Frequent Miler on the Air

People often ask how a site like ours makes money. In this episode, we'll talk about how we do (and don't) make money talking and writing about miles and points. (00:35) - We have a team of 5, 4 of whom are full-time(01:06) - Greg's been doing this full time since 2012(01:55) - Display ads(05:42) - Miscellaneous affiliate links(06:51) - Credit card affiliate linksYou can see our Best Offers page here, where we display the best credit card offers, regardless of our affiliate income(12:40) - New: Podcast adsVisit https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don’t forget to like and follow us on social media.Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn HeadsMentioned in this episode:Check out this month's sponsor and support our showJoin the loyalty program for renters at joinbilt.com/mileshttps://joinbilt.com/miles

In this episode, we talk about how Rove matches your Mesa, we talk about whether or not you should buy IHG Diamond status, and we announce this year's picks for Bonvoyed of the Year.Giant Mailbag(01:09) - Changing names on reservations/workarounds for using the Fine Hotels and Resorts the Hotel Collection benefitMattress Running the Numbers(03:59) - IHG Lock in 2026 Diamond status by buying points (targeted)Read more about this here: https://frequentmiler.com/ihg-offering-opportunity-to-buy-back-or-increase-status-for-2026/Bonvoyed(12:52) - Chase re-edits The Edit by Chase Travel℠: 1.65x boostsAwards, Points, and More(16:12) - Rove: Match Your Mesa (up to 5,000 free miles)Main Event: The 2025 Bonvoyed Awards(18:36) - What are the Bonvoyed Awards?(20:03) - 2024 winner(21:11) - 2025 Honorable mentions(21:55) - 2025 Contestants(40:05) - Nick's Pick: Southwest(44:36) - Greg's Pick: Sapphire Reserve® RefreshQuestion of the Week(50:02) - Any last-minute ideas for using Hilton resort credits?Mentioned in this episode:Check out this month's sponsor and support our showJoin the loyalty program for renters at joinbilt.com/mileshttps://joinbilt.com/miles

The Mesa Homeowners card abruptly closed all accounts last Friday, with no warning. This is particularly surprising because they had just added Omni as a partner. We'll talk about the aftermath in today's podcast episode. Aftermath of the major Mesa mess(00:17) - Read more about the abrupt closure of Mesa homeowners credit cards here(03:47) - What was the Mesa Homeowners card?You can learn about what the Mesa Homeowners card was here(05:05) - Lessons learned: Should we hesitate to jump into "too good to be true" deals?(09:00) - What about Rove Miles?(13:41) - What about Bilt?Visit https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don’t forget to like and follow us on social media.Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn HeadsMentioned in this episode:Check out this month's sponsor and support our showJoin the loyalty program for renters at joinbilt.com/mileshttps://joinbilt.com/miles

In today's podcast episode we hear about one reader's status magic, how Nick's family got stuck in HEL-sinki, and we make our end-of-year to-do list with your help.Giant Mailbag(01:41) - One reader's experience with unexpected status benefitsSee episode 334 "Super Stacking Stories" here.Card News(04:45) - Both Citi AAdvantage Business cardholders & authorized users earn Loyalty Points on purchases (Read more here)(07:31) - Reminder: last call to triple-dip credit cardsAwards, Points, and More(12:21) - Read about how Nick was stuck in HEL hereBonvoyed(21:10) - American Express transfer ratio to Cathay Pacific will reduce to 5:4 3/1/26Main Event: Our end-of-year miles & points checklists(27:42) - Read more about our end-of-year checklist for 2025 here(29:11) - Elite Status Airlines(37:59) - Elite Status Hotels(45:21) - Elite Choice Benefit selections(48:59) - Southwest Companion Pass(52:07) - See our Coffee Break episode 81 "The Southwest Debit Card is actually interesting" here(53:21) - Credit card coupons(1:13:36) - Summary of our major To-DosQuestion of the Week(1:15:16) - How do you manage continued spending on a card after meeting the spend requirement for a welcome bonus?Subscribe and FollowVisit https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe/ to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don’t forget to like and follow us on social media.Music Credit – “Ocean Deep” by Annie YoderMentioned in this episode:Check out this month's sponsor and support our showJoin the loyalty program for renters at joinbilt.com/mileshttps://joinbilt.com/miles

To our surprise, the Southwest Debit Card is more interesting than we expected! It's been uncommon for debit cards to make waves in points-earning efforts, but this one is proving intriguing. (00:17) - Southwest Debit card is more interesting than we thought! Read more about the Southwest Debit Card here.(00:51) - Some basic details about the Southwest Debit Card(07:09) - Why is this interestingVisit https://frequentmiler.com/subscribe to get updated on in-depth points and miles content like this, and don’t forget to like and follow us on social media.Music Credit – Beach Walk by Unicorn HeadsMentioned in this episode:Check out this month's sponsor and support our showJoin the loyalty program for renters at joinbilt.com/mileshttps://joinbilt.com/miles