The Thrifty Traveler Podcast

Google Flights is making a big move into the points and miles game, United’s CEO’s egotistical comments, Delta’s weird (but arguably best-ever?) credit card offer, and a bevy of new Europe routes all headline a big news roundup to close out the summer. Tune in as Gunnar and Kyle dole out advice about transferring points to Hyatt, analyze the boom in flights to the slopes, look into some puzzling Chase Sapphire Lounge news, and review the Delta One Lounge in Seattle, KLM’s Premium Comfort seats, and Gunnar’s latest glamping adventure!

Download SAILY's app and use code THRIFTY at checkout to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase! For further details go to https://saily.com/thrifty ⛵

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Join the conversation! Sign up for the free Thrifty Traveler Podcast Slack community today.

00:00 - & the winner of our credit card draft is…

02:15 - What’s going on with Gunnar’s voice?

03:10 - Staley welcomes us back from South Africa!

04:20 - Google Flights gets into the points game

08:40 - United’s cardholder discounts: Solid, but no slam dunk

15:20 - Let’s Play: Translate! That! Airline CEO! (ft. United’s Scott Kirby)

22:55 - Delta’s weird (but awesome) credit card offer

27:00 - New route nerd out: Europe flying goes sky high

33:20 - A word from our sponsor, Saily!

34:25 - Will this be the end of pre-departure drinks?

36:40 - Chase drops its only lounge reservation system

38:00 - American’s new (& worse?) premium card

39:05 - Analyzing the flight boom to ski resorts

42:30 - Delta One Lounge Seattle review

44:00 - KLM: Premium Comfort vs. Biz Class

47:05 - Gunnar’s latest glamping adventure

48:45 - The most & least expensive airports for a beer

51:20 - A listener asks: Should you speculatively transfer from Chase to Hyatt?

55:35 - On the spot: The ideal number of travel beers?



Produced and edited by Sylvia Thomas

Video editing by Kyle Thomas

Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot

Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts!
Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at podcast@thriftytraveler.com
Get 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!
See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!
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If you want to get into redeeming points and miles, you need to earn them first. So in our second installment of our Starter Kit series, Gunnar and Kyle break down the best strategies for earning tons of travel rewards. While it might start with credit cards as the engine of an earning strategy - and the guys spend some time outlining their strategies and busting credit score myths - there are plenty of other ways to rack up all the points and miles you need, too.

Watch us on YouTube!

Our Starter Kit is sponsored by Thrifty Traveler Premium, the world’s best flight deal service. Get $20 off your first year of Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal alerts - use promo code “START” at thriftytraveler.com/premium.

00:00 - What would do with a blank slate in points & miles?

02:35 - The most important step for earning tons of points

07:50 - Understanding award travel credit cards

15:40 - What to consider when signing up for a credit card?

22:20 - Our favorite starter travel rewards credit cards

29:30 - Go deeper: Sign up for our free Extra Mile newsletter!

30:00 - How to earn points & miles with strategic spending

37:30 - The ways to earn points & miles without credit cards

Volume 2 Flight Plan:

Get Organized: Track and organize your points and credit cards using our credit card benefit tracker, a personal spreadsheet, or a note on your smartphone.

Set a goal & work backwards: Set your travel goals first, then figure out what points, miles, and credit cards can get you there.

Use the “Potter Pause”: Activate that mental block before you make any purchase so you can maximize every dollar you spend.

Ramp up your “accidental earning”: Link your loyalty programs, sign up for shopping and travel portals, and nibble around the edges to stack up points and miles.

Related Episodes:

https://thriftytraveler.com/podcasts/ep-67-record-card-bonuses/

https://thriftytraveler.com/podcasts/bonus-ep-chase-sapphire-preferred-update/

https://thriftytraveler.com/podcasts/ep-61-how-to-earn-a-million-points/

https://thriftytraveler.com/podcasts/episode-46-whats-in-our-wallets/

https://thriftytraveler.com/podcasts/episode-30-award-travel-tools-of-the-trade/

Produced and edited by Sylvia Thomas

Video editing by Kyle Thomas

Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot

Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts!
Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at podcast@thriftytraveler.com
Get 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!
See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!
Follow us on…
Instagram
YouTube
Facebook
Bluesky

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Gunnar’s gone, so Kyle and Nick go head-to-head in a fantasy football style draft to build the perfect five-card travel wallet ... with a lot riding on the outcome, thanks to a last-minute bet. But before the draft, they unpack American’s (long-overdue) reversal to seatback screens, United’s splashy 2027 international expansion, and Flying Blue’s horrible news. Plus, they answer a listener’s questions about insurance that comes from top travel credit cards.

Thanks to our sponsor, Saily! Download Saily’s app and use code THRIFTY at checkout to get 15% off your first purchase. Learn more at saily.com/thrifty.

Watch us on YouTube!

Join the conversation! Sign up for the free Thrifty Traveler Podcast Slack community today.

00:00 - The state of travel credit cards in 2026 is…

03:44 - Igor welcomes us back from Torrey Pines

05:57 - American’s seatback-screen reversal and United’s 13 new routes

12:20 - Boo: Flying Blue’s new three-tier award pricing

19:45 - A word from our sponsor, Saily

20:45 - The Extra Mile: Drafting the best five-card wallet

46:22 - A listener asks: Which cards have the best built-in travel insurance?

49:55 - Fantasy draft punishment

Vote for who had the best wallet on our YouTube:

Produced and edited by Sylvia Thomas

Video editing by Kyle Thomas

Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot

Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts!
Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at podcast@thriftytraveler.com
Get 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!
See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!
Follow us on…
Instagram
YouTube
Facebook
Bluesky

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Are you ready to get started with points, miles, and all things cheap travel? It all starts with airfare, so in this first installment of our new Starter Kit series, Gunnar and Kyle walk through how to find the cheapest flight possible, every single time. The guys cover the tips, tricks, tools, and (most importantly) the mindset you need to find cheap flights and start traveling more for less.

Watch us on YouTube!

Our Starter Kit is sponsored by Thrifty Traveler Premium, the world’s best flight deal service. Get $20 off your first year of Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal alerts - use promo code “START” at thriftytraveler.com/premium. 

00:00 - Kicking off our Starter Kit: How we got started

2:52 - The two most important rules for finding cheap flights

7:09 - Why you NEED to start your search with Google Flights

11:24 - One-way flights versus roundtrip bookings

15:34 - Learning how to follow the deal, not the destination 

16:51 - Positioning flights: the key to cheaper international fares

18:56 - And the risks of using those positioning flights…

20:35 - The intricacies of airfare & what to avoid

24:38 - The art of rebooking flights to save even more

30:26 - Busting bogus airfare myths

33:35 - Your Flight Plan - Recap & to-dos from Ep. 1

36:48 - Up next in Starter Kit…

 

Vol. 1 Flight Plan: 

Think “Flights First”: Plan your trips around the best flight deals and book them before anything else

Book quickly: Utilize the 24-hour flight cancellation rule to get the best deals. Book fast, figure out the details later. 

Get to know Google Flights: By far the most powerful flight booking tool and the key to saving on airfare. Use its price calendar, the filters, and price alerts to book when prices drop

Start re-booking your flights: Set up price alerts on your existing flights and rebook when prices drop. It’s the most underrated way to save big on travel. 

 

Related episodes:

https://thriftytraveler.com/podcasts/ep-72-google-flights/

https://thriftytraveler.com/podcasts/episode-47-post-booking-checklist/

https://thriftytraveler.com/podcasts/episode-25-book-the-cheapest-flight-every-time/

https://thriftytraveler.com/podcasts/episode-50-inside-thrifty-traveler/

https://thriftytraveler.com/podcasts/ep-70-top-10-flight-deals/

Produced and edited by Sylvia Thomas

Video editing by Kyle Thomas

Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot

Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts!
Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at podcast@thriftytraveler.com
Get 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!
See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!
Follow us on…
Instagram
YouTube
Facebook
Bluesky

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Introducing “Starter Kit” - a dedicated series of special bonus episodes to help you get started in points and miles, become a true award travel “sicko” or just brush up on your skills and knowledge on all things cheap travel. Over the course of several episodes, we’ll walk through the basics of finding cheap flights, the best ways to earn tons of points, how to transfer and redeem miles for maximum value, and all the tools we use to stay organized and get ahead.

Episode 1 of Starter Kit drops Tuesday, Aug. 25, with future installments coming every Tuesday into the fall. Each episode will  appear right here on the Thrifty Traveler Podcast feed, wherever you get your podcasts as well as on YouTube!

Our Starter Kit is brought to you by the world’s best flight deal alert service, Thrifty Traveler Premium. Sign up today at thriftytraveler.com/premium - use the special promo code “START” to get $20 off your first year. 

Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot

Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts!
Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at podcast@thriftytraveler.com
Get 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!
See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!
Follow us on…
Instagram
YouTube
Facebook
Bluesky

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.