News, news, and more breaking travel news. There’s been so many big stories in the travel world lately, Gunnar and Kyle blew up the normal show format and spent the episode going beyond the headlines, breaking down everything you need to know. There’s more on new pricing shenanigans from airlines and Uber, the ins and outs of Alaska’s new loyalty program, a big upgrade for Google Flights, and much much more.

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00:00 - A self-indulgent review of Gunnar’s favorite hotel in the world: Under Canvas in Glacier (now bookable with Hyatt points!)

05:13 - PSA: Global entry interviews are easier to find than ever

09:20 - Alaska/Hawaiian’s new award program and why we won’t call it by its name. Plus, the new Alaska/Hawaiian Atmos premium credit card and some new routes to Europe.

17:40 - A leak of what’s coming for the Amex Platinum Card in September

20:50 - Chase-to-Emirates transfers have an expiration date

23:10 - A new worst way to use Delta SkyMiles – insurance!

25:10 - Google Flights adds a basic economy filter and unveils an interesting new AI function

31:20 - The data couldn’t be clearer: Book the earliest flight of the day to avoid delays and cancellations

35:40 - A word from our sponsor (us): Stay up on all the news with our free Daily Beat newsletter

36:30 - One simple choice for your Uber ride will affect your price

39:25 - The Amex Centurion Lounge in Dallas is getting a big expansion

43:00 - Delta and other airlines are overcharging for upgrades

48:00 - The Tulum bubble has burst as airlines keep pulling out

52:10 - A listener wants to branch out from Delta but doesn’t know what card to start with

56:30 - On the spot: The biggest stories from Kyle’s career

Produced by Gunnar Olson & Nick Serati
Edited by David Strutt
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot

Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts!

Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at podcast@thriftytraveler.com

Get 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!

See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!

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Bluesky

This week’s podcast is honestly just a selfish exercise for Gunnar, who uses his coworker’s expertise to plan a trip to the 2026 Olympics, get tips on flying with kids, and brag about how to make Thrifty Traveler Premium the best flight deal alert service out there. This week we welcomed Thrifty Traveler’s Product Manager, Tracey Burtch, to talk about how her time representing Team USA Figure Skating sparked a love of travel and how she now devotes her career to helping others do the same. Plus, Tracey recaps her biggest (and embarrassingly recent) travel mistake and some of her favorite deals ever.

Watch us on YouTube!

00:00 - Finding something out: Introducing Thrifty Traveler’s best athlete (former Team USA figure skater and our product manager, Tracey Burtch!)

02:35 - Something hot: Tracey’s favorite deals of all time

05:00 - Something cold: An embarrassingly recent travel mishap

07:00 - The Extra Mile: How to evolve your travels over time – including Tracey’s “aha” moments

11:00 - Making Thrifty Traveler better and easier for travelers to use as Product Manager of TT

14:45 - How Tracey is pulling off a trip to the 2026 Italy Olympics

23:00 - Booking TAP Air Portugal business class and where to fly to visit the Italy games

27:00 - A super selfish listener (host?) question about tips for flying with children – and the layover that “just kept giving”

30:40 - On the Spot: Choose your next trip…off the studio wall

Produced by Gunnar Olson
Edited by David Strutt
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot

Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts!

Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at podcast@thriftytraveler.com

Get 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!

See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!

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Bluesky

Points and miles aren’t worth anything if you can’t use them. If you want to fly lie-flat business class (most of us, right?), it can be excruciating to find flights you can actually book with points. But some stand out as being much easier to book - if not downright easy. Gunnar and Kyle shine the spotlight on the airlines and routes where it’s easiest to score that business class seat using miles. Plus, they chat about rising surcharges on award tickets and look at why Gunnar is adding a new credit card to his wallet ASAP … from an airline he rarely flies.

Watch us on YouTube!

00:00 - Finding something out: The best bits from our interview with Jason

02:15 - Kyle issues a correction to his bougiest travel take: SkyMiles + Champagne

04:00 - Something Hot: This American Airlines 80K-mile card sign-up bonus

09:00 - Something Cold: The Taxes & Fees are Too Damn High – which airlines are worst? (Ahem: Emirates…)

15:12 - A word from our sponsor: Us … and how you can find business class availability with Thrifty Traveler Premium

16:40 - The Extra Mile: All of the easiest business class seats to book with points and miles

20:30 - Why Finnair might be the best of them all (and one of the fanciest) and with easy-to-earn Avios

23:20 - The other easiest-to-book options when flying lie-flat to Europe

34:40 - The key to book Qatar Airways QSuites

40:30 - Listener Question: How to pair award tickets with cash bookings on a group trip

44:45 - On the Spot: Gunnar’s dream additions to the “easiest-to-book biz class” list

Produced by Gunnar Olson & Erica Kamrowski

Edited by David Strutt

Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot

Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts!

Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at podcast@thriftytraveler.com

Get 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!

See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!

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Bluesky

The hilarious Jason Matheson - host of The Jason Show on FOX and a 20-year veteran of morning talk radio - joins the show to talk all things travel with Kyle and Gunnar. Claiming to be Thrifty Traveler’s #1 fan, Jason tells us what Canadian city sparked his love of travel before diving deep into what he loves about Hawaii and Disney. He also tries to sell the guys on cruising and he even reveals his bougiest travel take. Join us for the funniest episode of the Thrifty Traveler Podcast yet!

Watch us on YouTube!

00:00 - Introducing Thrifty Traveler’s #1 Fan

01:02 - We fix CLEAR and put airport speakerphone users on the no-fly list

05:35 - The new Delta One Lounge impresses at LAX … but would you eat the sushi?

13:00 - Who’s fighting back against AI and “surveillance-based” airfare pricing?

18:50 - Jason tells us about the latest flight deal that impressed him and his friends (use promo code TTPOD for $20 off your first year of deals!)

20:00 - Jason’s travel story: how Vancouver (& The Fantastic Four) sparked his love of travel

22:30 - What’s next on Jason’s travel bucket list? And what got taken off the list because of “critters.”

23:20 - His long love affair with Hawaii & why Jason loves Oahu the most

28:30 - Why everyone needs to go see Susan at the Mai Tai Bar

32:15 - Jason’s Delta loyalty – the good, the bad, the ugly, and when he cheats on them with United…

38:00 - Jason pitches the guys on (most) cruises

41:00 - Why his first Disney Cruise blew him away

45:30 - Tips to do Disney for adults

51:00 - Why did Jason get into travel and how he became Thrifty Traveler’s #1 fan

58:45 - Listener Question: Are flexible points worth the pain? Should you just retreat to Delta SkyMiles?

01:02:50 - On the spot: Jason and Kyle’s bougiest travel taste, take, or rule

Produced by Gunnar Olson & Nick Serati

Edited by David Strutt

Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot

Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts!

Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at podcast@thriftytraveler.com

Get 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!

See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!

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Bluesky

The world of airfare is changing before our eyes. Airlines have jacked up the price of one-way flights and targeted solo passengers with higher fares, too. And, more troublingly, carriers like Delta (and others) are now leaning on AI to set airfare … raising the prospect of personalized pricing. What does it all mean? Kyle and Gunnar break it all down on this week’s episode, telling you how airfare is changing, why, and who’s responsible. Plus, why this is your year to go to Costa Rica … and the airline that both Kyle and Gunnar are embarrassed to have never flown before.

Watch us on YouTube!

00:00 - Did AI write this intro?

01:08 - Should we be worried about AI-fueled airfare?

02:43 - Want to go to Costa Rica? Go this year (while deals are white hot)

06:25 - The surprising return of one-way airfare penalties

11:45 - Stay current on the news: Subscribe (for free!) to The Daily Beat email newsletter

13:00 - As AI enters airfare, how does airfare actually work right now?

19:30 - By penalizing one-way travelers and solo travelers, the airlines are shifting strategies…

22:25 - How Delta (& others) are actually starting to use AI to price flights

27:00 - What is Fetcherr? What they’re doing for Delta - and the article they didn’t want you to see

34:40 - What can we do to protect ourselves from AI? Are there any guardrails out there?

41:20 - Listener Question: Done with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card? What to pick up next?

46:10 - On the spot: What airlines have you not flown?

Produced by Gunnar Olson & Jackson Newman
Edited by David Strutt
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot

Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts!

Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at podcast@thriftytraveler.com

Get 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!

See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!

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Bluesky

We’re in the heart of the summer travel season, so Gunnar and Kyle put together a Travel Survival Guide to help you grease the wheels of your next trip. The guys dig into the best ways to avoid delays and cancellations (including sharing their own worst delays), plus tell you all the apps, tools, and knowledge you should bring with you on your trip to make it go smoothly this summer or fall. The guys also talk about TSA’s new (and drastically improved) shoe policy and the insane thing CLEAR wants to charge you for now. Stick around for Gunnar’s bougiest travel take.

Watch us on YouTube!

00:00 - Finding something out: What’s your worst flight delay?

04:30 - Something Hot: TSA reverses course on shoes-off policy in all security lanes

08:25 - Something Cold: CLEAR wants to charge you for what, now?

11:55 - A word from our sponsor (us, & how you can sign up for our free flight deal alerts and book roundtrip flights to Ireland under $299!)

13:25 - The Extra Mile: All the best travel tips and tricks to avoid delays & cancellations and be a better traveler this summer

17:00 - Using Google Flight Price Alerts and rebooking your flights for a voucher

19:30 - You need to be using Aerolopa when you pick (or upgrade) your seats

21:40 - Why Kyle and Gunnar use TripIt to organize their reservations

28:20 - Gunnar gushes about his favorite app for dealing with disruptions: Flighty

32:10 - PreCheck saves you from 98% of things you hate about going through the airport

35:30 - Window or aisle?

41:30 - The travel debit card that every member of our team has: Charles Schwab

46:40 - Listener Question: Carry-on or checked bag with a 2-hour layover in Paris

50:45 - On the Spot: Gunnar’s snobbiest travel take

Produced by Gunnar Olson & Erica Kamrowski
Edited by David Strutt
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot

Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts!

Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at podcast@thriftytraveler.com

Get 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!

See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!

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Bluesky

It’s the news every points and miles aficionado has been waiting for: After years of pain, award travel is, in fact, getting easier. Alongside an undeniable trend in red-hot cheap airfare, outstanding deals keep popping up to redeem your points - whether you’re on the hunt for a discounted economy deal or a notoriously hard-to-book lie-flat award ticket.

So Gunnar and Kyle dig into what’s driving this lovely new trend and, most importantly, the dozen or so deals that have us thinking that award travel has finally turned a corner. We’re calling it (working title) “Hot Flight Summer.”

Come for Hot Flight Summer and stay for Gunnar’s hot fireworks take, a revelation about Kyle’s reality TV viewing habits, and why Virgin Atlantic really ticked us off this week.

Watch us on YouTube!

00:00 - Introducing … “Hot Flight Summer”

03:16 - Something Hot: Cash airfare continues to drop (think sub-$300 roundtrip flights to Europe!)

08:45 - Something Cold: Virgin doubled taxes and fees on biz class awards

13:50 - A word from our sponsor (us, and our Thrifty Traveler Premium service that’s finding more deals than ever!)

15:43 - The Extra Mile: Hot Flight Summer, or why we think award travel is (finally) getting easier

21:00 - The rise of the elusive “Unicorn Alert” (even if Emirates hates us)

24:30 - Business class award deals to Australia and across the Pacific are back!

29:15 - Gunnar gushes about the Cathay’s The Pier First Class Lounge

34:45 - Booking partner awards – including the rare Delta One redemptions

36:00 - And don’t forget about economy flights, too!

40:15 - The exceptions: Star Alliance ,Iberia’s biz class devaluation, and Amex transfers to Emirates

43:15 - Listener Questions: How to fly to Australia/New Zealand using points and miles, in biz class or economy

48:45 - On the Spot: A listener checks in from Kyle’s favorite hotel in the world while Kyle taps into his Love Island fandom to couple up with – and dump from the island – two recent deals

Produced by Gunnar Olson & Jackson Newman
Edited by David Strutt
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot

Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts!

Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at podcast@thriftytraveler.com

Get 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!

See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!

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Bluesky

Higher annual fees. More perks. New lounges. It never stops.

The big banks are going bigger than ever on their “premium” travel credit cards. So, Gunnar (fresh off paternity leave!) and Kyle bring Thrifty Traveler’s co-founder and credit card expert, Nick Serati, on the show to help break down all the recent moves from Chase, Amex, and Capital One. And they ask the $900-plus question: With annual fees approaching $1,000 a year, are we hitting a breaking point?

Watch us on YouTube!

0:00 - Introducing Nick … & our new studio!

1:13 - Catching Gunnar up on all the big travel news he (& you) missed

05:48 - Something Hot: Chase’s huge bonus on the new Sapphire Reserve

10:37 - Something cold: Chase’s messy eligibility rule changes

15:23 - A word from our sponsor (us … and our really cool CardPilot tool that’ll help you pick your next travel card!)

17:00 - The Extra Mile: Diving into the “premium” travel credit cards arm race

19:17 - What’s next for the Amex Platinum Card?

20:13 - Capital One throws down the gauntlet with the best lounge yet

21:49 - A fourth big premium card on the horizon? All eyes on Delta

23:20 - Why “premium” travel is all the rage right now

26:20 - Doing the math on premium cards & big annual fees

29:48 - Why banks are all turning their top cards into glorified coupon books

33:40 - The real value of these top-dollar travel cards

39:50 - Listener Question: The best 4-5 credit cards to get started

44:06 - On the Spot: What do Nick & Gunnar love about being dads?

Produced by Gunnar Olson & Jackson Newman
Edited by David Strutt
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot

Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts!

Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at podcast@thriftytraveler.com

Get 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!

See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!

Follow us on…
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Bluesky