MTM Travel - The Fun Side of Points & Travel!

Get a $230 gift card after making a $500 payment with Melio (affiliate) - https://milestomemories.com/go/melio Join MTM Diamond our private community! Slack, meetups, tons of bonus content and more. More info - https://www.patreon.com/milestomemories Four free nights sounds good, but where would you use them? We discuss the new World of Hyatt credit card offer, the changing value of Category 1–4 certificates and why we try to use them before chasing a better redemption. Mark also shares a San Diego booking headache involving an Atmos companion certificate, Virgin Atlantic errors and a misspelled ticket. Plus, Asheville-area hotels turning away local guests, the tragic Learjet crash and how it affects the way we think about flying. The crash investigation is ongoing. And Mark's attempt to teach a new driver leads to a parking-lot argument and a familiar dad moment. Episode Guide: 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel 0:43 Teaching a new driver 2:58 Mark's parking-lot confrontation 5:35 Getting back behind the wheel after a rough start 7:27 Learning to drive and turning into your dad 9:09 San Diego bookings and an Atmos companion-certificate snag 11:39 Virgin Atlantic errors and a misspelled ticket 14:06 Are points bookings worth the hassle?  16:17 Asheville hotels that turn away locals 18:38 Is there a better way to handle hotel parties? 20:27 The Learjet crash and flying private 23:23 Aircraft design and private-jet safety concerns 25:32 Flight anxiety and seeing crash footage online 27:26 Hyatt's four-free-night credit card offer 29:13 What are Hyatt free-night certificates worth now? 31:05 Use your Hyatt certificates before they expire Links Learjet analysis - https://x.com/hangrydbowman/status/2117336657095508069?s=46&t=B9kWNUIY21TRZnc8tXrfRQ Hyatt 4 free nights - https://milestomemories.com/world-of-hyatt-credit-card-launches-new-bonus-of-5-free-nights/ 💳 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

Get a $230 gift card after making a $500 payment with Melio (affiliate) - https://milestomemories.com/go/melio Join MTM Diamond our private community! Slack, meetups, tons of bonus content and more. More info - https://www.patreon.com/milestomemories Amex retention offers and bonus points aren't coming as easily as they used to, at least in our accounts. We discuss the changes we're seeing, the Pay Over Time changes coming in February 2027 and why the banks keep making their credits harder to use. Plus, a Wall Street Journal story about points "junkies" has us asking why maximizing credit card rewards gets lumped in with dishonest behavior. We also look at Silo's investment rewards and whether earning extra points is a good enough reason to move your portfolio. Amazon's targeted Membership Rewards offers are reaching more accounts, Audible has another deal and Discover's first-year cash back could add up nicely with the right timing. We talk through the math, the catches and when chasing more points just isn't worth the trouble. Episode Guide: 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel 1:18 Silo: Earning points on your investments 4:12 When chasing more points isn't worth it 7:25 Amazon's targeted Amex offers return 9:50 Audible's latest deal 11:04 Why the WSJ's points "junkies" story misses the mark 14:21 Amex, AI and the rewards cat-and-mouse game 17:12 Amex Pay Over Time changes coming in 2027 19:03 Where did the Amex retention offers go? 21:26 Business cards and bigger welcome bonuses 23:39 Why deals die faster and benefits should be simpler 25:14 Discover's first-year cash back strategy 27:18 Final thoughts Links Silo - https://frequentmiler.com/silo/ Amazon MR discount - https://milestomemories.com/40-off-amazon-order-with-amex-membership-rewards-points/ Audible deal - https://milestomemories.com/audible-subscription-offer-2/ WSJ article - https://www.wsj.com/finance/banking/the-cat-and-mouse-game-between-premium-credit-card-firms-and-points-junkies-8ce2e30a?st=Ajqypp&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink Discover stacking - https://milestomemories.com/200-discover-card-bonus/ Amex changes - https://milestomemories.com/changes-coming-to-amex-pay-over-time-feature/  https://milestomemories.com/honeymoons-over-considering-those-amex-platinum-benefit-changes/ 💳 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

Get a $230 gift card after making a $500 payment with Melio (affiliate) - https://milestomemories.com/go/melio Join MTM Diamond our private community! Slack, meetups, tons of bonus content and more. More info - https://www.patreon.com/milestomemories American and United are still charging solo travelers more on some flights, and the differences can be ridiculous. We dig into Thrifty Traveler's follow-up on solo-passenger pricing, why comparing airfare keeps getting more complicated and where American miles still come in handy. Shawn also shares his first impressions of using Seats.aero inside ChatGPT, and we look at United's huge new Houston lounge. Will 800 seats help, or are we just going to end up with another crowded lounge? Before all that, Shawn explains why he postponed his Asia trip and gave up a hard-to-find STARLUX award. Mark has an emergency hotel stay and a San Diego birthday trip that's turning into a lot of back-and-forth. Plus, scam loan calls that won't stop, iPhone call screening, Epic Universe and the frustrations of planning points trips for friends who aren't into miles and points. Episode Guide: 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel 0:21 Mark's emergency hotel night 2:07 Why Shawn postponed his Asia trip 5:48 Giving up a hard-to-find STARLUX award 6:45 Universal Orlando and Epic Universe 7:55 Scam loan calls that won't stop 9:33 iPhone call screening and avoiding scam links 11:48 Planning points trips for friends 15:28 Award availability won't wait forever 17:26 Seats.aero award searches in ChatGPT 18:55 What AI gets right and wrong about trip planning 21:03 United's huge new Houston lounge 22:42 Will bigger lounges fix overcrowding? 24:20 More airport lounge choices 26:11 When airport food beats lounge food 27:16 Why solo travelers are paying more 28:40 Fare buckets and comparing flight prices 29:27 Should airlines be allowed to charge solo travelers more? 32:34 Where American miles still deliver 34:55 Final thoughts Links Largest lounge - https://x.com/_zachgriff/status/2112954490294849975?s=46 Solo penalty - https://thriftytraveler.com/news/airlines/solo-passenger-penalties-2026/ Seats.aero (affiliate) - http://milestomemories.com/go/seats-aero Thrifty Traveler Premium (affiliate) - http://milestomemories.com/go/thrifty-traveler 💳 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

Get a $230 gift card after making a $500 payment with Melio (affiliate) - https://milestomemories.com/go/melio Join MTM Diamond our private community! Slack, meetups, tons of bonus content and more. More info - https://www.patreon.com/milestomemories Bilt is changing again for 2027, and figuring out what to do shouldn't be this complicated. This week we break down the decision to keep Bilt's current benefits, why we're leaning toward keeping Bilt Cash and how the options could affect your rent, mortgage and hotel rewards. We also discuss the coming Amex Platinum hotel-credit changes and why we're getting more frustrated with the work it takes to use these benefits. Mark is also switching his family to Mint Mobile, which means untangling all those streaming subscriptions that came with his old phone plan. We talk through his new setup, making better use of credits and why Black Friday might be worth waiting for. Plus, Airbnb checkout chores, how we would simplify Bilt and an update on Mark's missing $400 Speedway gift-card balance. A replacement has been approved, but there are still plenty of unanswered questions. Episode Guide: 00:00 Welcome to MTM Travel  00:40 Amex Platinum hotel-credit frustrations 03:19 Airbnb cleaning fees and checkout chores 06:13 Bilt's 2027 program changes 07:13 Bilt Cash changes and keeping current benefits 09:34 Which Bilt benefits would we choose? 12:06 Why Bilt is so complicated and how we'd fix it 15:41 Bilt redemptions and ideas for better spending rewards 18:23 Switching phone plans and saving money 20:40 Reworking streaming subscriptions and credits 22:32 Are all these streaming services worth it?  25:46 Black Friday streaming deals and Walmart+ 26:43 Mark's $400 Speedway gift-card update 27:59 Gift-card security and holding unused balances 31:01 Final thoughts Links Bilt's 2027 changes: https://milestomemories.com/bilt-2027-changes/ How Mark would change Bilt: https://milestomemories.com/bilt-program-changes-i-would-make/   💳 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

Get a $230 gift card after making a $500 payment with Melio (affiliate) - https://milestomemories.com/go/melio Join MTM Diamond our private community! Slack, meetups, tons of bonus content and more. More info - https://www.patreon.com/milestomemories United just changed how you earn Premier status for 2027, and flying more won't get you there the way it used to. Hilton is also rolling out a way to pay your hotel bill with points right in the app, but there's one big unanswered question that decides whether it's any good. Before the news, we recap our Detroit meetup, from getting Bonvoyed twice in one weekend to the points hotel that charged Choice $700 a night, plus a Packers and Lions game we're still arguing about. And is the 5 a.m. flight really the pro move? Are you still chasing airline status in 2027? Let us know in the comments. Episode Guide: 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel 0:27 Recapping Our Detroit Meetup 2:08 Bonvoyed Twice in One Weekend 3:56 The Atheneum Suite Hotel on Choice Points 6:00 Detroit's Hotel Comeback & Greektown 7:46 Michigan Central Station & Corktown 8:43 Packers vs. Lions at Ford Field 10:38 Why Our Meetups Are About Community 12:46 Pedal Pubs, Barcade & New Meetup Lore 15:35 Don't Skip the Motown Museum 16:41 Is the 5 a.m. Flight the Best Flight? 18:15 CLEAR's New Gates at DTW 19:08 The Westin DTW Security Checkpoint Tip 20:02 United Makes Premier Status Harder to Earn 22:28 The Head Start for United Cardholders 23:16 Hilton Launches Pay With Points for Hotel Charges 24:44 What Should Hilton Points Be Worth? 27:19 Final Thoughts Links MTM Diamond - https://www.patreon.com/milestomemories United changes - https://milestomemories.com/united-changing-mileageplus-elite-status-qualification/ Hilton pay with points - https://milestomemories.com/hilton-launches-new-pay-with-points-feature/ 💳 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