"So, Everybody, I'm not going to say goodbye, but we'll see you next time..."

As was announced at the beginning of this week, founder of Award Travel 101, Richard Kerr, is passing the baton to a new community manager. Not leaving the group, but transitioning from a moderator role to being a member, he's starting a full time job with The Points Guy. In this episode, he introduces Jeff Brownson, a points and miles aficionado who will be taking over day to day management of Award Travel 101, Travel Grumps, Award Travel Advanced and more! 

Today's Guest

Miles and points have taken Jeff Brownson, his wife Chrissy, and their two sons, Ryan and Cole, to over 35 countries. They have been seen flying first class, business class, and even in coach on low cost carriers. Whether he’s staying in a hostel dorm, or in a luxury suite at a 5 star resort, Jeff is constantly looking for the best deal to make travel as close to free as possible. A background in math and science provides the analytical basis necessary to manage more than 80 loyalty accounts for his family.  Where To Find the Award Travel 101 Community
 
For questions, you can join us in the free 100,000+ member Award Travel 101 Community.  For more intermediate and advanced strategies, join Award Travel 201 community  To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at contactawardtravel@gmail.com.  Support the AT101 Podcast/Community

An Exciting Day for Award Travel 101

Welcome to the Award Travel 101 Podcast! Founded in 2013 with just 20 members, the Award Travel 101 Facebook group teaches members how to travel the world using points and miles. Today, a community of over 100,000+ people from around the world share, teach and learn how to travel anywhere on any budget. Where are you going with Award Travel?

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Education

Training

Language Courses

Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

How To

Self-Improvement

 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/Premium

Post of the week
Award Travel will be in Seattle for our fall meet. It’s a great way to make friends and learn tips and tricks not shared elsewhere. Dates are 8/16-8/18. Early bird pricing will be through May 31st! Get your ticket today! 

NewsShould You Get the Chase Sapphire Reserve® or the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card?United Skyrockets Business Class Partner Award Pricing by up to 200%15K Award Flights to EuropeQatar Airways 30% Transfer Bonus From Citi31+ Promos Ending SoonTrip updates
AngieChicago Seminars rebookingMontana - savings on SouthwestAlaska Companion Certificates for HawaiiJoeWyndham Points save the dayFrontier Status books three tickets with bags and seats for $137What bonuses did we get?Angie - anxiously awaiting AA Barclays Silver cardJoe - working on cards with bonus categoriesHighlight Feature: Workhorse Cards (In Our Wallet Right Now) Award Travel 101 Community members probably know which cards to start with - Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Sapphire Reserve, Ultimate Rewards' earning Ink (Preferred, Unlimited, Cash) cards, Amex Gold and Platinum (consumer and business) cards. But what happens when you can't get new cards? Many of us have been in that boat where we can’t open new cards for a while. What's next? AngieChase Ink Plus (not open to new applicants)Chase Freedom FlexCiti PremierAmex GoldCiti Double CashJoeCiti American ExecutiveWorld of Hyatt BusinessCiti PremierInk CashWyndham BusinessAmex Biz GoldTip of the week Look for value in places others aren't. Saving hundreds of dollars for a hotel, I found one for just 13.5K points in a place others were not looking (and got a suite)! Where To Find the Award Travel 101 Community
 
For questions, you can join us in the free 100,000+ member Award Travel 101 Community.  For more intermediate and advanced strategies, join Award Travel 201 community  To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at contactawardtravel@gmail.com.  Support the AT101 Podcast/Community

Workhorse Cards (In Our Wallet Right Now)

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/Premium Post of the week Charlie Hagadorn a feature in the paid version of seats.aero one of the award search tools called rooms.aero saves big bucks! NewsElevated American Express Business Platinum offerMr. & Mrs. Smith is now bookable with Hyatt pointsLufthansa First class bookable with LifeMilesNew rules/laws/protectionsTrip updatesAngieReturn flight from IndiaUpdating Southwest CompanionJoeNew Hilton on Clearwater - may use Free Night AwardWhat bonuses did we get?AngieAuthorized User card offersHilton Free Night Awards have been depositedJoeWorking on 10X bonus on Business Gold for 14XHighlight Feature: Nice to Meetcha!

We just returned from our meetup in San Antonio for Fiesta. There were over 150 Award Travel 101 and members from the Award Travel 201 communities in attendance. 

Speakers:Justin Vacula (Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast) blew everybody’s minds with creative ways to hit minimum spend and earn status (Podcast Episode 43)Toni Perkins-Southam (Forbes Advisor) shared deals over the years as well as the one most important aspects of the Award Travel (Podcast Episode 51)Logan Robinson (Aligned Incentives) discussed how to simplify meeting minimum spendsRyan Smith (AwardWallet) shared some under-the-radar card perks and benefits (Podcast Episode 48)Several of the Chicago Seminars' organizers were there to share updates AND a nice discount for attendees (Podcast Episode 64)Tip of the week
Angie's story to check what cards are saved in your Uber/Lyft wallets.Chase Sapphire ReserveChase Freedom Flex Where To Find the Award Travel 101 Community
 
For questions, you can join us in the free 100,000+ member Award Travel 101 Community.  For more intermediate and advanced strategies, join Award Travel 201 community  To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at contactawardtravel@gmail.com.  Support the AT101 Podcast/Community

Nice to Meetcha

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/Premium Post of the week Andrew “Bacon” Goodman - Disney for $375 INCLUDING PARK TICKETS!? NewsHilton/Small Luxury Hotels (Updates)Choice Sweet Spots New Citi AAdvantage Business offerTrip updatesJoeGirl's night & Boy's night without spending $675!What bonuses did we get?AngieTwo Free Hilton NightsJoe20K Referral14X spend Amex Business GoldAlmost done with wife's Citi AAdvantage CardHighlight Feature: 20 Largest Hotel Chains & the Six We're Focusing On We came across an interesting diagram ranking the top 20 hotel programs throughout the world.  Do you know which is largest? Some are less familiar, so we ranked the six we most frequently discuss in the Award Travel 101 Facebook community:#2 Wyndham - 9,280 Properties from Days Inn all the way up to Wyndham Grand. #3 Marriott- One of the largest footprints with 8,484 properties a wide range of price points from Springhill Suites up to Ritz Carlton and St. Regis luxury hotels. #6 Choice - with 7,500 properties domestically, Choice is not known for being great. They start with low level properties like Comfort Inn’s and Quality Inn’s but  their Ascend and Cambria properties look great.#7 Hilton - counting 7,165 properties in their portfolio, Hilton is similar to Marriott with a fairly sizable footprint with a wide range of price points from Hampton Inn to Waldorf Astoria.#8 IHG - With 1,000 less (6,164) properties, another one that families on a budget may opt for is Holiday Inn Express and their tasty cinnamon rolls. IHG starts with Holiday Inn’s and has upper level Kimptons.#16 Hyatt - With 1,200 properties (Hyatt says 1,300+ today), World of Hyatt is markedly smaller. They start at Hyatt Place and their flagship properties fall under Park Hyatt. TIP OF THE WEEK: Have a good backup plan for using your credit cards. Tune in to hear Angie's fail. Where To Find the Award Travel 101 Community
 
For questions, you can join us in the free 100,000+ member Award Travel 101 Community.  For more intermediate and advanced strategies, join Award Travel 201 community  To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at contactawardtravel@gmail.com.  Support the AT101 Podcast/Community

Largest Hotel Chains - Which One's Right for You?

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/Premium Post of the week Jennifer Jacobs - A tale of caution - vacation club/time-share presentations NewsAwardWallet’s Roundup of Airline and Hotel Program Sweet SpotsOne Credit Card Issuer Just Increased Its Global Entry Benefit. Will Others Follow?Credit Card Welcome Offers of 100,000 Points (or More!)What bonuses did we get?JackieEnhanced United Business card welcome offerJTSpending toward World of Hyatt card Free Night Award and elite night creditsWyndham Business Card - how will this be maximized (hint: Angie and I discussed this last week)JoeReferral from Amex Business Gold - why is that so important (14X Dining)?Tip for Double dipping this referral in Award Travel 201 (must be a member - $90 per year & includes AwardWallet Plus)Received 2nd Hyatt Cat 1-4 certificate and swapped out a two night stay at a Category 4 peak night pricing (from this card) to get 36,000 points backHighlight Feature: The Most Powerful Tool in Award Travel How does one weed out the noise to find what's most useful for your Award Travel strategies?  In-person events will provide opportunities for attendees to speak with and listen to experts in the field which help fine-tune their strategies. We encourage you to attend, engage, explore, learn, and ask questions. In the podcast, I mentioned that early on, I didn't know how to complete a minimum spend. Here are some tips that might help you avoid that same situation. Had I attended an event back then, I would have understood my options. To learn more:14th Annual Chicago SeminarsTaco 'Bout a FiestaTip of the week Make the most out of schedule changes. Hear how all three of us have used these recently to improve our schedules and/or save in the process. Where To Find the Award Travel 101 Community
 
For questions, you can join us in the free 100,000+ member Award Travel 101 Community.  For more intermediate and advanced strategies, join Award Travel 201 community  To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at contactawardtravel@gmail.com.  Support the AT101 Podcast/Community

The Most Powerful Tool in Award Travel

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 best time book with points? My husband wants to fly business class but it’s showing the miles to be at 200K per person for one way. Will the price come down if I book closer to our trip? Most likely going in June. NewsZorkcast Episode of “Yo 11 Minutes” 70 - status matchingComplete Guide to Wells Fargo Transfer PartnersAir India Refreshes it’s Flying Returns ProgramIberia Plus Bonus: New Milestone RewardsApplication Fee Is Going up for Global Entry, NEXUS, and SENTRI, Kids Will Be FreeWhat bonuses did we get?AngieWhere's my 20K point checking account bonus?JoeAlaska Business CardAlaska Consumer CardTrip updatesAngieModified India trip - 3 separate carriers on 3 different ticketsDomestic flights used Business Platinum portal to get 35% points backJoeChicago Seminars flights 7K out & 11.4K back. Hotel (16K WOH) bookedTampa Dad/Son trip using 50K Breeze and 28K Southwest points plus WOHBooked GH Tokyo using 95K + Suite Upgrade Award $1,200 per night ($3,600)Highlight Feature: Strategy - When to Close Cards Thanks to a recommendation from a member, we decided to review when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.Is there long-term value?Are the benefits enough to offset the annual fee?If not, is there a retention offer?If no offer, is there a path t0 product change to preserve the credit line to help with utilization ratioIf there's no path to product change, consider closing the card as long as it’s not the oldest cardIf no annual fee, no reason to close. However, sometimes it helps if you close some no fee cards with no value. This was something one of our moderators did to get a Capital One card. If you’re not using them though, put a small charge on them periodically.Where To Find the Award Travel 101 Community
 
For questions, you can join us in the free 100,000+ member Award Travel 101 Community.  For more intermediate and advanced strategies, join Award Travel 201 community  To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at contactawardtravel@gmail.com.  Support the AT101 Podcast/Community

An Exciting Day for Award Travel 101

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