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Ryan Smith Latest Posts

Former Senior Editor
Distance Traveled in 2025
Visited in 2025

Ryan is a writer and editor who first wrote for AwardWallet team in 2021 but has been around points and miles for several years. He has written at Forbes Advisor, CNBC Select, Miles to Memories, The Points Guy, and USA Today Blueprint.

After someone at his hostel in China said “I flew here for free using points,” Ryan was hooked. In December 2023, he finished his goal of visiting every country and now plans to return to those that merit another visit.

His wife joins him on many of his trips, and they enjoy snowboarding, diving, and seeing animals in the wild. When not traveling, Ryan is probably answering questions from his family about how he travels so much and whether all of this is illegal.

Marriott and MGM Unveil Reciprocal Perks and Status Match Details

Marriott and MGM Unveil Reciprocal Perks and Status Match Details
Ryan SmithTyler Glatt
by Ryan Smith and Tyler Glatt
January 16, 2024
10

Mere days after breaking off its partnership with World of Hyatt, MGM Rewards found a new friend: Marriott Bonvoy. The new partnership will include 17 MGM resorts, and Marriott Bonvoy members will be able to book MGM properties via Marriott starting in early 2024 — months later than originally planned. The two brands also teased status matches and other benefits yet to come. Here's what we know about this new partnership so far — and the questions we still have.

Plastiq Review: Pluses and Minuses of Paying Bills via Credit Card

Plastiq Review: Pluses and Minuses of Paying Bills via Credit Card
Kennedy MillerRyan Smith
by Kennedy Miller and Ryan Smith
January 12, 2024
5

The landscape of paying bills with credit cards has changed, so it's worth overhauling our review of Plastiq — a service that allows you to pay nearly any bill with a credit card. While providing opportunities for increased spending is a positive, Plastiq charges fees for doing so. Are those fees worth it? And how does Plastiq work? Here's a look at Plastiq, plus its strengths and weaknesses in terms of credit card rewards.

Marriott Elites Can Claim Singapore Elite Status, Earn Star Alliance Gold With Just Four Flights

Marriott Elites Can Claim Singapore Elite Status, Earn Star Alliance Gold With Just Four Flights
Ryan Smith
by Ryan Smith
December 13, 2023
3

If you feel like opportunities to status match from one program to another are popping up left and right lately, you aren't wrong. In the latest offering, you can status match your Marriott Bonvoy elite status to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer or match in the opposite direction if you have KrisFlyer status. Here's the latest status match offer, providing Singapore KrisFlyer status for a year and an opportunity to bump it up to another tier.

Which Credit Card Offers the Best Baggage Delay Coverage?

Which Credit Card Offers the Best Baggage Delay Coverage?
Ryan SmithJess Farley
by Ryan Smith and Jess Farley
May 27, 2025
15

If you’ve ever been the last person standing at an empty luggage carousel waiting for your bags, you’ll understand the frustration of your checked bags getting delayed or disappearing. It can mean hours spent filing reports and on the phone chasing up the location of your bag, not to mention the out-of-pocket expense of purchasing essentials like phone chargers, a change of clothes, and toiletries. We've covered the essential policies to check out and the best cards to use for your trips to get built-in coverage.

Alaska Airlines & Hawaiian Airlines To Combine. Here’s What We Know.

Alaska Airlines & Hawaiian Airlines To Combine. Here’s What We Know.
Ryan Smith
by Ryan Smith
December 3, 2023
1

In major news, Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines will combine. The exact logistics for how this will impact members of both loyalty programs aren't known, but we know there will be just one loyalty program going forward. We also know that Alaska is acquiring Hawaiian; however, the verbiage in the press release oscillates between references to keeping both airlines and having a single airline going forward. Here's what we know and what we don't know about this major announcement.

Flying Blue Standardizes Award Rates Between US-Europe. Book Business Class for 50,000 Miles!

Flying Blue Standardizes Award Rates Between US-Europe. Book Business Class for 50,000 Miles!
Ryan SmithJT Genter
by Ryan Smith and JT Genter
October 25, 2023
0

Flying Blue — the mileage program for Air France/KLM — has always been a quirky program. Flying Blue previously priced awards by route. Now, Flying Blue seems to have ditched that complicated award pricing scheme. Instead, Flying Blue is now pricing all routes at the same minimum award rate. Now, you can book business class awards between almost any U.S. and Europe airport for as few as 50,000 miles each way!