Frequent Miler on the Air
Greg Davis-Kean
Earn 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.
- 1 hour 7 minutesGems from our Giant Mailbag | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep347 | 2-27-26
In today's podcast episode, we'll talk about stacking dining credits, give a caution about
gifting Marriott free night certificates, and will resurrect expired Southwest credits.
Crazy Thing
(00:57) - Southwest shows different seatmap availability to different passengers
Read more about Nick's experience with Southwest's assigned seating here
Awards, Points, and More
(04:10) - Alaska Vacations adds discounts, VIP perks for elite members
(07:05) - “Free” Norwegian cruise for Caesars Diamond Elite members
(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]
Main Event: Gems from our Giant Mailbag
(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!
Question of the Week
(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
Subscribe and Follow
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Music Credit – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder
Mentioned in this episode:
Visit FrequentMiler.com
Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free.
27 February 2026, 10:00 pm - 34 minutes 39 secondsBreaking news: Hyatt takes us to the heartbreak hotel | Breaking News Podcast | 2-25-26
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?
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Music Credit – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder
Mentioned in this episode:
Visit FrequentMiler.com
Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free.
26 February 2026, 12:30 am - 24 minutes 49 secondsBest uses for Virgin points | Coffee Break Ep94 | 2-24-26
Virgin Atlantic Rewards and Virgin Red both earn Virgin Atlantic points. Now through February 28th, Chase has a 40% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic, so in this episode, we'll talk about some of the best uses of these points.
Best uses for Virgin points
(00:36) - Read more about the 40% bonus from Chase to Virgin Atlantic here
(02:07) - Fly Delta economy
(03:52) - Fly Virgin Atlantic
(07:09) - 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
Mentioned in this episode:
Visit FrequentMiler.com
Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free.
24 February 2026, 10:00 pm - 1 hour 11 minutesBig United changes: Cardholders earn more, spend fewer miles | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep346 | 2-20-26
In this episode, we'll talk about how Chase wants you to stay Calm and give a WHOOP, we'll talk about how Bank of America wants you to be a millionaire, and how United wants you to get its credit cards.
Giant Mailbag
(00:45) - Doug: Parking at a Bilt Neighborhood Parking garage on Hyatt award stay
Card News
(03:15) - It may be possible to product change US Bank Altitude Reserve
*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)
(08:37) - WHOOP: Get $359 back after purchasing one year of WHOOP’s Life Membership (expires 5/12/2026.)
(10:45) - Bilt appears to be honoring 5x offer for many
Bonvoyed
(17:30) - Bank of America Preferred Rewards changes
Awards, Points, and More
(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
(29:53) - 40% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic
(31:30) - Use Virgin points for WestJet
Main Event: Big United changes: Cardholders earn more, spend fewer miles
(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?
Question of the Week
(1:03:24) - Do you use AI to help you optimize your points and miles game?
Subscribe and Follow
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
Mentioned in this episode:
Visit FrequentMiler.com
Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free.
20 February 2026, 10:00 pm - 18 minutes 55 secondsFine Hotels + Resorts® vs The Edit by Chase Travel℠ | Coffee Break Ep93 | 2-17-26
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.
Fine Hotels + Resorts® vs The Edit by Chase Travel℠
(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
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
Mentioned in this episode:
Visit FrequentMiler.com
Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free.
17 February 2026, 10:00 pm - 1 hour 18 minutesPrivate Island ultra-all-inclusive barefoot luxury: $2,500 rebate | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep345 | 2-13-26
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!
Private Island ultra-all-inclusive barefoot luxury: $2,500 rebate
Giant Mailbag
(01:21) - Vijay: Using BOA Premier $100 airline fee credit
Read more about Amex Airline fee reimbursements here
Card News
(05:18) - Fast track to United Silver status with targeted new card offers
Read more about the fast track to United Silver status here
Mattress Running the Numbers
(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
Bonvoyed: Bilt
(12:33) - TBD about denied mortgage payments
Read more about various Bilt issues here
(18:14) - Should we introduce the term "Biltvoyed"?
Awards, Points, and More
(21:42) - Nick's EU261 compensation 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/)
Private Island ultra-all-inclusive barefoot luxury: $2,500 rebate
(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?
Question of the Week
(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?
Subscribe and Follow
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
Mentioned in this episode:
Visit FrequentMiler.com
Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free.
13 February 2026, 10:00 pm - 15 minutes 19 secondsDisney® Inspire Visa® Card | Coffee Break Ep92 | 2-9-26
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
Mentioned in this episode:
Visit FrequentMiler.com
Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free.
10 February 2026, 10:00 pm - 57 minutes 7 secondsDo we undervalue Delta card welcome offers? | Ask Us Anything Ep83 | 2-4-26
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?
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
8 February 2026, 10:00 pm - 1 hour 15 minutesBattle of the $350 airline cards: AA, Delta, United (and Alaska) | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep344 | 2-6-26
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!
Giant Mailbag
(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
Card News
(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
Mattress Running the Numbers
(13:08) - Hyatt's overlapping promos
Learn more about the Hyatt Bonus Journeys here
Learn more about the Hyatt House / Hyatt Studios promo here
Bonvoyed
(21:00) - Chase makes it harder to track Ink Business Cash® 5x spending
Learn more about this here
Awards, Points, and More
(22:09) - Capital One: 30% transfer bonus to Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
Learn more about the transfer bonus here: https://frequentmiler.com/30-transfer-bonus-from-capital-one-miles-to-japan-airlines-mileage-bank/
(25:26) - Citi is still allowing product changes between AAdvantage and ThankYou point cards
(29:03) - Rove "Built Better" promo
Main Event: Battle of the $350 airline cards: AA, Delta, United (and Alaska)
(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
(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?
Question of the Week
(1:11:53) - Do you need to have 5 employees before you transfer miles with the Citi business AAdvantage card?
Subscribe and Follow
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Music Credit – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder
6 February 2026, 10:00 pm - 28 minutes 27 secondsBarclays AA cards: planning the transition to Citi | Coffee Break Ep91 | 2-3-26
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.
Barclays AA cards: planning the transition to Citi
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?
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
3 February 2026, 10:00 pm - 1 hour 32 minutesHow we increase spend to earn big card bonuses | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep343 | 1-30-26
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
Giant Mailbag
(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
Card News
(09:15) - Bilt quietly removed eBay & Facebook Marketplace as exclusions
Read more about this here
Mattress Running the Numbers
(10:39) - Bilt Rent Day transfer bonus to Accor
Awards, Points, and More
(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
Main Event: How we increase spend to earn big card bonuses
(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
Question of the Week
(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
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
30 January 2026, 10:00 pm - More Episodes? Get the App