A Milestone Trip with Joe Petrovic Episode 14: Show Notes. We welcome Joe Petrovic from Award Travel 101 to the podcast, to talk about how he used his miles and points to take him and his father on a first-class strip to Croatia. Before speaking about his special trip, Joe explains how he got into the rewards game and what he did to become an expert and the value of meet-ups. Then, we discuss the magnanimity of loyalty programs and how it’s impossible to know and understand every single...

Talking All Things with Michael Trager and ZorkFest Episode 13: Show Notes. This week, on our lucky Episode 13, we welcome Michael Trager from TravelZork. We sit down and hear from Michael about his comical, but just as incredible, TWA story, and how he got into revenue luxury travel. We discuss all things related to rewards credit cards, the 5/24 rule, and what we like and dislike about loyalty points. We also include a quick game, called Guess the Fare and hear about Michael’s...

Episode 12: Show Notes Mileage runs used to be fun and exciting travel bursts that allowed you to visit many destinations in a short space of time while racking up tons of miles. Today, however, things are a bit different and mileage runs are no longer prevalent. Trevor and TK take a trip down memory lane to the good old days when mileage runs were common practice. Our hosts begin by sharing their first joint mileage run and the nested itinerary that came with it. We explore what a trip in...

The Changing Landscape of Cruising Episode 11: Show Notes The landscape of cruising has changed drastically since the last time we spoke about it on the podcast, just four months ago. In this episode, we fill you in on the changes, both positive and negative, and discuss the maintained value of cruises, despite the changes. We also give you a detailed trip report of our recent Royal Caribbean cruise on the impressive Wonder of the Seas, from the entertainment and casino experience to...

0:41 Chase Approving Sapphire Applications Over 5/24? Both of us have been approved over 5/24 for a CSP Sam: Also approved for a CSR the next day Data points of this working for some, not working for others. No clear pattern. Worth a shot, but the priority should be the CSP over the CSR first. 04:29 Chase Sapphire Preferred Bonuses Bumped Through Referral 80,000 points $4,000 spend in 3 months, $95 annual fee not waived first year To generate a referral link:...

We Assess the Current State of the Six Largest US Airlines...on today’s Milenomics² (No Annual Fee Edition) Podcast 0:24 Premise of the Discussion Everyone’s situation is different. Different hometown airport(s), different common destinations, different enthusiasm for taking on points & miles complexity to defray airfare costs, etc. That being the case, there’s are no one-size-fits-all solutions in this game That said, there are tendencies and trends that are worth being...

Return to Asia Episode 9: Show Notes. Welcome back to another episode of Travel Stories, where this week we talk about returning to Asia! Over the past few years, the award availability to get to Asia has been limited but we are hoping that it will start to flow back. In this episode, Trevor dives into his recent family trip to Singapore and Bali and we get to hear all about it. From the flights they selected, the equipment they flew, the experience in business class, meal service, and...

0:23 Japan Trips: Past, present, and future 13:40 Disney Parks: What we're seeing, what we're hearing, and how do you approach advising clients? 29:00 Disney Concierge Cruise: Worth it? Check out Joe's Disney Deciphered Podcast To book a Disney vacation through Joe: [email protected] Subscribe to the Milenomics Podcast Network for more... Thanks to Joe for coming on the show!

An Epic Guys Trip Episode 08: Show Notes. When you take a trip around the world with your friends, you are bound to come away from it with some pretty crazy stories. Today on the show, we are joined by Joey (who had the idea for this trip) and Geoff, who, along with our hosts TK and Trevor, went on an epic guys' trip around the world in June of 2018. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about our itinerary, how we booked optimal flights, and the points we earned along the way. We give a breakdown...

Episode 07: Show Notes. We met today’s guest, Joey, in Las Vegas in 2017, so we decided to bring him onto the show for a deep dive into how to make the most of your time and your money on The Strip! Joey has been going to Vegas so long that you could actually play $1 craps, so it’s safe to say he’s an expert in the area. Money goes further in Vegas than it does in most other cities if you know what you’re doing, so tune in today for our top tips on everything from how to save on resort...

We're just back from Tokyo and excited to share this trip report. We're up to Episode 187 on our Patreon feed but wanted to publish this here on the No Annual Fee feed since it's been a while since we've done a free show. Enjoy! 0:30 Discuss: Lots of Interest and Pent Up Demand for Japan 1:50 Premise of the Trip 2 adults 2 kids: 18 and 15 18 is actually considered a child age in Japan for some things 3:45 Panic Moment: Did I forget to buy a couple of return...

Full-Time Travel with Brennan Anderson Episode 06: Show Notes. Everybody needs to travel at some point in their lives, whether for vacation or business, but what about full-time travel? Is traveling full-time even possible? To help us answer these questions is our very first guest on the podcast, Brennan Anderson, who is traveling the world with his wife on a full-time basis. In our conversation, we delve into all the aspects of long-term travel, what is needed, and the overall...

Christmas Markets Episode 05: Show Notes Nothing quite rivals the European Christmas markets during the festive season. Trevor recently went on a multi-city Christmas trip with his family, spanning three generations. In this episode, we hear about his travels from Paris to Berlin and on to Vienna and Prague. Trevor shares his observations of the Christmas markets in each city, as well as his accommodation and culinary experiences in each destination. This is timely as it’s a great time...

Editor's Note: Episode 3 of Travelstores only appeared on the Milenomics Patreon Feed. How To Get the Most Out of Your Cruise Key Points From This Episode: Today’s topic: How to get the most out of your cruise. The COVID-19 pandemic and how it affected the cruise industry. How the state of the cruise industry has changed over the past year. The most popular time to go out to sea. Why cruises can be seen as an economical travel alternative. Where most people are going...

Although we're up to Episode 180 on Patreon feed it's been a while since we've done a No Annual Fee show. We're back today discussing things we're doing as 2022 comes to a close: 1:08 Credit card double and triple dip opportunities 3:30 Wrapping up credit card incidental usage 11:30 Credit card Q4 5x categories 14:10 Credit card milestone bonuses 16:35 Status top-off 19:40 Hotel certificate usage (lots of Hiltons seem to expire) 23:20 Buy miles in programs where yearly...

Editor's Note: Please welcome Travelstories with Tom (@tktweetskim) and Trevor (@tmount) who many of you already know. They'll share episodes here from time to time. Enjoy! Episode 02: Show Notes. In today’s episode, Trevor and Tom broach the topic of the International Gateway that everyone loves to hate. We’re referring, of course, to JFK International Airport in New York City. From its unique features and plane-spotting opportunities to the logistical challenges it presents, this...

Editor's Note: Today we host a new show on the network. Please welcome Travelstories with Tom (@tktweetskim) and Trevor (@tmount) who many of you already know. They'll share episodes here from time to time. Enjoy! Welcome to Travelstories, where we get into the details of traveling, flight planning, and collecting miles and points! Flying with Japan Airlines (JAL) is always a treat. And although we didn’t enter Japan, we have flown through it with JAL en route to Manila. In today’s...

We're back today with a discussion about finding award travel to Japan for a family from both the west coast and the east coast of the US, now that Japan is finally set to reopen for tourism. Info from US Embassy in JapanSet to reopen October 11, 2022Finally! Let the planning begin.JAL award availability patterns far out seem mostly the same with a few notable exceptionsFirst, I don’t see JAL reliably opening 2 in First/2 in Business at schedule open any more (as was the case before the...

It's been too long since we've released a No Annual Fee epsiode. This week we take stock of the many Amex offers currently available, many of which can earn welcome bonuses even if you've had - or still have - the card. There's some nuance to it through, which we cover in detail. Enjoy! 0:25 Amex Opportunity Roundup NLL 250,000 Business Platinum (link to check, may still get pop-up)$30,000 in 6 monthsAdditional 10,000 for adding employee at time of application and spending $1,000 on the...

Robin Hutson from Luxe Recess comes back to chat with Robert about... 0:45 Travel Trends Prices on airfare and lodging as travel comes back big timeSeeing this domestically and internationally? 11:05 The Sad State of Amex Platinum Travel (Loyalty Lobby) 19:15 The Bahamas Baha MarAtlantis 33:25 Italy Hotels mentioned:Laconda RossaPalazzo Margherita 49:15 Disney Star Wars Galactic StarcruiserNew Wish Ship 54:15 Luxe Recess Parenting Disney Weekend Finding Joy...

Milenomics community member Lillian joins me to talk about her trip to Uruguay, Argentina, Tahiti and beyond. I'd recommend taking a look at Google Maps while listening to follow along. Enjoy! 0:30 Premise and Parameters 4:50 AA Business Class 115k pp round tripAUS-MIA-MVDAccessed the Centurion lounge and AA Flagship Admirals Club in MIA 11:00 Montevideo, Uruguay SORO Montevideo, Curio Collection by Hilton for 18k a nightThe location is perfect for biking on La Rambla and for...

Too much news for our Patreon Podcast this week, so we broke the following out into this No Annual Fee Episode. Enjoy! 0:26 JetBlue News Roundup Boston to London service begins this summer (Link)Bids for Spirit (Link)Has service recovery issues (Link) 04:11 Marriott Bonvoy Dynamic Pricing Goes Live Seems to be a mixed bagBooked Ritz-Carlton Maldives for 335,000 now 385,000 (not bad)JW Marriott Bonnet Creek was 60k weekends, 50k weekdays, now 50k each night which makes it a target...

This week I chatted with Milenomics community member CF Frost about his recent stay at the new Hilton LXR Mango House Seychelles and we do a deep dive into the Hilton program. You may remember CF from this post he wrote about a now-expired opportunity to get Amex Hilton Aspire cards without an annual fee. Those Aspire cards kick off free night certificates and resort credits that are now enabling trips like the one we discuss in this episode. Subscribers may also enjoy a trip report to...

"Checking In" is a show on the Milenomics Podcast Network where I usually chat with members of the community about some specific trip, loyalty program, or method they've been using to generate points & miles. Today's show is a little different because my guest is Milenomics founder Sam Simon. And since it's a Disneyland trip report and totally "above board" we're releasing it here on the No Annual Fee feed. I once read a post on a forum somewhere questioning whether, in times when our...

Today's special episode is hosted by Gideon the Free-quent Flyer. [Cold open] Harraseeket Inn holiday buffets: https://www.harraseeketinn.com/dine-1 Hello, and welcome to The Manifesto with Gideon, the Free-quent Flyer, on the Milenomics Podcast Network. I’m Gideon, the Free-quent Flyer, and I’m joined today by Ted Fleischaker, board member of Portland, Maine’s Etz Chaim Synagogue and publisher of the Up Portland newspaper. Ted, welcome to the Manifesto. [0:20] Plugs Etz Chaim:...