Greg and Nick have a LOT of cards between the two of them and they can't possibly carry all of them in their real-life physical wallets. What happens instead is that they tend to rotate the cards in their wallets based on what the current bonuses are, whether or not there are cards they're trying to reach a spend requirement on...and...whether or not they can find the physical card. In this episode, they'll cover the major real-life spend categories and which cards they're carrying for those purposes. (01:19) - Which cards do Greg and Nick carry for Grocery spend?

Learn more about the Savor card here.

(02:06) - Learn more about the Amex Gold card here.

(03:31) - Which cards do we carry around for Gas?

Learn more about the Wyndham Business Earner Card here.

(04:09) - Learn more about the Amex Business Gold card here.

(05:24) - Which cards do we carry around for dining?

(08:28) - Which cards do we carry around for Travel?

Learn more about the Sapphire Reserve card here.

(12:27) - Which cards do we carry around for Pharmacy?

Learn more about the Chase Freedom Unlimited card here.

(14:30) - Which cards do we carry for spend everywhere else?

Learn more about the Bank Of America Premium Rewards card here.

(16:50) - Learn more about the Bank Of America Unlimited Cash Rewards 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

In this episode, Greg and Nick will look at 4 ways to access Delta Sky Clubs, they'll reveal a hot reader tip for a free stay in Atlantis in the Bahamas, and they'll discuss the Air France / KLM Flying Blue devaluation. Check out the full episode below.

(01:28) - It seems like a lot of people are running into issues lately with using the $200 platinum credit for Fine Hotels and Resorts. 

(07:03) - United TravelBank glitch (now resolved) [Reported on Reddit]

(09:50) - Air France KLM Flying Blue award prices increase by 15-25% to/from Europe

Read more about this price change here.

(18:02) - It's not too late to book Atlantis even if your Caesars Diamond status is about to go away.

(20:28) - Sky Clubs vs other airport clubs

Read more about how to get into Delta Sky Club Lounges here.

(23:01) - Overall Requirements

(24:12) - #1 Premium Credit Cards

(24:27) - Amex Platinum (not to be confused with Amex Delta SkyMiles Platinum)

Learn more about the Amex Platinum card here.

(31:31) - Delta Reserve consumer or business

Learn more about the Delta Reserve card here.

See: How to get Delta Sky Club access for you and your family here.

(39:58) - #2 Fly Delta One; or any Sky Team airline in business or first class

(42:56) - #3 Elite Status Check out our blog post: Shortcuts to Delta elite status here: https://frequentmiler.com/delta-elite-shortcuts/

Or check out our episode "Easy path to Delta Elite status in 2024 Ep281" here: https://frequentmiler.com/easy-path-to-delta-elite-status-in-2024-frequent-miler-on-the-air-ep281-11-15-24/

(45:51) - #4 Sky Club Membership

Learn more about Delta Choice Benefits here: https://frequentmiler.com/delta-choice-benefits/

(55:16) - Many times when I'm booking stays, there's only availability for standard rooms. How do approach getting an upgrade if there's no availability?

In today's podcast episode Greg and Nick will talk about the things they wish Marriott would add to their program to make it a really great program. They argue these things shouldn't even have to cost Marriott that much to implement.

Read more about our Marriott Bonvoy Wishlist here.

(01:24) - Fix the Platinum Elite free breakfast benefit

Find our resource for figuring out whether or not you get free breakfast here.

(05:00) - Clear Nightly Upgrade Awards from the time of booking

(08:21) - Remove the 15K limit on free night certificate top-offs

(11:11) - Waive resort fees on free night stays

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 few ways now where you can earn elite status on airlines entirely through hotel stays! This is sort of a new development that we're excited to discuss in today's podcast.

(01:32) - Whoops: Forgot United offers elite earnings on award tickets (UA flights only)

Find episode 288 here.

(04:09) - IHG Choice Benefit annual lounge membership trick worked this year

(05:58) -  One reader finds a way to get an offer to upgrade back to Amex Platinum for 50K bonus points after 2K spend.

(08:03) - Alaska Biz Card 70K offer is back: 70K miles and Companion Fare™

Learn more about the Alaska Business card here.

(09:27) - Costco card goes up to 5% at Costco Gas on 1/19/25. All other gas/EV will stay at 4%

(12:32) - US Bank Altitude Go: beginning on April 15, 2025, cardholders will be limited to earning 4x on the first $2,000 in dining, takeout and restaurant delivery purchases each quarter. Learn more about that update here

(13:45) - Sonesta credit card taking a siesta

Learn more about the Sonesta siesta here

(15:34) - Pay1040 fees up, down, all around

(21:42) - Hyatt promo: Earn double elite night credits for stays at Under Canvas properties Read more about that Hyatt promo here

(28:21) - Marriott Choice Benefit 40K expiry

(33:30) - BA goes revenue-based (Read more about that change here

(34:45) - Daily Getaways Dead: The program has been discontinued

(36:29) - Marriott ->> United Premier Silver AND Air Canada Aeroplan 25K Read more about that here

(40:59) - Hyatt ->> American Airlines Read more about this option here

(50:49) - Hyatt Explorist/Globalist elite members can trade Hyatt points for status for a day

(53:33) - Not as many shortcuts with Hyatt as with Marriott Read more about this here

(1:03:00) - Should I mattress run with Advantage Hotels the rest of my way to AA Executive Platinum status?

(1:06:14) - How do you value your time, for example when an hour of effort will save you a small chunk of change?

You can book Preferred Hotels with Choice Privileges points, (which has a 1:2 transfer rate from Citi Thank You points), or Preferred Hotel points (which has a 1:4 transfer rate from Citi Thank You points). There are reasons to book with one points over another, but is this worth doing? Greg's recent experience booking a Preferred Hotel with Choice points can help shed some light on the question.

(01:24) - The Seagate Hotel & Spa Delray Beach Florida

(01:48) - Different booking options...

(05:17) - Booking experience...

(12:17) - Hotel stay experience (the good and bad)

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

(00:00) - It's a new year and we're excited about all the "point-y" things happening for us in 2025! Give this episode a listen to find out what we're looking forward to.

(01:07) - One reader's interesting experience disbanding a United miles pool highlights a possible hack and brings up a few questions.... Learn more about miles-pooling here: https://www.united.com/en/us/mileageplus/miles-pooling/

(04:17) - Can a pool leader leave a miles pool?

(04:35) - Can I leave a miles pool after joining?

(07:25) - Chase United card devaluation: TravelBank credits instead of statement credits

(11:10) - Chase Aeroplan PYB (Pay Yourself Back) Travel limited to 200K

(13:51) - Marriott Choice Benefit 40 night selection expiry Read more about this update here: https://frequentmiler.com/marriott-bonvoy-choice-benefits/

 (16:27) - IHG Ends Annual Lounge Pass Loophole In 2025

(19:52) - Pay taxes via credit card slightly cheaper (starts at 1.75%) but down to 2 processors PayUSATax gone ("We are no longer processing federal tax payments on behalf of the IRS.") Learn more about paying taxes with a credit card here: https://frequentmiler.com/pay-taxes-via-credit-card/

(25:21) - Greg and Nick’s "Bonvoyed" pick: Hyatt breaks our hearts with Mr & Mrs Smith Read our "Bonvoyed of the year" post here: https://frequentmiler.com/frequent-milers-peoples-choice-bonvoyed-awards-2024-edition/

(26:47) - Readers' "Bonvoyed" picks...

(28:10) - Our picks for for Deal of the Year Read our "Deal of the Year" post here: https://frequentmiler.com/2024-deal-of-the-year-and-readers-choice-vote/

(29:02) - Readers' picks for Deal of the Year

(31:01) - Small Luxury Hotels SLH

(33:07) - Preferred hotels & Resorts

(35:30) - Alaska Mileage Plan mixed partner awards

(40:13) - Earning Alaska elite status through award bookings

(42:51) - Alaska premium card

(45:00) - Digging into SAS awards

(47:17) - Finding a great Vacasa redemption (I bought points)

(49:17) - Finding great Capital One Miles deals See the "Deal of the Year" episode here: https://frequentmiler.com/deal-of-the-year-2024-frequent-miler-on-the-air-ep287-12-27-24-podcast/

(52:09) - Getting back into the swing of bank account bonuses

(54:05) - Trying out the AA bus from PHL-ACY.

(58:57) - Would a Delta Gold status be useful for a Korean Air flight booked via Delta miles?

The Smartly Credit Card (with opportunity for up to 4% cash back everywhere) has us wondering...when should you value cash back over other points and miles or transferable currency rewards?

(00:26) - Smartly Credit Card: Up to 4% cash back

Learn more about the Smartly card here.

(01:21) - Using 2x everywhere points card is like buying points for 2 cents each

(05:12) - So, is cash the final answer? No!

(09:07) - So what's the ideal strategy?

(13:36) - Learn more about the Hyatt milestone spending 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

What are the best miles and points deals we've seen in 2024, and which deals came out above the rest? In today's episode of Frequent Miler on the Air, we'll decide what we think the best miles and points deal of 2024 was.

(01:05) - Feedback about Greg's "Frequent Miler’s 2024 State of the Business Report"

Read Greg's "Frequent Miler’s 2024 State of the Business Report" here.

(08:12) - Additional datapoints regarding possible Atlantis stays for after February 1st

(12:14) - Greg's Marriott Mattress Run

(20:48) - Capital One Offers

(26:18) - Easily extend National Free Day

(28:41) - Catch our "Bonvoyed of the Year" episode from last week to see which loyalty snafus we thought were the worst in 2024.

(29:11) - Buy Aeroplan miles for 1.14cpp: Read more about buying Aeroplan miles here.

(30:41) - Big payouts via Capital One Shopping

(36:35) - Virgin goes dynamic & lowers surcharges Read more about Virgin's dynamic pricing here.

(40:00) - Bilt transfer bonus up to 150% to Flying Blue, Virgin Points, and IHG One Rewards (Jan 1)

(42:19) - Bilt transfer bonus up to 100% to Alaska (July 1)

(44:05) - Amex +10x restaurants referral offer Read more about this Amex referral offer here.

(47:11) - 120K Ink Business Preferred offer + 40K referral

(48:27) - Hilton SLH

(53:20) - Alaska's awesome shorthaul AA pricing Read more about the Alaksa award chart winners and losers here.

(57:41) - SAS Eurobonus Millionaire

Read more about the SAS Eurobonus Millionaire challenge here: https://frequentmiler.com/sas-eurobonus-millionaire-promo-frequently-asked-questions-million-mile-madness-2024/

(1:00:02) - Which did we actually take advantage of? (Or which didn't we?)

(1:01:59) - So...which was the best?

(1:11:10) - Read more about this story here: https://loyaltytraveler.boardingarea.com/2015/05/25/frequent-flyer-history-latinpass-million-miles-mileage-runs-that-bankrupted-a-company/

(1:13:17) - Can you swap a cash seat you've already purchased with Southwest with a companion seat with your companion pass instead?

In today's episode, we're going to be considering the Alaska / Hawaiian credit card strategy and asking the question: which card should you get now, if any?

(01:38) - Current lineup of Alaksa / Hawaiian credit cards

(02:17) - Learn more about the Bank of America Alaska Consumer card here: https://frequentmiler.com/AS/

(02:34) - ...and the Bank of America Alaska Business card here: https://frequentmiler.com/ASbiz/

(02:46) - Learn more about the Barclays Hawaiian Consumer card here: https://frequentmiler.com/HA/

(03:15) - ...and the Barclays Hawaiian Business card here: https://frequentmiler.com/HAbiz/

(04:35) - Considering Hawaiian cards

(06:02) - Considering Alaska cards

(07:40) - What's the best strategy?

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

Today we'll take a look back at the year and talk about what loyalty programs have done to us instead of for us. This is for the loyalty grinches!

(01:07) - Revisiting a question we'd answered previously about whether or not several domestic flights a month would be enough for earning status.

(06:18) - One reader has some information to share about the Atlantis property they booked now (before their Caesar's Diamond status disappears) for a stay in the future...

Read more about booking the Atlantis hotel here.

(10:12) - Flying Blue: Sends emails saying "Congratulations you are now a Flying Blue Ultimate member"

(11:44) - IHG: Purchase EQPs. 120K price: $640, no... $800, no... $1000, back to $640...

(16:27) - Nick flies to Mexico but doesn't leave the airport

(21:12) - Greg and Nick forgot about Bilt

Find our podcast episode about the upcoming Alaska Premium card here.

(23:42) - Preferred Hotels: Greg's ongoing Preferred Hotel booking saga

(29:48) - AA: Can now use miles to book Hawaiian flights from mainland US

(31:39) - Aviator Silver companion cert ain't all that

Read our Aviator Silver companion cert first impressions here.

(38:14) - Hilton Aspire resort credit-eligible hotel list un-shrinks

(39:40) - Marriott Upgrade Awards now clear five days out (again)

(43:27) - Southwest: assigned seating

Read about Southwest's upcoming assigned seating here.

(46:31) - 2023 Bonvoyed Awards Recap...

2024 Dis-Loyalty Nominees...

(51:38) - Chase & Capital One priority pass drops restaurants

(55:56) - Virgin goes dynamic

(59:08) - Virgin devalues Delta One to Europe

(1:02:36) - Wyndham Vacasa devaluation

(1:06:19) - BA & Qatar raise prices for short-haul partner awards (AA, Alaska)

(1:09:54) - Etihad nerfs award cancelations and point expirations

(1:15:43) - Bilt reduces Rent Day earnings to 1K bonus points

(1:18:50) - Wyndham Biz kills free cruises

(1:21:20) - Hyatt integrates Mr & Mrs Smith

(1:23:14) - Final picks

(1:30:20) - Why are there so many pop-up ads on your site?

Us Bank's Smartly Visa Signature card has no annual fee but also no welcome bonus. Even so, because of a benefit from their savings account which can increase earnings on the card, it's worth a discussion on today's Card Talk episode.

(00:21) - What are the basics of the U.S. Bank Smartly™ Visa Signature® Card

Learn more about this card here.

(01:06) - You can increase earning with a U.S. Bank Smartly Savings account and have certain amounts deposited w/ US Bank...

(02:53) - You'll need a Smartly Savings Account

(04:13) - But you can point your money toward Self Directed Investing

(08:03) - Be careful how you redeem rewards

(10:08) - How does the US Bank Smartly Card compare to Bank of America's Platinum Honors?