MTM Travel - The Fun Side of Points & Travel!

Shawn Coomer & Mark Ostermann
  • 4.6 (339)
  • Places & Travel
  • Updated Weekly

The fun side of miles, points and travel! Hosted by Shawn Coomer and Mark Ostermann, MTM Travel dives into the points hobby & the lifestyle of travel with topical conversations and plenty of laughs along the way. Mark & Shawn have a combined 18 years of experience covering these topics on Miles to Memories and Travel on Points and are cohosts of the popular MtM Vegas Youtube Show on the Miles to Memories Vegas channel. They also host the 20 Minute Travel news show on this same feed where you can keep up with the latest deals, news and happenings.

  1. 1d ago

    The FHR City Nobody Talks About, LifeMiles Wastes Our Time Again & Resy's Big Expansion

    Get a $230 gift card after your first payment of $500 with Melio (affiliate) - https://milestomemories.com/go/melio/ Mark figured out how to pull $400 in credits out of a single San Antonio trip, and it only works because of one thing most people never think to do. Amex also just added 350 properties to Fine Hotels and Resorts, including brands that never used to show up, and Resy quietly expanded into a whole new platform you have probably never heard of. Then there is LifeMiles, who sent Mark an email to resolve his refund and gave him 19 hours to respond before the case expired. Plus Bilt Cash finally works on Blade, and Shawn booked a five night cruise with free drinks for about $300 out the door. Let us know in the comments if you hate LifeMiles as much as Mark does. Episode Guide: 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel 0:22 Hunting for FHR Under $300 3:04 The San Antonio Double Credit Trick 6:32 Booking Crockfords for a Birthday 8:28 Amex Adds 350 FHR Properties 9:34 Resy Expands Into Tock 11:03 Using inKind Without Embarrassing Yourself 14:55 Melio's $230 Offer  16:07 Why We're Done With LifeMiles 17:12 The 19 Hour Email 23:14 Bilt Cash Now Works on Blade 26:02 A Solo Cruise for $300 28:48 Final Thoughts Links FHR Resy expansion - https://milestomemories.com/two-popular-amex-credits-see-massive-expansion/ Bilt blade - https://milestomemories.com/bilt-members-can-book-blade-flights-with-bilt-cash/ ✈️ Track your travel credit cards for free 📧 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

  2. 5d ago

    Hyatt Cancels Your Stay Then Charges You More, Plus Amex Kills the Offer Loader & US Bank Fumbles

    Get a $230 gift card after your first payment of $500 with Melio (affiliate) - https://milestomemories.com/go/melio/ Hyatt canceled a Diamond member's Big Sur stay because of the fires. Then they told him what it would cost to rebook it, and the number is not what he originally paid. CardPointers just broke for almost everyone, US Bank finally launched transfer partners and then took two of them back within a day, and Hilton has a quiet trick that is making your free night certs useless. Also, people waited over eight hours in Vegas this week for $200.  Episode Guide: 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel 0:28 Hyatt Wants 90,000 More Points 5:37 Is Any Hotel Worth 75K a Night? 6:12 US Bank Adds Transfer Partners (Then Removes Two) 8:38 Why US Bank Feels Like a Mom and Pop Bank 12:43 CardPointers Breaks for 90% of Users 16:00 Hilton Is Hiding Standard Awards 18:08 The Hotel Owner Compensation Fight 20:23 Treasure Island's $200 Free Play Chaos 21:05 Eight Hour Lines (And How to Skip Them) 24:48 Final Thoughts Links US Bank xfers - https://milestomemories.com/u-s-bank-launches-transfer-partners-program/ Cardpointers issues - https://dannydealguru.com/cardpointers-not-working-amex-offers/ Hilton FNCs - https://loyaltylobby.com/2026/08/08/reader-comment-hilton-standard-room-rewards-becoming-practically-unavailable-worldwide/#google_vignette ✈️ Track your travel credit cards for free 📧 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

  3. Aug 10

    Your Free Upgrade Just Got Worse, Admiral's Club Prices Explode & Hotel Secrets That Actually Work!

    Get a $230 gift card after your first payment of $500 with Melio (affiliate) - https://milestomemories.com/go/melio/ American Airlines is raising Admiral's Club membership from $700 to $850 up to $1,200 to $1,400 depending on status, which conveniently makes the Executive card look like a much better deal even after its annual fee went from $595 to $695. That card now includes a $500 travel credit, up to three authorized users for $175 total, and doubles the bonus loyalty points you can earn from 20,000 to 40,000, so it is a real shortcut if you are chasing status. Less good is AA changing elite upgrades on three cabin planes, so your complimentary upgrade now only gets you from economy to premium economy, and reaching business means buying premium economy first. Hyatt on the other hand launched one of the best promos we have seen, a free night certificate for every three qualifying nights at Latin America and Caribbean resorts, up to five certs, though the timing quirks are strange since you have to register by the end of September for stays in the first quarter of next year. We close with an epic thread from a hotel check in agent covering nine things that actually work, from the email to send 72 hours out to why checking in later gets you a better room, and the notes hotels are quietly keeping on you. Let us know in the comments if the Executive card is worth it now. Episode Guide: 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel 0:30 The Gate Agent Who Sang to a Delayed Flight 1:53 A Brutal Travel Weekend (5 Hours on the Tarmac) 6:08 Lake Life & The End of Summer 8:11 Admiral's Club Prices Jump to $1,400 12:26 AA Guts First Class Elite Upgrades 16:13 Hyatt's Caribbean Promo: A Free Night Per 3 Nights 20:18 9 Hotel Check-In Secrets 20:49 Never Book Third Party 22:07 The Email to Send 72 Hours Before 23:36 Why You Should Check In Later 24:17 Use Their Name 26:52 Free Stuff You Can Just Ask For 30:53 What Hotels Write About You 34:38 Final Thoughts Links Check-in tips - https://www.x.com/Kevincreates77/status/2083124490783846514 AA singing - https://x.com/TrashPandaNever/status/2085805790212800886/video/1?s=46 AA lounge skyrockets - https://onemileatatime.com/news/american-admirals-club-membership-fees-increasing/ AA executive refresh - https://milestomemories.com/citi-aadvantage-executive-card-refresh/ New Hyatt promo - https://milestomemories.com/hyatts-latin-america-caribbean-promotion/ ✈️ Track your travel credit cards for free 📧 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

  4. Aug 6

    Three Things Got Worse This Week: Sapphire Lounges, Singapore Awards & AA Refunds

    Join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/milestomemories point.me (affiliate): https://milestomemories.com/go/point-me/ Seats.aero (affiliate) : https://milestomemories.com/go/seats-aero/ Grab some merch: https://mtmvegas.shop Chase is cutting Priority Pass access to Sapphire Lounges entirely, which is likely about overcrowding but stings if you were counting on it, though they did loosen the connection window from three hours to five. Singapore Airlines is also restricting award searches, with people unable to search without miles or recent activity and no public explanation, almost certainly an attempt to stop bots and scraping, and we get into why that is a frustrating way to treat customers whose miles mostly come from credit card transfers anyway. American Airlines is aligning its 24 hour cancellation policy with the federal minimum, dropping from a 48 hour window to the legal 168 hours, though award tickets are unaffected. On the tools side, point.me added map area pricing, points balance valuations, and side by side flight comparisons, and we talk through how point.me, Seats.aero, and PointsPath each fit differently into an award search routine. Shawn also recaps an impromptu Disneyland trip with two Hyatt Regency stays, including a category one through four cert on a $400 room and a night that cost 20,000 points against a $120 cash rate, plus why hotel parking fees have quietly doubled everywhere. We close with the surprisingly contentious question of what to write on the tip line as a Hyatt Globalist. Also, Mark has a Lululemon story. Let us know in the comments what your favorite award search tool is. Episode Guide: 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel 0:31 Mark's Lululemon Story 4:23 The Lululemon Gift Card Problem 8:20 Singapore Restricts Award Searches 12:19 point.me's New Search Features 14:06 Which Award Tool Should You Use? 16:47 An Impromptu Disneyland Trip 18:32 20,000 Points for a $120 Room 20:08 Hyatt Gift Cards Are Still a Pain 22:56 Hotel Parking Fees Have Doubled 25:26 Sapphire Lounges Cut Priority Pass 27:20 AA Cuts Last-Minute Refunds 29:40 What Do You Write on the Globalist Tip Line? 33:04 When It's Worth Pushing Back 41:08 Final Thoughts Links Singapore restrictions - https://milestomemories.com/singapore-airlines-restricts-krisflyer-award-searches/ AA changes - https://milestomemories.com/american-airlines-tightens-24-hour-cancellation-policy/ Sapphire lounge rules - https://milestomemories.com/chase-sapphire-lounges-will-no-longer-be-part-of-priority-pass/ ✈️ Track your travel credit cards for free 📧 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

  5. Jul 30

    Don't Get Shut Down: What Actually Triggers It, Plus a Wide Open Sweet Spot & Hilton Owner Giveaway

    Get a $200 gift card after your first payment of $500 with Melio (affiliate) - https://milestomemories.com/go/melio/ Get 3 free months of Audible - https://milestomemories.com/audible-subscription-offer-2/ Chase ran a wave of shutdowns this week aimed at people hammering the Amazon card, some reportedly cycling millions a month through buyers group spending, and we walk through Doctor of Credit's full list of what actually triggers a Chase shutdown. More importantly, we cover the three things that catch normal people who are not doing anything extreme, bust out risk on a brand new card, credit limit cycling, and sitting on a massive negative balance. Alaska Atmos also added Philippine Airlines as a partner, and business class availability is wide open at 75,000 miles from San Francisco and 85,000 from Los Angeles, though we get into why Manila is a rough connection point and not really a jumping off spot for the rest of Asia. Seats.aero shipped a Chrome extension that overlays award pricing directly onto Google Flights, and it works well right out of the box. We close with Hilton cutting the fees hotel owners pay, which sounds small at 0.3 percent but is a real chunk of what they collect, and explain why less money coming into the program almost always means devaluations for you. Let us know in the comments what your favorite award search tool is. Episode Guide: 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel 0:19 Lake Life & Too Many Houseguests 2:05 Chase Shuts Down Amazon Card Users 3:45 What Actually Triggers a Chase Shutdown 6:43 The Three That Catch Normal People 9:30 Seats.aero's New Chrome Extension 12:13 Alaska Adds Philippine Airlines 16:46 Hilton Cuts the Fees Owners Pay 18:48 Hilton Rise & Falling Brand Standards 23:12 Hotel Rates Have Doubled 24:05 Final Thoughts Links Chase shutdown wave - https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-amazon-prime-shutdown-large-spend-inactivity/ What causes shutdowns - https://www.doctorofcredit.com/what-causes-chase-credit-card-shutdowns/ Seats.aero Chrome - https://milestomemories.com/seats-aero-chrome-extension-adds-award-prices-to-google-flights/ Atmos award space - https://milestomemories.com/book-philippine-airlines-business-with-atmos/ Hilton cutting fees for owners - https://onemileatatime.com/news/hilton-cuts-loyalty-fees-hotel-owners-pay-bad-hilton-honors-members/ ✈️ Track your travel credit cards for free 📧 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

  6. Jul 28

    Is Premium Economy Actually Fine? Plus Bilt Responds, Hilton Overcharges & Mark Influences Again!

    Get a $200 gift card after your first payment of $500 with Melio (affiliate) - https://milestomemories.com/go/melio/ Get 3 free months of Audible - https://milestomemories.com/audible-subscription-offer-2/ Bilt responded to the pricing problem we covered last week, and Richard Kerr reached out directly about the resort fee disclosure issue on their travel portal. There is a toggle that shows all in pricing, but it is buried where almost nobody will find it, and we make the case it belongs right on the initial search screen. Mark also found something stranger, the same hotel priced 10 to 15 dollars differently between his account and his wife's, which opens a real conversation about personalized pricing in the age of AI. On the hotel side, Hilton charged him roughly $280 a night for rooms he booked entirely on points, a good reminder to always check your folio before you leave. Then we get into whether premium economy is good enough for a 13 hour flight home from Seoul, why the footrest works great if you are short and terribly if you are tall, and how the snobbery in this hobby has quietly faded as award space has dried up. Plus Mark's 75,000 point Aeroplan booking to see Wrexham, the transfer bonuses ending this month, and the Virgin points to AMC popcorn trick that finally wore Shawn down. Let us know in the comments whether you would take the nonstop in premium economy or connect in business. Episode Guide: 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel 0:18 Hilton Charged Us for a Points Stay 4:01 Bilt Responds to the Pricing Problem 7:33 We Need a Hotel Pricing Law 10:47 Two Accounts, Two Different Prices 15:29 Is Premium Economy Good Enough? 17:36 The Footrest Problem (If You're Tall) 19:12 The Snobbery Has Faded 22:38 Points as an Emergency Fund 25:41 A 75K Aeroplan Booking to See Wrexham 31:23 Transfer Bonuses Ending This Month 33:07 The Virgin Points Popcorn Hack 35:41 Final Thoughts Links Current transfer bonuses - https://milestomemories.com/current-transfer-bonuses/ ✈️ Track your travel credit cards for free 📧 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

  7. Jul 23

    Bilt Is Hiding Fees, Chase Cracks Down on Abusers & BofA's SEXY New Retention Avenue!

    Get a $200 gift card after your first payment of $500 with Melio (affiliate) - https://milestomemories.com/go/melio/ Get 3 free months of Audible - https://milestomemories.com/audible-subscription-offer-2/ Both Hyatt cards have increased welcome offers, and we explain why the personal card's 75,000 point headline is a little misleading since a chunk of it is just base earning you would get anyway. Frequent Miler is reporting that Chase quietly added new terms to Chase Offers warning that abuse may get you excluded from future offers, which leads into a real conversation about where the line sits between an error in your favor and outright fraud. Bank of America is now handing out retention offers through its Erica chatbot, so you can click through your cards quickly without ever talking to a person, though accepting one offer appears to lock you out on the rest. United also has new targeted MilePlay promotions, some of them worth 20,000 plus bonus miles just for getting the credit card and opting into notifications. We close with a real problem on Bilt travel, where a hotel showing $279 a night turned into an $800 plus bill at checkout because resort fees were not disclosed up front, something Expedia's own site does correctly. Let us know in the comments what the craziest abuse story you have heard is. Episode Guide: 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel  0:24 Hyatt's New 75K Personal Card Offer 3:07 The Hyatt Business Card: Who It's For 6:34 Chase Warns "Gamers" on Chase Offers 8:20 Where Gaming Becomes Fraud 11:01 BofA Retention Offers Via Chatbot 12:58 A Rough Citi Retention Call 14:26 United's New MilePlay Promotions 17:29 Bilt Travel's Pricing Problem 18:06 The $279 Room That Cost $800 23:38 Final Thoughts Links Hyatt business - https://milestomemories.com/world-of-hyatt-business-card-70k-offer/ Hyatt personal - https://milestomemories.com/75k-bonus-on-word-of-hyatt-card/ Chase Offers - https://milestomemories.com/chase-adding-abuse-warning-to-some-chase-offers/ BofA retention - https://milestomemories.com/check-for-bank-of-america-retention-offers/ MilePlay - https://milestomemories.com/united-airlines-mile-play-promotion/ ✈️ Track your travel credit cards for free 📧 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

  8. Jul 21

    Delta's Basic BS First Class, a Headrest That Saves Economy & New Partnerships Galore!

    Get a $200 gift card after your first payment of $500 with Melio (affiliate) - https://milestomemories.com/go/melio/ Get 3 free months of Audible - https://milestomemories.com/audible-subscription-offer-2/ A huge week of travel news, so we ran through the partnerships and new seat products that actually matter. Delta launched a basic first class following United, stripping out seat selection, upgrades, and same day changes while almost certainly charging you the same, and we explain why it is just a way to make you pay more for what you already got. The good news is United is putting a blocked empty middle seat with its own tray on its A321XLRs, a European style setup that saves them a flight attendant and that we would happily book over regular first, and Emirates is rolling out a folding UDream headrest that could finally make sleeping in economy possible. We also cover the partnership madlibs of the week, Hilton with Explora cruises, Japan Airlines with Marriott Bonvoy, and Air Canada Aeroplan with World of Hyatt, and what each is actually worth. We close with a genuinely useful one, Wyndham doubling its Caesars transfer limit to 60,000 points through September 11th, which is a great way to rescue points before Wyndham's brutal four year expiration hits. Let us know in the comments if a better headrest would get you to fly economy. Episode Guide: 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel 1:10 Hilton x Explora Cruises 4:35 Delta's New Basic First Class 6:47 United's Genius Empty Middle Seat 11:02 The Emirates Headrest That Fixes Economy 15:14 Japan Airlines x Marriott Bonvoy 17:00 Why Economy Is the Real Sweet Spot 20:42 Air Canada Aeroplan x World of Hyatt 23:45 Wyndham Doubles the Caesars Transfer 26:30 Final Thoughts Links Wyndham expiration - https://travelwithgrant.boardingarea.com/2026/06/25/how-to-find-out-when-all-of-your-wyndham-rewards-points-expire/ Hilton cruises - https://milestomemories.com/hilton-honors-launches-explora-journeys-partnership/ United's blocked middle - https://www.united.com/en/us/newsroom/announcements/cision-125474 Emirates headrest - https://onemileatatime.com/news/emirates-u-dream-headrest-economy/ JAL/Marriott - https://milestomemories.com/marriott-bonvoy-japan-airlines-partnership/ Hyatt/Aeroplan - https://milestomemories.com/world-of-hyatt-and-air-canada-aeroplan-launch-new-partnership/ ✈️ Track your travel credit cards for free 📧 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

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Hosts & Guests

4.6
out of 5
339 Ratings

About

The fun side of miles, points and travel! Hosted by Shawn Coomer and Mark Ostermann, MTM Travel dives into the points hobby & the lifestyle of travel with topical conversations and plenty of laughs along the way. Mark & Shawn have a combined 18 years of experience covering these topics on Miles to Memories and Travel on Points and are cohosts of the popular MtM Vegas Youtube Show on the Miles to Memories Vegas channel. They also host the 20 Minute Travel news show on this same feed where you can keep up with the latest deals, news and happenings.

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