Mike and Angie recap an exciting year in the world of award travel. This milestone episode kicks off with a look at the lively community debate over a 47-hour Amtrak ride from Chicago to Miami—a no-go for most but sparking dreams of scenic sleeper-car journeys through the mountains. The hosts also dive into current travel deals, including Frontier'…

In Episode 99 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, Mike Zaccheo and Justin Walter dive into exciting travel updates and tips. Highlights include member Paul’s recommendation to explore European Christmas markets, featuring Vienna’s charm. News about Chase Freedom’s Q1 2025 5x categories, Virgin Red’s link to Virgin Flying Club for bonus points, and sta…

This week Angie talks with our moderator April Rose where they discuss the featured post of a member's frustration over not being able to use their Priority Pass (PP) membership at SFO, prompting them to consider downgrading their CSR card. PP lounge access is often better internationally, sparking a discussion on the potential downgrades by other …

Mike and Randy Clinton dive into various year-end strategies and travel-related topics. They kick off the episode by discussing a lively debate from the community about the etiquette of bringing ziplock bags or containers into airport lounges to take food onto planes. Mike and Randy highlight how this discussion gained traction and sparked varied o…

Angie and moderator Eric Holly dive into the latest updates in points and miles this week as well as the highlight feature of college visits made more affordable with points and miles. Angie kicks off by sharing a heartwarming post from a member, Orane, who was surprised with a free upgrade to United Polaris on his birthday month, showing the unexp…

Welcome to Episode 95 of the Award Travel 101 podcast! I'm Angie Sparks, joined by Mike Zaccheo. This week, we’re switching things up by saving the highlight post for later, as it ties into our feature on holiday shopping and earning strategies. News highlights: Alaska is temporarily blocking partner award bookings within 72 hours of departure, but…

In this episode, Mike and Angie dive into highlights from the week, notable travel deals, and the emotional rollercoaster of post-trip sadness. Angie returns from India, sharing updates on her upcoming plans for Slovenia and a possible return to France. Meanwhile, Mike prepares for taking his daughter to Taylor Swift’s concert in Toronto, detailing…

This week Mike reconnects with Erin Kilpatrick, a former corporate worker who has embraced the nomadic lifestyle, which she detailed in Episode 35. Erin shares her recent travels in Guatemala, where she’s enjoying the local culture and maximizing her rewards points. The main topic, "Love It or Leave It," focuses on evaluating credit cards and decid…

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

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

In Episode 90 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, former team admins Toni Perkins Southam and John Hartnagel join Joe to discuss the history of the community. Member Bess asks about using a credit card for a car down payment. The hosts also give a shoutout to Cardpointers, one of our favorite tools for maximizing credit card offers. Grab your discount…

In this episode Jackie Wisniewski, a former Award Travel team member, and Joe's first hire joins him to discuss her journey in the award travel community and her commitment to helping others. Her latest contributions include organizing events like the Chicago Seminars, which raised substantial funds for charity. Joe reflects on how she’s earned 20-…

In this episode, Mike talks to Award Travel 101 moderator Maria Fung who discusses various travel rewards topics and updates. They feature Ira's mistake of using the wrong credit card, despite labeling them. News includes Hawaiian/Alaska mileage transfers, changes at Southwest (such as new seats and legroom options), and Bilt's October Rent Day pro…

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

Episode 86 hosted by Angie and Joe kicks off with a member's concern about Priority Pass lounge overcrowding due to cardholders bringing in multiple guests. This prompts a discussion about potential guest limitations to improve the lounge experience for all. The news segment covers a variety of travel-related updates, including how to renew Global …

This week we feature another installment of “Meet the Mods” Angie talks with Justin Walter who shared his journey into the points and miles hobby, which started in 2021 after being inspired by fellow enthusiast Justin Vacula. His first major redemption, staying at the Hyatt Ziva Cancun, got him hooked, and he now prefers traveling in business class…

In this episode the Award Travel 101 podcast, "Book Early, Book Often" Mike and "Backup" Joe share their latest strategies and news updates. Mike discusses his recent approval for the Hawaiian Airlines personal card and transferring 100,000 MR points with a 20% bonus, taking inspiration from Greg and Nick at Frequent Miler. Joe shares his success w…

We are less than a month away from this year’s Chicago Seminars, the oldest and largest gathering of points and miles aficionados. Joe and Mike talk about the event and give a preview of lectures both Joe and I will be giving. There is also a survey Also discussed are strategies to prepare for a potential Alaska and Hawaiian airlines merger now tha…

Meetups are one of our favorite aspects of this hobby which allow us to interact in person with those who share our same passion/obsession. Angie and Mike are fresh off the latest Award Travel 101 meetup in Seattle where they interreacted with almost 50 other members of the community. They detail the experiences of the weekend and reiterate the ben…

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

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

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

Angie talks with new moderator and Ohio native Cameron about his background, travel style and favorite trips. He details his passion for travel for both himself and to show his family the world and how points and miles made it all possible. Links to topics discussed: Temporarily can not can book AF/KLM through Virgin (until August) New Amex Centuri…

In this week's episode Mike and Angie discuss some of the recent hotel card offers then get into the main feature of handling major changes in their life such as a new house and a new job and how it affects their award travel strategy. Links to Topics Discussed in This Week's Episode: Chase Ink Preferred 120k Offer IHG Premier Card 5 Free Night Awa…

It's now July, and we're more than half-way through 2024. In this episode, we're reviewing what we've done through the year to this point, along with some of the trips and places we've been able to book thanks to Award Travel! Post of the week From this long-time community member, Joe. Have you heard of this guy? Do you take time to recharge with y…

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

In this episode, Angie and Joe cover news of the week along with mistakes we’ve made or we’ve seen friends and family make. Links to Topics Discussed LifeMiles showing $1,000+ fees on awards (even in economy) Virgin Atlantic is having a 40% off award sale! No notice devaluation of Choice hotels Aeroplan has (again) paused points expiration Where to…

Mike and Joe discuss new airport lounges, Hilton and Hyatt independent hotel affiliations, tipping culture and the broader featured topic of how travel teaches us new things about every place we visit. The Award Travel 101 Podcast is brought to you in part by Thrifty Traveler Premium. Get Thrifty Traveler Premium deal/award alerts sent straight to …

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

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

Joe talks with Gunnar Olson of Thrifty Traveler on how award travel has helped enrich his travels with his Player 2), and they've created fond memories flying some incredible products, by way of his work at Thrifty Traveler. Joe and Gunnar also discuss how the past 6 months have probably been more brutal than what we’ve seen in any other past perio…

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

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

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

We just returned from our meetup in San Antonio for Fiesta. There were over 150 Award Travel 101 and members from the Award Travel 201 communities in attendance. We had a great group of speakers who shared their stories and tips: Justin Vacula (Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast) blew everybody’s minds with creative ways to hit minimum spend and earn statu…

We came across an interesting diagram ranking the top 20 hotel programs throughout the world. Do you know which is largest? (Hint: it's not US-based) Some are less familiar, so we ranked the six we most frequently discuss in the Award Travel 101 Facebook community: #2 Wyndham - 9,280 properties #3 Marriott- 8,484 properties #6 Choice - 7,500 proper…

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

Thanks to a recommendation from a member, we decided to review when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em. Is there long-term value? Are the benefits enough to offset the annual fee? If not, is there a retention offer? If no offer, is there a path to product change to preserve the credit line to help with utilization ratio If there's no path to product …

One Quarter into 2024 Joe and Angie discuss their trips and progress towards their point and status goals. Well since we know Angie is a status slacker at least Joe talked about his progress there. Links to Topics Discussed 8 New Airlines Just Joined PreCheck. Here’s A List of All 99 TSA PreCheck Participating Airlines— Iberia is the biggie here Ch…

Mike and Joe discuss their trips to Australia. Mike was there for 8 days in a long anticipated trip to celebrate his 40th birthday while Joe jaunted down for 52 hours. Both flew United and American business class products on their longest routes discuss the pros and cons of each. Their respective stays at the Hyatt Regency, Park Hyatt and Four Seas…

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

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

One of the keys in this hobby is maximizing the return on your spend. Joe and Angie talk about the ways to never earn only one point per dollar again. They discuss the idea of building a portfolio/family of cards that return more value. Some good references. Travel Gas Grocery Dining Office Supply & Communications Streaming Everywhere Our friends a…

In this episode's highlight feature, "Let’s Get Crafty," we explore various strategies to maximize credit card rewards tailored to different situations. Whether you have a "Player Two" or are flying solo, Angie and Joe guide you through evaluating upcoming trips and selecting the best cards in 4 scenarios: Scenario 1: Two player mode, both people c…

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

Joe and Angie talk about the value of transferable over fixed points and how to best leverage them for maximum value utilizing the strength of transfer partners. Links to topics Discussed Air France–KLM Flying Blue Award Sweet Spots Amex Adds ‘Family’ Restrictions to the American Express® Green Card Book Now: Turkish Airlines to Devalue Miles & Smi…

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

This week Joe interviews Award Travel 101 community member Allison Tackette who joins us to share tips she's learned over 10 years in the space. Allison is a former teacher who wanted to get out and see the world, but her time off in the summer often resulted in finding peak season pricing. Travel CAN be expensive if you're always paying cash, but …

Having a solid credit history is a paramount goal in the Award Travel hobby. Angie and Joe talk about strategies for building healthy credit and finding better offers. Guide to Building Healthy Credit Credit Card Strategy Application Rules of 4 Major Issuers Links to topics discussed United Offers (Outrageous) Premier Elite Status Buy-Up Offers New…

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