MTM Travel - The Fun Side of Points & Travel!

Hyatt may be ending free parking and resort fee waivers for Globalists — and there's a new elite tier above Globalist potentially on the way. Meanwhile, Citi is cutting the ThankYou to Choice Hotels transfer rate by 25% on April 19th. And Mark is trying to figure out if he's even making it to Bermuda with JFK TSA chaos threatening the whole spring break trip.

What we cover:

• Hyatt survey: new elite tier above Globalist — plus possible end to free parking and resort fee waivers
• Is Hyatt becoming the next Marriott? Shawn weighs in
• Citi ThankYou to Choice Hotels: 25% devaluation hitting April 19
• Bilt Red Day (April 1): Wyndham added as transfer partner with a 100–125% bonus
• Wyndham program: all-inclusives, Choice Hotels overlap and real value
• Wells Fargo Autograph still transfers 1:2 to Choice
• Points currency rankings: Bilt #1, Chase falling to #4
• Mark's Bermuda spring break and the stress of TSA chaos at JFK
• Updated: complete guide to credit card application rules by bank

Episode Guide:

• 0:00 - Welcome to MTM Travel
• 0:20 - Mark's Bermuda Spring Break + TSA Chaos at JFK
• 5:42 - Hyatt Survey: New Elite Tier Above Globalist?
• 7:00 - Could Hyatt End Free Parking & Resort Fee Waivers?
• 12:17 - Bilt Rent Day: Wyndham Added as Transfer Partner
• 15:07 - Wyndham, Choice Hotels & Citi ThankYou 25% Devaluation
• 18:54 - Wells Fargo Autograph & Points Currency Rankings
• 22:37 - Complete Credit Card Application Rules Guide

✈️ Track your travel credit cards for free with Travel Freely 💋 Free newsletter 👥 Join our free Facebook group (16,000+ members) 🏅 Diamond Patreon — bonus shows + Slack community 🥇 Gold Membership ($10/mo) 🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts 📖 Miles to Memories website

The TSA funding crisis has airports in chaos — agents are working without pay, some airports have massive lines, and others are totally fine. Mark recaps his multi-country Europe trip: Turkish Airlines business class to Istanbul for 70K miles, a last-minute pivot to Warsaw, Ryanair's bus-terminal airport, honest reviews of the Hyatt Centric Dublin and Aer Lingus narrow-body business class, and whether St. Patrick's Day in Ireland is actually worth the trip.

In This Episode:

• TSA funding crisis — agents unpaid, long lines, privatization debate
• Turkish Airlines business class Detroit to Istanbul (70K miles, A350, on-board chef)
• Istanbul Airport transit and Priority Pass lounges
• Warsaw on a budget — Sheraton via Bilt $200 credit, Old Town, Chopin benches
• Ryanair Warsaw to Dublin — the bus-terminal experience
• Hyatt Centric Dublin review — skip it, book the DoubleTree Morrison
• St. Patrick's Day in Dublin vs Carnival vs Mardi Gras
• Aer Lingus A321neo business class for 57,500 AA miles — throne seat or bust

Episode Guide:

• 0:00 - Welcome to MTM Travel
• 0:21 - TSA funding crisis and the privatization debate
• 8:10 - Turkish Airlines business class to Istanbul for 70K miles - They broke my tooth!
• 13:22 - Istanbul Airport and Priority Pass lounges
• 15:38 - Warsaw on a budget — Sheraton via Bilt, Old Town, nightlife
• 19:44 - Ryanair's bus-terminal airport to Dublin
• 22:25 - Dublin hotels — Hyatt Centric vs DoubleTree Morrison
• 24:26 - St. Patrick's Day in Dublin — the honest verdict
• 28:30 - Aer Lingus A321neo business class for 57,500 AA miles - Is it comfy?

✈️ Track your travel credit cards for free — Travel Freely 🏆 Patreon — bonus shows + Slack community 📧 Free newsletter 💳 Free Facebook group (16K+ members) ▶️ Watch on YouTube 🎧 Apple Podcasts 🌐 milestomemories.com

Advertiser Disclosure: This site/channel is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site/channel (including, for example, the order in which they appear). This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers.

Capital One's switch to the Discover payment network is getting cards declined at ATMs and payment terminals overseas — Mark found out the hard way in Poland and Dublin. Chase made things worse by quietly killing fraud alerts for international charges, leaving one of Mark's travel buddies $1,000 in the hole at a bar in Poland with zero notification. Plus: a leaked Amex card nobody asked for, Yotel joining Hilton's portfolio, and why tap-to-pay overseas might actually work against you in a dispute.

What we cover:

• Capital One Dulles lounge: hot, cramped, and the worst they've visited
• Amex Graphite Business Cash Unlimited: $250 fee for a 2% card nobody needed
• Capital One's Discover network switch: why cards are failing overseas
• Mark's Capital One debit declined in Poland and Dublin — what happened
• Best international debit cards in 2026: Charles Schwab, SoFi, Fidelity
• Is Venture X still worth taking overseas?
• Yotel joins Hilton as "Select by Hilton" — bookable with points by year end
• Chase ends fraud alerts for international and non-physical charges
• Mark's buddy loses $1,000+ at a bar in Poland — no fraud alert sent
• Apple Pay overseas: biometric authorization makes disputes harder

Episode Guide:

• 0:00 - Welcome to MTM Travel
• 0:43 - Capital One Dulles lounge: the worst they've visited
• 2:23 - Amex Graphite Business Cash Unlimited: $250 for a 2% card?
• 7:17 - Capital One's Discover network switch explained
• 8:00 - Mark's Capital One debit declined in Poland and Dublin
• 8:20 - Best international debit cards: Schwab, SoFi, Fidelity
• 14:50 - Is Venture X still worth taking overseas?
• 15:42 - Yotel joins Hilton as "Select by Hilton"
• 19:33 - Chase ends international fraud alerts
• 20:50 - Mark's buddy loses $1,000+ at a bar in Poland — no fraud alert
• 23:27 - Apple Pay overseas: why disputes are harder to win
• 28:22 - Wrap + subscribe

📧 Free newsletter ✈️ Track your travel credit cards for free 💳 Join our free Facebook group (16,000+ members) 🏆 Diamond Patreon — bonus shows + Slack community 🥇 Gold Membership ($10/mo) 🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts 📖 Miles to Memories website

Want to work with us? Reach out! inquiries at milestomemories dot com Hyatt just dropped five new pricing tiers on their award chart — and it's got Shawn and Mark rethinking their entire hotel strategy. Plus: Mark had to scrap his Istanbul trip, rebook his whole Europe itinerary using Aeroplan, LifeMiles, Delta SkyMiles, and Bilt credits, and lived to tell the tale. And yes — the LifeMiles call center almost broke him. **What we cover:** - Hyatt's award chart devaluation: five new tiers and what it actually means for redemptions - Why Hyatt's value proposition was always about consistency and Chase earning (not footprint) - Mark's current hotel rankings: Hilton free night certs, IHG's underrated card refresh, and Accor's flexible points - Choice Hotels and why Benjy's going to be thrilled - The Hilton Surpass card: still the best mid-tier hotel card and why - Hyatt free night certs — are they actually worth more now post-devaluation? - Why Mark abandoned Istanbul and pivoted to Warsaw two weeks before the trip - Rebuilding the whole itinerary: 70K Aeroplan on Turkish, 8K United miles Istanbul-Warsaw, 25K Delta SkyMiles on Air France business, and Bilt credits for the Sheraton - Turkish Airlines IT nightmare: can't check in, ticket number mismatch, and the LifeMiles call center hangup saga - RyanAir reality check: what Americans need to know about weight limits and bag rules - The case for travel flexibility and why points make last-minute pivots actually possible 📧 Free newsletter: https://milestomemories.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=39c6737d725a04fea73324680&id=1e73edd8c8 ✈️ Track your travel credit cards for free: https://milestomemories.boardingarea.com/go/travel-freely-eop/ 💳 Join our free Facebook group (16,000+ members): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1164408426942519 🏆 Diamond Patreon (bonus shows + Slack community): https://www.patreon.com/milestomemories 🥇 Gold Membership ($10/mo): https://www.patreon.com/milestomemories 🎧 Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/is/podcast/mtm-travel-the-fun-side-of-points-travel/id1476287601 📖 Miles to Memories website: http://milestomemories.com 👍 Help us reach 10,000 subscribers — subscribe if you haven't already! Are you sticking with Hyatt after the devaluation, or have you already moved on? Let us know what hotel program is your go-to right now! #MilesToMemories #MilesAndPoints #CreditCards #Hyatt #HotelPoints #TravelHacking Episode Description: 0:00 - Welcome to MTM Travel 0:22 - Shawn's MGM Grand stay via Chase Edit 1:54 - Hyatt devaluation breakdown 3:06 - What Hyatt got right (and wrong) — Mark's take 3:51 - Mark's hotel program rankings today 4:44 - Hilton free night certs vs. Marriott vs. Hyatt 5:08 - Breaking down hotel point values the right way 5:52 - Hilton credit card strategy + IHG's underrated refresh 7:49 - Accor: the most flexible points redemption nobody talks about 8:36 - IHG value vs. Hilton, Wyndham, and Choice Hotels 9:02 - Why Choice is underrated (Benjy was right) 9:24 - Elite status: who does it best and worst 10:27 - The Radisson/Club Carlson BOGO nostalgia lesson 10:49 - Hyatt guest of honor and the 60-night question 11:22 - Hilton Surpass: best mid-tier card and why 11:51 - Hyatt free night certs — still worth it? 12:14 - Don't sleep on Wyndham or Choice via Citi ThankYou points 12:53 - Hilton Las Vegas credits — Shawn finally got the memo 13:54 - Mark's Istanbul pivot: why he bailed on the original plan 14:33 - Turkish Airlines IT nightmare: can't check in, ticket number chaos 16:50 - LifeMiles call center: the hangup heard 'round the world 19:26 - The full rebooked itinerary: Warsaw, RyanAir, Air France business, Bilt Sheraton 23:10 - Rebuilding home leg: Aer Lingus business + LifeMiles to Detroit 24:35 - The real lesson: points make travel flexibility possible 25:25 - What are you doing with Hyatt? Let us know Advertiser Disclosure: This site/channel is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site/channel (including, for example, the order in which they appear). This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers.

Thrifty Traveler Premium (affiliate — supports the show): https://milestomemories.com/go/thrifty-traveler/

Episode Description

Elon Musk wants your money in the X app — and he's offering 6% APY plus 3% cash back on debit to get it. Meanwhile Bilt is having a rough week: mortgage payment failures, a hidden foreign transaction fee on their "no fee" Palladium card, and a PR mess that Forbes and the Wall Street Journal are now covering. Plus Robinhood Platinum advertises $3,000 in credits that most people will never fully use, and Marriott finally did something nice — raising the certificate top-off cap from 15K to 25K points.

• 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel
• 0:26 Intro
• 0:40 Thrifty Traveler Premium
• 2:18 Robinhood Platinum breakdown
• 6:28 X Money debit card
• 10:31 Bilt 2.0 mortgage issues
• 12:56 Bilt Palladium hidden foreign fee
• 15:25 Marriott certificate top-off
• 17:27 Hyatt vs Marriott + hotel program strategy
• 19:35 Loyalty program illusions
• 22:14 Amazon pay with points promo

Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at [email protected].

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Thrifty Traveler Premium (affiliate — supports the show): https://milestomemories.com/go/thrifty-traveler/

Episode Description

US hotels are sitting at 62% occupancy and the internet is treating it like a crisis — but Shawn dug into a decade of data and found out who's actually causing the problem. Take Las Vegas out of the numbers and every other hotel in America made more money last year. Plus, Thrifty Traveler is raising prices Saturday (lock in $79 before it jumps to $129), the viral Disney vs. Europe cost debate is back and it's mostly dishonest, and Southwest's status match just got updated with new requirements worth knowing.

• 0:00 - Show Open
• 0:25 - Hyatt Centric Long Beach
• 2:25 - The $94 Hotel Breakfast
• 5:26 - Thrifty Traveler Premium — Lock In Before Saturday
• 9:13 - US Hotel Occupancy at 62% — Is It Actually Bad?
• 11:07 - Vegas vs. The Rest of America (RevPAR Breakdown)
• 14:29 - Disney vs. Europe — The Viral Cost Debate
• 15:44 - Tokyo Disneyland at $63 vs. Walt Disney World at $200+
• 20:23 - Southwest Status Match — How It Works Now
• 22:56 - Southwest Becoming the New Spirit?
• 26:10 - Wrap Up

Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at [email protected].

You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, or via RSS. Don't see your favorite podcast platform? Please let us know!

Episode Description

On this week's MTM Travel Thursday show, Shawn and Mark cover three big topics: the restaurant credit programs worth your time right now (Resy, InKind, Hilton's local bar trick), all seven active transfer bonuses including Rove's 50% Japan Airlines launch deal, and a full walkthrough of Mark's recent credit card application haul — $4K cash, 230K miles, and 112K Built points, offset by $2,169 in annual fees. The Spirit Airlines miles subplot also gets resolved. Great episode for anyone thinking about credit card strategy heading into spring.

• 0:00 - Intro
• 0:20 - Resy Credits & Detroit Dining
• 3:31 - Hilton Credits: The Local Bar Hack
• 10:59 - Active Transfer Bonuses
• 13:47 - Rove Miles & Japan Airlines
• 19:08 - Sticking to Programs You Know
• 20:31 - Mark's Credit Card Application Results
• 24:36 - Spirit Card Update
• 25:07 - Mark Writing Again at MTM

Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at [email protected].

You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, or via RSS. Don't see your favorite podcast platform? Please let us know!

Episode Description

The world changed fast — and travelers are feeling it. Shawn and Mark break down what's happening in the Middle East, why Dubai went from "safe luxury playground" to diverted flights overnight, and what experienced points travelers should know about navigating global instability. Plus: anti-American sentiment abroad is real, and Shawn shares what it was actually like traveling during the other contentious periods. Then — Atlantis vs. Comfort Suites Nassau, Bermuda, Hawaii, and why you should SERIOUSLY consider booking dream trips now before they get ridiculously expensive.

• 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel
• 0:40 Traveling in the current world - Is it safe?
• 3:40 Travelers are susceptible to instability
• 6:46 What is the future of Middle East tourism
• 10:09 Being prepared for anti-American attitudes while traveling
• 16:53 Reconsidering travel plans, staying safe & opening our minds
• 19:21 Are "dream" vacations getting out of reach even with points?
• 22:24 Atlantis points hack, debating Bahamas & Atlantis recovered?
• 28:00 Bermuda vs Bahamas come on pretty mama

Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at [email protected].

You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, or via RSS. Don't see your favorite podcast platform? Please let us know!

Episode Description

On this episode of the MTM Travel the travel show we discuss the recent events in Mexico, how they've been sensationalized and what travelers need to consider before canceling or planning a trip. We also discuss: pure Michigan, Sapphire's free Whoop, how Southwest got duped, an insane hotel coffee maker hack and Mark's big return to MTM.

• 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel
• 1:28 Mark's big return to MTM & Patreon enhancements!
• 6:09 Mexico cartel woes - Should you cancel trips?
• 12:53 INSANE hotel coffee maker hack
• 17:05 Whoop free with Sapphire + Shawn's experience
• 21:25 Elliott pulls out of Southwest after driving massive changes
• 22:27 Starlink coming to Southwest Airlines
• 25:25 Cadillac House Curio Hilton - Pure Michigan?

Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at [email protected].

You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, or via RSS. Don't see your favorite podcast platform? Please let us know!

Episode Description

On this episode of the MTM Travel the miles & points show Mark dives into his real world experiences with the new Bilt cards and Bilt cash. An unexpected promo came, but is it working out? We also discuss: finding cheap Hyatt mattress runs by stacking promos, the overlooked US Bank business card bonuses and how Southwest is tiering their credit card bonuses for the first time!

• 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel
• 0:36 Update on Bilt's new card experience
• 3:20 Using Bilt Cash & how it all works in reality
• 7:23 Bilt makes money wuth customer experience expense?
• 10:10 Southwest launches first tiered card offers
• 13:53 Southwest's unhappy customers are a thing
• 15:48 Stacking Hyatt promos - Nights from 1,900 points?
• 19:45 Hyatt's unique promos & the art of finding mattress runs
• 21:37 Overlooked US Bank cards - Big money offers

Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at [email protected].

You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, or via RSS. Don't see your favorite podcast platform? Please let us know!