Award Travel 101
Welcome to the Award Travel 101 Podcast! Founded in 2013 with just 20 members, the Award Travel 101 Facebook group teaches members how to travel the world using points and miles. Today, a community of over 100,000+ people from around the world share, teach and learn how to travel anywhere on any budget. Where are you going with Award Travel?
Episodes
In Episode 146, Angie Sparks and Joe Petrovic recap their weekend at Chicago Seminars, highlight a timely AT201 post about preparing for phone theft while traveling, and cover key news including IHG’s 100% points bonus, an elevated United Club Card offer, and early hints of a new Hyatt credit card. They also touch on current transfer bonuses, mileage sales, status matches, and the launch of Bilt earnings through Rakuten.
The main di...
This episode features Mike Zaccheo and Angie Sparks diving deep into the world of credit card statement credits and how to maximize them. The episode begins with a highlight post from member Karen, who detailed her inspiring solo round-the-world trip at age 60, showing how miles, points, and determination can unlock life-changing travel. In news, the hosts cover Flying Blue’s November Promo Rewards offering discounted redemptions f...
Joe returns to host, joined by first-time guest James He and former moderator Eric Holly. The highlight post covers a member’s lost hotel item and how travelers handle forgotten valuables. In the news: Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer devaluation, a new JetBlue–United partnership allowing reciprocal earning and redemptions (with limited premium space), and a rare 25% Chase transfer bonus to Southwest. The team also shares their latest...
This week, Mike Zaccheo and moderator Justin Walter dive deep into Delta SkyMiles after highlighting an inspiring post from Karen, a solo traveler in her 60s who completed a 3-week, around-the-world business- and first-class trip using 326K AA and Virgin miles plus $8.2K in cash for a journey valued at ~$22K. Her itinerary spanned NYC, Tel Aviv, Paris, Tokyo, and Phoenix, with smooth connections, Hyatt stays on points, and carry-on...
Episode 142 of the Award Travel 101 podcast features Angie Sparks joined by guest Carissa Rawson, Director of Travel and Marketing at Rove Miles. The highlight post celebrated member Debbie’s generosity in gifting a Napa Wine Train voucher she couldn’t use, which another member, Lisa, gave to her father-in-law for his 89th birthday. News included Citi Strata Elite’s 100K public offer, elevated cash-back offers on Capital One’s Quic...
Episode 141 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, hosted by Mike Zaccheo with Angie Sparks, opens with the “highlight post” about the demise of the popular Red Aviator “Sub for a SUB” card—long favored for its easy single-purchase American Airlines miles bonus. The news roundup covers major developments: the completion of the Hawaiian-Alaska merger and Alaska’s award chart updates, elevated Chase Ink offers and limited-time Hilton Amex ...
In Episode 140 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, hosts Mike Zaccheo and Cameron Laufer cover a range of topics from heartwarming uses of points to travel industry updates and destination planning. They open with a moving story from a community member who used 18,000 AA miles to fly an old friend across the country for emotional support—highlighting how miles can offer more than just luxury travel. Mike and Cameron then discuss notab...
Episode 139 of the Award Travel 101 podcast featured Angie Sparks and Joseph Petrovic with a recap of the Miami meetup and the latest travel news. The highlight post centered on whether travelers still need local currency, with most members agreeing that while cards dominate, a small amount of cash is still useful in certain locations. Big news included the refreshed Amex Platinum card with an increased $895 annual fee but a slew o...
Episode 138 of the Award Travel 101 podcast opens with Angie Sparks and Mike Zaccheo discussing a highlight post from member Luis, who was abruptly shut down by Amex with over two million points at stake. The community debated the best redemption strategy—ranging from Delta (discouraged) to BA, Aeroplan, or spreading across multiple programs including Hilton. News updates included Capital One removing Priority Pass restaurant benef...
Episode 137 of the Award Travel 101 podcast featured guest Ian Carroll, founder of the award search tool Seats.aero. Angie opened with a highlight post from a member who discovered Chase is now more strictly enforcing repeat-sub restrictions, similar to Amex’s lifetime rules. The episode also covered news of elevated welcome offers on IHG credit cards, refreshed Amex Delta card bonuses, and several ongoing mileage sales and hotel p...
In Episode 136 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, hosts Angie Sparks and Cameron Laufer discuss a variety of travel and points-related topics. They begin with a member highlight, where a listener shares a positive experience using their Saks credit on an Amex Platinum card. The hosts also cover recent travel news, including JetBlue’s new partnership with Condor, which offers redemption opportunities with varied point values depending...
Episode 135 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, hosted by Angie Sparks with Mike Zaccheo, opens with a member story about a mortgage broker advising card closures—sparking near-universal advice to simply find a new broker. In news, they cover the launch of the Alaska Airlines premium card, Frontier’s companion certificates tied to spend, a Southwest temporary Companion Pass promo, and the upcoming Singapore KrisFlyer devaluation.
Angie...
In this episode, Angie and April dive into travel hacks, promotions, and their unforgettable Italian adventures. They highlight a clever mileage-earning strategy from a listener who used a Capital One Shopping portal to rack up over 300,000 miles on a reimbursable business expense—underscoring the value of stacking credit card offers and shopping portals. Travel news includes JetBlue’s launch of a full-service travel portal and new...
This episode hosted by Mike and Angie , opens with a highlight post from Ira asking about easy, at-home ways to use various Amex statement credits. Angie explains that some, like Dunkin’ and office supply store credits, can be used online, while others, like the dining credit, are best used in person or via services like Grubhub. In the news segment, they cover Chase co-branded card multiplier promos, confirmation that Hawaiian Air...
In Episode 132 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, host Mike Zaccheo is joined by community member Heather Killingbeck to dive into how her passion for the Dave Matthews Band (DMB) intersects with her love of points and miles. Heather shares how a spontaneous trip to a DMB show in Mexico led to meaningful friendships and a realization that she needed to make concert travel more affordable—enter points and miles. She's since used ...
In Episode 131 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, hosts Angie Sparks, Anthony Cave, and Justin Walter kicked things off with a community discussion where member Antha asked whether to use points for a premium cabin on the outbound or return leg of a trip. The consensus leaned toward upgrading the overnight flight for better rest, with 66% of the poll agreeing. The episode also covered a range of updates: Choice Privileges launched a ...
In Episode 130 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, Mike Zaccheo and Angie Sparks dive into a range of updates and insights. They kick things off with a community highlight from Chris, who shared a Europe trip report and crowd-sourced suggestions for future destinations—Angie recommended Slovenia. They then covered loyalty program news, including a Flying Blue and Accor giveaway of 1 million points, Bilt’s new Virtuoso-partnered hotel ...
In Episode 129 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, Mike and Cameron explore key updates in the points and miles space and take a deep dive into premium travel credit card comparisons. They begin by discussing a community post on whether it’s better to use points or pay cash for travel—highlighting that the decision depends on factors like point balances, ease of replenishing, cents-per-point value, and potential devaluations. News upd...
In Episode 128 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, Angie Sparks and Joseph Petrovic discuss the latest promotions, program changes, and their evolving card strategies. They highlight a popular 50% DoorDash promo that pairs well with Chase credits, and cover news such as Choice Privileges’ status match through 2026, Aeroplan’s points expiration returning this November, and the ability to book Porter Airlines with Alaska miles. Angie al...
Episode 126 of the Award Travel 101 podcast kicks off with hosts Angie Sparks and Joseph Petrovic diving into a community trip report featuring Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. The post highlights how award travel makes such adventures possible, prompting Joe to reflect on the gratitude he feels for being part of this group. From card application hurdles to trip upgrades, Angie and Joe share personal experiences and travel wins. ...
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