Shoutout to Thrifty Traveler Premium for partnering with this episode of the Award Travel 101 Podcast

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Thrifty Traveler's army of flight deal analysts are searching 24/7 for flight deals so you don't have to. These deals are bookable with cash or points and miles flying in economy, business, and first class cabins.

Use the promo code ‘AT101’ for $10 off your first year at thriftytraveler.com/premium
Don't forget to check out many of their guides to saving money on your next flight too:

  • Google Flights
  • Cheap Flights
  • Best Day to Book Flights
  • How to Find Cheap Flights
  • Google Flights Explore

POST OF THE WEEK (from the group)

  • Nancy Kaelin Smith - I’m new to the group. The abbreviations people use in their posts are confusing me. Is there a list to help decipher some of the posts and advice? Checkout “Back to basics”

NEWS & ENHANCED OFFERS

  • NEW INK PREFERED OFFER - less spend and 100K Bonus. Reports of Chase matching the spend down
  • Refer AwardWallet get points - after years of tracking almost 700 other programs AwardWallet now transfers to 7 partners
  • Real data driven info (DL1 on domestic routes) -
  • 30% Transfer Bonus to BA/IB - use GCMap & FlightConnections to see where this could take you.

TRIP UPDATES?

  • Angie -
  • Joe - Busy week
    • Expertflyer notice
    • Marriott in US Virgin Islands for 180K
    • Marriott 35K Cert plus 11K points to do a staycation with P2 at the Ritz
    • Spring 2024 Award Travel meet. Where will we end up? I booked a Premium Suite using a little known “suite spot” and flights down using just 6K AA miles

WHAT BONUSES DID WE GET?

  • Angie -
  • Joe - P2 Barclays AA & Elevated Hilton Honors (denied Bonus)

HIGHLIGHT (Main Feature) Favorite Loyalty Programs

  • Flexible Point
  • Airline
  • Hotel
  • Car Rental

WHAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW

Gardening your reservations - Hotels, flights, car rentals - everything in travel is very dynamic (means ever-changing) right now, and you can likely snag deals by periodically checking over your booked trips for lower prices:

  • Award price drops
  • Cash price drops
  • Award availability opens last-minute

Where To Find the Award Travel 101 Community

For questions, you can join us in the free 95,000+ member Award Travel 101 Community.

  1. If you want to jump into more intermediate and advanced strategies, join Award Travel 201 community
  2. To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.
  3. You can also email us at contactawardtravel@gmail.com.
  4. Meetup sold out, but you can waitlist