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Welcome to the Award Travel 101 Podcast, from the original Facebook community created for miles and points enthusiasts. Our goal for this podcast and our community is to help you learn how to maximize your travel rewards, no matter your destination or budget. In this episode, Mike Zaccheo jumps on the pod with Eric Holly, a fellow Award Travel community moderator who lives on the west coast, is a retired firefighter, a fan of Alaska Airlines, and — most importantly — a pancake machine aficionado.
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
You can find us anywhere you listen to other fine podcasts including:
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
- 23 — Our Favorite Award Programs
- 24 — LIVE From a Lounge & Is American Airlines Status Worth Chasing
- 25 — What Are Points Worth
- 26 – All the Upgrades & Traveling With Kids on the Spectrum
- 27 – Which Card Offers the Best Travel Protections
Award Travel 101 Podcast Episode 28 Show Notes
Post of the Week
We normally feature a post from our Award Travel 101 group. But, since Eric is a prominent part of our affiliated Travel Grumps 101, we thought we would look there for a particularly noteworthy post. Amber Moore shares her wild experience of a pilot leaving the wrong airport!
News & Enhanced Offers
- Even more new transfer bonuses. Last week, Joe and Angie talked also about transfer bonuses
- Also, lots of travel-related Amex Offers are available right now. Mike will be taking advantage of the $20 off $100 at LEGO. Wish he had the $75 off $300 at Hyatt Centric.
Trip Updates
- Eric:
- Family trip to San Diego for college tours plus an Offspring concert. Manchester Grand Hyatt for 15,000 per night. Taking advantage of my Hyatt Globalist benefits. Rental car via points from Hertz.
- Long work trip coming up – 3 weeks away from home with the MSP meetup in the middle.
September/October/November work trips and at least one concert a month (U2, The Cult, Dark Wave Festival(New Order, Tears for Fears, B 52s, and more) - New Year’s Eve trip to Baha Mar and Disneyworld (AA flights 10K each + $5.60). Baha Mar and Points stay Swan Reserve book 4, 5th free
- Starting to plan and book our Summer 24 Italy/Greece trip
- Mike:
- Returned from work (and a bit of fun) to Europe. Polaris upgrade. Lots of delays. How Global Entry, CLEAR, and PreCheck saved the connection (colleague wasn’t as lucky)
- Piecing together activities for a number of trips in the next few months, Austin, New Orleans, Jamaica, and Australia. Eric helped me to choose a hotel for a stopover in San Francisco en route to Australia, Hyatt Regency SOMA. Also potential for using Hilton Free Night Certificates? Canopy SOMA? Actually, they all look underwhelming.
- Super excited for meetup in MSP
What Bonuses Did We Get?
- Eric – The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card (see the Hilton Business Card review here), ½ way through the minimum spend should finish up next month
- Mike – couldn't pass up the Hilton Business Card. Close to meeting the required minimum spending.
- “Player 2” approved for Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (see the Ink Preferred review here) with lower minimum spend requirement.
Highlight Feature: Meet the Mods: Eric Holly, Certified Pancake Machine Repair Technician (CPMRT)
- Start in award travel
- Most memorable trip
- Worst grump
- The “training process” of becoming a CPMRT
- Favorite pancake machine location
- Tips for travelers who encounter broken pancake machines
What You Didn't Know
Ways to build Alaska Airlines miles easily.
Where To Find the Award Travel 101 Community
For questions, you can join us in the free 97,000+ 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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