Frequent Miler on the Air
286 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★★ - 381 ratingsEarn miles without flying. Frequent Miler is all about getting the most out of the loyalty game. You can easily earn hundreds of thousands of points and miles without traveling, then learn how to use those points towards luxury travel.
In this podcast, Frequent Miler founder Greg, and senior author Nick debate current topics in the points & miles world.
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Episodes
4th Night Free and the great Marriott card debate. FM on the Air 2/21/20
February 22, 2020 04:55 - 1 hour - 59.4 MBAre the Marriott credit cards back on the chopping block after Greg's research this week, or are the 35K and 50K free night certs worth the fees? Watch us debate that, discuss a true 4th night free benefit you may be missing, and more. Timestamps courtesy of audience member Screaming Lincolns: 3:01 FM to go (meet ups) 8:50 Confession time (Greg's Delta Cancellation Fees) 14:16 Greg's Marriott free night certificate analysis 16:48 Nick's retort 19:14 Greg's 50K free night certificate ...
Rakuten Visa is dead to us, Alaska joins OneWorld, and Virgin partners up
February 15, 2020 11:52 - 1 hour - 57 MBIn this week's FM on the Air, Greg and Nick discuss: - The Rakuten Visa no longer earns 3X for gift cards. Is the card dead to us? - Alaska joins OneWorld. How bad is that? - Virgin Atlantic partners with Air France & KLM. We highlight the sweet spot awards that are now possible.
Is Marriott Dead to Us?
February 08, 2020 07:07 - 1 hour - 73.8 MBFollowing the latest Marriott Bonvoy devaluation, we're all feeling like we've been Bonvoyed yet again. Greg and Nick discuss whether it's time to get rid of our Marriott credit cards and to stop pursuing Marriott elite status. Also: A path to easy Delta Platinum status and why none of us are carrying the Chase Freedom Unlimited...though one of us might be soon.
Saving a languishing Marriott Travel Package cert, a first class booking mistake, and more
February 01, 2020 07:28 - 1 hour - 70 MBThis week, Greg and Nick discuss: -What to do with a Marriott Travel Package certificate that is nearing expiration. -A great first class deal, the mistake Greg made in the booking process, and more regarding that new JAL first class route. -This week's juicy main topic: our unfiltered thoughts on Juicy Miles.
A 5-year, 50-state road trip: the Stephen Pepper episode
January 25, 2020 12:31 - 1 hour - 70.9 MBWhen the cat's away the mice will play: with Greg on vacation this week, hear Nick and Frequent Miler contributor Stephen Pepper discuss: -Reader feedback: why we re-publish some old posts -What's it like to take a 5-year road trip? -A couple of years in, what would Stephen change? -What has surprised him the most about this journey? -Would Stephen recommend this lifestyle for others? All that and more in this week's episode.
Hacking Asia Miles mixed cabin awards and more
January 18, 2020 05:43 - 1 hour - 61.3 MBThis week, Greg and Nick Discuss: -Chase's no-notice elimination of the Ritz discount airfare benefit: why Greg thinks this might be good news. -Is DoorDash DashPass a good benefit on the CSR? Was Nick right to value the CSR's DoorDash credit at full value? -Hacking Asia Miles: How to fly first class for less and when and where it might be worth it. All that plus reader feedback, the question of the week, and more.
Is the Sapphire Reserve still a keeper?
January 10, 2020 23:54 - 1 hour - 75.4 MBGreg and Nick discuss the Chase Sapphire Reserve: -Are the new benefits with Lyft and DoorDash exciting? -Is it worth the new $550 annual fee? -If we had to pick one ultra-premium card, would this be it? Why or why not? All that plus reader feedback, confessions of a points & miles sinner, and more.
Predicting the 2020 future
January 04, 2020 00:58 - 1 hour - 50.7 MBGreg and Nick confess their miles & points sins and review their predictions for 2020. Example: Will Chase raise the Sapphire Reserve annual fee this year? Greg says no, but Nick says yes. Here's why...
The Naughty and Nice Episode
December 28, 2019 13:54 - 1 hour - 73.7 MBGreg and Nick discuss their picks for the best and worst happenings in the points & miles world in 2019. Join us to hear our opinions about Citibank, Marriott, AA, Turkish, Simon Mall, and more.
Greg's credit card cuts, stitching awards together, Marriott elite plans and more
December 21, 2019 05:21 - 1 hour - 66.3 MBThis week, Greg and Nick discuss: - A new way to bypass 5/24 - How to protect yourself when stitching together flights from multiple airlines - Marriott elite nights via meetings are gone. How does this influence our elite status plans for 2020? - Price protection from Rakuten
AA shutdowns, Greg's son's credit cards, and an unfortunate glitch
December 14, 2019 05:12 - 36 minutes - 30.4 MBThis week, Greg and Nick discuss the current waves of American Airlines AAdvantage account shutdowns, whether or not churners are responsible for devaluations, and why Greg is helping his son become a miles millionaire before a technical glitch leaves us short of this week's full intended discussion.
AA web specials, Hyatt devaluation, and is Kiva dead to us?
December 07, 2019 06:13 - 1 hour - 50.7 MBGreg and Nick discuss: -AA Web Specials now apply to business and first class. Nick explains why that might not be good news. -Hyatt moves to peak and off-peak award pricing. Nick calls it a devaluation. Greg argues that there's good news here. -Kiva turns out to have higher default rates than Greg expected. Is Kiva dead to the miles & points community? We explain why we're still Kiva-ing along
Black Friday, Free Bank Money, Easy Credit Card Spend, and Marriott
November 30, 2019 05:57 - 1 hour - 48.1 MBThis week Greg and Nick discuss: -Black Friday / Cyber Monday Deals -How to increase credit card spend without going broke -Bank account bonuses (easy money!) -Marriott meetings: an easy way to get 10 elite nights
A controversial post & why we published it and managing your credit card portfolio
November 23, 2019 06:17 - 1 hour - 52.8 MBAfter we prove mathematically that Greg too often says "um," Greg and Nick move onto weightier topics: - Should we have published the controversial Chase links post? Why did we? - Managing your credit card portfolio. How do you know which cards to get and to keep? How do you get cards that are no longer available? How do you keep points alive when you cancel?
Marriott Island, Amex War on Gaming, Mint Coins
November 16, 2019 06:52 - 48 minutes - 38.5 MBGreg and Nick discuss: - The $8K per night private island that is now part of the Marriott chain - Amex's War on Gaming. How does that change Greg's Delta plans? - The Business Platinum devaluation. Is it a good thing in disguise? -The Mint Coin deal. How Nick ramped it up. Good stuff to know for any deal that is limited by household.
The awesome Aspire deal. Did Greg do it? Why FM is different. More
November 09, 2019 03:31 - 52 minutes - 41.8 MBGreg & Nick discuss: - What is Frequent Miler all about? Why we're different. - The awesome Hilton Aspire deal. Did Greg go for it? - A bit of Virgin Atlantic awesomeness - Airbnb: Will we ever use it again after THE article?
Reader feedback, CNB exit plan, no-brainers, 5K awards and more
November 02, 2019 15:34 - 57 minutes - 45.8 MBOn this week's Frequent Miler on the air, listen in as Greg and Nick discuss why we write about the deals we do, what you need to consider for your CNB exit plan, which card is a no-brainer for most (and why it's not for Greg), 5,000-mile award tickets to New Zealand and more.
Amex Green, SoFi Free Money, and MS with Double Cash
October 25, 2019 21:20 - 1 hour - 48.9 MBThis week Greg and Nick discuss the newly revamped Amex Green card. It's actually a very interesting partial answer to the Chase Sapphire Reserve. More interesting though is the possibility of easily picking up 45,000 Membership Rewards points. Next we discuss SoFi Money. Here's how to get free money quickly. Not kidding. Finally, we talk about manufacturing spend with the Citi Double Cash card. How awesome is 2X everywhere uncapped?
40K to Far Away Debrief (fixed full-length version)
October 21, 2019 02:36 - 1 hour - 155 MBGreg and Nick discuss favorite moments, lessons learned, and other final thoughts on the 40K to Far Away challenge.
Bed bugs, Citi Doubles down, & #40KFaraway crunch time prep
September 28, 2019 10:15 - 1 hour - 31.5 MBWhat happens when you get bitten by a different kind of travel bug, why Citi has us seeing Double, and how we're handling last-minute prep for the #40KFaraway challenge, mere days away from beginning.
40K practice run results; the best new rewards card is Double Cash? And more...
September 21, 2019 19:24This week we talk takeaways from Greg’s training-wheels-trip to Denali to test his plans for #40KFaraway. We also discuss how Citi may (or may not) make itself relevant again on Monday and whether or not it’ll earn a spot in our wallets (and a slot against our 5/24 counts).
Earning 300K miles, a great new sweet spot, dirt cheap miles, and more
September 14, 2019 04:35 - 45 minutes - 20.6 MBPlans for how to earn hundreds of thousands of miles, a hot sweet spot to come, the miles we'd buy speculatively, and more.
Emirates sweet spots, giving it all to Google, a pop quiz and more
September 09, 2019 13:30 - 29 minutes - 13.4 MBGreg surprised Nick with a pop quiz. We also discuss Emirates sweet spots, Google Fi headaches, and more.
Hawaii vs. Bora Bora; Conrad vs St Regis; and the Delta Vacations Deal
August 31, 2019 13:03 - 46 minutes - 60.2 MBThis week Nick is vacationing in Bora Bora. On our weekly FM on the Air, he compares the Conrad to the St Regis Bora Bora. Which is better? He also talks pros and cons of Hawaii vs. Bora Bora. Next, we talked vacation packages and shared tips for getting the most out of them. Finally, I talked live with a Delta Vacations rep to find out if the SkyMiles deal of the year has been extended (it has!).
Aloha from Hawaii, 5/24 dilemma, and #40KFaraway news
August 24, 2019 10:30 - 31 minutes - 45 MBToday we discuss Hawaii, if a Citi card is worth a 5/24 slot thanks to Turkish, and what surprised Greg when he read my post about Stephen winning the #40KFaraway challenge.
Almost BonvAAyed & making lemonade from Marriott’s September lemons
August 19, 2019 19:37 - 51 minutes - 72 MBFixing an AAward disaster, what to do now to prep for the Marriott changes, stacking sweet spots and more.
Exciting offers from IHG & Lufthansa and how Cap One could surprise us
August 10, 2019 05:03 - 57 minutes - 84.5 MBIs that new IHG offer worth a 5/24 slot? Is it worth forgoing award stays for a year just to accumulate a ton of IHG points? Those questions answered, plus how to fly to Asia in biz class w/ a stopover in Hawaii for 47.5K miles and how Capital One could take the CSR down.
An award travel save, Turkish changing the game, and more
August 03, 2019 07:12 - 50 minutes - 65.3 MBWhat do you do when your positioning flight gets canceled hours before you are due to fly 15 hours away on an award ticket? Why are the changes to Amex airline fee reimbursements a total non-issue? Which niche credit card might Greg open thanks to Simon Malls? Should we increase the Reasonable Redemption Value of ThankYou points because of Turkish Miles & Smiles? See us debate those topics and more.
Greg takes a hike and Stephen's possible plans for#40Kfaraway
July 20, 2019 05:13 - 39 minutes - 53.2 MBWhen Nick went on vacation, he sat by the pool. This week, Greg's been on vacation -- but Greg has been prepping for #40Kfaraway with a *50-mile hike*. Speaking of $40Kfaraway, what could Stephen be plotting? Do we have any clues? That and more in this week's Frequent Miler on the Air.
$1K Visa Gift Cards for Manufactured Spending & Finding United 5K awards
July 13, 2019 07:47 - 29 minutes - 39.2 MBGreg & Nick of Frequent Miler discuss whether or not the upcoming sale of $1,000 Visa Gift Cards at Simon Malls is a big deal, how that compares to manufactured spending at shopping malls, and why you want to find United 5K flights.
Is this award to Hawaii the sweetest spot ever? Should we have published it?
July 06, 2019 07:45 - 38 minutes - 50.6 MBFind out more about the absolute cheapest way to get to Hawaii on points and listen in as we discuss our dilemma: to publish, or not to publish?
Introducing the 40K to Far Away Challenge!
June 30, 2019 20:49 - 41 minutes - 95.1 MBGreg and Nick debate the 40K to Far Away challenge. Who's going to go the farthest in the most style?
Book ultra-premium suites cheap
June 22, 2019 11:46 - 38 minutes - 45.8 MBGreg and Nick discuss multiple options for booking ultra-premium suites with points. Also: Is there any value to booking hotels through Citi anymore?
If you could only have one card...
June 19, 2019 19:41 - 32 minutes - 38.6 MBGreg and Nick debate: If you could only have one card, what would it be? Capital One Venture? Chase Sapphire Reserve? A cash back card? We also discuss: New credit cards (Sonesta & Marriott) Transfer bonuses More Listen now.
Is it time to give Marriott a break? (originally aired June 5 2019)
June 19, 2019 19:36 - 48 minutes - 65.5 MBGreg and Nick debate: Amex Gold (great or not?) 25K Hawaii Marriott (transfer points from Chase? NO!!!) Marriott Bonvoy (Is it time to give Marriott a break?) Capital One's latest transfer bonus (good enough to transfer prospectively?) And we both love tap-to-pay. Listen now.
Does it make sense to manufacture Delta elite status?
June 19, 2019 19:31 - 54 minutes - 72.7 MBNick and Greg debate: Marriott gift cards When cash is better than points Platinum card devaluation (with Priority Pass restriction) The benefits of using Qantas to book AA flights Does it make sense to manufacture Delta elite status? And more.