JT Genter Latest Posts

Editor-In-Chief
Distance Traveled in 2025
Visited in 2025

JT is AwardWallet’s Editor-In-Chief. JT originally joined the AwardWallet team in early 2020 as a freelance editor and writer, but he has been part of the points and miles ecosystem since 2014. Looking for a way to reduce the cost of a trip to China, he found he could sign up for just one credit card to get enough miles to fly round-trip for almost nothing out-of-pocket.

That experience prompted him to dive headfirst into the world of airline, hotel, and credit card points and miles. After working for a decade as a tax accountant, JT focused his analytical skills on writing about points, miles, and credit cards. He started contributing at The Points Guy in 2015 and published over 2,000 articles on the site before moving to AwardWallet in early 2020.

In June 2017, JT and his wife Katie sold or donated nearly all of their possessions to become digital nomads, proving firsthand how points, miles, and credit card rewards can drastically reduce the cost of travel. JT has logged over 1.8 million miles on 102 airlines, visited 72 countries, and maintains elite status with 4 airlines (including British Airways Gold, Asiana Diamond, and United Silver) and 6 hotel loyalty programs (including IHG Diamond Elite, Hilton Diamond, and Marriott Titanium Elite)

From Nightly Upgrade Awards to Annual Choice Benefits: 6 Changes to Marriott Bonvoy Terms

More than any other loyalty program we track, Marriott constantly changes its Bonvoy loyalty program terms and conditions. Some of these changes are minor tweaks. Other times, Marriott makes more substantial changes to its over 34,000-word terms and conditions. Today is one of those days. From changes to Nightly Upgrade Award upgrade windows to more time to select Annual Choice Benefits, here's what you need to know about these changes.

Points of Interest: Emirates Slashes Mileage Earnings, IHG Doubles Point Earnings, Marriott Inks New Partnership, And More

Airlines and hotels routinely make minor changes to their loyalty programs. Many of these modifications fly under the radar, as they're rarely shared with public and aren't objectively flashy. In our second installment of "Points of Interest," we'll introduce you to several changes that have occurred in the loyalty landscape within the past couple of months, including changes to Accor, Choice, Emirates, IHG, Marriott, and Wyndham.

40% Virgin Atlantic Transfer Bonus From Amex Membership Rewards

American Express just launched a new 40% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. You have until December 31, 2024 to get 40% bonus points when transferring Amex Membership Rewards points to Flying Club. This unlocks value on everything from short Delta domestic flights to flying business or first class to Japan! Here's a breakdown of when you might want to transfer Amex points to Flying Club during this bonus.

The Unwritten Restriction on American Airlines Companion Upgrades to Beware Of

American Airlines AAdvantage elite status members are eligible for first-class upgrades on domestic and certain short-haul international flights. And each status member can nominate one companion to upgrade with them. At least that's how it's supposed to work. Here's what to know about American Airlines companion upgrades -- and one unwritten restriction on these upgrades that I found from experience.

Accor and Flying Blue Relaunch 15% Transfer Bonus. Book Business Class to Europe From 44k Accor Points.

Air France/KLM Flying Blue just announced a new 15% transfer bonus through November 17, 2024. Members transferring Accor Live Limitless points to Flying Blue will receive a 15% bonus. Accor already offers one of the best transfer rates we've seen from a hotel program to an airline mileage program, and this transfer bonus makes it even better. Combine with Promo Rewards to book rewards between the U.S. and Europe for ~13k Accor points in economy or 44k Accor points in business class.

Stack LifeMiles Promotions to Save on Awards (Biz Class to Europe for 18k Points + $365)

LifeMiles is hosting two incredibly lucrative promotions at the same time. First, you can convert Amex Membership Rewards points to LifeMiles and receive a 15% bonus. Second, you can receive another 125% bonus when transferring LifeMiles to another account. Stack these promotions to book business class awards to Europe by starting with just 18k Amex points.

How To Maximize 75K Capital One Venture Miles for Flights Within North America

The Capital One Venture is offering new cardholders the chance to earn 75,000 bonus miles. The miles alone are worth a minimum $750 toward travel purchases. But if you know how to use Capital One's :cap1_partners_air: airline partners, you can unlock far more savings with the same number of miles. Here’s our guide to the best redemptions for flights within North America — including Hawaii, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

Bask Bank Drops Earning Rate on Mileage Account. Is It Still Worth Earning Miles?

Interest rates are dropping. While that's good news for borrowers, it's undoubtedly bad news for savers. Bask Bank already decreased the interest rate on its Interest Savings Account. And unfortunately, Bask just dropped the earning rate on the Bask Mileage Savings Account. That makes now a great time to revisit the question: is it better to earn miles, cash interest, or a bit of both from your savings?