Is there a new sheriff in town? Are we scared? Should we be?

On this week’s Frequent Miler on the Air, Greg and I add a new segment called, “What crazy thing has Citi done this week? We also discussed the dust-up over American Airlines and whether it is a leading indicator that there’s a new sheriff in town who is looking to shut down our crowd. Should we hold off on new applications right now? All that plus the question of the week (Should you cancel a Virgin Atlantic award ticket to convert your point so to Hilton in case Virgin goes out of business?) and more. Watch above, listen below, or read on for this week’s top stories.

FM on the Air Podcast

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This week at Frequent Miler:

StayCay to Far Away Week 1 Winner: Nick

Week 1 is in the books (sort of) and I got out of the gate with a strong performance that makes for a nice lead going into week 2. Second place has been a tight back-and-forth battle, with the standings as of early Saturday morning as follows:

1. Nick: 100 thumbs up
2. Greg: 60 thumbs
3. Stephen: 57 thumbs
4. Carrie: 51 thumbs

But here’s what you need to keep in mind: it isn’t over. At the end, we’ll also be naming category champs (i.e. best cooking video, best improve travel video, etc. So even if you thought you missed this week’s videos, it’s worth going back to watch them and give a thumbs up if you like what you see. Sunday kicks off a new week with each of us doing a different challenge, so be on the lookout for week 2 videos coming soon.

In travel

Best Hyatt resorts for domestic US summer travel

Best Marriott resorts for domestic US summer travel

Best Hilton resorts for domestic US summer travel

The above three posts each lay out the best road-trippable resorts for a summer vacation from their respective chains. To keep things manageable, Greg narrowed it down to resorts in locations that won’t be too hot for summer travel and he found some great options to consider if restrictions get lifted and it becomes safe to get out and do some exploring. As I said in Frequent Miler on the Air, I was surprised at how expensive cash rates were in several instances, but Greg’s point that demand for domestic destinations is likely to skyrocket this year is well made. This summer could represent a good chance to get great value on points for domestic travel given just how expensive it’ll be if everyone is competing to book the same domestic destinations.

Citi Adds Emirates Skywards As ThankYou Transfer Partner

This week’s answer to the question “What crazy thing did Citi do this week?” is “add a new transfer partner”. At a time when nobody is traveling and Emirates is mostly grounded, clearly they decided the time was right to expand the program with a new transfer partner. Still, this could be good news — as Greg pointed out in FM on the Air, you may be able to snag availability for partner awards for travel next year. Further, the ability to transfer from Citi means that Emirates is now transfer partners with everyone, making it even easier to amass the miles for an award. See the series Greg did about Emirates sweet spots for idea.

Best ways to get to the Caribbean / Central America using miles

In a continuation of our series pointing out the best ways to get to various regions using miles, we take a look at the best options for getting to the Caribbean / Mexico / Central America on points. I’m hopeful that 2021 will bring a return to these regions. Assuming it does, now may be the ideal time to plan ahead.

That’s it for this week at Frequent Miler. Check back soon for our week in review around the web and this week’s last chance deals.

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