This week Angie talks with newest Award Travel 101 moderator Randy Clinton. Randy discusses his background, what got him started in travel rewards and loyalty programs, 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 status match for the most benefits.Links to topics discussed:Emirates slashed economy partner award pricing by up to 20%Hilton Surpass 130K + Free Night AwardCruise S...

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 Hyatt PromosThe return of a popular welcome offer on the Bonvoy Business CardHilton cards are back with elevated bonusesCents Per Point (C...

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 period with award price hikes and no-notice changes from many of our favorite programs such as United, Turkish, Virgin Atlantic and World of Hyatt.Also l...

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 summer.Where to Find Us For questions, you can join us in the free 100,000+ member Award Travel 101 Community. For more intermediate and advanced...

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 your inbox. Use promo code “AT10” for $10 off your first year. Recent finds include:Business Class to Japan/S.Korea for 50K milesJetblue Mint to Rico for $796 R/TSingapore First Class Suites for 59KYou can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/PremiumPost of the weekLong time member Erin shared a post discussing the best way to handle a potentially ov...

In this episode, we discuss the cards we're putting to work from our wallets. 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 your inbox. Use promo code “AT10” for $10 off your first year. Recent finds include:Singapore First Class Suites for 59KRound-trip Caribbean for 17KBusiness class to Europe for 45KYou can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/PremiumPost of the weekAward Travel wi...

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 your inbox. Use promo code “AT10” for $10 off your first year. Recent finds include:OW Business Class to New Zealand for 50KRT to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for 40KRT Premium Economy to Europe for 56KYou can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/PremiumPost of the weekCharlie Hagadorn a feature in the paid version of seats.aero one of the award sear...

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 your inbox. Recent finds include:Business Class to Paris for 40KPremium Economy to Taipei for $1,994 R/TBusiness class to Seoul on Korean (Rare find) for 75KYou can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/PremiumPost of the weekAndrew “Bacon” Goodman - Disney for $375 INCLUDING PARK TICKETS!?NewsHilton/Small Luxury Hotels (Updates)Choice Sweet...

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 your inbox. Use promo code “AT10” for $10 off your first year. Recent finds include:Business Class to Switzerland for 60KJapan for 55K R/TBusiness Class to Europe starting at 45KYou can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/PremiumPost of the weekJennifer Jacobs - A tale of caution - vacation club/time-share presentationsNewsAwardWallet’s Roundup of A...

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 your inbox. Use promo code “AT10” for $10 off your first year. Recent finds include: Business Class to Europe for 59K pointsBusiness Class to Colombia for 64K miles R/TR/T to St. Kitts for $431You can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/Premium Post of the week Penina Olar - My husband and I are considering a trip to Asia this summer. When is the...

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 your inbox. Use promo code “AT10” for $10 off your first year. Recent finds include: Business Class to Hawaii for 31KFrench Polynesia for 40K R/TOne-way Business class to Paris for 40KYou can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/Premium Post of the week New Mod, Anthony Cave - fly to Australia for $100 News 8 New Airlines Just Joined PreCheck....

Mike returns to discuss his journey down under to skip his 40th birthday. I also share some tips on how I put my trip together to join him for just 52 hours on the ground. 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 your inbox. Use promo code “AT10” for $10 off your first year. Recent finds include: Round-trip to Paris for 38K milesBusiness Class to Vietnam "Nerd Alert" for 40K milesOne-way...

In this episode, I interview 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, Delta, or United). The Award Travel 101 Podcast is brought to you in part by Thrifty Traveler Premium. Get Thrifty Traveler Premium deal/award alerts sent...

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 your inbox. Use promo code “AT10” for $10 off your first year. Recent finds include: Business Class to Europe 55K pointsRound-trip to Mexico/Caribbean for 10K milesRound-trip to Zanzibar for $885You can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/Premium Post of the week Lee VC - Amex is going crazy! News New Rewards coming from Wells FargoWorld of Hyatt’s...

Get Thrifty Traveler Premium deal/award alerts sent straight to your inbox. Use promo code “AT10” for $10 off your first year.  Recent finds include: Round-trip to Mexico for 11K pointsBusiness Class to Southeast Asia for 50K milesBusiness class to Europe for 55K milesYou can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/Premium  Join us for Ask Me Anything LIVE Event with Tiffany Funk New group of mods Post of the Week Will Weider - long lines at LAS Centurion News When and How You Can Book Award...

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 your inbox. Use promo code “AT10” for $10 off your first year. Recent finds include: Business Class to Europe for 50K pointsTapei for 75K milesBusiness class to Hawaii for $582You can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/Premium Post of the week Xochitl Sierra Hernandez - What would you do if placed in this situation? News Etihad Guest ChangesAwards...

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 your inbox. Use promo code “AT10” for $10 off your first year. Recent finds include: Starlux Business Class to Taipei for 75K milesBusiness Class to South America for 39K pointsRoundtrip to Hawaii for under $500You can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/Premium How did your passion for travel begin? "I used to watch planes from the airport. I...

 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 your inbox. Use promo code “AT10” for $10 off your first year. Recent finds include: Qatar First Class "Nerd Alert" to Australia for 100,000 pointsJetBlue Mint to London, England for $1,856 round-tripBusiness Class to Paris for 50,000 milesYou can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/Premium  Marianne Michalek Shovan - Why is my car rental more...

Get Thrifty Traveler Premium deal/award alerts sent straight to your inbox. Use promo code “AT101” for $10 off your first year. Head to ThriftyTraveler.com for more details and check out their Google Flights guide. Recent finds include: ANA First Class "NERD ALERT" for 73KBusiness Class for $2,627 round-trip to IndiaBusiness Class to Istanbul and beyond for 45KYou can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/Premium Post of the Week Zee Stacy received a 1099 from Chase and was quite concerned. Is...

Get Thrifty Traveler Premium deal/award alerts sent straight to your inbox. Use promo code “AT101” for $10 off your first year. Head to ThriftyTraveler.com for more details and check out their Google Flights guide. Recent finds include: Round-trip business class to Japan for $1,925 (or 125,000 points)Business class to Hawaii for 55,000 milesBusiness class to Germany for 55,000 pointsYou can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/Premium. Award Travel 101 Podcast Episode 53 Show Notes We're...

Get Thrifty Traveler Premium deal/award alerts sent straight to your inbox. Use promo code “AT101” for $10 off your first year. Head to ThriftyTraveler.com for more details and check out their Google Flights guide. Recent finds include: Business Class to Europe for 55K pointsPremium Economy to Singapore for $1,249 R/TBusiness Class to Portugal for 45K milesYou can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/Premium Post of the week Beth Hanes Product changing gone wrong - Why does Chase hate me? John...

Get Thrifty Traveler Premium deal/award alerts sent straight to your inbox. Use promo code “AT101” for $10 off your first year. Head to ThriftyTraveler.com for more details and check out their Google Flights guide. Recent finds include: Delta One Business Class to Europe for 50K pointsCathay Pacific First class to SE Asia starting at 125K pointsBusiness Class to Hawaii 40K pointsYou can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/Premium Award Travel 101 Podcast Episode 51 Show Notes Joe is joined by...

Get Thrifty Traveler Premium deal/award alerts sent straight to your inbox. Use promo code “AT101” for $10 off your first year. Head to ThriftyTraveler.com for more details and check out their Google Flights guide. Recent finds include: Business Class to Ireland for 50,000 pointsAruba in Mint (lie-flat) for 35,000 pointsBusiness Class to Spain for 34,000 milesYou can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/Premium Post of the week Either Tom Coumaris - disappearing in-room coffee makers. How do you...

Get Thrifty Traveler Premium deal/award alerts sent straight to your inbox. Use promo code “AT101” for $10 off your first year. Head to ThriftyTraveler.com for more details and check out their Google Flights guide. Recent finds include: Round-trip to Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Singapore, etc...) starting at 68,000 pointsBusiness class to Switzerland for 50,000 pointsRound-trip to Punta Cana for 16,000 milesYou can find these at ThriftyTraveler.com/Premium. Post of the...