More than a decade ago, my wife and I were early subscribers to a service called MoviePass, paying about $20 per month to go to an unlimited number of movies. For a couple of years, we saw almost every major movie, and the theater felt like home. Eventually, MoviePass proved unsustainable and went out of business, and we had a family. We’ve probably only been to the movies 2 or 3 times in the last decade.
Last weekend, we got a dose of nostalgia by going to see the new Toy Story movie at the theater with our kids. From the smell of popcorn in the lobby to waiting for the stinger at the end of the closing credits, it felt like a time warp in the best possible way. However, I was in for some sticker shock: between four movie tickets and the drinks/snacks we bought, it would have cost us nearly a hundred dollars to go to the movies. That just seemed outrageous to me – is that a sign that I’m getting old?
Thankfully, while the sticker price shocked me, we only spent about $6 out of pocket. That’s because my wife and I had each taken advantage of a deal that we wrote about months ago for Visa Infinite cardholders to get 2 free Regal movie tickets and a small popcorn (long ago expired). I had almost forgotten about that deal! However, it came to mind last week after the brief opportunity to use the Paze checkout deal for $10 gift cards from Newegg (also now dead): I picked up two $10 Regal Cinemas gift cards, figuring that $20 would cover concessions, and we could have a totally free trip to the movies for Father’s Day. I hadn’t considered the inflation in concessions properly, so we went about $6 over with just two drinks and one additional snack, but you won’t hear me complain — it was a great deal.
Both the Visa Infinite Concierge free movie ticket deal and the Regal Gift Cards I picked up from Newegg shared a common thread: they were incredible card-related deals that did not last nearly as long as advertised. In both cases, I quickly realized that the deal issuers had underestimated the expected enthusiasm, so I struck while the iron was hot (in the case of the movie tickets, before even having a plan for how or when I would use them). In both cases, I had friends who intended to “take a look later”, but they ultimately missed out. As we sat in the theater, I felt both lucky to enjoy a hobby that made a simple pleasure like a day at the movies so affordable and to have been able to drop everything and get in on those deals that I recognized were not going to last.
Speaking of getting in on great deals, this week on Frequent Miler, Greg and I talk about whether our enthusiasm for Bilt 2.0 has remained strong, Greg writes about his latest credit card collectibles, Carrie shares the latest addition to her high-reward low-cost wallet, and more.
This week on the Frequent Miler blog…
Bilt Palladium Review: 6 month checkpoint | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep364 | 6-26-26
For better or worse, Bilt certainly made a splash when the Palladium card hit the market in February 2026. At the time, Greg and I were very excited about the new card, and we intended to get it and use it. Six months later, where do things stand? On this week’s Frequent Miler on the air, Greg and I discuss how things started with the Bilt Palladium, how they’re going, and how we are using our own household Palladium cards and Bilt Cash.
My experience as a Bilt authorized user
Speaking of Bilt Palladium, I am actually an authorized user on my wife’s Palladium card. Getting started as an authorized user was a little unintuitive, but I’ve since been pleased with how it has worked out. I was surprised when I learned that I needed my own Bilt cash to enable my own separate points accelerators on the authorized user card. However, I quickly realized that meant that we would have twice the accelerators expected on a single household card, which could end up being really useful for a household with high expenses.
The best transferable points for multi-player households | Coffee Break Ep111 | 6-23-26
While Greg and I are both regularly using the Bilt Palladium card, Bilt is not the best transferable currency to collect if your primary goal is to combine your household points. That’s because Bilt doesn’t allow you to move your Bilt points to another member to put your points together for a meaningful redemption. However, there are other currencies that can be combined either with a household member or two, or in some cases, even with more distant friends and family.
On this week’s coffee break, Greg and I discussed the best of the bunch. If your goal is to combine forces among points from several people, there are several great ways to do it.
Rebuilding my prestige-less credit card collection
As a rewards/credit card enthusiast, Greg takes some special enjoyment in credit card collectibles (those cards that were once available and still exist for those who got them while the getting was good, but which can no longer be acquired for new cardholders). Greg had long held what was arguably the most coveted collectible in his old Citi Prestige card, but it was recently pried from his wallet. However, in this post, Greg looks over other recent additions to his collectibles collection and explains why he’s excited to continue collecting with those cards.
Why I chose the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card as the next addition to my $0 wallet (A Carrie commentary)
Carrie continues her quest to create a compelling collection of credit cards that costs her nothing in annual fees. She is well on her way to excellent transferable rewards in the categories in which she spends the most, without tossing anything into annual fees (yet). Her strategy has provided a refreshingly relatable take for those turned off by the ever-increasing annual fees of today’s premium cards.
My 10 favorite sculpture hunts from our 50-state road trip
Stephen and his wife spent the better part of a decade roaming around the United States, seeing not just the sights you might expect one to visit, but actively seeking out some of the more unique things to see across the country. I love this post that Stephen wrote about their ten favorite sculpture hunts because it demonstrates their appreciation of the quirky little things you’ll find as you make your way around the country. If you’re looking for a fun way to wander around some unknown places, you’ll have to check out some of Steven’s favorite sculpture hunts.
Book airfare through credit card portal or direct? | Question of the Week Ep6 | 6-21-26
A reader recently reached out to ask whether we think it makes more sense to book airfare through a credit card portal to earn additional bonus points or to book directly with the airline. This week on Frequent Miler On the Air, we talk about the advantages of booking direct vs booking through a portal and the additional factors we consider beyond just the bonus category of whatever card we use to pay.
Getting the elite experience without elite status via credit card, preferred partner hotel booking programs
American Airlines AAdvantage Complete Guide (2026)
If you’re an American Airlines Advantage enthusiast, you’ll want to bookmark our Advantage Complete Guide for everything you need to know about AA’s loyalty program. We maintain a number of resources like this one, and Tim has just finished putting the 2026 updates into place, so check this post out if you need to know more about American Airlines Advantage.
That’s it for this week at Frequent Miler, but keep an eye on this week’s month-ending last-chance deals and don’t forget to use all of those credits expiring June 30th.
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I was a $10/month MoviePass member. It was a great deal when my wife was in grad school and had night classes. I saw so many movies! Fast forward to the last 5 years, I’ve probably seen less than 5 movies in the theater.
Well, that is all nice and stuff and glad you saved on concessions, etc…. BUT HOW WAS THE MOVIE?? Didja like it? Did the kids like it? I was waiting for a review as good as you give hotels and credit cards! Help a brother out, hey? 🙂
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