Earning and redeeming points can be full of trip hazards … and Gunnar’s tripped on almost all of them. So this week, the guys outline the biggest award travel mistakes they’ve seen (and made) so that you can avoid making the same mistakes on your own travel journey.
Plus, the guys break down some positive points news from Qatar Airways, walk through their analysis of where you can score “poor man’s business class,” an help a listener out planning a trip to Europe next year.
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In This Episode
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- 00:00 – R.I.P. to the TSA line water bottle chug
- 02:45 – Holly welcomes us back from the Dolomites!
- 03:40 – The best flights to find “poor man’s business class”
- 10:30 – Qatar backs off its restrictive booking rules
- 15:50 – A word from our sponsor, Saily!
- 16:45 – The 10 most common award travel mistakes
- 45:00 – The 1-year-out award travel checklist
- 47:30 – On the spot: How many of these mistakes has Gunnar made?
Produced and edited by Sylvia Thomas
Video editing by Kyle Thomas
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot
Do you think there is a chance Delta releases any additional award deals or deals in general for flights from nyc-europe again. Im hoping for a RT deal in Prem Select or D1 or at least one way to LHR or CDG from NYC. I wasn’t able to snag a deal a few weeks ago because I didn’t have enough miles, but now I do.
TBH this is closer than I imagined. Kyle has the best earning setup in my opinion, while Nick arguably would have the best year 1 setup. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a draw, or close to a draw.
We were in Japan for over a month this spring and when we tallied up our 10 favorite experiences none were in Tokyo and only one was in Kyoto. We loved Takayama, Nagano, wild areas in Shikoku and the Japanese Alps, and the rural areas in Western Honshu. For onsens that aren’t crazy crowded try the area around the Shin-Hotaka Ropeway in the mountains near Kamikochi.
BTW, before you go to Japan go online and listen to Japanese pronunciation of place names. Narita, Haneda, and even Kyoto and Tokyo aren’t pronounced the way you probably think and Japanese speakers might not understand you if you use English pronunciation. (For example, Tokyo and Kyoto are both two-syllables.)
Can I have more info about the vpn to use for getting more points?
Hi Mary, search Rakuten for “Express VPN” or “Nord VPN.” Both regularly offer close to 100% back – 100x points when you have your Rakuten account set up that way – for these purchases. At 100% cash back (100x points), you’re essentially buying points for 1 cent apiece if you don’t plan to use the service. Just don’t forget to cancel before the promo rate expires!