Award Travel 101

"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 Us

1. The Award Travel 101 Facebook Community.
2. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
3. You can also email us at [email protected]
4. Buy your Award Travel 101 Merch here
5. Reserve tickets to our April 2027 Meetup in Nashville now. award.travel/bna2027

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!

Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Technical note: Some user experience difficulty streaming the podcast while connected to a VPN. If you have difficulty, disconnect from your VPN.  

This week, Spencer Howard from God Save the Points and the mastermind behind the Straight to the Points Awards Alerts Newsletter joins Richard for a chat about all things award travel. They tackle the breaking news on Marriott getting sued over resort fees, the big changes to Citi credit cards and a whole lot more!

Timestamps
1:54 - Meet Spencer Howard
4:10 - Marriott getting sued over Resort Fees
9:45 - Burning is more important than earning
14:00 - Resistance to paying for valuable services
21:50 - People (trolls) who are loud online are usually quiet in public
25:50 - Big changes to benefits for Citi credit cards
32:12 - What's coming in the future for points and miles?

Links
Citi's Own Goal On Travel Protection Is Great News For Chase

Straight to the Points Awards Alerts Newsletter

Today's Guest

Spencer Howard is a credit card rewards and award travel expert. He’s living proof that points and miles can unlock many of the greatest travel experiences and uses his skills to tick off new bucket list items and help others do the same. A native of Kentucky and resident of Washington, DC, he’s a fan of fine bourbon, good debate and usually a combination of the two.

Where to Find Us

1. The Award Travel 101 Facebook Community.
2. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
3. You can also email us at [email protected]
4. Buy your Award Travel 101 Merch here
5. Reserve tickets to our April 2027 Meetup in Nashville now. award.travel/bna2027

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!

Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Technical note: Some user experience difficulty streaming the podcast while connected to a VPN. If you have difficulty, disconnect from your VPN.  

"Group Think is one of my biggest pet peeves..."

What does a near miss with a nuclear submarine and foolishly discounting Delta SkyMiles as "useless" have in common? The concept of "Group Think". While redeeming points and miles aren't necessarily life and death, Richard highlights just some of the ways you're leaving money on the table when you follow "what everyone else says". Following that, Michelle Liu, an AT 101 Facebook Group member, joins Richard to chat about how Shell's new Fuel Rewards Pro program helps you earn on the gas you use if you drive a vehicle for work. Be sure to listen to the end of this week's "Redemption of the Week" and why this member was selected...not for burning points, but for how she earned them!

Timestamps
2:45 - Group Think...what is it?
4:30 - TYPING IN ALL CAPS DOESN'T MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT BETTER
9:10 - The Story of the Midnight Sun AKA how Group Think almost killed Richard
14:30 - What happens in the AT 101 Facebook Group all...the...time...
19:10 - Meet Michelle Liu
23:00 - If you drive for work, Fuel Rewards Pro is for you
25:30 - Billions...with a B?!?!
31:30 - A non grump experience with Marriott Bonvoy?
33:26 - This week's "Redemption of the Week"

Today's Guest

 Michelle Liu is the Driver Loyalty Program Manager at Shell Fleet Solutions. She specializes in building loyalty programs and collaborating with brand partners to deliver quality product experiences. At Shell she created Fuel Rewards Pro, the first loyalty program for commercial fleet drivers, developed advertising for 14,000 retail stations, and led the launch of new Pennzoil and Quaker State motor oils with new formulations and innovative packaging. 
Sign up for Shell Fuel Rewards Pro

Where to Find Us

1. The Award Travel 101 Facebook Community.
2. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
3. You can also email us at [email protected]
4. Buy your Award Travel 101 Merch here
5. Reserve tickets to our April 2027 Meetup in Nashville now. award.travel/bna2027

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!

Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Technical note: Some user experience difficulty streaming the podcast while connected to a VPN. If you have difficulty, disconnect from your VPN.  

"It was just a palace...if you've been to one...I mean, you've been to them all, right?"

Tune in this week for a full recap of Richard and Emily's 10th Anniversary trip to Europe! They offer reviews on flying the new British Airways First Class soft product, Lufthansa Business Class on an A350, the Hyatt Andaz in Munich, Sheraton in Salzburg and more! Congrats to Jonathan Wilwayco for his "Redemption of the Week" - Check out his post in the Award Travel 101 Facebook Group to read up on how he used just over 2 MILLION points and miles to book his family a trip that would have cost them over $55,000 out of pocket!

Timestamps

2:35 - Full recap on trip itinerary
5:50 - Air Canada's "deconstructed lasagna"
15:30 - Public transportation in Europe
19:00 - Learning about The Sound of Music
26:30 - Friday night on a party train to Vienna
32:50 - Riding a bike...up a mountain
38:58 - Why you always need to have change on you when heading to the restroom
42:33 - Check out the new British Airways First Class soft product
46:20 - Redemption of the Week!

Where to Find Us

1. The Award Travel 101 Facebook Community.
2. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
3. You can also email us at [email protected]
4. Buy your Award Travel 101 Merch here
5. Reserve tickets to our April 2027 Meetup in Nashville now. award.travel/bna2027

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!

Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Technical note: Some user experience difficulty streaming the podcast while connected to a VPN. If you have difficulty, disconnect from your VPN.  

"There is nothing greater in this world then walking off a flight, scooping up your bag and skipping that massive line of people waiting to pick up their rental car as you head to pick whatever you want to drive from that elite status row..."

Anyone who has rented a car knows that it can be a stressful and confusing process! But, what if if didn't have to be? Richard's got some of the best ways to not only ensure that you're getting the best price, but also how to skip those long lines and save from having to pay for extra insurance. After that, he's joined by Wayne Lin, co-founder of GetUpside an app that scores you unbeatable deals on gas, groceries and restaurants. Learn how to save up to 25¢/gal on filling up, 35% on dining out and 15% on your trip to the market. Last but not least, we wrap up the show with a new segment - "Award Redemption of the Week"! So many Award Travel 101 members share their awesome redemptions in the group that we figured why not offer a shout out here too? Who is the inaugural recipient? You'll have to tune in to find out!

Timestamps

3:10 - Finding the best price for a rental car
8:15 - Why rental car elite status is so good (and easy to get)
11:55 - Using credit card benefits for rental car insurance
17:24 - Meet Wayne Lin, co-founder of GetUpside
31:50 - Can you stack rewards using GetUpside?
34:30 - Redemption of the Week

Links
Sign up for GetUpside
Best Credit Cards for Rental Car Insurance [2019]
How to Get Rental Car Elite Status for Free

Today's Guest

Wayne Lin is the co-founder and COO of GetUpside, a startup that personalizes brick-and-mortar commerce to help communities thrive. With GetUpside, consumers see their dollar go further on everyday purchases like gas and food, while merchants earn more incremental profit. GetUpside is available at 10,000+ locations in 31 states across the U.S.

Where to Find Us

1. The Award Travel 101 Facebook Community.
2. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
3. You can also email us at [email protected]
4. Buy your Award Travel 101 Merch here
5. Reserve tickets to our April 2027 Meetup in Nashville now. award.travel/bna2027

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!

Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Technical note: Some user experience difficulty streaming the podcast while connected to a VPN. If you have difficulty, disconnect from your VPN.  

We've got a replay of one of the "Best Of" episodes of the Award Travel 101 Podcast! Tune in next week when we return with another new episode!

“Three days after you leave the hospital with a broken back, and chemo, and serious multiple myeloma, you decide you're going on this around­-the­-world trip?”

The Award Travel 101 community is built around sharing and learning knowledge on how to travel the world with points and miles. A side effect of the community has been the stories of people that meet and interact every day and their stories made possible by a Facebook group. This week we introduce you to Mr. Ike Stanfield of Texas who is currently battling aggressive multiple myeloma cancer. In February 2019, Ike posted to Award Travel 101 that he was cashing in his points and miles and taking a solo trip around the world to Singapore, Delhi, and Doha in first and business classes.

During the show, Ike walks us through some of his daily battles that might delay his determination to see his bucket list destinations. Despite the fact that Ike broke his back just one week before he was supposed to leave for his trip, he persevered through pain and surgery and still completed his around the world points and miles trip. Make sure to listen to his inspiration and words of wisdom as he walks us through each part of his two week adventure.

Show Timestamps

• 3:30 — Meet Ike 
• 8:45 — Ike's health diagnosis
• 12:30 — Ike's around the world itinerary
• 17:00 — Getting treated well at the Hilton Singapore
• 19:30 — “What did you reflect on while you were there?”
• 22:30 — Ike's advice for those facing challenges
• 28:30 — Ike's words of wisdom 

Today's Guest

Ike Stanfield is a retired American Airlines employee from Corpus Christie, Texas. In 2017, he was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma and has undergone and continues to undergo multiple forms of treatment to battle his disease. 

Resources

Contact Ike

Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation

Thanks to Our Sponsor

Earn Instant Gold status when you join Fuel Rewards. Save 5 cents/gallon on every fill-up. Terms and Conditions apply, max 20 gallons per fill-up.

Visit AwardWallet for more info on the Award Travel 101 Podcast!

Where to Find Us
For questions, you can join us in the free 110,000+ member Award Travel 101 Community.

1. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
2. You can also email us at [email protected]
3. Our next meetup will be announced soon. Visit the Award Travel Meetups page for details once announced.

Support the AT101 Podcast/Community

“An agent informed me she was making an exception and correcting the problem…(by refunding)…me back 65,000 miles and then proceeded to take out 15,000 more.”

After Richard's Bonvoy'd anniversary trip battle of wills, it seems like Ed Pizza is set to give him a run for his money. This week's program that is behaving badly is none other than United MileagePlus. Ed recounts all the headaches and hassles from spending 9 hours on the phone for a simple route change request, only to have 170k miles just go missing. Just goes to show that no matter your status level, sometimes you can't get any love. This week the fellas also dish up an intro to manufactured spend. Best case example? Richard spending $10,000 at a Dollar General in one transaction! Tune in to hear the benefits and risks associated with this type of earning strategy.

Timestamps

2:00 - Richard & Ed = the new Statler and Waldorf
3:25 - Spending 9 hours on the phone with United MileagePlus
7:45 - Ed is a points hoarder
11:00 - Losing options for booking travel when agents give you the wrong info
17:55 - What is manufactured spend?
19:55 - Who drops $10k at a Dollar General?
24:41 - Walking the fine line between legal vs. ethical
27:36 - Risks of manufactured spend

Today's Guest

Ed Pizza founded the Pizza In Motion blog on the BoardingArea network. He's considered one of the preeminent voices in the loyalty program space and is a successful entrepreneur. He's also the host of the Miles to Go and NowBoarding podcasts.

Where to Find Us

1. The Award Travel 101 Facebook Community.
2. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
3. You can also email us at [email protected]
4. Buy your Award Travel 101 Merch here
5. Reserve tickets to our April 2027 Meetup in Nashville now. award.travel/bna2027

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!

Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Technical note: Some user experience difficulty streaming the podcast while connected to a VPN. If you have difficulty, disconnect from your VPN.  

“I know this is frustrating, I know what we told you was wrong, but there’s nothing we can do about it”

Was it just last week we were discussing what to do when loyalty programs behave badly? Sigh. Ed Pizza from Pizza in Motion is back this week to recap with Richard on what has been a very interesting week. Aside from some issues with the Award Travel Advanced Facebook group, Marriott has “Bonvoy’d” the Kerr’s 10th Wedding Anniversary trip to Europe. Tune in to hear an absolutely puzzling story of 12-hr Twitter responses, wrong information and just the totally bizarre inability for Marriott’s customer service team to fix their (self-admitted) mistake.

Timestamps

2:05 - Updates on Award Travel Advanced Facebook group
4:40 - Background on their anniversary trip to Europe
9:10 - When you tweet about successful customer service…too soon
13:38 - When customer service via Twitter fails
17:05 - Hyatt to the rescue
23:30 - Keeping perspective & finding a solution

Today's Guest

Ed Pizza founded the Pizza In Motion blog on the BoardingArea network. He's considered one of the preeminent voices in the loyalty program space and is a successful entrepreneur. He's also the host of the Miles to Go and NowBoarding podcasts.

Where to Find Us

1. The Award Travel 101 Facebook Community.
2. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
3. You can also email us at [email protected]
4. Buy your Award Travel 101 Merch here
5. Reserve tickets to our April 2027 Meetup in Nashville now. award.travel/bna2027

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!

Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Technical note: Some user experience difficulty streaming the podcast while connected to a VPN. If you have difficulty, disconnect from your VPN.  

"People are so bad at complaining...I'm complaining about how bad people are at complaining...that's where we are right now."

It might come as no surprise that in this world of made up currencies where points don't matter, loyalty programs may not always follow their own rules - or will change them whenever they feel like it. Sure, there are those moments when a considerate customer service representative might take you by surprise and waive a fee, or open up availability. More often than not however, it's easy to feel like the deck is stacked against you.

Complaining can only get you so far. Or, more likely the case you may only have so much time to spend complaining (or fighting for what's right). How do you know when programs are actually acting badly? And, when you do find that moment, what are the best ways to plead your case while having an actual chance at finding resolution or receiving compensation?

Timestamps

2:00 - The feng shui of rooms at Nobu at Caesar's Palace
4:38 - What's bothering Richard this week?
7:47 - When "the system is down" for more than a month...
15:47 - Examples of when loyalty programs behave badly
20:48 - When a travel company actually does the right thing
24:40 - How to positively use emotion to complain
32:30 - What to remember when you need to interact with customer service reps

Today's Guest

Ed Pizza founded the Pizza In Motion blog on the Boarding Area network. He's considered one of the preeminent voices in the loyalty program space and is a successful entrepreneur. He's also the host of the Miles to Go and NowBoarding podcasts.

Where to Find Us

1. The Award Travel 101 Facebook Community.
2. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
3. You can also email us at [email protected]
4. Buy your Award Travel 101 Merch here
5. Reserve tickets to our April 2027 Meetup in Nashville now. award.travel/bna2027

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!

Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Technical note: Some user experience difficulty streaming the podcast while connected to a VPN. If you have difficulty, disconnect from your VPN.  

"I can't count the number of times you've come into the room and you're like 'I just found...' or 'This is a once in a lifetime trip!' when you literally say that about everywhere...and just said that yesterday."

For the miles and points obsessed, occasionally you'll find couples that are equally into maxing out their earnings and redemptions. More often than not however, there's typically one of the two that's more into it than the other. Less common is when that one who is obsessed decides to turn that obsession into a full time job via a Facebook group. Enter Richard & Emily Kerr. This episode is a one on one interview with Richard's "better half" where she answers some of the Award Travel 101 group's best questions about what it's like being married to a points nerd, how they met and her favorite trips they've taken using points and miles.

Today's Episode Timestamps

• 3:30 - How Richard & Emily met
• 10:04 - What's on Emily's Bucket List?
• 13:00 - Their favorite trip as a couple
• 19:15 - Tips for keeping young kids occupied on a plane
• 23:20 - How to help your partner know which credit card to use where

Where to Find Us

1. The Award Travel 101 Facebook Community.
2. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
3. You can also email us at [email protected]
4. Buy your Award Travel 101 Merch here
5. Reserve tickets to our April 2027 Meetup in Nashville now. award.travel/bna2027

Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!

Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

Technical note: Some user experience difficulty streaming the podcast while connected to a VPN. If you have difficulty, disconnect from your VPN.