The Upgrd Podcast

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast Welcome to another episode of the UPGRD podcast. In this travel podcast we discuss the recent change in management at United with Jeff Smisek's departure and a new CEO appointment.  Are you a past United customer who left for greener pastures? Is this a change for the good, might you return?

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast We're back! And this week our miles and points experts discuss the inaugural American Airlines 787 flight from Dallas to Chicago. We talk about the best business class seats, the airplane and the events on the day. In addition we mourn the loss of RedBird for manufactured spend and (re)introduce you to the current UPGRD crew.  

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast In this frequent flyer podcast we are joined by Captain Denny to discuss customer service, the Captain Jason Dahl scholarship and frequent flyer news.  Disclaimer: The views expressed are the personal opinions of the participants only and do not reflect the views of their employers.

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast Our frequent flyers review our airline predictions from last year and prognosticate on upcoming airline and hotel promotions and changes in 2012. Although our crystal balls were somewhat clouded in 2011 a little bit of glass cleaner helped clarify everything for this year.   

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast Join our frequent flyers as we discuss the closure of SpanAir, the bankruptcy proceedings of American Airlines, and recent hotel and airline promotions including: Delta may make run at US Airways US Airways evaluates merger with AA The end of SpanAir American Airlines restores free wine and beer in international economy New Hilton Benefits  New Hyatt Promo Earn up to 44,000 points (enough for two free nights) Starwood Platinum Benefit Changes Starting March 1 Gold welcome gift choice of extra starpoints or wifi or complimentary beverage Platinum: bonus star points, continental breakfast, or "local amenities" (soft toy, small bottle of liquor, bottle of wine, mineral water, fruit basket, etc) After 50 nights receive 10 suite upgrades After 75 nights earn four points per dollar instead of three and Your24 benefit AA Double EQM for CA/IL/TX residents between SFO/LAX and DFW/ORD still running through March 31st.

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast In this week's frequent flyer travel podcast we discuss the recent airline news and changes many airline mileage programs including: US Airways 100% mile bonus is back United and Continental get single operating certicate Delta selling MQM British Airways miles devaluation More fuel surcharges for Aeroplan US Airways raises price on purchased miles again Ben summarized the devaluation of American Express rewards points As an alternative mileage card the Ink Bold and Chase Sapphire Preferred are good options instead of American Express

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast In this frequent flyer podcast we discuss Matthew's secret connecting city, some special offers, and then answer listeners questions. Topics include: Sale on Delta Club Passes and United Club Passes Hilton's reward booking "problem" Damian's upcoming business class mileage run Listener questions on mileage running, segment qualification and more

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast In this week's frequent flyer podcast, we are joined by Nicholas Kralev to discuss his new book Decoding Air Travel. We discuss how you can construct your own airfare by looking at the airline tariffs and inventory buckets and why you should be loyal to one airline alliance to maximize your benefits. In addition we cover some current promotions: 40% discount on Lufthansa business class upgrades US Airways 100% bonus on purchased miles is back Do you have any tips for finding the lowest airfare? Let us know in the comments below.

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast In this week's frequent flyer podcast we are joined by Rick, frugal travel guy, to discuss churning credit cards for the most frequent flyer and hotel points. Listen as we discuss: How you can apply for up multiple credit cards at once and apply again several times per year to get the most miles. Why you should check your credit score against multiple agencies Learning which credit agencies pull your score through other sites like creditboards.com (see their credit pulls database once you are a member) or Rick's Flyertalk thread that is a mini database of credit card pulls. A FICO credit score above 700 is recommended for credit card churning A VantageScore of at least 800 (B or good) Keep track of your promotions with copies of your application, promotion details, and first card charges (if required to fulfill the promo) Don't cancel your card until it's going to cost you money. If it doesn't cost you anything, hang on to the credit card until they ask for an annual fee A denial does not hurt your score, its only the inquiry. The inquiry usually drops your credit score by 2 to 5 points.  Obviously if you apply to several and you are not getting approve, then you shouldn't be applying  Keep your scores in the good to very good range Got any credit card churning tips? Let us know in the comments below.

By Upgrd Podcast - Upgrd Podcast In this week's frequent flyer podcast we are joined by Allen of Corporate Flight Management to discuss their new program socialflights.com. On social flights, individuals can group together to secure a corporate jet to fly to the same city. Groups are formed for special events (sporting event, shopping etc) and contract together to use the plane bypassing all the headaches of commercial flying. More interestingly is the ability to fly on an empty leg (when they are repositioning the corporate jet). Starting at $150 you can fly on corporate jet between a large number of cities. Sounds like a good reason to mileage run!