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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?
174 Episodes
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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 benefits from Venture X Biz cards, a Chase 20% Flying Blue transfer...
2Episode 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 promotions. Angie shared her own recent credit card approvals a...
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 on the departure location, and Citi’s new transfer relationsh...
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 shares updates on her app-o-rama (with mixed results), booki...
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 Florida routes from Long Island, United’s Mileage Play promo,...
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 Airlines credit cards will remain available, a recently expired U...
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 over half a million points, possibly up to a million, to follow the...
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 sweepstakes, Hyatt added more Standard and Bunkhouse propertie...
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 booking platform, a 100k mile welcome offer on the new United ...
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 updates include Amex offering a 15% transfer bonus to LifeMiles, ...
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 also mentions rumors of a Ritz-Carlton card fee hike and credits...
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. Angie attempted to apply for the Chase Sapphire Reserve busine...
In Episode 126 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, Angie Sparks welcomes back Mike Zaccheo, who just returned from a two-week Alaska adventure with 18 family members. The trip included a cruise from Vancouver through Glacier Bay and College Fjord, followed by a land segment from Whittier to Anchorage, Denali, and Fairbanks. Mike recapped highlights like ziplining in Skagway, a mushing experience with an Iditarod competitor, and scenic rail rides with Alaska Railroad. He also shared the chaos of ...
In Episode 125 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, hosts Angie Sparks and Cameron Laufer dive into a variety of hot topics in the travel and points world before focusing on a destination deep-dive into Iceland. They discuss recent credit card offers, including elevated Hilton Amex bonuses and a new Alaska Airlines Visa offer with a rare companion fare deal. Hyatt's bonus point promotion and Oman Air's upcoming entry into the Oneworld Alliance are also covered. On the personal front, both hosts s...
In Episode 124 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, host Angie Sparks is joined by organizers of the renowned Chicago Seminars, the oldest and largest in-person gathering for the points and miles community. The event, taking place November 7–9, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, will feature over 50 sessions, nearly 50 expert speakers, and aims to build on last year’s success, which raised over $30,000 for charity. With over 500 attendees expected, the seminar is a packed, sleep-deprived, info-fi...
Episode 123 of the Award Travel 101 podcast covers a variety of travel rewards topics, including a debate over using Ultimate Rewards vs. Capital One points for the same flight. The hosts, Angie Sparks and Mike Zaccheo, also discuss major updates in the travel industry, such as United and JetBlue’s Blue Sky partnership, Chase’s new welcome bonuses on IHG credit cards, and the finalization of Capital One’s acquisition of Discover Bank. Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines implements new policies that...
In Episode 122 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, Cameron Laufer is joined by Emmanuel Crouvisier from CardPointers to discuss the latest news in travel rewards, new credit card offers, and tips for maximizing points. A standout feature of the episode is the deep dive into CardPointers, a tool designed to help users optimize their credit card rewards. Emmanuel explains how CardPointers was born and offers a detailed walk-through of its features, including the “For You,” “Pointers,” and “Offers”...
In Episode 121 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, Angie Sparks and Mike Zaccheo recap a packed week of travel news, personal updates, and a deep dive into the recent "Magnificent Miles Meetup" in Chicago. They highlight a popular Facebook post comparing Andaz Maui and HR Maui, with opinions divided based on points cost and who’s traveling with you. News-wise, they cover Hawaiian Airlines parting ways with Amex, a Citi to Wyndham 25% transfer bonus, Flying Blue dropping Delta award prices for 20...
In Episode 120 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, Mike Zaccheo and Angie Sparks cover Angie’s recent trip to Slovenia and Croatia, blending personal travel highlights with timely award travel news. Big community updates include the long-awaited announcement of the 2025 Chicago Seminars (Nov 7–9 at HR ORD), changes to Emirates First Class award access for elites only, and generous summer promotions from Best Western and Marriott Homes & Villas. Hyatt also announced a cap on the number of awa...
In Episode 119 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, Mike and Maria kick things off with a community highlight from Paul, who shared his unique travel ritual of getting haircuts abroad to experience local culture. This sparked a lively discussion, with other members mentioning grocery stores, tattoos, children’s books, and grooming services as ways to engage with destinations more deeply. The hosts then dove into news: Chase's 100K Sapphire Preferred offer is ending soon, Alaska Airlines added Phi...
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This podcast is fantastic, especially loved the one on not paying full price for gas! Appreciate all your time here, Richard, and keep it up! 👍