Black Friday Special On Our Favorite Award Service & 2026 Award Travel Outlook

Update: 2025-11-26

Description

Thanks to Thrifty Traveler for sponsoring this episode! Visit ThriftyTraveler.com/Premium and use code M2G50 for 50% off a new Thrifty Traveler subscription! Thrifty Traveler is also offering 50% off for existing customers who want to add-on their hotel subscription service.

Hilton just adjusted its loyalty program, lowering requirements for Gold & Diamond and added a brand-new top tier: Diamond Reserve. Is it worth $18K in spend and 80 nights a year?

Richard walks through a last-minute work trip to Dublin, booking United Polaris on the ultra-short Newark–Dublin hop, plus a quirky Hyatt Centric Liberties "prepaid" card glitch that almost canceled his stay.

Then Ed tags in Kyle Potter from Thrifty Traveler to break down their Black Friday sale, what they're seeing in the award space, and whether Delta's huge SkyMiles sale to Europe is a canary in the coal mine for 2026 award pricing.

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