Episode Description On this episode Shawn and Joe discuss the headaches that can be associated with booking awards. Joe’s recent booking included misinformation, strange phone numbers hangups and a lot of patience. Was it worth it? Other topics discussed include: the true value of the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Hyatt’s tricky new Bonus Journeys promotion and Alaska’s sudden devaluation that adds to a list of recent painful announcements. Episode Notes 1:24 - Shawn’s upcoming Virgin cruise 7:27 - Revenge travel and prices 11:44 - Booking headaches for Australia 27:17 - Another Japan devaluation? 3 ..read more

Episode Description In this episode Shawn & Joe discuss the recent death of a few award sweet spots. Is the rise of virality on social media platforms like Tik Tok causing deals to die sooner and does this mean casual travelers really shouldn’t invest time and energy into learning the miles & points hobby? In other news Amazon has brought back their popular Amex Membership Rewards Pay with Points deal. You can save up to 50% off if you are targeted and this works on gift cards. Chase also is releasing a massive welcome offer on the Sapphire Preferred that should get people looking at t ..read more

Episode Description On this episode Shawn discusses his return to the Waldorf Cabo and why he isn't in Japan instead. Miles and points present the ultimate in flexibility and thankfully they came in handy here. How is the Waldorf Cabo on a second visit? In other news Shawn and Joe discuss the big Hyatt changes and how they are just plain ugly. Plus what is the first thing you do in a hotel room, why you might want the apply for the Chase Ink 90K offers before they disappear soon and how Southwest is trying out new tweaks to their boarding process. Will it help? Episode Notes 0:10 - Why’s Shawn ..read more

Episode Description On this episode Joe returns from his trip to talk about Disney Cruise line concierge level, the costs and whether it's worth booking over standard rooms. Is it possible to score an upgrade for cheaper than the full cost? Shawn and Joe also talk Genting Highlands, the Alila Kuala Lumpur, pains with Chase Travel, award alerts and what exactly the Amex Business Platinum is worth. Episode Notes 2:28 - Shawn Reece round the world trip updates 7:40 - Award alerts and using Spencer’s newsletters to snag great seats 11:35 - A low category luxury Alila property bookable on points? 1 ..read more

Episode Description In this episode Shawn talks with Amy & Tim Rutherford from GoWithLess. Amy & Tim are nomads who retired early and now spend their days traveling full time. They have started an amazing community of travel hackers and nomads and meet up with people all over the world. This episode touches on a lot including the challenges of living on the road, the ultimate travel hack, earning miles & points while moving and how you may want to reign in your spending now so that you can have all of the freedom you want later. Their story is an inspiring one and I hope you enjoy ..read more

Episode Description On this episode Shawn and Joe discuss the new Southwest card welcome offers that include a year+ of the Companion Pass. They also discuss new airline mileage portal bonuses, Shawn’s interesting run in with Uber at the airport, a new rewarding perk of Delta cards and an update on Joe’s controversial booking. Episode Notes 0:30 - Updating Joe’s Delta redemption plus thoughts on award bookings now that airlines have given us added flexibility 16:38 - Uber almost gets Shawn paying double 20:38 - New Southwest Companion Pass offer 25:12 - New shopping portal bonuses En ..read more

Episode Description On this episode Shawn and Joe discuss how we redeem points and why it doesn’t always mesh with what others would do. Redemption shaming can be a problem in the hobby, but how can we all do better? We also discuss miles & points for budget travel and how they can be incredible to get more travel when not focusing on premium redemptions, IHG’s best ever 175K welcome offer and how MSC stacks up to other cruise lines. Are they as bad as their reputation? Genie+ guide on Trips with Tykes Episode Notes 2:25 - Joe “wastes” a bunch of Skymiles (also: new 15% off for Skymiles cr ..read more

Episode Description On this episode MtM Contributor and miles and points phenom John Ryan joins Shawn to discuss some of the challenges of being so young in the miles & points hobby and how he learned to travel for “free” at such a young age. Learn his favorite award sweet spots, how the phone can be an incredible tool and some of the cool places the hobby has taken him. Follow John @vegasteenager on Twitter! Episode Notes 3:22 - How John became the family’s travel planner 14:22 - Favorite hotel loyalty programs 16:29 - Favorite airlines and frequent flyer programs 22:51 - The benefits of ..read more

Episode Description On today’s episode of Miles to Memories Shawn and Joe chat about their early spending plans for the year and new credit cards they’re working on. They also discuss Hyatt’s botched IT on their latest promo, a new Hilton brand and a short theme park update. Plus, unlimited pay yourself back on Aeroplan? Episode Notes 1:48 - Quick theme park updates 12:04 - Hilton Spark 16:25 - Hyatt IT biffs their latest targeted promo 24:20 - Aeroplan unlimited(?) pay yourself back 28:52 - Kicking off 2023 in credit card spending Enjoying the podcast? Please consider leaving us a positive re ..read more

Episode Description Shawn and Joe are joined by Leslie Harvey from Trips with Tykes to talk Disney in 2023. Going to Disney parks has grown into a complicated task, but Joe and Leslie have you covered with all of the latest info and what you need to know before visiting. In this episode we tackle both coasts (Disneyland and Walt Disney World) talking strategy and what we have to look forward to as far as new attractions. Where can people still save money in 2023 and what are the main differences between a Disneyland and Walt Disney World trip. Episode Notes Listen to Disney Deciphered on Apple ..read more