which airline would you book on?

(08:39) - ​If you are hotel chain agnostic, should you have a hotel credit card?

(12:24) - Question on 5/24 if over, are there any data points on the United or Southwest business card?

(14:38) - Should we now value Membership Rewards points higher than Chase Ultimate Rewards points? I'd rather have an American Express Platinum Card® than a Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card at this point. Would you guys disagree?

(19:50) - Do any of the luxury hotel booking platforms (e.g., Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts®, The Edit by Chase Travel℠, etc.) allow booking for others?

(22:57) - ​At what cash back rate do you prefer cash over miles/points (excluding when you are working on a welcome offer)?

(27:50) - Do you think we'll finally see an Ultimate Rewards Hyatt transfer bonus in the future?

(30:15) - Question - Greg has mentioned a few times about being able to pay for the fees on British Airways with Avios, as a card benefit. I can't seem to see how to make that work. Any more details?

(34:43) - ​For airlines that allow a stopover on an award flight, has your experience required a phone call reservation, or have you booked a stopover online?

(37:03) - ​Can I apply corporate codes when booking hotels through Rove? Can Rove act like a shopping portal? Get corporate rates and Rove miles.

(39:00) - ​​Is it possible to product change the old aviator if I've had it for less than a year now that it was product changed? I know banks frown upon this before the first annual fee posts.

(40:58) - ​Barclays American Airlines card transferred to Citi. What would be the best course of action to get the welcome offer on the Citi American Airlines card now that I have one, but haven't previously gotten the welcome offer?

(44:01) - ​​Does the FM team know if I make a reservation with the 25k Atmos Summit Companion certificate, and later cancel the reservation before the original expiry, if the certificate is returned and can be reused?

(44:38) - ​Can I use Hyatt points for suite upgrades with cash booking through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts®?

(45:49) - ​​​What's each team member's biggest regret in their points and miles journey?

In today's episode, Nick owns up to his mistake: Yes, you can lock in Hyatt prices with Points Advance. Then we'll talk about paying rent with the Alaska Atmos Summit card, and which points programs are trending up or down.

(01:23) - Oops: Nick made a mistake about Hyatt Points Advance in the originally published version of our Question of the Week

Find the (now edited) Question of the Week here: https://frequentmiler.com/can-i-save-points-on-a-hyatt-award-with-a-date-change-trick-question-of-the-week-ep2-5-4-26/

Learn more about Hyatt Points Advance here: https://frequentmiler.com/hyatt-points-advance/

(05:44) - Ben discusses paying rent with the Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Card

Find our podcast episode about big bonuses for huge spend here: https://frequentmiler.com/best-bonuses-for-huge-spend-frequent-miler-on-the-air-ep356-5-1-26/

(09:10) - Chase Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card/Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card application rule changes

(13:32) - Barclays JetBlue Premier Mastercard

Read more about the Barclays JetBlue Premier Mastercard here: https://frequentmiler.com/JetBluePremier/#Goto

(15:20) - Rove adds Aeroplan as transfer partner

Read more about Rove adding Air Canada Aeroplan as its newest transfer partner here: https://frequentmiler.com/rove-miles-adds-air-canada-aeroplan-as-its-newest-transfer-partner/

(17:10) - How to combine Citi ThankYou accounts (and what might be getting in your way)

Learn more about combining your Citi ThankYou accounts here: https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-combine-citi-thankyou-accounts/

(22:43) - Qatar is limiting Avios redemptions in terms of who you can redeem for

(25:36) - "Trending up" doesn't mean it is now a better program than one "trending down". It might be, but it also might just be closing the gap a little.

(26:54) - Programs we think are trending down...

(41:07) - Programs we think are staying about even

(44:32) - Programs we think are trending up...

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Music Credit – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

Amex has been refreshing its credit cards lately, but the American Express® Gold Card changes are more like a slight touch up.

(00:37) - What's changed?

(04:02) - What's the same?

(05:25) - What do we think?

Visit https://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

CORRECTION NOTICE: On 5/5/26 this episode was corrected to remove incorrect information about Points Advance bookings. Originally we'd incorrectly stated Points Advance bookings don't lock in a booking's price, when in fact they do.

Can I save points on a Hyatt award with a date change trick? Frequent Miler reader Matt wrote:

I recently succeeded in changing a Hyatt award stay to avoid cancelling and forfeiting the Hyatt points. I'm wondering if that could be a strategy to leap past the upcoming changes to the World of Hyatt program. For example, I would create a reservation using points at a Hyatt property now and change the date later for a stay that is currently not bookable because it is more than 13 months away. Has anyone successfully used this strategy in previous years when category changes were announced, avoiding the need to make up point differences due to the associated program changes at that time? I understand that this is highly prospective and perhaps wishful thinking, but it could mean a sizeable savings in Hyatt points!

We’ve been answering a reader or listener question at the end of each Frequent Miler on the Air podcast episode. Now, we’ve turned the question of the week into its own weekly episode. Tune in every Monday at 5pm for our Question of the Week podcast. And if you have your own question you’d like to submit, you can send it to mailbag@frequentmiler.com.

In today's episode, we'll talk about how Chase Point Boost is going bust, how Avianca sucks some life out of LifeMiles, and rewards for spending BIG.

(01:16) - Mike says "I have a subscription to Award Wallet Plus, and it has a “Merchant Category Lookup Tool,” where you can enter a merchant name and it will give the related merchant category name..."

Find our Wells Fargo Journeys Forward episode 354 here

(05:50) - Visit frequentmiler.com/awardwallet here

Upgrade to AwardWallet Plus for 6 months (one time upgrade only): Click the down arrow next to your name within AwardWallet, and click “Upgrade Using a Coupon”, then enter: FrequentMiler (this will only work for those who have never upgraded before)

(07:18) - Royal Caribbean launches two new credit cards: Royal One and Royal One Plus

(10:20) - Finnair 18 month expiration

(17:37) - Buy Marriott Points for as low as 0.89 cents each

(21:33) - Chase Points Boost goes Bust

Read more about Chase Points Boost going bust here

Read more about Chase reducing redemption rates here

(35:46) - Air Canada Aeroplan devaluation

Learn more about Aeroplan devaluing their award chart here

(38:58) - Avianca LifeMiles changes

(45:31) - Wells Fargo adds transfer partner: Cathay Pacific (Autograph, Autograph Journey)

(47:16) - See our Instant Gift Card Deals post here

(49:47) - Today we'll focus on cards that earn big rewards after really big spend ($50K or more)

(52:24) - Bilt cards $50K: Platinum status

(56:49) - Marriott Bonvoy® Brilliant® American Express® Card $60K

(1:02:15) - Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Card $60K (100K Companion cert)

(1:09:00) - Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card $75K

(1:15:17) - Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ Card $120K:

(1:17:13) - The Business Platinum Card® from American Express $250K

(1:23:43) - Aeroplan® Credit Card $1M: Free award companion for the rest of the calendar year and all of next year with $1 Million spend

Visit https://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 – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

Hyatt is changing their award charts on May 20th, 2026, and it's pretty devastating with a new 5-tier pricing system and huge increases in prices. Today, we'll see if there's some good news in all of this.

(00:12) - New 5-level award charts: lowest, low, moderate, upper, top (prev: off-peak, standard, peak)

(02:08) - Is there any good news?

(06:59) - Some good news about premium suites

(11:49) - Thoughts and analysis

Visit https://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

Does product changing ruin trip protections? Frequent Miler reader Jay P wrote in saying:

"I used my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to book a flight and hotel for a future trip. Now, I would like to product change my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card before that trip. Are there any negative impacts if I product change before travel?"

We've been answering a reader or listener question at the end of each Frequent Miler on the Air podcast episode. Starting this week, we're turning the question of the week into its own weekly episode. Tune in every Monday at 5pm for our Question of the Week podcast. And if you have your own question you'd like to submit, you can send it to mailbag@frequentmiler.com.

In today's episode, we'll talk about Amex Platinum shutting down paths for earning Delta airline fee credits, Google Hotels adding price drop alerts, and all the many paths that still exist for free cruises in 2026.

(01:07) - Greg gets corrected about Bilt point accelerator vs Rent Day...

(03:27) - Capital One brings Gmail to a crawl

Read more about the unfortunate Capital One slow gmail issue here

(08:48) - Delta tricks are dead

Read our resource for Amex airline fee credits and what still works

(13:15) - Google Hotels adds price tracking

(17:02) - Melio (pay bills with credit card)

Learn more about Melio here

(19:01) - Chase Travel℠ Points Boost increased to 2.5cpp for a few select properties

Read more about Chase Travel℠ Points Boost increase here

(21:21) - Guide to booking Preferred Hotels with points (Updated)

Find our updated resource for booking Preferred Hotels online here

(25:24) - Tools for finding point-bookable events (auctions and buy it now)

Visit the discover tools Pointsevents.com and Pointauctions.com

(29:33) - Learn more about cruising for free in 2026 here

(30:44) - There are three main options for free cruises in 2026

(31:08) - Land-based casino loyalty programs & matches

(36:26) - Why do casino elite statuses matter for free cruises?

(49:00) - Cruise line direct match opportunities for “free” cruises

(1:07:09) - Gambling on board might yield a free cruise

Visit https://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 – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

Airline fuel surcharges are going up! We've recently seen Air France KLM Flying Blue and Virgin Atlantic increase surcharges on their awards and it's looking like a trend. In this podcast episode, we'll talk about the different ways you can avoid them.

(02:02) - Booking with an alliance partner that doesn't pass along surcharges

(02:15) - Air France KLM Flying Blue booked with Virgin Atlantic or Japan Airline Mileage Bank miles

Learn more about going to Europe starting on Air France or KLM Business Class using Virgin Atlantic points here

Learn more about Air France without surcharges via Japan Airline Mileage Bank miles here

(04:02) - Rove miles

Learn more about using Rove miles here

(07:04) - Lufthansa booked through other Star Alliance partners

(07:41) - One World is tricky...

(11:38) - What can you do about high taxes coming back from the UK?

(12:45) - For travel to and from Europe, consider JetBlue's flights booked through Qatar Avios

Learn about booking JetBlue with Qatar Avios here

(16:34) - SAS

(17:51) - Airlines that don't charge surcharges in the first place

Visit https://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

In today's podcast episode, we'll watch as Capital One ventures into business, we'll discuss the best of the best award search tools, and we'll talk about how Wells Fargo is on the upswing.

(01:00) - Nate has a tip to add to our Free checked bags via credit cards podcast Ep353

(04:41) - Capital One Spark Miles rebranded to Venture Business

Learn more about the Capital One Spark Miles rebranding to Venture Business here

(09:42) - Choice doubled points to Air France/KLM Flying Blue

Read more about the Choice Privileges transfer bonus here

(13:03) - AA bonvoys elite members flying basic economy

Read more about American Airlines doing away with basic economy for elite members here

(16:42) - We've updated our resource "Which award search tool is best?"

Find our "Which award search tool is best" resource here

(26:05) - Amex changes referral limits to 5 per year, per card

Read more about American Express' referral limit changes here

(29:01) - Wells Fargo adds new transfer partner: Wyndham 1 to 2

Read more about Wells Fargo's new transfer partner here

(31:13) - Wells Fargo Rewards was a 3rd tier transferable points program

(31:46) - That's starting to change...

(32:46) - Wells Fargo Rewards advantages

(34:09) - Transfer partners

(37:22) - Wells Fargo rewards credit cards

Learn more about the Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Card here

Learn more about the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card here

(43:50) - Wells Fargo cash back cards

(54:45) - Weaknesses

(58:07) - Nick wonders... if Greg had the capacity to spend towards one single elite status, which would it be?

Visit https://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 – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

JetBlue has announced some big changes to its Premier Mastercard, which was previously a real bummer of a card. So when these changes come in "the spring", will they make the card better, and worth that $499 annual fee?

(01:00) - New benefits coming to this card

Read more about the card changes here: https://frequentmiler.com/the-jetblue-premier-card-might-finally-become-worth-applying-for/

(06:00) - Nick & Greg talk through a few questions like: Is this a good card or does it just seem like it compared to the old stinker? Is the new version of the card worth $499 per year? Is this worth $400 more than the Plus or Business card?

(06:30) - What's good about this...

(08:46) - What's bad about this...

(09:59) - Is this overall a good card (and if so, for whom?)

Visit https://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

What are some unusual cards you find yourself using? What are your least favorite airline websites? Which dead cards do you miss the most? We answered these questions and more on the Ask Us Anything hosted live on YouTube on April 8th, 2026.

(01:10) - What are some unusual cards you find yourself using?

(08:27) - Did the FM team partake in the British Airways shopping portal promotion for 250x Avios at Kate Spade? I think it’s a runner for deal of the year.

(11:28) - What’s your favorite and least favorite airline loyalty website to use?

(18:25) - With all the recent and pending devaluations, what hotel reward program, if any, would you recommend for someone who generally only stays in hotels for a week or two each year?

(23:12) - I have tried getting a Capital One Venture X but they keep denying me. I have opened 3 personal and 2 business cards in the last 9 months. The last was Dec 31st. What do you think I should do?

​​(25:04) - Does the FM team have any success with credit card reconsideration with Bank of America (business cards)? Any tips? Thank you! ​​

(26:51) - Have anyone's thoughts changed on the Bilt Palladium since they started using it? I have tried doing the math to see if it's worth it, but not sure I did the "bilt math" correctly ​​

See Tim's post about the Bilt Palladium card here: https://frequentmiler.com/bilt-2-0-rewards-you-most-when-you-spend-less/

(30:22) - See our previous episode about Hyatt properties here: https://frequentmiler.com/which-hyatts-will-you-book-before-the-award-chart-changes-ask-us-anything-ep84-3-4-26/

And see our former episode about how many credit cards we have here: https://frequentmiler.com/how-many-credit-cards-does-the-frequent-miler-team-have-ask-us-anything-ep-63/

(31:05) - What airline loyalty top status is it worth pursuing?

(34:19) - Tim, do you use Atmos Summit to rent cars overseas. Greg should update Auto Rental post to compare Bank of America Atmos Summit to compare to the others

See our guide to Ultra premium card travel protections here: https://frequentmiler.com/ultra-premium-credit-card-travel-insurance/

(37:18) - Do authorized users get the same discount on United award flights as the primary cardholders? ​​

(38:14) - Does the Atmos give status points when paying rent on Bilt platform?

(38:33) - The latest collectibles card episode was interesting, are there any dead cards that you particularly miss?

See the collectibles podcast episode here: https://frequentmiler.com/credit-card-collectibles-frequent-miler-on-the-air-ep352-4-3-26/

(43:56) - How many Thank You points are you gonna transfer to Preferred hotels before devauationl? I'm thinking about 500k TYP or more

Read Greg's strategy here: https://frequentmiler.com/preferred-hotels-worth-4x-transfers/

(46:04) - Does United give elevated offers if you open a bank account?

​​(47:03) - If all airline miles were dynamic the same way Delta Skymiles were (ie around 1-1.5 cpp), would you still play the points and miles game and which cards would you actually find rewarding on spend?

​​(51:33) - Which programs are best for not showing phantom availability?

Visit https://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 – “swappin’ back n’ forth” by up @ night

In this podcast episode, we'll talk about how Rakuten doubles select credit card signup bonuses, JetBlue polishes its previously lackluster Premier card, and how to avoid paying those increasing checked bag fees.

(00:58) - Rick asks about EU regulation 261

Read our post, "$700 richer: My easy UK261 claim experience with United Airlines" here

(04:09) - JetBlue Premier Mastercard ($499)

Read more about the JetBlue Premiere Mastercard here

(07:04) - Rakuten offering bonuses on select Bank of America cards

Learn more about the Rakuten bonus here

Or learn about the Rakuten referral here

(11:33) - Rove adds Virgin Atlantic (and changes url to rove.com)

(13:15) - Learn more about free checked bags via credit card here

(14:35) - General info about free checked bags

(16:34) - Strategy for infrequent flyers of a particular airline. Example: you don't usually fly Delta, but you have one flight coming up...

(22:15) - Which airlines require paying with a specific card to get free checked bags?

(24:20) - How many travel companions get free checked bags?

(27:08) - Do you get free checked bags on international trips?

(29:42) - Cheapest card for free checked bags by airline

(31:48) - Other ways to get free checked bags

(40:21) - Carry-on instead

(44:55) - Turbotax has a higher fee for paying with a credit card. Is there a better way to pay with a credit card when filing with Turbotax?

Read more about paying taxes with a credit card here: https://frequentmiler.com/pay-taxes-via-credit-card/

Visit https://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 – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

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

(01:12) - Star Alliance

(01:24) - United MileagePlus pros and cons

(03:28) - Air Canada Aeroplan pros and cons

(06:54) - Avianca LifeMiles pros and cons

(11:36) - oneworld

(11:44) - American Airlines AAdvantage pros and cons

(14:08) - Alaska Atmos pros and cons

(17:07) - Sky Team

(17:20) - Delta SkyMiles pros and cons

(19:52) - Air France/KLM Flying Blue pros and cons

(22:22) - Virgin Atlantic Flying Club pros and cons

Visit https://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

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

(01:34) - Justin: I was annoyed to discover I couldn't change the frequent flyer number on my upcoming award booking from my Atmos number to my AAdvantage number, which would have made me and my girlfriend eligible for Oneworld Emerald perks...

Learn more about Alaska not allowing frequent flyer number changes on award tickets here

(05:33) - United cards now unlock better earnings on paid flights, 10%/15% discount on award flights, and more Polaris business class saver awards

Read more about recent United changes here

(10:46) - Amex card offers

Learn more about The Business Platinum Card® from American Express here

Learn more about the American Express® Business Gold Card here

(16:18) - Amazon Business Amex moving to US Bank

(17:59) - Southwest cardholder discount codes

Read more about Southwest discount codes here

(20:28) - Hyatt/Under Canvas cardholder promo

Learn more about the Hyatt 2K promo here: https://frequentmiler.com/hyatt-promo-earn-2k-bonus-points-per-night-at-under-canvas-properties/

(27:32) - National Car Rental’s One Two Free Promo Returns

Learn more about National Car Rental's One Two Free promo here: https://frequentmiler.com/national-car-rentals-one-two-free-promo-returns/

(29:27) - Transfer bonuses

Learn more about transfer bonuses here: https://frequentmiler.com/current-point-transfer-bonuses/

(35:00) - Citi® AAdvantage® Globe has us predicting the next credit card collectibles

(35:44) - Find our Coffee Break Ep35 here: https://frequentmiler.com/predicting-the-next-credit-card-collectibles-coffee-break-ep35-12-3-24-podcast/

(36:56) - Citi collectibles

(53:36) - Chase collectibles

(59:54) - Bank Of America

(1:01:25) - Capital One

(1:06:15) - US Bank

(1:14:46) - Almost collectibles

(1:28:42) - Do you have suggestions for how to preemptively link loyalty accounts to Chase, Capital One, or Amex without needing to transfer points?

Visit https://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 – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

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

Read more about the Citi Strata Premiere refresh rumors here

(02:55) - Current version vs potential version

(09:44) - Why we're not a fan...

Visit https://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

In today's podcast episode, we'll talk about who we would want to buy JetBlue, how Amex missed the mark with its new business card, and the key to preserving our loyalty if Hyatt "mile-stone-ifies" elite benefits.

(02:16) - Adam: Why does the Aviator Silver card list as $199 annual fee on other sites across the internet, except for yours?

Learn more about the Aviator Silver card here

(04:33) - New: American Express Graphite™ Business Cash Unlimited Card

Learn more about the American Express Graphite™ Business Cash Unlimited Card here

(09:03) - JetBlue is looking for a buyer that can clear regulatory approval: United, Alaska, or Southwest

(16:16) - Bilt authorized user updates, transfer partner updates

(22:31) - Bilt using Points Path

Learn more about Bilt changes here

(25:17) - Wyndham points sale: Buy Wyndham points for as low as 0.65 cents each thru May 1

(25:51) - MealMaxxer, a cool map tool for finding stacks with Resy, inKind, Bilt Dining, and more

Learn more about MealMaxxer here

(28:59) - Learn more about Hyatt may be shaking up Globalist status here

(33:40) - Greg's glass-half-full take: Not as bad as many fear & several positives

(38:15) - Greg's 1 huge key assumption

(40:37) - The potential negatives

(46:38) - The potential positives

(48:42) - Nick's reaction

(56:56) - With more and more merchants adding additional fees for credit card processing, do you consider if it's best to use a debit card?

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Music Credit – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

For many years, Chase (and later Bilt) was the only transferable points program with valuable hotel options. Namely: Hyatt. But Citi changed that with Choice and I Prefer, offering high transfer rates that made these transfers worth while.

Read more about the devaluation here: https://frequentmiler.com/ouch-citi-decreasing-transfer-ratio-to-choice-and-preferred-on-4-19-26/

(02:07) - Hyatt's announced award changes seemed to cement Citi as the best transferable points for hotels...

(02:25) - April 19, 2026 is Citi ThankYou Rewards hotel transfer doomsday. Transfer ratios to Choice and Preferred Hotels are dropping.

(03:48) - Examples

(06:02) - Questions: Will the new transfer ratios still be worthwhile?

(12:01) - Should we transfer before April 19th?

(17:59) - Is the Citi ecosystem dead to us?

Visit https://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

In today's podcast episode, we'll share 3 ways to improve your Google Wallet, we'll see how Marriott Bonvoyed us again, and Nick will explain how he would spend $115K.

(01:24) - Mark shares how to arrange the card order in Google Wallet

(03:30) - Rick & Heather share another way to arrange cards in Google Wallet

(03:55) - Raj shares a way to set a card as default, and customize the nickname of a card on Google Wallet (which Raj uses to specify the rotating category for a card)

(05:46) - IHG Biz 200K Offer

Learn more about the IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card here

(12:25) - New/updated resource: Best credit card purchase protections

See our Best credit card purchase protections resource here

(19:44) - Citi ThankYou Points about to end points-sharing between cardholders?

Read more about this here

(25:04) - Read more about Marriott card eligibility here

Learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy® Brilliant® American Express® Card here

Learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card here

(28:39) - Rove Miles: Redeem Rove Miles for a paid stay at a loyalty-eligible rate and earn hotel points

Read more about redeeming Rove miles here

(31:43) - Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card / Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ Card Price Match Guarantee

Learn more about this here: https://frequentmiler.com/chase-travel-offering-price-match-guarantee-for-hotel-bookings/

(36:52) - Delta's 20-minute baggage guarantee

[40:14:26]

(40:16) - A large capacity for spend could mean many welcome bonuses

(43:20) - The contenders

(43:34) - Learn more about The Business American Express Platinum Card® card here: https://frequentmiler.com/AmxPlatBiz/#Goto

(46:19) - Learn more about the Chase World of Hyatt Business Credit Card: https://frequentmiler.com/WOHBiz/#Goto

Learn more about the Chase World of Hyatt Credit Card: https://frequentmiler.com/WOH/#Goto

(48:27) - Learn more about the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card here: https://frequentmiler.com/hilton-honors-american-express-surpass-card/#Goto

(49:49) - Learn more about the Caesars Rewards® Prestige Visa Signature® Card here: https://frequentmiler.com/CaesarsRewardsPrestigeCard/#Goto

Learn more about the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card here: https://frequentmiler.com/VentureX/#Goto

(51:43) - Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card here: https://frequentmiler.com/CSR/#Goto

(53:02) - Our thoughts

(1:10:57) - How might investments enhance the points and miles game?

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Music Credit – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

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

(01:20) - How can you evaluate credit card welcome offers without an idea of what points are worth?

(02:14) - Reasonable Redemption Values (RRVs) are estimates of how much value you can reasonably expect to get from your points.

(03:24) - At Frequent Miler, we use RRVs to calculate...

(04:40) - Where do our RRVs come from?

(07:14) - Transferable points are a little different

(10:18) - The RRV Paradox

(13:56) - To see our RRVs, go to frequentmiler.com/rrv

Visit https://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

In today's podcast episode, we see that Marriott tops off their top-offs, Aviator Silver cards become unique collectibles, and we'll talk about the best ways to earn and redeem Rove Miles.

(01:07) - Diana shares some thoughts regarding a recent podcast episode, Speed up US entry with Mobile Passport Control | Coffee Break Ep96 | 3-10-26

See the Coffee Break Ep96 here.

(03:34) - Barclays Aviator to Citi transition April 2026

Learn more about the Barclays Aviator transition to Citi here

(12:44) - Robinhood Platinum Credit Card

Read more about this card here

(15:39) - Southwest companion pass offers ending March 19th 7am ET

(17:22) - Leading Hotels of the World points sale: Get up to 100% bonus

Learn more about the Leading Hotels of the World points sale here

(21:42) - Read Nick's post about family-friendly Leading Hotels of the World properties here

(24:18) - Marriott making it possible to redeem up to 25K + FNC (up from 15K).

(27:59) - You can now add Marriott gift cards to your Bonvoy account (both in-app & on website)

Read more about adding Marriott gift cards to your Bonvoy account here: https://frequentmiler.com/you-can-now-add-marriott-gift-cards-to-your-bonvoy-account-both-in-app-on-website/

(30:44) - Amex to fold Tock into Resy in Summer 2026

Read more about Amex's plans with Tock here: https://frequentmiler.com/after-purchasing-tock-amex-to-fold-it-into-resy-in-summer-2026/

(34:08) - Spirit Airlines paid status upgrade: Higher status from $79

Learn more about Spirit Airlines' paid status upgrade here: https://frequentmiler.com/spirit-airlines-paid-status-upgrade-higher-status-from-79/

(39:54) - What is Rove?

(42:43) - How to earn Rove Miles

Learn more about Rove Miles here: https://frequentmiler.com/rovemiles/

(56:22) - How to use Rove Miles

(1:00:53) - Rove Miles adds Japan Airlines, launches with 50% transfer bonus through 3/31

Read more here: https://frequentmiler.com/rove-miles-adds-japan-airlines-launches-with-50-transfer-bonus-through-3-31/

And read Nick's post about JAL opportunities here: https://frequentmiler.com/best-uses-of-japan-airlines-mileage-bank-miles/

(1:02:23) - Rove adds SAS as new transfer partner with 20% transfer bonus through 4/8.

Read more here: https://frequentmiler.com/rove-adds-sas-as-new-transfer-partner-with-20-transfer-bonus/

(1:04:28) - Other good transfer partners

(1:12:28) - Why don't you write about the quality of the airline or hotel itself?

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Music Credit – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

For years, Nick has always used the free Mobile Passport Control app for speedy re-entry into the country instead of Global Entry. In today's episode, we'll talk about this free alternative to Global Entry.

(00:18) - Mobile passport control is super easy and free

(05:37) - Where can it be used

(06:30) - Global Entry has advantages, though

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Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads

What would you suggest if your P2 (partner, or "player two") is very reluctant? Which Hyatts will you be book before the award chart changes? We answered these questions and more on the Ask Us Anything hosted live on YouTube on March 4th, 2026

(02:10) - What specific Hyatt properties have you booked/will you be booking before the upcoming award chart changes?

(12:17) - How did you guys learn about HOW to find good flights to book with transfer partners? I am trying so hard to learn, but it feels confusing and overwhelming. need more concrete, step-by-step help.

Read about the top award search tools here

(18:05) - I have a question for Stephen and Carrie. Now that I am retired my wife and I are interested in finding rentals for several weeks at a time. I am pretty good at finding good properties on Airbnb and VRBO for several days but have less experience with navigating longer term rentals. Do you have any tips on how to find good locations and get good deals?

(27:32) - Looking to get a Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card and upgrade a Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card. Should I do this on 2 different devices at almost the same time or does it not matter?

(28:26) - I am planning a trip for 2 weeks covering Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Oslo with 2 year old, do you have recommendations on where to stay? Planning during July

Read more about this here: https://frequentmiler.com/use-finnair-avios-to-book-scandinavian-hotels-at-2c-per-point-or-better/

(32:35) - What would you suggest if your P2 (player two) is very reluctant? I can't convince him to open more cards

(38:27) - Do the Hyatt changes make you reassess the value of Chase Ultimate Rewards points?

(39:58) - Can I request a retention offer for my US Bank Altitude Reserve card and then product change a month later to the Connect?

(42:20) - ​​Can I book Hyatt stays now before the changes take effect, and later modify the dates while keeping the same redemption rate?

(42:55) - ​What is the best way to use Wyndham Points nowadays, and do you see any new alignments in the future to replace Vacassa

(47:44) - Are there good award search engines for hotel award stays?

Read more about this here: https://frequentmiler.com/editmaxxer-a-tool-to-maximize-chase-travel-the-edit-credits/

(51:08) - Have/would you guys entertain having all your P2s on for a podcast or AMA so we could hear about their experience through all the shenanigans you play?

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Music Credit – “swappin’ back n’ forth” by up @ night

In this episode, we'll talk about the tools that can help you earn more rewards, organize your points & rewards, and spend your points wisely.

Learn more about the tools we use here

(01:52) - General / Misc Tools

(25:57) - Flight Trip Planning

(39:23) - Hotel Trip Planning

(45:31) - Car Rentals

(50:28) - Trains

Subscribe and Follow

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Music Credit – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

Choice Privileges is a hotel chain with brands like Clarion, Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Radisson Americas etc. In today's podcast, we'll talk about the pros and cons of this program.

You can find our Choice Privileges complete guide here.

Pros / items of interest...

(01:37) - Earn elite status through credit card spend thanks to an update in early 2026.

(05:59) - (Somewhat) fixed award chart

(07:16) - Ability to book premium rooms with points sometimes

(09:53) - Preferred Hotels partnership

Learn more about this partnership here

(11:53) - Transfer 1:2 from Citi or Wells Fargo

(12:31) - Buy points for around .7cpp during sales

(13:14) - Titanium Travel Award: 50% off award stay up to 7 nights

Cons...

(16:23) - Not much elite benefit. Breakfast at Diamond, Titanium Travel Award at Titanium.

(17:10) - Points expire after 18 months of inactivity

(17:37) - Fewer aspirational properties (apart from Preferred Hotels, and even that experience is complicated)

Visit https://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

In today's podcast episode, we'll talk about stacking dining credits, give a caution about

gifting Marriott free night certificates, and will resurrect expired Southwest credits.

(00:57) - Southwest shows different seatmap availability to different passengers

Read more about Nick's experience with Southwest's assigned seating here

(04:10) - Alaska Vacations adds discounts, VIP perks for elite members

Read more about this here

(07:05) - “Free” Norwegian cruise for Caesars Diamond Elite members

Read more about this here

(10:26) - Recent breaking news... Hyatt devaluation

Find out more about the Hyatt devaluation here

(14:43) - Wyndham Rewards added as new Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer partner

Read more about this here

(16:17) - Bilt has launched a transfer bonus

Read more about this here

[28:03:23 ad]

(28:05) - Bridget says: DEN is an airport that has the security reservation program (DEN Reserve)...

(29:44) - Chaim says: For Resy and Sapphire Reserve® Exclusive Tables credits you can buy gift cards online for lots of restaurants that trigger the credit. Therefore, you can bank up multiple hundreds of dollars, and then when it works with your plans, you can splurge on an amazing dinner or two...

(32:47) - Mark says: I just finished listening to the January 2 podcast. With regards to your answer for the question of the week about which cards you keep in your digital wallet, I recently discovered something about Apple wallet specifically that might be of use, at least to Greg since he is the only one of you using Apple...

You can catch that episode here

(36:16) - Nathan says: I just listened to episode 343 and wanted to share a data point regarding the $500 Gift of College gift cards...

You can catch episode 343 here

(39:29) - Mike says: If you look up IHG Destined One Night On Us, there's no result directly from IHG, but multiple hotel booking agents' websites reference a stay x nights get 1 night free promotion for participating hotels. For example: https://bonvivant.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Q3-IHG-Destined-Stay-Pay-Promo-HFP.pdf

(44:42) - Panayot says: Convert expired SWA credit to a LUV voucher...

(48:51) - Tracy says: I have a data point relevant to your episode on gifting points and miles...

Catch that episode here

(52:19) - Melissa says: Thanks so much for the article on the pitfalls and warnings booking via I Prefer hotels...

Hear some of the pitfalls of booking via iPrefer here and read more about using Citi points for I Prefer here

(53:44) - Amalan says: Just sharing a couple of good data points from a quick weekend trip to Chicago...

(55:27) - Jefferson says: Thanks to the FM team!

(57:33) - Is there a formal appeal or consideration process when Citi declines for high amount of unused credit?

Find out more about Citi application tips here

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Music Credit – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

Hyatt announced some changes that will come into effect before the end of May. This will include a brand new award chart that splits the 8 categories into 5 pricing bands. You can read more about the new Hyatt overhauls here.

(00:51) - New award chart

(05:28) - Hyatt intends to maintain value and maintain an award chart

(17:24) - Bright spots

(27:08) - Does this change how we view our Hyatt points?

Visit https://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 – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

Virgin Atlantic Rewards and Virgin Red both earn Virgin Atlantic points. Now through February 28th, Chase has a 40% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic, so in this episode, we'll talk about some of the best uses of these points.

(00:36) - Read more about the 40% bonus from Chase to Virgin Atlantic here

(02:07) - Fly Delta economy

(03:52) - Fly Virgin Atlantic

(07:09) - Fly SAS

(08:17) - Fly LATAM

(11:35) - Fly Air France/KLM

(12:16) - Fly ANA biz/first class

(14:09) - Fly Air New Zealand biz class

(16:40) - Virgin Limited Edition properties

(21:22) - Virgin Voyages

Visit https://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

In this episode, we'll talk about how Chase wants you to stay Calm and give a WHOOP, we'll talk about how Bank of America wants you to be a millionaire, and how United wants you to get its credit cards.

(00:45) - Doug: Parking at a Bilt Neighborhood Parking garage on Hyatt award stay

(03:15) - It may be possible to product change US Bank Altitude Reserve

Read more about this here: https://frequentmiler.com/psa-it-may-be-possible-to-product-change-altitude-reserve-and-maybe-get-some-of-the-fee-back

*NOTE* Shortly after we recorded, we learned that existing earning rates for Bank of America cards will last longer than we thought: Doctor of Credit has learned some positive news regarding changes for existing Preferred Rewards members: they will retain their current status until 3 months after their first anniversary date post-November 1, 2026. For example, if your anniversary date is 10/1, your 3-month clock won’t start until 10/1/27, and you will keep your current status level through 1/1/28 (provided you meet the current qualification requirements). That’s a bit of a band-aid on a broken leg, but it’s a much better timeframe than what we originally thought.

(07:26) - Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card offers (MUST ACTIVATE OFFERS)

Read more about this here: https://frequentmiler.com/chase-sapphire-reserve-cardholders-can-get-a-free-calm-premium-annual-subscription/

(08:37) - WHOOP: Get $359 back after purchasing one year of WHOOP’s Life Membership (expires 5/12/2026.)

Read more about this here: https://frequentmiler.com/chase-sapphire-reserve-cardholders-can-get-a-free-year-of-whoop-fitness-wearable/

(10:45) - Bilt appears to be honoring 5x offer for many

Read more about this here: https://frequentmiler.com/bilt-cards-being-frozen-5x-not-being-honored-bilts-response-pound-sand-its-tpgs-fault/

(17:30) - Bank of America Preferred Rewards changes

Read more about this here: https://frequentmiler.com/negative-bank-of-america-preferred-rewards-upcoming-changes-lower-bonus-rewards-higher-eligibility-requirements/

(24:56) - FYI: How to pay taxes by credit card (Video)

Watch a video about this here: https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-pay-taxes-by-credit-card-video/

(26:43) - United Travel Bank may no longer trigger airline incidental credits

Read more about this here: https://frequentmiler.com/united-travel-bank-may-no-longer-trigger-airline-incidental-credits-but-dont-panic-yet/

(29:53) - 40% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic

Read more about this here: https://frequentmiler.com/get-a-40-bonus-when-transferring-chase-ultimate-rewards-to-virgin-atlantic/

(31:30) - Use Virgin points for WestJet

(36:17) - Read more about this here: https://frequentmiler.com/united-mileage-plus-announces-huge-changes-to-earning-and-redeeming-miles/

(36:51) - Mileage earning

(41:27) - Using United cards to book flights

(43:19) - Redeeming Miles

(48:46) - Children benefit

(50:01) - Which United card is best for unlocking these features?

(1:03:24) - Do you use AI to help you optimize your points and miles game?

Visit https://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 – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

Fine Hotels + Resorts® and The Edit by Chase Travel℠ are hotel programs offered by American Express and Chase, which offer a similar array of perks. But that doesn't mean there aren't significant differences. Greg discusses a recent stay where he used both of these back-to-back.

(00:40) - Read more here

(00:55) - On paper, Fine Hotels + Resorts® is better in most ways

(02:20) - Except...

(04:28) - Greg's Experience Fine Hotels + Resorts® vs The Edit by Chase Travel℠: Pendry Chicago

(02:06) - Commonalities

(06:55) - Differences

(12:02) - Confusing points

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Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads

In today's podcast, we'll talk about why you might not want to toss out that United credit card mailer, how Bilt has led us to coin a new term, and how Calala Island wants to pay you to book with points!

(01:21) - Vijay: Using BOA Premier $100 airline fee credit

Read more about Amex Airline fee reimbursements here

(05:18) - Fast track to United Silver status with targeted new card offers

Read more about the fast track to United Silver status here

(07:20) - Marriott Earn 2,500 bonus points per stay + 1 bonus elite night per brand

Read more about the new Marriott promo here

Learn some shortcuts to Marriott elite status here

(12:33) - TBD about denied mortgage payments

Read more about various Bilt issues here

(18:14) - Should we introduce the term "Biltvoyed"?

(21:42) - Nick's EU261 compensation claim

Read more about Nick's EU261 copensation claim here: https://frequentmiler.com/finnair-flight-booked-with-alaska-atmos-rewards-eu261-claim/

(25:38) - Instacart and United team up (Read more here: https://frequentmiler.com/earn-up-to-10-5k-united-miles-when-shopping-with-instacart/)

(30:00) - Calala Island: Private island with only 6 villas. All inclusive. "Barefoot luxury" "Ultra-all-inclusive"

(37:00) - Two Big Buts...

(38:53) - Read about getting to Calala Island here: https://onemileatatime.com/how-to-get-to-calala-island/

(43:03) - Derrick Dye at Travel on Points: Read a review about this property here: https://travel-on-points.com/review-calala-island-a-nicaribbean-luxury-property/

(47:09) - Is Calala Island worth it?

(52:54) - Are we going to visit?

(57:41) - Is this a luxury hotel point farms?

Read about One Mile at a Time's "Point Farm" concept here: https://onemileatatime.com/insights/hotel-points-farms/

(1:09:02) - A question about travel insurance: what do I need on the front end (especially in terms of documentation) to prepare for contingencies?

Visit https://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 – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

Today we're going to look at the details of the new Disney® Inspire Visa® Card, and we'll talk about whether or not it's worth considering.

(00:25) - New Disney® Inspire Visa® Card

Learn more about this card here

(02:23) - Is this worth getting for someone planning an upcoming Disney trip?

(04:07) - Is this worth getting for a regular Disney fan to keep long-term, specifically for Disney spend?

(10:27) - Is this worth getting for a Disney fan to keep long-term for all spend?

Visit https://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

Do we undervalue Delta card welcome offers? How do you guys maximize SkyTeam? We answered these and many other questions on the Ask Us Anything hosted live on February 4th of 2026.

(00:39) - Given the amount of travel and exposure to different cultures that the whole frequent miler team has had over the years, what experiences have changed how you live day to day back home? For example, after a trip to Italy, I became very interested in espresso to the point where I bought myself an espresso machine that I now use every morning. Has something similar happened for you all?

(07:42) - Greg and Nick laugh at the idea of “things we do to keep the banks happy,” but only after they spent the Main Event discussing how they spend extraordinary amounts on credit cards – which surely keeps the banks happy! I appreciate Nick mentioning that his habit of keeping Amex cards >1 year might make Amex happy, but it’d be nice to keep some perspective given that most listeners/readers/watchers aren’t spending nearly the same amount as you two. So it’s logical that we might think more about “keeping the bank happy”.

(13:23) - Should I open frequent flyer accounts at EVERY possible airline? Is there any downside?

(14:57) - Has anyone here applied for the Disney Inspire card?

(19:08) - What would you pay for a subscription to a benefit? How do you value the Alaska Atmos 100K companion fare?

(23:06) - For issuers other than Amex, are there any pitfalls to be aware of when buying merchant-branded gift cards online to hit minimum spend for SUBs, from obvious gift card websites like DoorDash Gift Cards?

(27:13) - I'm overwhelmed. Do you use a flowchart on how to make decisions on how something is booked? For Loyalty points, using points, using cash, using a portal, which portal...

(32:55) - ​​Do you think we undervalue Delta card welcome offers? The 15% discount gives you more award flight buying power. 90k miles gives you the buying power of 103,500. Is that a bad way to frame it?

(35:20) - Do you think of Citi transfers to AA as the best transfer option, similar to Chase and Hyatt?

(40:26) - ​What are your thoughts about the revised BofA Air France/KLM Visa card? I have thought that that card is a acutally better for SkyTeam than any Delta Airlines related card. AF/KLM vs. Delta cards?

(42:25) - ​​Is it possible to change which airline is credited to a flight after your bags are checked but before the flight departs? I'd like to get my free AA bags but have the flight credited to Alaska

(46:13) - Best use of Wyndham now that Vacasa is gone and no Caesar match in Vegas? Any other options like Vacasa?

(48:40) - ​​My friend wants to transfer 100,000 Citi points to me. I know that’s the yearly limit, and they expire in 90 days. My question is, if I get them then transfer them, do my ThankYou Points transfer first or the gifted ThankYou points

(49:30) - ​Since Delta is crazily underwhelming, how do you guys maximize SkyTeam?

(51:55) - Do any of the FM team ever get denied for credit cards? Has anyone ever been in pop-up prison? How do you avoid denials?

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Music Credit – “swappin’ back n’ forth” by up @ night

In this episode, we'll take Hyatt on a mattress run, we'll answer "Is Tyler crazy for liking the Bilt Paladium card?", and Nick disagrees with our entire main event!

(01:07) - Tyler disagrees with all the negative feedback that the Bilt program is getting

(06:01) - Read more about Greg's thoughts on Bilt changes here

(08:18) - Atmos Ascent ($95 card) offer

Learn more about the Atmos Ascent card here

(10:24) - Southwest consumer card offers: Companion Pass + bonus points

Learn more about the Southwest consumer card offers here

(13:08) - Hyatt's overlapping promos

Learn more about the Hyatt Bonus Journeys here

Learn more about the Hyatt House / Hyatt Studios promo here

(21:00) - Chase makes it harder to track Ink Business Cash® 5x spending

Learn more about this here

(22:09) - Capital One: 30% transfer bonus to Japan Airlines Mileage Bank

Read about Japan Airlines sweet spots here: https://frequentmiler.com/best-uses-of-japan-airlines-mileage-bank-miles/

Learn more about the transfer bonus here: https://frequentmiler.com/30-transfer-bonus-from-capital-one-miles-to-japan-airlines-mileage-bank/

See our podcast episode 325 "Sweet-spot awards courtesy of Japan Airlines" here: https://frequentmiler.com/sweet-spot-awards-courtesy-of-japan-airlines-frequent-miler-on-the-air-ep325-9-26-25/

(25:26) - Citi is still allowing product changes between AAdvantage and ThankYou point cards

Learn more about Citi no longer allowing product changes between AAdvantage and ThankYou point cards here: https://frequentmiler.com/is-citi-no-longer-allowing-product-changes-between-aadvantage-and-thankyou-point-cards/

(29:03) - Rove "Built Better" promo

Read more about the Rove "Built Better" promo here: https://frequentmiler.com/rove-built-better-promo-7x-on-hotel-stays-bonus-earnings-free-miles/

(32:40:09) - Comparing $350 airline cards: AA, Delta, United (and Alaska)

(35:33) - Earnings on spend

(40:25) - All offer standard airline card perks such as free checked bags, priority boarding, Global Entry/PreCheck

See our complete guide to free checked bags here: https://frequentmiler.com/free-checked-bags-via-credit-card-complete-guide/

(41:57) - Lounge access

(42:55) - Elite status-related things

(48:12) - Companion tickets & flight discounts

(52:38) - Coupons and other stuff

(56:11) - Which "pays for itself" best without requiring much spend?

(59:52) - Which offers the best elite accelerators?

(1:01:08) - Which offers the best companion ticket?

(1:01:38) - Which is best for solo fliers?

(1:02:26) - Which offers the best earnings on spend

(1:04:44) - Which is the best of the best?

(1:11:53) - Do you need to have 5 employees before you transfer miles with the Citi business AAdvantage card?

See our episode about the Barclays to Citi transition here: https://frequentmiler.com/barclays-aa-cards-planning-the-transition-to-citi-coffee-break-ep91-2-3-26/

Visit https://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 – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

If you have an American Airlines card issued by Barclays, it won't be a Barclays card for much longer, as AA cards will transition to Citi instead. So what does that mean for you? We'll answer some common questions about this transition in today's podcast episode.

Read more about the Barclays to Citi transition here.

(01:03) - April 24, 2026, the bank that issues your AAdvantage® credit card is changing from Barclays Bank Delaware to Citibank, N.A. (Citi)

(02:15) - $99 cards

(02:45) - Silver to Globe

See our episode about the Globe card here.

(03:24) - Barclays vs Citi Companion Certs

(11:45) - Should we cancel our Barclays cards before the changeover?

(16:38) - Disadvantages to cancelling BEFORE

(23:07) - Should we apply for Citi AA cards before the changeover?

(24:25) - What are Nick and Greg going to do?

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Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads

In today's episode, we discover that not all heroes have capes, some redeem rewards! We learn a trick for extending Southwest flight credits, and we tell all: how we increase our credit card spend.

(01:06) - See our podcast episode 197, "13 ways to increase credit card spend" here

(01:37) - Mike: We can be heroes...just for one day

Listen to our episode about sharing miles and points here

(03:58) - Brent: Charitable giving

Listen to our podcast about rewards from giving here

(09:15) - Bilt quietly removed eBay & Facebook Marketplace as exclusions

Read more about this here

(10:39) - Bilt Rent Day transfer bonus to Accor

(19:21) - Southwest credits are valid for 60 months in some situations

(23:22) - JetBlue 25for25 stats

(29:16) - Capital One Shopping Home Page Bonus Offers

Read more about Capital One Shopping home page bonus offers here

(32:55) - See our podcast episode 197, "13 ways to increase credit card spend" here

(33:57) - Today, we'll describe the ways we (Nick and I) increase spend in real life

(34:15) - About paying fees

(37:43) - Pay taxes

Read about paying taxes via credit card here

(45:23) - Use a service to pay bills that don’t ordinarily accept a credit card, like Plastiq

Learn more about Plastiq here

(52:07) - Melio

Learn more about Melio here

(53:49) - Fund college savings or pay student loans

Learn about miles for college here

(1:01:12) - Make loans through Kiva

Learn about Kiva here

(1:03:40) - Pay bills for friends or family

(1:07:10) - Fund new bank accounts

Learn more about funding a bank account with a credit card here

(1:11:52) - Buy and sell merchandise

Learn about buying groups here

(1:13:13) - Buy and sell gift cards

Learn about buying and selling gift cards here

(1:16:09) - Donate to charity

Learn about earning rewards for charitable giving here

Or listen to our podcast about rewards from giving here

(1:18:14) - Cruise ship spend

(1:23:03) - SUMMARY

(1:24:02) - How do you decide when to downgrade vs when to cancel, and how do you keep the banks happy?

See our episode about discarding cards here

Subscribe and Follow

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Music Credit – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

With Bilt 2.0, Bilt introduced a complicated new rewards currency called "Bilt Cash". We're going to try to dissect that today.

(00:11) - Bilt 2.0: 3 new cards, 2 complicated ways to earn points on housing payments; and 1 complicated new rewards currency... Bilt Cash

Read more about it here: https://frequentmiler.com/bilt-cash-how-to-use/

(00:57) - Earning Bilt Cash

(02:12) - December 31 Bilt Cash Gets Trashed Day

(02:45) - Using Bilt Cash

(10:41) - Evaluating Bilt Cash uses

(16:45) - Coupons

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Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads

In today's episode, we'll talk about a trick for getting great value with Delta miles, which has returned, how flying Emirates first with points has gotten harder, and the hard truth about how we have too many cards (and what to do about it).

(01:52) - Using AAdvantage miles to book JetSmart and other tips for South America travel

(04:10) - Air France/KLM Flying Blue

Read more about Air France KLM flying blue here

(15:38) - Capital One Venture Rewards: 75K + $250 travel after $4K spend

(18:35) - Bilt Cash details revealed

Catch up on how Bilt bungled the rollout here

(21:06) - Qantas Nerfs Emirates First Class Awards

Read more about this here

(23:34) - Delta trick lowering award prices by booking flights to/from Mexico, working once again

(25:20) - Alaska $99 Companion Fares can be used with the multi-city tool on the regular booking engine again

(26:35) - American Airlines Awards flying Aer Lingus Now Available Online

(28:14) - Find out which premium cards we think are keepers here

(31:41) - Greg's thoughts about keeper cards

(35:25) - $795 Sapphire Reserve® Card Example (read more about our thoughts here)

(57:45) - $325 American Express® Gold Card example

(1:04:44) - $895 American Express Platinum Card® example

(1:14:58) - Cards Greg and Nick have discarded recently

(1:24:08) - American Express® Gold Card with 4x dining vs Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Card with 3x dining + status... which one is worth it?

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Music Credit – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

Chase is out with offers for both their Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card and Chase World of Hyatt Credit Card, both offering up to 5 free nights. So which of these offers is better?

(00:32) - World of Hyatt Card

(01:17) - Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card

(01:36) - Which is better?

(01:47) - Marriott advantages

(05:17) - Hyatt advantages

(08:10) - Caution: Annual category changes coming soon (last year it was March 25 for Hyatt, unknown for Marriott)

(09:28) - Final answer

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Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads

Bilt released details of its new credit cards on Wednesday...but it was so confusing, they tried to clarify it with more confusion.

(00:18) - Bilt released details of its new credit cards on Wednesday.

You can read more about Bilt 2.0 here: https://frequentmiler.com/bilt-makes-earning-rewards-on-housing-payments-even-more-confusing/

(00:23) - We've written extensively about it, and today (as we record this update), we dropped a full-length podcast about it

Find the full podcast here: https://frequentmiler.com/introducing-the-new-and-confusing-bilt-2-0-frequent-miler-on-the-air-ep341-1-16-26/

(01:16) - Bilt heard all of us and doubled down with an even more confusing solution...

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Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads

In this podcast episode, we'll talk about how JAL awards can be changed, we'll talk about the Amtrak USA Rail Pass, and we'll discuss Bilt 2.0: Half-baked, confusing, but potentially very rewarding.

(At the time of this recording, running ad for Bilt on the audio-only version of this podcast. Despite that, all opinions expressed here are our own. We will always tell you what we believe, good or bad.)

(01:27) - JAL Mileage Bank awards can not be changed (but they can be cancelled for a reasonable fee

See Nick's post about the best uses of Japan Airlines Mileage Bank miles here

See our podcast episode 325 "Sweet-spot awards courtesy of Japan Airlines" here

(04:38) - Like MaxFHR but for The Edit

Learn more here

(06:02) - Amtrak USA Rail Pass for $250 (usual: $499)

(08:37) - Saks has filed for bankruptcy

(11:53) - United MileagePlus Status Match Challenge

Learn more about the United MileagePlus Status Match Challenge here

Learn more about Bilt 2.0 here

And find our opinion on Bilt 2.0 here

(14:42) - The transition from old to new

(19:36) - 3 Bilt Cards

(20:52) - 2 rewards currencies...

(22:20) - Is Bilt Cash valuable?

(27:02) - More card details

(29:49) - What do we know about Bilt Cash?

(41:17) - Card Reviews / who are they for?

(1:04:15) - Find out some answers to frequently asked questions here: https://frequentmiler.com/bilt-2-faq/

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Music Credit – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

Greg recently had two great stays at Marriott Bonvoy hotels in South Florida: The Ben, The Belgrove Resort. But the fact that these positive experiences surprised him (and that they were kind of the exception to the rule) prompted some ideas on what's wrong with Bonvoy.

(00:12) - Great stays at Marriott Bonvoy hotels in south Florida: The Ben, The Belgrove Resort

(01:59) - What's wrong with Bonvoy?

(09:31) - Potential solutions

(14:53) - If we could pick just one fix, which would it be?

Visit https://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

If you have to pick, which elite status would you prefer, American or Alaska? How does this new edit credit work? We answered these and many other questions on the Ask Us Anything hosted live on January 7th of 2026.

(03:34) - ​​Curious to hear what 'coupons/credits' you just let go of, without redeeming by 12/31. I didn't use my first The Edit credit and can't stop feeling guilty.

(05:48) - How does this new edit credit work, because there are so many different answers...?

You can see a map of The Edit by Chase Travel℠ properties here:

(10:05) - ​​What do you think about the Apple Card takeover by Chase?

See Greg's old post about the Apple Card here

(12:48) - Have any of you proactively lowered the credit limit on a card?

(17:17) - ​Do you think that the Bilt leak is real or fake? There are 3 different leaks right now

Find coffee break episode 86 about Bilt leaks here

(18:44) - ​​I started with Chase (I'm newer to points), but I'm curious what you all think are the best uses of each of the ecosystems and/or what you personally use them for?

Learn more about Citi transfer partners here

(23:05) - ​​Last October, I booked a stay at the Hyatt Regency Rome for mid-April 2026, not realizing it was a new hotel. The website now shows reservations starting May 1, 2026, with no availability in April. ​​I’m concerned about whether my reservation will be honored. If the hotel isn’t ready, will Hyatt relocate me, and how soon would I be notified? I’ve booked a backup hotel, but would appreciate any tips

(25:25) - Do the miles and points conventions mention things that aren't normally discussed in free podcasts like yours?

(26:53) - ​​Alaska miles redemption for Europe often entails BA metal that has high fees. Any tips on European redemptions? Or are Alaska miles mainly for AA or Asian partner awards?

(35:22) - ​​Does that PLAT airline credit still work for United Travel Bank this year?

See our "Amex airline reimbursement fees...what still works?" post here

(36:53) - ​​Venture X travel credit is a discount rather than a credit. If I have two bookings and have to cancel the one booked with the discount, can I retroactively have them lower the second booking?

(37:25) - ​​What is everyone's US Bank strategy? I cashed mine out at 1.5x

(42:00) - If you have to pick, which elite status would you prefer, American or Alaska?

Find our podcast episode about American vs Alaska here

(48:01) - Find coffee break episode 86 about Bilt leaks here

(48:24) - Tim - In what cases is it worthwhile to keep both Atmos cards (Summit and Ascent)

(54:10) - ​​For 2026, any new programs you’re prioritizing for earning or status? E.g. Citi to PHR, Atmos, etc?

Visit https://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 – “swappin’ back n’ forth” by up @ night

In today's episode, we'll talk about a Universal Theme park hack, how to fix airport lounge overcrowding, and the best ways to share points, miles, and other rewards.

(01:01) - A clever theme park hack

(05:44) - Marriott Bonvoy Boundless: 5, 50K Free Night Awards welcome offer is back.

Read more about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless offer here

(09:15) - Hyatt Globalists report receiving far fewer points for expired certificates

(12:41) - Atmos Rewards Communities are coming

Read more about Atmos Rewards communities here

(18:31) - Rakuten 5K/$50 Bonus extended to 3/31

Read more about this Rakuten 5K/$50 bonus here

(21:13) - Get two years of Hilton Gold or Diamond with elite status match

(23:37) - Radisson Rewards launches shopping portal with up to 30% bonus earnings

Learn more about the Radisson Rewards shopping portal here

(25:17) - Margaritaville at Sea: Quick mention of the casino match offer for the cruise crowd

Read about Nick's experience with Margaritaville at Sea here

(30:22) - Read our "Sharing is Caring" post here: https://frequentmiler.com/sharing-is-caring-the-best-programs-for-sharing-points-and-miles/

Read how to gift hotel points, free night certificates, and award nights here: https://frequentmiler.com/gift-hotel-points-free-night-certificates-and-award-nights-booked-with-points-rules-by-program/

(31:30) - Moving credit card points to others

(36:58) - Moving, sharing, or pooling Airline miles

(43:31) - Moving or sharing hotel points

(48:06) - Book flights for others

(50:48) - Book hotel nights for others with points or free night certs

(59:04) - With overcrowding at Airport lounges, what would you do to fix this?

Visit https://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 – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

We've known that Bilt intends to introduce new credit cards soon, with details expected for release on January 14th, but someone found some code on a website that's got the community stirring, speculating about what it could mean. (Read more about leaked Bilt card details here).

(01:14) - Ad disclosure

(02:06) - Leaked details... maybe

(03:16) - Bilt Blue Card

(03:53) - Bilt Obsidian Card

(04:53) - Bilt Palladium Card

(06:31) - What's this Bilt Cash all about?

(13:59) - Nick's assessment

(17:41) - Greg's assessment

Visit https://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

There are a lot of tools out there that can help you find good award prices for the flights you're looking for. In today's podcast, we'll look at the tool Greg uses most often: Points Path.

(00:53) - Award tools: search vs discovery tools

(01:29) - Basics of Points Path

(03:43) - Paid Pro tier

(07:05) - Pros of Points Path

(10:25) - Cons of Points Path

Visit https://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

In this week's podcast episode, we'll talk about stacking 2025 and 2026 JetBlue elite perks, how you can use Visa cards you already own to get free international roaming, and we'll predict what's coming to points & miles in 2026.

(01:09) - "I certainly admire the continued approach to display only the best offer even if it is not the affiliate link, but I may suggest that you consider showing both options for readers. I am happy to support the site and would likely be willing to choose an inferior offer in many cases, should it be beneficial to the site."

(04:45) - What to do when Chase Sapphire Reserve® Exclusive Tables removes a restaurant without notice...

See a list of Sapphire Reserve® Exclusive Tables here

(07:28) - A Sapphire Reserve The Edit credit success story...

(11:02) - A 25for25 challenge success story

(16:45) - Visa Signature / Infinite GigSky benefit (Nick's experience)

Learn more about the GigSky free eSIM opportunity here

(21:31) - New credit cards

(37:21) - Card refreshes

(55:31) - New transfer opportunities

(1:09:35) - Mega promos

(1:17:27) - Devaluations

(1:25:01) - Misc other

(1:32:10) - Guaranteed Predictions

(1:33:50) - What's in your digital wallet? Do you keep all of your cards in your digital wallet?

Visit https://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 – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

Delta may be the easiest major airline to get elite status if you don't mind getting a few credit cards. We'll talk about some of the shortcuts available to you in today's podcast episode.

(00:27) - Shortcuts to Delta elite status (read more here)

(01:27) - Elite status requirements

(02:18) - $2500 Headstarts from specific Delta credit cards

Learn more about the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card here

Learn more about the Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card here

Learn more about the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card here

Learn more about the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card here

(04:11) - MQDs from spend

(06:27) - Status Match

Read more about Delta's excellent status match here

Visit https://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