MTM Travel - The Fun Side of Points & Travel!

Get 50% off Cardpointers+ - Track cards, automatically load Chase & Amex Offers + a lot more. Lock-in lifetime membership at half off. (affiliate) https://milestomemories.com/go/cardpointers/ Shawn's Capital One Shopping referral - https://capitaloneshopping.com/r/424785a3-c3f2-4b84-a077-f724abcd89ff It was a wild week in the points world. An email to Chase Ink Plus cardholders made it look like 5X on office supplies was getting axed, the internet panicked, and we called it as a likely mistake before Chase confirmed it was just human error. We also break down the Paze spend 10 dollars get 10 dollars promo that people abused so hard with New Egg gift cards that Chase started shutting down options in a single day, and the new Amex Resy credit changes coming August 1 that may or may not be a big deal. Then we get into the meatier stuff: a great One Mile at a Time piece on hotel owners pushing Marriott for a bigger cut, why that means points will likely cost all of us more, and Ben's editorial on whether miles and points is even fun anymore. Plus a Capital One Shopping shout out and why those targeted offers are worth a look. Episode Guide: 0:00 - Intro: The Great Office Supply 5X Scare of 2026 1:37 - Chase Ink Plus 5X Email: Mistake or Devaluation? 3:55 - The Paze Promo That Got Abused (and Nerfed) 6:54 - Amex Resy Credit Changes Coming August 1 10:14 - Capital One Shopping: Don't Sleep on the Offers 12:09 - Hotel Owners vs Marriott: Why Points Will Cost More 17:01 - Is Miles and Points Even Fun Anymore? 20:08 - Better Earning vs Worse Availability 22:20 - Going Mainstream Killed the Simplicity 24:55 - Social Media Killed the Loophole 26:52 - A Tip of the Cap to Lucky and Wrap-Up ✈️ Track your travel credit cards for free 📧 Free newsletter 💳 Join our free Facebook group (16,000+ members) 🏆 Diamond Patreon — bonus shows + Slack community 🥇 Gold Membership ($10/mo) 🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts 📖 Miles to Memories website Cardpointers Sale - https://milestomemories.com/go/cardpointers/ OMAAT points editorial - https://onemileatatime.com/insights/miles-points-worth-it/ Marriott owners fighting back - https://onemileatatime.com/news/marriott-hotel-owners-demand-more-money-bonvoy-award-stays/ Paze deal - https://milestomemories.com/100-in-free-spend-with-new-paze-promo/ Resy changes - https://milestomemories.com/bad-news-for-amex-cardholders-with-resy-credits/

Get your free travel insurance quote with Faye! https://milestomemories.com/go/faye-travel-insurance/ Chase just refreshed the Sapphire Preferred and buried a bombshell in the fine print. On this episode of MTM Travel Shawn and Mark break down everything Chase changed: the $95 fee stays, you get new 3X categories on gas, EV charging and vacation rentals, plus a doubled $100 hotel credit. The catch? The Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred lose 1:1 Hyatt transfers and drop to 4:3 on October 1. We cover whether the refresh is still worth it, why the $795 Reserve is now the only way to keep 1:1 Hyatt, why Bilt just won, and what you should actually do before the changes hit Monday. Mark's full breakdown is linked below. Let us know where Chase ranks in your points lineup now. Episode Guide: 0:00 – Chase drops a Hyatt bombshell 0:22 – Shawn in Casablanca + airport travel tips 3:33 – Inside the new Sapphire Preferred (and the 4:3 Hyatt cut) 6:35 – Bonus categories & why Chase is devaluing points 8:40 – The $795 Reserve push, Mark's article & the Oct 1 timeline 12:27 – Will this finally hurt Hyatt? 16:18 – Chase's fault or Hyatt's? Plus why Bilt won 19:44 – Shawn's points strategy going forward 22:48 – Mourning the old Hyatt & should you apply before Monday? ✈️ Track your travel credit cards for free 📧 Free newsletter 💳 Join our free Facebook group (16,000+ members) 🏆 Diamond Patreon — bonus shows + Slack community 🥇 Gold Membership ($10/mo) 🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts 📖 Miles to Memories website

Bank of America is refunding annual fees for every Spirit credit cardholder and product-changing them into no-fee cards. Mark thought he found a hack in Choice Hotels' gas promo — until Choice's IT outsmarted him. Discover dropped the best welcome offer in its history: $200 after $500 spend, plus double cash back the first year. Then there's the Sapphire Reserve debate — when does pay-yourself-back make the annual fee worth it? What we cover: Spirit credit cardholders get annual fee refunds from Bank of America Choice Hotels gas promo: 8,000 points for a $50 card? Not so fast Discover's best-ever offer: $200 bonus + double cash back = five quarters of 5% Capital One acquiring Discover — could cash back become miles? Rethinking the Sapphire Reserve: when couponing actually works Pay Yourself Back at 1.25 cents and who should keep the card Schwab cashout strategy: turning Membership Rewards into cash Episode Guide: 0:00 - Welcome to MTM Travel 1:01 - Spirit Credit Card Update 5:47 - Choice Hotels Gas Promo 11:17 - Why Discover Card Right Now 16:13 - Rethinking the Sapphire Reserve 22:08 - Spouse Points & Wrap-Up ✈️ Track your travel credit cards for free 📧 Free newsletter 💳 Join our free Facebook group (16,000+ members) 🏆 Diamond Patreon — bonus shows + Slack community 🥇 Gold Membership ($10/mo) 🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts 📖 Miles to Memories website

Episode Description Hyatt's 2026 award changes are live, and Shawn and Mark look at what happened after the switch. Some stays barely moved, some got cheaper, Japan got hit hard, and a few members appear to have been charged rates that do not match what Hyatt showed during booking. They also talk through the points hoarding debate after Benjy's "case for zero" article. A big transferable points balance can feel like an emergency fund, but it can also lose value while cash could earn interest or get invested. Then they close with Chase's new 10X Paze offer, the limited but useful merchant list, and how it can stack with Rove shopping bonuses. Episode Guide 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel 0:23 Hyatt's devaluation aftermath 2:47 Japan Hyatt awards get hammered 4:28 Category 1-4 certificates lose ground 6:00 Hyatt booking glitches and overcharges 9:30 Detroit seminar tickets and hotel warning 10:53 The points hoarding mistake 13:52 Investing cash vs. holding points 15:10 Shawn's Citi ThankYou redemption win 16:21 Cashing out, burn rates and earn rates 20:24 Chase Paze 10X and Rove stacking Links Travel Freely/CardGenie — https://travelfreely.com/cardgenie/?bref=mm Hyatt 2026 award chart updates — https://newsroom.hyatt.com/awardchartupdates Doctor of Credit: Chase Sapphire & Freedom 10X Paze Promo — https://www.doctorofcredit.com/chase-sapphire-freedom-cards-get-10x-with-paze-checkout-through-2026-united-newegg-shoprite-dunkin-etc/ MTM: Rove promotion and stacking with Paze — https://milestomemories.com/new-rove-promotion-and-stacking-with-paze/ Paze merchant directory — https://www.paze.com/merchant-directory Points mistake - https://milestomemories.com/points-and-miles-mistake/

Juice up your earnings with QCGC. https://qcgc.io/?ref=mtmv1 (sponsored) MTM Detroit Meetup Tickets - https://mtm.zohobackstage.com/MTMTravelDetroit2026#/ Capital One is facing a lawsuit over canceled rewards, and Shawn and Mark get into the bigger problem with banks treating points like real currency when it helps them and funny money when it helps them. They also talk retention offers, when a card is not worth keeping even for free, and rank the major transferable points programs from worst to best. What we cover: Capital One being sued over allegedly canceled rewards after account closures. Why earned points should come with stronger consumer protections. How to compare retention offers against referral offers, credits and annual fees. Why no-fee cards can still be worth checking for retention offers. The Business Platinum changes, Dell frustration and when a credit stops mattering. Shawn and Mark's rankings for Amex, Chase, Bilt, Citi, Capital One and Wells Fargo. Why Chase has slipped, Citi has become more useful and Bilt may have the most interesting upside. Episode Guide: 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel 0:21 Detroit event details and why in-person networking still matters 2:52 Capital One sued over canceled rewards 7:51 How to think about retention offers 11:16 No-fee cards can still have retention offers 13:25 Dell, Business Platinum credits and the breaking point 14:52 Ranking transferable points programs 16:15 Capital One vs Wells Fargo at the bottom 19:03 Bilt vs Citi and the middle of the rankings 19:45 Why Chase keeps slipping 23:07 Amex makes the case for number one 26:14 Mark's case for Bilt as the best program 29:15 Which programs are essential for most people? Links: Free newsletter Join our free Facebook group Diamond Patreon Gold Membership Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Miles to Memories website Capital One lawsuit - https://mtmdiamond.slack.com/archives/C0ACC849Z3J/p1778758564025649 Retention offers - https://milestomemories.com/american-express-business-platinum-retention-offer/

Get $200 after making your first $500 payment with Melio! (affiliate) https://www.milestomemories.com/go/melio Spirit Airlines is gone, and even travelers who avoided Spirit may feel it in their wallets. Shawn and Mark talk through the fallout for cheap flights, the JetBlue and Frontier merger mess, and why low-cost carriers have such a hard time making the model work in the U.S. They also get into JetBlue's pricing lawsuit, data tracking worries, a robot that bought its own Southwest seat, and the cheap travel items that actually earn space in the bag. Yes, that includes Benji's forever stamp. What we cover: Spirit Airlines disappearing and what it means for airfare Why JetBlue, Frontier and Spirit all ended up tied together in this story The difference between Ryanair, Allegiant and the U.S. low-cost model JetBlue's lawsuit over pricing, cookies and tracking claims Whether airline pricing algorithms and shared pricing data hurt consumers A robot flying Southwest with its own seat Cheap and free travel items worth packing, from plastic bags to backup headphones Episode Guide: 0:00 - Welcome to MTM Travel 0:20 - Spirit Airlines disappears 3:06 - The JetBlue and Frontier merger fallout 5:02 - Why U.S. low-cost carriers struggle 7:45 - What losing Spirit means for fares 10:38 - Low-cost carriers need a new plan 12:30 - JetBlue lawsuit and pricing tracking claims 15:47 - A robot gets its own Southwest seat 17:06 - Cheap and free travel items worth packing 21:00 - The travel gear we actually keep packed 24:10 - Freebies, bottle openers and fancy hotel pens Track your travel credit cards for free Free newsletter Join our free Facebook group Diamond Patreon - bonus shows + Slack community Gold Membership Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Miles to Memories website

Travel Freely helps you organize your credit cards, annual fees, 5/24 status and travel rewards strategy. Sign-Up Now https://milestomemories.boardingarea.com/go/travel-freely-eop/ Episode Description Travel is getting more expensive from every direction. Shawn and Mark talk through JAL and ANA's higher fuel surcharges, Aeroplan's upcoming award chart changes, Spirit's possible government-backed rescue and American Airlines' new portable charger rules. They also discuss Google's new individual hotel price tracking tool and why it may be useful even when you are booking with points. Plus, Mark recaps his father-son Vegas trip with Connor, including Hoover Dam, Boulder City, a forgotten laptop scare and the redeye flight Connor never wants to repeat. Episode Guide 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel 0:21 Mark's father-son Vegas trip and getting beyond the Strip 3:27 JAL and ANA fuel surcharges are going way up 8:43 Aeroplan award chart changes coming in June 11:28 Spirit bailout talk and the low-cost carrier problem 14:56 American Airlines' new portable charger rules 18:11 Google Hotels adds individual hotel price tracking 20:22 Mark's flights, forgotten laptop scare and redeye strategy Links JAL/ANA fuel surcharge increases — https://milestomemories.com/jal-and-ana-to-double-fuel-surcharges/ Aeroplan award chart changes — https://onemileatatime.com/news/aeroplan-updating-award-chart-devaluation/ Spirit Airlines rescue talks — https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/22/spirit-airlines-rescue-trump-administration.html American Airlines power bank rules — https://milestomemories.com/american-airlines-rules-for-portable-chargers/ Google individual hotel price tracking — https://milestomemories.com/google-launches-individual-hotel-price-tracking/

Get $200 back after your first payment of $500 with Melio (affiliate) - https://milestomemories.com/go/melio/ Higher award fees, less lounge access, and one pretty wild new way to sleep on a plane. In this episode of MTM Travel, Shawn and Mark talk through Air New Zealand's new SkyNest bunk beds, Virgin Atlantic's uglier award surcharges, American cutting more basic economy benefits, Spirit's possible liquidation, and United tightening access to Polaris lounges. What we cover: Shawn's Minneapolis meetup recap and Hyatt Centric stay The Fairmont Bermuda / Accor points reimbursement follow-up Air New Zealand's SkyNest bunk beds and whether they beat business class for sleep Virgin Atlantic's higher award fees and why the value keeps slipping American removing more elite perks from basic economy Spirit's possible liquidation and what it could mean for fares United restricting Polaris lounge access for many Star Alliance partners Links: Free newsletter Track your travel credit cards for free with Travel Freely Miles to Memories Facebook group Diamond Patreon and Gold Membership MTM Travel podcast Miles to Memories website Fairmont follow up - https://milestomemories.com/fairmont-hamilton-princess-billing-error/ Skynest - https://milestomemories.com/air-new-zealand-skynest-economy-beds/ Virgin hikes - https://milestomemories.com/virgin-atlantic-just-hiked-award-fees-again/ AA basic economy changes - https://milestomemories.com/american-removes-elite-benefits-in-basic-economy/ United Polaris access changes - https://milestomemories.com/united-restricts-polaris-lounge-access-for-star-alliance-partners/ Episode Guide 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel 4:54 Fairmont Bermuda and the Accor points refund mess 8:47 Air New Zealand's SkyNest bunk beds 13:30 Virgin Atlantic award fees jump again 16:59 Using Virgin points for AMC popcorn and drinks 18:46 American removes more basic economy elite perks 20:04 Spirit may liquidate and fares could get worse 23:04 United restricts Polaris lounge access for partner flyers What do you think about Air New Zealand's bunk-bed idea? Would you pay extra for four hours of real sleep, or would you still rather have a traditional business class seat? Advertiser Disclosure: This site/channel is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site/channel (including, for example, the order in which they appear). This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers.

This week on MTM Travel, Shawn and Mark get into one of the most annoying travel debates imaginable: phone calls on airplanes. They also dig into American Airlines' bus route oddities, what hotel loyalty liabilities really mean, and whether a United-American merger would solve anything or just make the mess bigger. In This Episode: Why phone calls on planes feel like a terrible idea The strange case of American Airlines bus routes A quick detour into the Spruce $100 offer and Condor trip planning Why hotel loyalty programs are carrying giant IOUs Whether a United-American merger is smart or a complete circus Episode Guide: 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel 0:17 Phone calls on airplanes and why this could get ugly 4:14 American Airlines' bus route confusion 6:30 Spruce $100 offer ending April 15 7:29 Shawn's Condor booking and Europe trip planning 12:15 Hotel loyalty programs and their giant IOUs 15:29 Why hotel loyalty is now the real hotel business 17:18 The United-American merger idea 20:24 Why JetBlue or Alaska makes more sense Links: Track your travel credit cards for free Patreon (bonus shows + Slack community) Newsletter Free Facebook group (16K members) Watch on YouTube Apple Podcasts milestomemories.com Hotel IOU - https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/7-billion-loyalty-iou-marriott-130000589.html United-American - https://onemileatatime.com/news/united-ceo-scott-kirby-merger-american/ BA calls - https://onemileatatime.com/news/british-airways-video-voice-calls-starlink-wi-fi/ AA bus - https://www.fox13news.com/news/american-airlines-customers-say-flights-turned-bus-trips-without-warning Advertiser Disclosure: This site/channel is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site/channel (including, for example, the order in which they appear). This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers.

Get $200 back after your first payment of $500 with Melio (affiliate) - https://milestomemories.com/go/melio/ Mark's spring break Bermuda trip had it all: JFK security chaos at 4am, a flight that had to turn around twice in high winds before making it to the island, a $850-a-night Fairmont room that looked like it hadn't been touched since the '70s, and then — finally — the Rosewood Bermuda, which might be one of the best hotels either of them has ever stayed at. Full trip debrief with honest hotel reviews, flight booking strategy, and a seriously useful FHR credit tip. What we cover: Spirit Airlines boarding group 2 bag theory — are they skipping the size check? Hyatt Regency Resorts World JFK as a free night cert stopover JFK security chaos at 4am — ICE agents running lanes, only 3 lanes for thousands of people Flight to nowhere: two go-arounds in high winds, back to JFK for 9 hours Fairmont Hamilton Princess: $850/night, room looks like 1978, sawdust falling from the bed posts Royal Naval Dockyards — Frog and Onion, ferry tips, what to do for a day Rosewood Bermuda: top 3 hotel ever, beach club, pink sand, Crystal Caves, complimentary gin tasting FHR tip: two rooms in different names = double $100 credits + double free breakfasts New Fairmont at Horseshoe Bay — $400M renovation, Accor points, watch this one Flight home: DCA lounge agent rebooking saves the family from an overnight stranding Episode Guide: 0:00 - Welcome to MTM Travel 0:22 - Mark's Bermuda trip intro and Spirit Airlines boarding theory 1:08 - Hyatt Regency Resorts World JFK overnight 4:31 - JFK security chaos at 4am 8:56 - Flight to nowhere — two go-arounds, back to JFK 16:04 - Fairmont Hamilton Princess check-in and room review 19:38 - Royal Naval Dockyards and Frog and Onion 20:22 - Rosewood Bermuda — arrival and rooms 23:06 - Beach club, Crystal Caves, Horseshoe Bay 30:22 - FHR tips: two rooms, double credits, double breakfast 32:33 - Flight home and DCA lounge rebooking ✈️ Track your travel credit cards for free 📧 Free newsletter 💳 Join our free Facebook group (16,000+ members) 🏆 Diamond Patreon — bonus shows + Slack community 🥇 Gold Membership ($10/mo) 🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts 📖 Miles to Memories website

Hyatt may be ending free parking and resort fee waivers for Globalists — and there's a new elite tier above Globalist potentially on the way. Meanwhile, Citi is cutting the ThankYou to Choice Hotels transfer rate by 25% on April 19th. And Mark is trying to figure out if he's even making it to Bermuda with JFK TSA chaos threatening the whole spring break trip. What we cover: Hyatt survey: new elite tier above Globalist — plus possible end to free parking and resort fee waivers Is Hyatt becoming the next Marriott? Shawn weighs in Citi ThankYou to Choice Hotels: 25% devaluation hitting April 19 Bilt Red Day (April 1): Wyndham added as transfer partner with a 100–125% bonus Wyndham program: all-inclusives, Choice Hotels overlap and real value Wells Fargo Autograph still transfers 1:2 to Choice Points currency rankings: Bilt #1, Chase falling to #4 Mark's Bermuda spring break and the stress of TSA chaos at JFK Updated: complete guide to credit card application rules by bank Episode Guide: 0:00 - Welcome to MTM Travel 0:20 - Mark's Bermuda Spring Break + TSA Chaos at JFK 5:42 - Hyatt Survey: New Elite Tier Above Globalist? 7:00 - Could Hyatt End Free Parking & Resort Fee Waivers? 12:17 - Bilt Rent Day: Wyndham Added as Transfer Partner 15:07 - Wyndham, Choice Hotels & Citi ThankYou 25% Devaluation 18:54 - Wells Fargo Autograph & Points Currency Rankings 22:37 - Complete Credit Card Application Rules Guide ✈️ Track your travel credit cards for free with Travel Freely 💋 Free newsletter 👥 Join our free Facebook group (16,000+ members) 🏅 Diamond Patreon — bonus shows + Slack community 🥇 Gold Membership ($10/mo) 🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts 📖 Miles to Memories website

Capital One's switch to the Discover payment network is getting cards declined at ATMs and payment terminals overseas — Mark found out the hard way in Poland and Dublin. Chase made things worse by quietly killing fraud alerts for international charges, leaving one of Mark's travel buddies $1,000 in the hole at a bar in Poland with zero notification. Plus: a leaked Amex card nobody asked for, Yotel joining Hilton's portfolio, and why tap-to-pay overseas might actually work against you in a dispute. What we cover: Capital One Dulles lounge: hot, cramped, and the worst they've visited Amex Graphite Business Cash Unlimited: $250 fee for a 2% card nobody needed Capital One's Discover network switch: why cards are failing overseas Mark's Capital One debit declined in Poland and Dublin — what happened Best international debit cards in 2026: Charles Schwab, SoFi, Fidelity Is Venture X still worth taking overseas? Yotel joins Hilton as "Select by Hilton" — bookable with points by year end Chase ends fraud alerts for international and non-physical charges Mark's buddy loses $1,000+ at a bar in Poland — no fraud alert sent Apple Pay overseas: biometric authorization makes disputes harder Episode Guide: 0:00 - Welcome to MTM Travel 0:43 - Capital One Dulles lounge: the worst they've visited 2:23 - Amex Graphite Business Cash Unlimited: $250 for a 2% card? 7:17 - Capital One's Discover network switch explained 8:00 - Mark's Capital One debit declined in Poland and Dublin 8:20 - Best international debit cards: Schwab, SoFi, Fidelity 14:50 - Is Venture X still worth taking overseas? 15:42 - Yotel joins Hilton as "Select by Hilton" 19:33 - Chase ends international fraud alerts 20:50 - Mark's buddy loses $1,000+ at a bar in Poland — no fraud alert 23:27 - Apple Pay overseas: why disputes are harder to win 28:22 - Wrap + subscribe 📧 Free newsletter ✈️ Track your travel credit cards for free 💳 Join our free Facebook group (16,000+ members) 🏆 Diamond Patreon — bonus shows + Slack community 🥇 Gold Membership ($10/mo) 🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts 📖 Miles to Memories website