Frequent Miler on the Air

4.9 (611)
PLACES & TRAVEL
UPDATED WEEKLY

Earn 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.

1D AGO

Disney® Inspire Visa® Card | Coffee Break Ep92 | 2-9-26

Today we're going to look at the details of the new Disney® Inspire Visa® Card, and we'll talk about whether or not it's worth considering. (00:25) - New Disney® Inspire Visa® Card Learn more about this card here (02:23) - Is this worth getting for someone planning an upcoming Disney trip? (04:07) - Is this worth getting for a regular Disney fan to keep long-term, specifically for Disney spend? (10:27) - Is this worth getting for a Disney fan to keep long-term for all spend? Visit https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don’t forget to like and follow us on social media. Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads Mentioned in this episode: Visit FrequentMiler.com Did you know that Frequent Miller is also a website? At frequentMiller.com, you'll find all the latest deals, news about points, miles, and rewarding credit cards, the single best, Best Credit Cards page on the web, guides to all popular rewards programs, and many other terrific resources. If you'd like to get our posts sent to your email, go to frequentMiller.com/subscribe and sign up for free. https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/

15 min
3D AGO

Do we undervalue Delta card welcome offers? | Ask Us Anything Ep83 | 2-4-26

Do we undervalue Delta card welcome offers? How do you guys maximize SkyTeam? We answered these and many other questions on the Ask Us Anything hosted live on February 4th of 2026. (00:39) - Given the amount of travel and exposure to different cultures that the whole frequent miler team has had over the years, what experiences have changed how you live day to day back home? For example, after a trip to Italy, I became very interested in espresso to the point where I bought myself an espresso machine that I now use every morning. Has something similar happened for you all? (07:42) - Greg and Nick laugh at the idea of “things we do to keep the banks happy,” but only after they spent the Main Event discussing how they spend extraordinary amounts on credit cards – which surely keeps the banks happy! I appreciate Nick mentioning that his habit of keeping Amex cards >1 year might make Amex happy, but it’d be nice to keep some perspective given that most listeners/readers/watchers aren’t spending nearly the same amount as you two. So it’s logical that we might think more about “keeping the bank happy”. (13:23) - Should I open frequent flyer accounts at EVERY possible airline? Is there any downside? (14:57) - Has anyone here applied for the Disney Inspire card? (19:08) - What would you pay for a subscription to a benefit? How do you value the Alaska Atmos 100K companion fare? (23:06) - For issuers other than Amex, are there any pitfalls to be aware of when buying merchant-branded gift cards online to hit minimum spend for SUBs, from obvious gift card websites like DoorDash Gift Cards? (27:13) - I'm overwhelmed. Do you use a flowchart on how to make decisions on how something is booked? For Loyalty points, using points, using cash, using a portal, which portal... (32:55) - Do you think we undervalue Delta card welcome offers? The 15% discount gives you more award flight buying power. 90k miles gives you the buying power of 103,500. Is that a bad way to frame it? (35:20) - Do you think of Citi transfers to AA as the best transfer option, similar to Chase and Hyatt? (40:26) - What are your thoughts about the revised BofA Air France/KLM Visa card? I have thought that that card is a acutally better for SkyTeam than any Delta Airlines related card. AF/KLM vs. Delta cards? (42:25) - Is it possible to change which airline is credited to a flight after your bags are checked but before the flight departs? I'd like to get my free AA bags but have the flight credited to Alaska (46:13) - Best use of Wyndham now that Vacasa is gone and no Caesar match in Vegas? Any other options like Vacasa? (48:40) - My friend wants to transfer 100,000 Citi points to me. I know that’s the yearly limit, and they expire in 90 days. My question is, if I get them then transfer them, do my ThankYou Points transfer first or the gifted ThankYou points (49:30) - Since Delta is crazily underwhelming, how do you guys maximize SkyTeam? (51:55) - Do any of the FM team ever get denied for credit cards? Has anyone ever been in pop-up prison? How do you avoid denials? Visit https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don’t forget to like and follow us on social media. Music Credit – “swappin’ back n’ forth” by up @ night

57 min
5D AGO

Battle of the $350 airline cards: AA, Delta, United (and Alaska) | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep344 | 2-6-26

In this episode, we'll take Hyatt on a mattress run, we'll answer "Is Tyler crazy for liking the Bilt Paladium card?", and Nick disagrees with our entire main event! Giant Mailbag(01:07) - Tyler disagrees with all the negative feedback that the Bilt program is getting (06:01) - Read more about Greg's thoughts on Bilt changes here Card News(08:18) - Atmos Ascent ($95 card) offer Learn more about the Atmos Ascent card here (10:24) - Southwest consumer card offers: Companion Pass + bonus points Learn more about the Southwest consumer card offers here Mattress Running the Numbers(13:08) - Hyatt's overlapping promos Learn more about the Hyatt Bonus Journeys here Learn more about the Hyatt House / Hyatt Studios promo here Bonvoyed(21:00) - Chase makes it harder to track Ink Business Cash® 5x spending Learn more about this here Awards, Points, and More(22:09) - Capital One: 30% transfer bonus to Japan Airlines Mileage Bank Read about Japan Airlines sweet spots here: https://frequentmiler.com/best-uses-of-japan-airlines-mileage-bank-miles/ Learn more about the transfer bonus here: https://frequentmiler.com/30-transfer-bonus-from-capital-one-miles-to-japan-airlines-mileage-bank/ See our podcast episode 325 "Sweet-spot awards courtesy of Japan Airlines" here: https://frequentmiler.com/sweet-spot-awards-courtesy-of-japan-airlines-frequent-miler-on-the-air-ep325-9-26-25/ (25:26) - Citi is still allowing product changes between AAdvantage and ThankYou point cards Learn more about Citi no longer allowing product changes between AAdvantage and ThankYou point cards here: https://frequentmiler.com/is-citi-no-longer-allowing-product-changes-between-aadvantage-and-thankyou-point-cards/ (29:03) - Rove "Built Better" promo Read more about the Rove "Built Better" promo here: https://frequentmiler.com/rove-built-better-promo-7x-on-hotel-stays-bonus-earnings-free-miles/ Main Event: Battle of the $350 airline cards: AA, Delta, United (and Alaska)(32:40:09) - Comparing $350 airline cards: AA, Delta, United (and Alaska) (35:33) - Earnings on spend (40:25) - All offer standard airline card perks such as free checked...

1h 16m
FEB 3

Barclays AA cards: planning the transition to Citi | Coffee Break Ep91 | 2-3-26

If you have an American Airlines card issued by Barclays, it won't be a Barclays card for much longer, as AA cards will transition to Citi instead. So what does that mean for you? We'll answer some common questions about this transition in today's podcast episode. Barclays AA cards: planning the transition to CitiRead more about the Barclays to Citi transition here. (01:03) - April 24, 2026, the bank that issues your AAdvantage® credit card is changing from Barclays Bank Delaware to Citibank, N.A. (Citi) (02:15) - $99 cards (02:45) - Silver to Globe See our episode about the Globe card here. (03:24) - Barclays vs Citi Companion Certs (11:45) - Should we cancel our Barclays cards before the changeover? (16:38) - Disadvantages to cancelling BEFORE (23:07) - Should we apply for Citi AA cards before the changeover? (24:25) - What are Nick and Greg going to do? Visit https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don’t forget to like and follow us on social media. Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads

28 min
JAN 30

How we increase spend to earn big card bonuses | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep343 | 1-30-26

In today's episode, we discover that not all heroes have capes, some redeem rewards! We learn a trick for extending Southwest flight credits, and we tell all: how we increase our credit card spend. (01:06) - See our podcast episode 197, "13 ways to increase credit card spend" here Giant Mailbag(01:37) - Mike: We can be heroes...just for one day Listen to our episode about sharing miles and points here (03:58) - Brent: Charitable giving Listen to our podcast about rewards from giving here Card News(09:15) - Bilt quietly removed eBay & Facebook Marketplace as exclusions Read more about this here Mattress Running the Numbers(10:39) - Bilt Rent Day transfer bonus to Accor Awards, Points, and More(19:21) - Southwest credits are valid for 60 months in some situations (23:22) - JetBlue 25for25 stats (29:16) - Capital One Shopping Home Page Bonus Offers Read more about Capital One Shopping home page bonus offers here Main Event: How we increase spend to earn big card bonuses(32:55) - See our podcast episode 197, "13 ways to increase credit card spend" here (33:57) - Today, we'll describe the ways we (Nick and I) increase spend in real life (34:15) - About paying fees (37:43) - Pay taxes Read about paying taxes via credit card here (45:23) - Use a service to pay bills that don’t ordinarily accept a credit card, like Plastiq Learn more about Plastiq here (52:07) - Melio Learn more about Melio here (53:49) - Fund college savings or pay student loans Learn about miles for college here (1:01:12) - Make loans through Kiva Learn about Kiva here (1:03:40) - Pay bills for friends or family (1:07:10) - Fund new bank accounts Learn more about funding a bank account with a credit card here (1:11:52) - Buy and sell merchandise Learn about buying groups here (1:13:13) - Buy and sell gift cards Learn about buying and selling gift cards...

1h 33m
JAN 27

Bilt Cash: Couponization to the Max | Coffee Break Ep90 | 1-27-26

With Bilt 2.0, Bilt introduced a complicated new rewards currency called "Bilt Cash". We're going to try to dissect that today. CB: Bilt Cash: Couponization to the Max(00:11) - Bilt 2.0: 3 new cards, 2 complicated ways to earn points on housing payments; and 1 complicated new rewards currency... Bilt Cash Read more about it here: https://frequentmiler.com/bilt-cash-how-to-use/ (00:57) - Earning Bilt Cash (02:12) - December 31 Bilt Cash Gets Trashed Day (02:45) - Using Bilt Cash (10:41) - Evaluating Bilt Cash uses (16:45) - Coupons Visit https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don’t forget to like and follow us on social media. Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads

29 min
JAN 23

Discarding our card collections | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep342 | 1-23-26

In today's episode, we'll talk about a trick for getting great value with Delta miles, which has returned, how flying Emirates first with points has gotten harder, and the hard truth about how we have too many cards (and what to do about it). Giant Mailbag(01:52) - Using AAdvantage miles to book JetSmart and other tips for South America travel Card News(04:10) - Air France/KLM Flying Blue Read more about Air France KLM flying blue here (15:38) - Capital One Venture Rewards: 75K + $250 travel after $4K spend (18:35) - Bilt Cash details revealed Catch up on how Bilt bungled the rollout here Bonvoyed(21:06) - Qantas Nerfs Emirates First Class Awards Read more about this here Awards, Points, and More(23:34) - Delta trick lowering award prices by booking flights to/from Mexico, working once again (25:20) - Alaska $99 Companion Fares can be used with the multi-city tool on the regular booking engine again (26:35) - American Airlines Awards flying Aer Lingus Now Available Online Main Event: Discarding our card collections(28:14) - Find out which premium cards we think are keepers here (31:41) - Greg's thoughts about keeper cards (35:25) - $795 Sapphire Reserve® Card Example (read more about our thoughts here) (57:45) - $325 American Express® Gold Card example (1:04:44) - $895 American Express Platinum Card® example (1:14:58) - Cards Greg and Nick have discarded recently Question of the Week(1:24:08) - American Express® Gold Card with 4x dining vs Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Card with 3x dining + status... which one is worth it? Subscribe and FollowVisit https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don’t forget to like and follow us on social media. Music Credit – “Ocean Deep” by Annie Yoder

1h 33m
JAN 20

Marriott vs. Hyatt: Which 5 free night offer is better? | Coffee Break Ep89 | 1-20-26

Chase is out with offers for both their Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card and Chase World of Hyatt Credit Card, both offering up to 5 free nights. So which of these offers is better? (00:32) - World of Hyatt Card (01:17) - Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Card (01:36) - Which is better? (01:47) - Marriott advantages (05:17) - Hyatt advantages (08:10) - Caution: Annual category changes coming soon (last year it was March 25 for Hyatt, unknown for Marriott) (09:28) - Final answer Visit https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don’t forget to like and follow us on social media. Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn Heads

16 min

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Greg Davis-Kean

Host
Nick Reyes

Host

4.9

out of 5

611 Ratings

Travel Hacker’s Bible

12/22/2025

yousavvy

If you’re into the travel hacking game. Getting extreme value and benefits through credit cards, promotions, and manufacturered spending…. Look no further! These guys are the gospel. They give great insight to wire or retire your brain to see opportunities and travel the world incredibly cheaply or in otherwise often out of reach luxury! Nick and Greg have natural chemistry. Batting ideas effortlessly and giving keen insight into the game. Definitely recommend listening to these guys and following the blog. There are many blogs in this space, but I find them the most honest and fun!!
Points & Miles Staple

11/29/2025

Palmo23

I’ve been listening for roughly 1.5 years and this podcast has accelerated my family’s points and miles journey. Thank you Greg and Nick for the endless information and knowledge!
Enjoyed Frommer interview

10/15/2025

Gitloml

Enjoyed Frommer interview!
The best travel podcast

09/15/2025

EJorgensen18

Frequent miler should be required listening for anyone who wants to get into points and miles. I’ve learned so much from this podcast and continue to learn new things each week. Thanks for all you guys do!