Award Travel 101

By: Award Travel 101 Team
  • Summary

  • Welcome to the Award Travel 101 Podcast! Founded in 2013 with just 20 members, the Award Travel 101 Facebook group teaches members how to travel the world using points and miles. Today, a community of over 100,000+ people from around the world share, teach and learn how to travel anywhere on any budget. Where are you going with Award Travel?

    © 2025 Award Travel 101
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Episodes
  • Untitled Episode
    Jan 31 2025

    In this episode moderators Eric Holly and Maria Fung take over hosting duties where they focus on the challenges and strategies of traveling with teenagers, a topic both moderators are familiar with as parents of teens at home and in college. They discuss how family schedules have changed over the years and how they’ve adapted their travel planning to accommodate busy school calendars and personal preferences.

    The episode also covers the latest updates in travel rewards. Hyatt’s Bonus Journeys promotion is back, offering 2X and 3X points on stays through March 2025. Lufthansa is introducing new A380 routes, including its first-ever service to Denver, and Choice Privileges has partnered with Westgate Resorts to expand booking options. Japan Airlines is also increasing U.S. service, meaning more availability for award seats. Additionally, Maria and Eric share insights into their current credit card bonuses and strategies for maximizing points.

    When discussing family travel, both moderators reflect on how they involve their teens in trip planning. Maria shares how her family now splits up for certain trips due to conflicting schedules, while Eric highlights the importance of aligning flights when traveling with a college student. They also revisit their favorite travel memories—Maria’s 21-day European adventure and Eric’s Northern Lights experience in Norway—while acknowledging the challenges, such as planning multi-generational trips or managing long-haul economy flights with restless kids. The episode concludes with their Tip of the Week, emphasizing the importance of using travel tools to find the best flight and hotel deals efficiently.

    Links to Topics Discussed

    • Q1 Hyatt Bonus Journeys
    • Choice Privileges Adds Westgate Resorts
    • Citi AA Business
    • Citi Double Cash

    Where to Find Us

    1. The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
    2. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
    3. You can also email us at 101@award.travel
    4. Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

    Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!

    Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

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    49 mins
  • New Years Travel
    Jan 24 2025

    In Episode 104 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, hosts Mike Zaccheo and Eric Holly discuss the importance of utilizing shopping portals, highlighting a post by a member who earned 50k points through CapitalOne shopping. They also cover news such as United's high buy-up offers for elite status, the shutdown of the Dosh App, and Chase's new bonus promotions for co-branded cards. Additionally, they mention the recent FlyingBlue devaluation, which saw increases in award redemptions for economy, premium economy, and business class.

    The hosts share personal updates on the bonuses they received and their travel plans. Eric talks about his recent Bank of Hawaii card acquisition and upcoming trips, including a family weekend in St. Pete, an anniversary weekend in NYC, and a graduation trip to Paris and London. Mike discusses his European Microstates adventure and a bachelor/bachelorette party in Nashville. They also highlight popular New Year's travel destinations such as New York, Sydney, London, Tokyo, and Rio de Janeiro, each known for unique celebrations and festivities. Finally, Eric shares details of his trip to Chile, including stays in Vina del Mar, Easter Island, and Santiago, with a focus on maximizing loyalty points and rewards.

    Where to Find Us

    1. The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
    2. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
    3. You can also email us at 101@award.travel
    4. Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

    Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!

    Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

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    47 mins
  • Budget Travel
    Jan 17 2025

    In this episode, Angie and Anthony Cave dive into the latest in travel news, personal updates, and tips for making the most of your points and miles. The highlight post of the week is Scott's review of Secrets Papagayo in Costa Rica, a Hyatt all-inclusive, where snorkeling and diverse dining options stood out. Angie and Anthony also discuss the new U.K. Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) requirement starting January 9, Delta’s partnership switch from Lyft to Uber, and updates on Hyatt, including a lucrative new business card offer and promotions like double elite night credits for Under Canvas stays.

    The conversation shifts to personal travel updates, with Angie prepping for a Slovenia trip inspired by its recent popularity and Anthony planning visits to Japan, Vienna, and Taiwan on award travel deals.

    The main feature delves into budget travel, where Anthony highlights how airline status and deal-hunting elevate the economy experience, sharing examples like mistake fares and fast-track status matches. Angie offers a different perspective, focusing on flexibility, leveraging credit card perks, and prioritizing trip-specific hotel locations over brand loyalty.

    Wrapping up, the hosts share practical tips, like checking wheretocredit.com for maximizing airline miles on cash flights, and remind listeners of ongoing deals like American Airlines' 10x miles promotion for wildfire relief donations.

    Links to Topics Discussed

    • UK Electronic Travel Authorization now required Costs £10 and reports are that it is quick and easy
    • Earn 10X AA Miles for Red Cross CA wildfire relief donations
    • Delta Announces Rideshare Partnership Going Form Lyft to Uber
    • Chase World of Hyatt Business Card Enhanced Offer
    • Venetian Las Vegas Now Part of the World of Hyatt
    • Hyatt Under the Canvas Promotions
    • Airline Status Match Fast Track

    Where to Find Us

    1. The Free 110k+ member Award Travel 101 Community.
    2. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
    3. You can also email us at 101@award.travel
    4. Our next meetup will be May 16-18, 2025 in Chicago! Tickets are SOLD OUT but visit the Chicago 2025 Meetup page to secure a spot on the waitlist.

    Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. We love being able to automatically add all of our offers and quickly seeing the best card to use for every purchase. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions!

    Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!

    Show More Show Less
    32 mins

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