Award Travel 101

How two regular Award Travel 101 members became community managers of a 90,000 member Facebook community. Angie and Joe discuss how they got started in Award Travel and how they went from nearly no credit cards to ramping up and building their knowledge and maximization skills.Where to Find Us The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at 101@award.travel Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist. Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions! Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

We're bring the Award Travel 101 Podcast back to life after a lengthy hiatus, and we're looking to share fun stories of how you can win in Travel & Loyalty by helping you do extraordinary things on ordinary money!Where to Find Us The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at 101@award.travel Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist. Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions! Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

With over 64,000 members, there are lots of posts, comments and questions to sort out in the Facebook group. That's why we're so lucky to have such awesome moderators to help make sure Award Travel 101 is the best it can be. Now's your chance to get to know our moderators a bit better - to learn a little more about them than what you find out just chatting with them in the group. Today, Jeff chats with Toni Perkins, a moderator who has been with Award Travel 101 since well before he even took over. Among other things, Toni talks about her early days clogging, why she's never had the Southwest Companion Pass, and her extended travels with her four kids. LinksToni's blog - Nachos con HuevosToni's InstagramWhere to Find Us The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at 101@award.travel Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page

Sam Kemmis joins us today to talk about how NerdWallet is working to build up their travel rewards content and help people not only with their credit cards and finances but also with figuring out how to travel for less. We touch on his professional background which includes some pretty well-known comedy writing, a bit of time working remotely, and an unusual master's degree. Finally, we chat about a couple of our favorite flights and a place we both accidentally ended up flying to. Come join us for the fun!Links:NerdWalletMyTravelNerd.comThe OnionWoot.comTwitter: @samsambutdifEmail: skemmis at nerdwallet dot comWhere to Find Us The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at 101@award.travel Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist. Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able t

Mark Ostermann from Miles to Memories joins us today to talk about a few recent posts of his that struck a nerve with his audience. FOMO - we all experience it and sometimes it makes us book silly trips. Mark and Jeff Talk about some of the crazy things they've booked and a few they are thinking about. Is it possible that they travel too much? Listen to this episode to find out. Finally, a big announcement about a February meetup in New Orleans. We hope to see some of you there!Our Sponsor:The Award Travel 101 podcast is brought to you by Fuel Rewards Pro. Drive a company car or rent a car for work? For a limited time only, get a personal sign up bonus of 25 cents per gallon after your first work fill up. Go to fuelrewards.com/pro to register for a free Fuel Rewards Pro account today.Links:Miles to MemoriesBougie MilesStraight to the PointsMtM’s Miles, Points, Travel & DealsMiles to Memories PodcastWhere to Find Us The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community. To book time with our team, check o

We're "live" from Prague - interviewing friends on the road as Jeff continues his adventures through Europe after Oktoberfest. Tune in to hear about how five folks all booked different ways using points and miles to get to the same place!Linkshttps://www.facebook.com/groups/10xtravel/https://www.facebook.com/60SecondsWithStu/https://www.instagram.com/youreanyawayhttps://bougiemiles.com/Where to Find Us The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at 101@award.travel Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist. Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions! Lastly, we appreci

This week's episode features a conversation with Award Travel 101 group member Kevin Lawler. He and Jeff chat about both growing up as picky eaters and how/what they eat has evolved with age and intertwined with their love of travel. Tune in to hear the story of how someone who was a picky eater ends up becoming a restaurant owner! Let alone, a food and travel blogger! Kevin shares some of his most memorable trips booked with points and miles and how he tracks the best places to eat around the world.LinksKevin's Blog: Feasting FlyerFeasting Flyer on Social Media: Twitter | Instagram | FacebookKevin's Restaurant: Baker & Rose Where to Find Us The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at 101@award.travel Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist. Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our

With over 62,000 members, there's a lot of posts, comments and questions to sort out. That's why we're so luck to have awesome moderators to help make sure Award Travel 101 is the best it can be! Now's your chance to get to know our moderators a bit better - beside just chatting with them in the group. Today, Jeff chats with Julie Breeze, a moderator who was one of the first few dozen Award Travel 101 group members! Tune in to hear how she got bit by the award travel bug in addition to some exciting stories - one even involving her spending the night in a jail cell...not for the reason you'd think!LinksLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-breeze-1b8488/Twitter - https://twitter.com/MommaTravelerWhere to Find Us The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at 101@award.travel Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to se

If you've been using points and miles for award flights, you might have learned it's hard enough to find a great redemption, let alone when there's a big cultural event happening where you want to go. An event such as Oktoberfest! Spencer Howard from Straight to the Points is back on the Award Travel 101 podcast this week to chat with Jeff about their upcoming group trip to Germany. Spencer's newsletter is a great resource for not only finding award sweet spots, but options for when you want to book multiple seats.Linkshttps://straighttothepoints.co/https://www.instagram.com/straighttothepoints/https://twitter.com/spencerformilesWhere to Find Us The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at 101@award.travel Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist. Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most fro

Coming to you from FinCon, Jeff is joined this week by Brandon Neth of Finance Buzz. He shares his story of how he and his wife travel the world on points and miles and how he ended up joining FinanceBuzz. As a community manager for their Facebook group, FinanceBuzz Elite, he and Jeff chat about what it's like to put on events and moderate group chats for a living.LinksFinanceBuzz Elite - Travel and Points   https://www.facebook.com/groups/financebuzzelite/FinCon Expo - https://finconexpo.com/CardCon Expo - https://cardconexpo.com/FlyerTalk - https://www.flyertalk.com//LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-neth-36a89b15a/Where to Find Us The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at 101@award.travel Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist. Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. W

This week Jeff is joined by Lee Huffman from Bald Thoughts and the We Travel There podcast. They chat about the benefits of attending an award travel/frequent flyer event such as the Chicago Seminars or CardCon. Find other folks to "geek" out with and in the mean time, you never know what you might learn! Tune in to get an exclusive scoop on an upcoming Award Travel 101 event too!LinksBaldThoughtshttps://twitter.com/BaldThoughtshttps://www.instagram.com/baldthoughts/WeTravelTherehttps://twitter.com/WeTravelTherehttps://www.instagram.com/wetravelthere/Chicago SeminarsCardConFinConWhere to Find Us The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at 101@award.travel Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist. Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of o

There's usually two kinds of award travelers. Those who earn points and miles through credit card spend and others who do so from being road warriors. It's easy to think the grass is greener - those always on the road dream of a week at home and vice versa. Well, then there's Ray Noriega, a friend of Jeff's, a US Soccer fan, comedian, tv personality and now IT road warrior. Tune in for some hilarious stories from the road, adventures he's had traveling to over 120 countries and how someone goes from being a stand up comedian straight out of high school to hosting a K-pop talk show!LinkRay Noriega on InstagramNowBoarding: The Official BoardingArea PodcastTune in every Tuesday to NowBoarding for a recap of the week’s latest news, deals and top posts on BoardingArea!Recent episodes include:Last-Minute Summer Award Deals & United Stalks CustomersYour Flight Canceled? And, We Look At Moxy Hotels!Protect Your Privacy: Don’t Get Hacked By The Chinese Government10 Hour Amtrak Delays &

How much do you know about Award Travel 101's newest community manager? If you enjoyed learning about Jeff and his wife Chrissy on last week's episode - there's more where that came from! This week Jeff shares 10 unique and interesting facts about him and how he got into this world of points and miles.NowBoarding: The Official BoardingArea PodcastTune in every Tuesday to NowBoarding for a recap of the week’s latest news, deals and top posts on BoardingArea!Recent episodes include:Last-Minute Summer Award Deals & United Stalks CustomersYour Flight Canceled? And, We Look At Moxy Hotels!Protect Your Privacy: Don’t Get Hacked By The Chinese Government10 Hour Amtrak Delays & Shady OTAsDisneyland’s Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge & What is Juice Jacking?Saving Plenty With Cash Back Offers & New AA International Routes!Where to Find Us The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at 101@award.travel Our nex

Jeff is back from his Ultimate Africa Trip! Joining him on his first episode piloting the Award Travel 101 podcast is his wife, Chrissy. Or as Jeff says, his "Better Half". They share a the story of how they met and the life changing moment on 9/11 that lead her to become a teacher. Tune in to learn more about how they plan travel with a perfect mix of fun, adventure and education as they recap their most recent family trip to South Africa. When you think of doing all the things, this family group of 8 did it! Swimming with sharks, dune surfing, safari, wine and more!NowBoarding: The Official BoardingArea PodcastTune in every Tuesday to NowBoarding for a recap of the week’s latest news, deals and top posts on BoardingArea!Recent episodes include:Last-Minute Summer Award Deals & United Stalks CustomersYour Flight Canceled? And, We Look At Moxy Hotels!Protect Your Privacy: Don’t Get Hacked By The Chinese Government10 Hour Amtrak Delays & Shady OTAsDisneyland’s Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge & Wha

Guest Host Ed Pizzarello from Miles to Go is filling in for Jeff while he's on vacation with the family. This week we tackle a on of questions submitted with the Award Travel 101 Facebook Group. Topics include dealing with flight delays, lost luggage and how far in advance to book award travel.LinksMiles to Go: EC 261 - Passenger Rights in the EUWhat Is EU261 Compensation For A Delayed Or Cancelled Flight?Filing an EU Flight Delay Claim Was Easier Than I ThoughtGod Save The PointsWhere to Find Us The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at 101@award.travel Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist. Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers

We're going deal hunting this week and who better to lead the way than Jen Yellin from Deals We Like! She joins guest host Ed Pizza this week to chat about maximizing bonus miles on back to school shopping, Amex offers and a recent promotion on purchasing Hyatt points.Today's GuestDeals We Like was started in January 2011 by Jennifer Yellin. The blog became part of the well known travel network BoardingArea in June 2011 and became a featured blog just a month later. Almost every post is written by Jen with the occasional guest blogger. In just four years, Deals We Like is now read by over 65,000 people a month across 150 different countries.LinksNew Promotion: 40% Bonus on Purchasing Hyatt Points... A Great Way to Save Money!Earn 8,000 Bonus Miles for Your Back to School ShoppingMany New Amex Offers to Save Money!Where to Find Us The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at 101@award.travel Our next meetup wil

Guest Host Ed Pizzarello fromMiles to Go is filling in for Jeff while he's on vacation with the family. This week we tackle a on of questions submitted with the Award Travel 101 Facebook Group. Touching on elite status, flight bookings, point transfers and the like. Speaking of transfers, Gary Leff from View from the Wing joins us for a special discussion on how to best transfer any Citi ThankYou Rewards points. If you are planning on closing accounts due to their recent cut to card benefits you can't miss Gary's expert tips and advice!Today's GuestGary LeffCo-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com and emcee of the Freddie Awards. Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. Where to Find Us The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at 101@award.travel Our next meetup will be May 16-18,

"So, Everybody, I'm not going to say goodbye, but we'll see you next time..."As was announced at the beginning of this week, founder of Award Travel 101, Richard Kerr, is passing the baton to a new community manager. Not leaving the group, but transitioning from a moderator role to being a member, he's starting a full time job with The Points Guy. In this episode, he introduces Jeff Brownson, a points and miles aficionado who will be taking over day to day management of Award Travel 101, Travel Grumps, Award Travel Advanced and more! Today's GuestMiles and points have taken Jeff Brownson, his wife Chrissy, and their two sons, Ryan and Cole, to over 35 countries. They have been seen flying first class, business class, and even in coach on low cost carriers. Whether he’s staying in a hostel dorm, or in a luxury suite at a 5 star resort, Jeff is constantly looking for the best deal to make travel as close to free as possible. A background in math and science provides the analytical

This week, Spencer Howard from God Save the Points and the mastermind behind the Straight to the Points Awards Alerts Newsletter joins Richard for a chat about all things award travel. They tackle the breaking news on Marriott getting sued over resort fees, the big changes to Citi credit cards and a whole lot more!Timestamps1:54 - Meet Spencer Howard4:10 - Marriott getting sued over Resort Fees9:45 - Burning is more important than earning14:00 - Resistance to paying for valuable services21:50 - People (trolls) who are loud online are usually quiet in public25:50 - Big changes to benefits for Citi credit cards32:12 - What's coming in the future for points and miles?LinksCiti's Own Goal On Travel Protection Is Great News For ChaseStraight to the Points Awards Alerts NewsletterToday's GuestSpencer Howard is a credit card rewards and award travel expert. He’s living proof that points and miles can unlock many of the greatest travel experiences and uses his skills to tick off new bucket list items a

"Group Think is one of my biggest pet peeves..."What does a near miss with a nuclear submarine and foolishly discounting Delta SkyMiles as "useless" have in common? The concept of "Group Think". While redeeming points and miles aren't necessarily life and death, Richard highlights just some of the ways you're leaving money on the table when you follow "what everyone else says". Following that, Michelle Liu, an AT 101 Facebook Group member, joins Richard to chat about how Shell's new Fuel Rewards Pro program helps you earn on the gas you use if you drive a vehicle for work. Be sure to listen to the end of this week's "Redemption of the Week" and why this member was selected...not for burning points, but for how she earned them!Timestamps2:45 - Group Think...what is it?4:30 - TYPING IN ALL CAPS DOESN'T MAKE YOUR ARGUMENT BETTER9:10 - The Story of the Midnight Sun AKA how Group Think almost killed Richard14:30 - What happens in the AT 101