Alaska's out with a new premium card: The Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® Card. In today's podcast episode, we'll talk about what we like and dislike about it.Alaska’s intriguing premium rewards card(00:31) - Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite card quick detailsYou can read more about this card here: https://frequentmiler.com/alaska-summit-visa-premium-card-heres-the-details/(02:19) - Points sharing: Share your points with up to ten additional Atmos™ Rewards members.(06:00) - What's not to like? (the ~bad stuff)(07:31) - The good stuff...(10:23) - Nick's take: Is it right for him?(14:03) - Greg's take: Is it right for him?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 Heads

In today's podcast episode, we unlock the LifeMiles mystery, look at Etihad's magical mystery refund policy, and examine 7 surprising oddities of Alaska's new rewards program, "Atmos". Giant Mailbag(02:02) - LifeMiles cancellationsCard News(11:23) - Chase will be ending the ability to transfer Ultimate Rewards Points to Emirates Skywards as of 10/16/25.(15:20) - 400 properties added to Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts and The Hotel CollectionAwards, Points, and More(18:20) - Nick: Canceling Etihad awards(29:38) - Accessing the Admirals Club with Strata Elite passes(32:36) - Frontier Gold for $69 through 2026 (maybe available through 9/9/25)Main Event: 7 Big Atmos Oddities (Alaska's new rewards program)(35:15) - Alaska MileagePlan is now Atmos Rewards(37:18) - The big picture(42:37) - Choose how you earn (coming in 2026)(53:29) - Top status (Titanium) will offer complimentary international business class upgrades(57:02) - Summit Visa Infinite Surprises/Oddities: Global Companion AwardsLearn more about Alaska’s Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® card here: https://frequentmiler.com/alaskas-atmos-rewards-summit-visa-infinite-card-review/(1:05:39) - Summit Visa Infinite Surprises/Oddities: Free Points sharing(1:07:52) - Summit Visa Infinite Surprises/Oddities: $50 Instant Travel Delay Credit(1:11:13) - Summit Visa Infinite Surprises/Oddities: Exclusive Lounge Bar Program: 2 complimentary signature cocktails or a selection from the elevated bar menu upon showing your Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® card(1:13:07) - Summit Visa Infinite Surprises/Oddities: 3x International spendQuestion of the Week(1:17:20) - Are Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card holders getting charged more for The Edit by Chase Travel℠ bookings than Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card holders? 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 Yoder

Another day, another premium credit card is making changes - this time, we've heard rumors that the Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum cards are both getting increased annual fees and other changes.$900 Platinum card. Worth it?(00:24) - Expensive changes are coming for Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum cards(01:47) - Some changes on the coupon side of things have leaked...(03:55) - Perks that appear on both cards (business and personal)Read our post on what works for your airline incidental fee reimbursements here.(05:31) - Perks on the (Consumer) Amex Platinum card(06:23) - Perks on the Amex Business Platinum(07:43) - Do these perks sound worth it for the new, higher annual fee?(18:58) - Learn more about MaxFHR here.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 Heads

In today's podcast episode, we'll talk about whether or not Hertz will put Nick in jail, how Greg's British Airways flight was saved by Delta, and Marriott's "Brilliant" potential new business card line-up.Giant Mailbag(03:02) - Catch Greg on these podcasts: Chris Hutchins / All the Hacks: Top Airline & Hotel Transfer Partners to Maximize Your Points(03:42) - Point me to first class (Devon): What Credit Card Points Are Really Worth in 2025(04:18) - Many people wrote in with examples of where an International Driver's Permit is required (Japan, Italy, etc)See episode 318 about The Rental Car Game hereCard News(07:28) - Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card offer (100K + promo credit good for up to $500 towards a single Chase Travel℠ booking after $5K spend in 3 months) ending soon.Crazy Thing DOUBLE HEADER(09:36) - Alaska: Atmos Rewards(15:14) - A reader has a strange Lifemiles story to report...Nick's JetBlue 25for25 Update(18:52) - Marriott Day Use Rate: Got lounge access, earned elite night credit (and points)(20:30) - Edgar Hotel Martha's Vineyard: Undeniably Choice in some ways, but great room & value.(23:37) - Lounge access reminders worth a mention: Ritz card gets unlimited visits & guests at Sapphire Lounges. Use the Ritz card, not Priority Pass, for access. Amex Platinum cardholders get Escape Lounge with 2 guests. We've used Escape lounges at SJU, PVD, FLL, and PBI on this trip. Of those, only PVD is on Priority Pass (so remember to check for these!).(26:53) - Couldn't check in online for Etihad-booked flight ACK-LGA (expected -- no birthdays for P1 & P2). Got it fixed at the BOS Mosaic check-in area. Ended up being a quick fix. Glad they could do it at BOS because time was tight at ACK.(30:27) - Nick's Hertz rental (even if you only have the first part of the story -- it's entertaining!)Awards, Points, and More(36:14) - Air Canada Aeroplan program updates (mileage and status earning changes)(44:51) - Greg's positioning flight to Boston for the British Airways first class flight(49:01) - Greg flies AA Flagship Preferred Suites LHR to ORD(51:21) - If Uber to the airport seems expensive, try switching your airline(54:43) - New Reasonable Redemption Values (RRVs)Main Event: Marriott's rumored business cards(1:03:51) - The following is based on surveys, not announced changes...(1:05:18) - Amex Bonvoy Business card(1:13:28) - Amex Marriott Bevy Business(1:20:22) - The Rumored Amex Bonvoy Brilliant BusinessQuestion of the Week(1:28:22) - Which hotel-branded credit card is the best?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 Yoder

Is the Grand Hyatt Kauai worth 45K? We answered this and many other questions on the Ask Us Anything hosted live on YouTube on August 6th, 2025.(00:42) - How do you typically like to get around a city that you’re visiting, especially internationally? Are you more likely to take a taxi or Uber to get to places, take public transit, or do you prefer to just walk everywhere?(05:43) - To circumvent Hilton’s minimum length of award stay requirements (e.g., WA Pedregal) — has anyone tried booking more nights than needed, then asking Hilton to remove nights from the stay?(07:18) - What is a question that you would ask someone who is interviewing for a job at Frequent Miler?(16:22) - You can find each of our origin stories here:https://frequentmiler.com/about-frequent-miler/)(16:44) - ​​Give us a peek behind the curtain: What is a typical day/week for the Frequent Miler team?(23:42) - Do you think the custom cash will survive having ThankYou points transfers?(25:34) - Now that Citi transfers to AA, where does Citi rank among the transferable points programs?(28:06) - For the JetBlue 25 for 25, does anyone have datapoints on how fast you get the 150k point after 15 destinations?(29:52) - How would you re-evaluate the value of your Chase/Bilt if you were able to get a family & friends discount on Hyatt cash stays?(31:54) - Hi team! What card are you recommending to people who aren’t really in the game but got the CSR years ago and now want a different card?(37:50) - Head-to-head match-up, Citi Strata Elite or the new Alaska Premium card?(39:17) - ​​Any thoughts on Kenya Airways' new program and the Status Match opportunity that was announced earlier this week?(41:40) - ​​When Frequent Miler finds a unicorn fare or incredible deal, what is the quickest way that Frequent Miler gets that information to those who follow you so we can book it?(45:46) - ​​Grand Hyatt Kauai is now 45k for the basic room with 2 adults and 2 kids. I have a guest of honor available to me. Is the property worth that rate for 4 nights???(50:44) - Which card is better to downgrade, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, both of which have a $95 AF?

In today's podcast episode, we'll talk about Bonvoying Barclays, we'll discuss which Premium cards are keepers, then share everything we know about car rentals. Giant Mailbag(01:08) - One listener tells us how he Bonvoyed BarclaysMain Event: The Rental Car Game(04:09) - Why don't we talk much about car rentals?(06:23) - Always join the car rental program and attach your number(11:37) - Car rental status via credit card(14:20) - Which rental car elite statuses matter?(22:06) - Status matching(26:50) - Earning free rental days(40:27) - Rental Car Savings(48:57) - Avis First(51:54) - Do you need anything special to rent cars internationally?(57:02) - Any favorite programs or programs you avoid?Question of the Week(1:04:47) - What should you do if you're an intermediate player, trying to go from one or two credit cards to five or six, or seven to ten?(1:10:58) - Read more about which premium cards are keepers here.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 Yoder

Citi now offers a way to transfer points 1 to 1 to American Airlines, which has many predicting an AA devaluation is on the horizon. In this podcast episode, we'll discuss this concern.(00:44) - Why are we so excited about transfers to American Airlines?(04:06) - A devaluation assumes a flood of AA miles, but... Citi points are not that easy to get in bulk, but even if there are many more AA miles out there, is that reason for devaluation?(04:56) - Here's what we think...(15:35) - But wait...did AA devalue already?Read One Mile at a Time's post here: American AAdvantage Business Class Award Devaluation? Sort Of…: (16:24) - More than two years ago, AA published "starting at" prices for its own flights. Mostly, though, the starting at prices stayed as they were with previous saver award pricing.(17:15) - Now, though, "starting at" seems to be closer to American Airlines' published intentions from a few years ago...(18:29) - BUT... mix in another carrier to get the partner award chartRead more about this hereVisit 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 Heads

In this podcast episode, we'll talk about how US Bank is bonvoying grandfathers and US Bank's plans to add transfer partners. We'll also talk about who the Citi Strata Elite card is good for.Giant Mailbag(01:40) - This listener has tips about their strategy when a flight becomes available for a lesser mileage price...Card News(05:50) - Citi now offers transfers to American Airlines from Strata Elite, Prestige & Strata Premier(07:23) - Now transfer from most Citi cards to most ThankYou partners (even from Custom Cash)(09:41) - Citi Strata card now available(12:16) - U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve: Major changes expected in December.Bonvoyed(18:21) - US Bank bonvoys grandfathers (Smartly card sends updates to those previously grandfathered into old 4% term)Awards, Points, and More(22:38) - Inn at Bay Harbor leaving Marriott(23:42) - JetBlue & TAP Air Portugal split up as of 9/30(24:50) - Greg earned Alaska EQMs for his flight to London(26:53) - Nick's JetBlue 25 for 25 update postRead more about Nick's JetBlue 25 for 25 journey so far here.(27:50) - Another JetBlue 25 for 25 updateMain Event: Citi Strata Elite: Good, Bad, and Ugly(30:00) - Branch Offer: 100K after $4K of spend in 3 monthsRead more about the Citi Strata Elite offer here.Or, read our Citi Strata Elite Q&A post here.(31:45) - Application rules, basics, and earning rate...(39:32) - Credits and benefits(47:31) - Mini experiment: Citi Travel Hotels vs. Hotels.com(48:45) - What happens to Citi Prestige customers?(49:58) - Do Citi Travel hotel bookings earn hotel points and elite credit?(53:33) - Quick Review: What do we think about the card's earning rate and perks?(57:47) - What do we think about the card's coupons?(1:01:37) - Does this card deserve a place in an all-ThankYou wallet?(1:09:41) - Does this card deserve a place in a mixed-earning wallet? (For example, would this be your 3X card?)Question of the Week(1:12:54) - Advice regarding authorized users. What do you do about authorized user cards showing up to Chase as contributing to your 5/24 status?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 Yoder

Citi's new $595 card may or may not be right for you, but a 100K bonus is hard to resist, especially now that Citi transfers to AA. The 100K bonus isn't the only offer out there right now, though, so we'll talk about how to make sure you can apply for the Strata Elite 100,000 point offer specifically. How to apply for the Strata Elite 100,000 point offer(00:18) - Citi's new $595 card may or may not be right for you, but 100K bonus is hard to resist, especially now that Citi transfers to AA(01:30) - Who qualifies for this offer? (02:22) - The public offer is only 80K points after $4K of spend in 3 months, but the 100K point offer (after $4K of spend in 3 months) is easy to get if you have a Citi branch near you, or even if you call a branch and ask for an email with the link...(04:36) - Creepily, Greg did not even have to provide his email address...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 Heads

In today's podcast episode, we'll talk about how JetBlue bonvoyed Nick, how Accor bonvoyed Greg, and finally, two new transferable points programs and a new credit card that allows us to earn transferable points.Giant Mailbag(00:58) - "I've noticed that you love to be underwhelmed by the Amex Green card. In your recent episode about travel cards, it seemed like you couldn't contain your boredom with it, despite its valuable 3x Amex points for all types of travel ... A major benefit that you may have overlooked is constant Amex Offers from travel providers, which I've combined with the 3x on the Green card for a lot of value."Catch Episode 315 here.Card News(05:43) - Citi Strata Elite. Here's what we expect...(08:59) - Southwest card offers...Crazy Thing: Citi!(15:09) - Citi to Accor 1 to 1Bonvoyed(17:54) - Capital One brings back baseball tickets, but shuts out Venture X cardholders(21:08) - JetBlue's 25% off sale with code SAVE25...but "fares booked with SAVE25 will not be counted towards 25 for 25"Awards, Points, and More(24:15) - Bilt transforming travel portal(30:52) - JetBlue Mosaic first impressions(35:11) - Escape lounge SJU and The Beekman Tower NYC(38:51) - Greg's experience with Accor Live Limitless(46:26) - Greg's experience flying American Airlines with Alaska milesMain Event: 3 new ways to earn transferable points(50:22) - Why we care so much about transferable points(52:50) - Rove Miles(1:00:58) - Consider using our referral link here.(1:01:33) - MesaRead more about Mesa here.(1:08:55) - Rakuten American Express® CardLearn more about the Rakuten American Express® Card here.Question of the Week(1:17:21) - A rep says you can only use an Alaska Credit Card to book companion fare flights... this is a problem when a companion fare cancellation goes to your Alaska wallet (which then can't be used for a new companion fare according to this new policy.) What gives?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 Yoder