Episode Description:

As a reminder you can watch this show as well at: https://www.youtube.com/@20minutetravel

This week brought a lot of bad news in the travel space as Delta continued to struggle from their meltdown. We also learned about some potentially negative changes to Amex Gold and Bilt's Rent Day. To pile on, Southwest announced a ton of major changes as well, although these might be seen as positive by a lot of people. Bye bye cattle call boarding!

In other news Wyndham has a great new promo where you can buy points at an insane discount. We also discuss "surveillance pricing" and why you don't want it, insane travel surcharges, the worst motel brands in America and a Dubai party jet you have to see!

Episode Guide:

• 0:00 The insanity of travel surcharges
• 0:47 Government fighting back against “surveillance pricing”
• 2:00 How surveillance pricing is predatory and unfair for consumers
• 3:06 Southwest’s historic changes - No more “cattle call”
• 4:30 Why many customers are upset with Southwest’s announced changes
• 5:50 Follow up on Delta’s insane meltdown - Still not fully recovered
• 7:10 Why we need more airline passenger protections in the United States
• 8:43 Amex Gold refresh - New credits and higher annual fee
• 9:42 Amex Gold earnings and other changes
• 10:42 What is going on with Amex’s iconic brand image?
• 11:32 Bilt neuters Rent Day with new low limits
• 12:57 Why Bilt made big changes to their most popular promotion
• 14:52 Wyndham’s incredible Super 8 50th anniversary promotion
• 16:46 Interesting Wyndham marketing & worst hotel brands in America
• 18:30 Insane Dubai party jet
• 19:39 Mile High Club & Boeing’s new 777 private jet

About the Show:

We love to travel and love to laugh! 20 Minute Travel is designed to get you all of the info you need to supercharge your travel by utilizing credit cards, travel rewards and other tricks to pay pennies on the dollar.

Shawn Coomer is the founder of Miles to Memories and has traveled all over the world with his family utilizing miles & points. He has been writing and podcasting about miles, points and travel since 2013 and has earned and spent millions of points & miles across dozens of programs.

Mark Ostermann is the former Managing Editor of Miles to Memories and is the Managing Editor at Travel on Points. He has been writing about his travel experiences since 2017 and loves to dive into the weeds so you don't have to. He also enjoys a good beer and a laugh or fifty.

Each week tens of thousands of people tune into our MtM Vegas news shows at http://www.YouTube.com/milestomemories. If you like this show check it out!

Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at 20minutetravel@gmail.com.

Episode Description:

As a reminder you can watch this show as well at: https://www.youtube.com/@20minutetravel

The miles & points space is vast, confusing and has so many directions that it is easy to get overwhelmed and lost. Thankfully it is possible to get started in the simplest of ways without overcomplicating your life. This is supposed to be fun after all!

In this video we discuss Shawn & Mark discuss 5 basic tips for getting started in miles & points and why that is all you need to figure out how to take that next vacation. From dispelling myths to showing you what to focus on, our simple advice can help you on your way to traveling for "free" with miles & points. (Of course it's never really free, but they sure do provide a huge discount. )

Episode Guide:

• 0:00 5 Important tips for getting started using miles & points
• 1:44 Focus on transferable points currencies
• 4:22 Why you should probably start your journey with Chase
• 5:16 How the Chase 5/24 rule works & tracking it
• 6:50 Why welcome offers are the best ways to earn points
• 8:06 Welcome offers return much more than regular spend
• 9:25 Learn THE TRUTH about how credit scores work
• 10:34 Why your credit utilization is so important
• 11:36 Credit score is an asset and your ego shouldn’t play into it
• 13:36 Get comfortable paying credit card annual fees
• 15:22 Credit cards are not a lifelong commitment
• 17:11 The simple approach to getting started with miles & points

About the Show:

We love to travel and love to laugh! 20 Minute Travel is designed to get you all of the info you need to supercharge your travel by utilizing credit cards, travel rewards and other tricks to pay pennies on the dollar.

Shawn Coomer is the founder of Miles to Memories and has traveled all over the world with his family utilizing miles & points. He has been writing and podcasting about miles, points and travel since 2013 and has earned and spent millions of points & miles across dozens of programs.

Mark Ostermann is the former Managing Editor of Miles to Memories and is the Managing Editor at Travel on Points. He has been writing about his travel experiences since 2017 and loves to dive into the weeds so you don't have to. He also enjoys a good beer and a laugh or fifty.

Each week tens of thousands of people tune into our MtM Vegas news shows at http://www.YouTube.com/milestomemories. If you like this show check it out!

Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at 20minutetravel@gmail.com.

Episode Description:

As a reminder you can watch this show as well at: https://www.youtube.com/@20minutetravel

This week the huge news revolved around Crowdstrike and the insane effect the software had on airlines around the world. Thousands of canceled flights left travelers stranded, but some airlines survived the ordeal better than others thanks to vintage technology. Which airlines are still suffering?

In other news JetBlue is getting ready to make some big changes by adding Mini Mint first class to all of their planes. This will be good for some but will come at the cost of legroom for most customers. We also discuss the new Capital One Venture 75K offer, a really cool Tequila Train in Mexico, TSA breaking records, new Citi transfer bonuses and how to check for your targeted United offer.

Episode Guide:

• 0:00 Southwest’s old technology saves the day!
• 1:00 Crowdstrike outage causes huge issues for travelers
• 2:30 How miles & points can save you from a meltdown
• 4:18 TSA sets huge records in 2024 - 10 busiest days ever
• 5:52 JetBlue’s HUGE changes - “First class” coming at a huge cost
• 7:41 The maturation of Jetblue & Southwest
• 9:09 Capital One Venture 75K welcome offer
• 10:05 How we use our Capital One Miles
• 11:41 Chase matching 120K Ink offer
• 13:09 New FlyingBlue and Wyndham transfer bonuses
• 14:44 Hyatt Suite Upgrade overcharging
• 17:03 United’s new Mile Play promos - Great targeted deals
• 18:44 Jose Cuervo Express - Very cool train ride in Mexico

About the Show:

We love to travel and love to laugh! 20 Minute Travel is designed to get you all of the info you need to supercharge your travel by utilizing credit cards, travel rewards and other tricks to pay pennies on the dollar.

Shawn Coomer is the founder of Miles to Memories and has traveled all over the world with his family utilizing miles & points. He has been writing and podcasting about miles, points and travel since 2013 and has earned and spent millions of points & miles across dozens of programs.

Mark Ostermann is the former Managing Editor of Miles to Memories and is the Managing Editor at Travel on Points. He has been writing about his travel experiences since 2017 and loves to dive into the weeds so you don't have to. He also enjoys a good beer and a laugh or fifty.

Each week tens of thousands of people tune into our MtM Vegas news shows at http://www.YouTube.com/milestomemories. If you like this show check it out!

Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive review on your favorite podcast platform! You can also connect with us anytime at 20minutetravel@gmail.com.