Gunnar and Kyle have already shared everything they know in the first five episodes of Starter Kit, but they don’t know everything. So, for a sixth (and final … ?) episode, the guys enlisted six other travel experts to help you take things to the next level.
From not letting “perfect” redemptions get in the way of good ones, why practice makes perfect for finding award space, why you should consider getting into business credit cards (even if you’re not a “business” owner), and so much more, learn from some sickos not named Gunnar or Kyle.
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In This Episode
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- 00:00 – What was Kyle’s “aha” moment in award travel?
- 03:00 – @Wayfarenco: “You have to be flexible somewhere”
- 05:20 – @amberonpoints: Don’t let perfect get in the way of good
- 08:00 – @vacation_pointers: Take the plunge and use those points!
- 11:35 – The Thrifty Traveler Premium deals that made us double take
- 13:20 – @thepointsflygirl: Practice makes perfect in award bookings
- 16:25 – @traveldaddydave: Fit cards to your spending to earn more
- 18:10 – Our boss: Business cards will unlock more award travel
- 21:50 – Volume 6 Flight Plan! (More below)
Produced and edited by Sylvia Thomas
Video editing by Kyle Thomas
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot
Vol. 6 Flight Plan
- Abby (@wayfarenco) told us that being flexible about your destination is more important than being flexible about your dates. Following the points availability and cheap flights are the most important things.
- Amber (@AmberOnPoints) warned about letting “perfect” redemptions get in the way of good ones. She reminded us that economy and business class get you to the same place.
- Kim (@Vacation_Pointers) agreed, telling us that one of her best trips ever came from booking a flight using a credit card travel portal, and not from transferring points. Her best advice: “Take the plunge” into travel rewards.
- Deanna (@ThePointsFlyGirl) told us that practice makes perfect. She recommends you actually go out there and practice searching for award space so that when the flight you want to book comes around, you’re ready to book.
- Dave (@TravelDaddyDave) said more travelers should reverse engineer their points strategy based on how they normally spend their money to earn the most points.
- Jared: Travelers might be eligible for small business credit cards and not even know it! Getting into the small biz card world literally doubles the number of points you can earn as an award traveler.
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!