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The Award Travel 101 podcast is back with a discussion about our favorite reward programs. If you want us to air your question, send us an email or reach out to us in the Award Travel 101 Facebook Community.
Shoutout to Thrifty Traveler Premium for partnering with this episode of the Award Travel 101 Podcast
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Some recent examples include:
- Lie-flat business class to Madrid for 27K each way
- Bogota for 30K round-trip in Comfort Plus
- Or R/T to Paris for under $500
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Award Travel 101 Podcast Show Format
We break each show into six sections:
- Question/Win of the Week — asked or shared by members of the Award Travel 101 community
- News & Enhanced Offers
- What Bonuses Did We Get — which will tell you what credit cards we're working on and why
- Trip Updates
- Highlight Feature
- What You Didn't Know — a feature dedicated to a big or small tip that will help you better maximize the value you receive from your rewards.
How to Listen to the Award Travel 101 Podcast
Previous Episode Show Notes
- 1 — Meet Award Travel 101 Community Administrators Angie & Joe
- 2 — Booking a Dream (African Safari) Trip
- 3 — Creating Memories Through Big And Small Trips
- 4 — 8 Steps to Better Award Travel
- 5 — Cruise (on Points), Racking and Stacking, and Keep or Kick it to the Curb
- 6 — Transfer Bonuses, Hyatt Bonus Journeys, and Benefits of AwardWallet
- 7 — So Many Program Changes with AwardWallet’s JT Genter
- 8 — Hyatt Changes, AA Domestic First Class Routes, and Meet the Mods (Jackie Wisniewski)
- 9 — Sapphire Lounge Opening, New Bonuses, Meet the Mods (Jerod Morales), and Business Class for Six
- 10 — When to Part with Points and Angie's Safari Trip
- 11 — AvGeeks, Spreadsheets, & Cheatsheets – Meet the Mods (Mike Zaccheo)
- 12 — Status Matching for More Value
- 13 — How Often Do You Get a New Card
- 14 – Incredible Trip to New Zealand on Points, Plus a Trip to the Freddie Awards
- 15 — Best Card for Groceries & Award Travel Community Meetup
- 16 — Citi Product Change Rules and Meet the Team: Allison Caraway
- 17 — Husband Cashes in All Their Points AND Programs To Book Round The World Flights
- 18 — Gorgeous Pictures from Iran and Cards That Earn Status
- 19 — The Tools We Use
- 20 — Mistakes We've Made
- 21 — Crafty Way to See Taylor Swift and Ways to Earn Hotel Free Night Certificates
- 22 – First Class Trip to Croatia and Should You Speculatively Transfer Points
Award Travel 101 Podcast Episode 23 Show Notes
Question of the Week (From the Award Travel 101 Group)
Nancy Kaelin Smith asks:
I’m new to the group. The abbreviations people use in their posts are confusing me. Is there a list to help decipher some of the posts and advice?
See pinned post “Back to basics” references where to find more info.
News & Enhanced Offers
- Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see Ink Preferred card offer details) — Recently signed up? There are reports that Chase is matching the lower minimum spending requirement
- Refer AwardWallet, Earn Points
- Delta One on domestic routes — Check out this data-driven post on how to fly Delta's best planes domestically
- Amex 30% transfer bonus to British Airways or Iberia — use GCMap & FlightConnections to see where this could take you
Trip Updates
- Angie — altering plans in Bali (again), and what will she add to her plans for this once-in-a-lifetime experience
- Joe — Busy week
- ExpertFlyer notice for backup flight for “Player 3” and me
- Booked property in US Virgin Islands for 180K Marriott Bonvoy points with 5th Night Free (almost $2,500) at Carambola Beach Resort St. Croix
- Played with the idea of going to the Florida Keys but ended up using a Marriott 35K Free Night Award Certificate plus 11K points to stay local at the Ritz-Carlton.
- Finally, the next meetup is in the planning stages for 2024. Where will we end up? I booked a Premium Suite using a little-known “suite spot” and flights using just 6K AA miles
What Bonuses Did We Get?
- Angie: still working on finishing existing card offers
- Joe: Player 2's AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® & elevated Hilton Honors card offers (denied bonus)
Highlight Feature: Our Favorite Loyalty Programs
Having a well-rounded and diversified points portfolio is the key to having the greatest flexibility in the Award Travel “game,” so how does your reward portfolio align with the team's favorite programs?
- Flexible points — these are points that can be used for a multitude of partners, through a booking portal, or cashed out
- Airline miles/points — these programs may be specific for one airline, but which one offers the most value
- Hotel points — hotel points are generally best used for that specific hotel chain. Does status influence which chain you choose?
- Car rental points — did you know that there are a ton of ways to improve your car rental experience?
What You Didn't Know
Garden your reservations! Hotels, flights, car rentals, and everything in travel is priced dynamically (means ever-changing) right now, and you can likely snag deals by periodically checking over your booked trips for:
- Award price drops
- Change in cash price
- Award availability that opens last-minute
Where To Find the Award Travel 101 Community
For questions, you can join us in the free 96,000+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
- If you want to jump into more intermediate and advanced strategies, our Award Travel 201 community ($89.99 annually) is filled with those who want to dig into the weeds, looking for more outsized value.
- To book time with our team to discuss how to better your earning and burning strategies, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
- You can also email us at contactawardtravel@gmail.com.
- Meetup sold out, but you can waitlist.
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