This week in Frequent Miler on the Air, we revisit reader reviews of our new podcast, talk about whether Greg jumped on what was otherwise known as the credit card deal of the year: that waived-fee Aspire deal (and why he did or didn’t), how likely we are to choose AIrBnB after the article and more. Turn on, tune in, and chill out with us as we discuss miles and points in our weekly video review / podcast.
FM on the Air Podcast
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On to our weekend recap of the week’s top stories:
In site resources
About Frequent Miler
What is Frequent Miler about and what is it that makes us stand out? See this post for what makes Frequent Miler different than the other blogs in this space and how you can get the most from it. We expand on this topic in this week’s Frequent Miler On the Air above. As someone who started as a Frequent Miler reader/fan long before working here, I long had a vision of Greg as being just an honest, good guy. You know how you have an image of like a celebrity or something, but you assume they aren’t actually like the image in real life? I’ll tell you what: Greg is exactly the kind of guy you’d expect in so many ways and it’s his set of values that make Frequent Miler a unique blog in many ways.
Which Ultra Premium Cards are Keepers? Version 3.1
Greg just recently published version 3.0 of this resource, but the slaughtering of the CNB Crystal Visa Infinite meant that it needed to be updated already. If you have the CNB card, you should re-run your numbers.
In earning
Credit card changing fortunes
Greg takes the temperature of the credit card landscape and reports here on the current trends. It is interesting how changes to other cards can influence the stock in any given card. While I’ll agree that the Citi Prestige card has trended way down for most people, it has bucked that trend with me due to its value for booking one specific kind of travel: travel for friends and family members who do not keep any credit cards with travel protections. I’m also hesitant to accept Greg’s claim that the Sapphire Reserve is the best overall card for travel. Despite those differences in opinion, I love reading his take. If you check out one post this week, make this one it.
Playing in multi-player mode to earn more valuable rewards
Many of us play this game in 2-player mode. That’s great, but don’t forget the value of Player 3 and Player 4, etc. Playing in multi-player mode can make it much easier to take advantage of the best deals you see.
Manufacturing Delta elite status in 2020 and beyond
It’s not news that Greg is a little nutty. After all, this is the guy who earned a million miles and points in a month and who spent just a couple of months putting together the points to stay on Richard Branson’s private island and who won the 40K to Far Away Challenge. He clearly has super powers beyond that of the average human. That has included manufacturing Delta Diamond status for himself and his wife — to the tune of $500,000 in spend. When the return on that spend decreases in 2020, will he still do it? And at what opportunity cost? See this for the updated info.
In burning
Virgin Atlantic: no cancellation fee on cheap awards
What’s the cancellation fee for a Virgin Atlantic award ticket? If you said $50, you should see this post — because it can be almost free to cancel some awards. I even got refunded for a fee I’d already paid to cancel, so it is pretty clearly the (unwritten) policy . This is the kind of info that’s worth filing away for a rainy day as it could be really useful for anyone (but particularly for those traveling with a group given the large potential savings).
Good to know
5 ways to get CLEAR for less
While I could have named one or two ways to get CLEAR cheaply, I definitely wasn’t aware of the family plan. I’m still unlikely to bother with it, but some of these options might make it more tempting for some readers to take the plunge and get through airport security a little faster.
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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I’d be interested to hear what 5 AMEX cards Greg and his wife have. Excluding charge cards, I feel like the only must have AMEX cards are the Blue Business Plus and the Hilton Aspire.
Hey, just a comment on all the Airbnb discussion – I started using Airbnb pretty early on, and have now stayed all over the world from Stockholm to Taos. There is quite a range and variety, everything from luxury to bargain basic. Often, it’s a better deal for family stays when you want to make some your own food to save on trip expenses and you need multiple beds. Last year, we moved and were able to set up an Airbnb rental on our new property. It’s been a fun way to meet people and helps pay the mortgage. In my experience, hosts try to be accurate and represent the property fairly, because if they don’t, negative reviews will quickly expose them. I review every guest and about 90% of guests review me. This system keeps things honest, because I will always read all the reviews for a location before booking, and if I see bad reviews I’ll move on to another listing. Just like hotels, you have to do your research.
Thanks for fixing Nick’s audio. Enjoy watching the video weekly on FM. Thanks for the attention to detail!
Re Virgin Atlantic: I looked back on my cancelled Delta booked Virgin Atlantic flight last year and sure enough, they didn’t charge me the $50 per person fee (only kept the $5.60 x 2)…BUT on one occasion when I “changed” to another flight (with the same $5.60 fee pp), I did get charged the $50 per person fee. So i guess the moral with Virgin Atlantic is cancel, then rebook.
Always enjoy FM on the air! Thanks again!