Welcome to the Thrifty Traveler Podcast – a travel podcast where we dig into the latest travel news and trends and discuss all the best ways to earn and redeem your points and miles! From the ins and outs of booking cheap flights, exploring the best ways to use your airline miles, or diving into other next-level money-saving travel tips, your hosts Gunnar Olson and Kyle Potter will bring you the best of Thrifty Traveler every week! Follow us today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts and learn to travel more for less this year.
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The (Sometimes Weird) Things We Do to Earn Points & Miles Fast
Episode 87
Thursday, November 5, 2026 • Duration 40:27
Learning how to earn a ton of points and miles is critical to award travel. And while there are some tried-and-true earning strategies … sometimes, we do some seemingly strange things to add to our stashes. Nobody has gone further than Thrifty Traveler’s credit card guru Jackson Newman, who joins the show to go tit-for-tat with the guys on who has earned points in weirder ways. The guys also walk through the (very normal) ways they continue to earn points for future travels and spell out where travelers are going wrong in their quest for rewards.
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Basic Fares Get Worse, Bilt & Amex Changes & More Travel News
Episode 86
Thursday, October 29, 2026 • Duration 43:38
Yes, airlines have raised fares left and right … but they’re doing it in another way that might have flown under your radar. This week, the guys analyze why the cost to upgrade to avoid those pesky basic economy fares and what you can do about it. They also play “Travel Tinder” – letting Kyle choose whether to swipe right or swipe left on a ton of big travel stories from the past week including Bilt’s latest overhaul, a bevy of Southwest news, some fun new routes, and changes to status. Plus, they get Gunnar’s submissions for the name of the O’Hare boulder.
12 Biz Class Seats You Can Actually Book with Points
Episode 85
Thursday, October 22, 2026 • Duration 52:24
There’s nothing quite like booking a lie-flat seat using points instead of forking over $3,000 or more. But it’s no slam dunk: Finding award availability to book business class seats can be a chore. So this week on the Thrifty Traveler Podcast, Gunnar and Kyle give you a playbook for finding the flights you want, including which airlines stand out for being easiest to book and some evergreen tips to maximize your chances of finding a lie-flat seat. Plus, Kyle brags about his low points balances and answers the toughest “On the Spot” question yet.
Thanks to our sponsor, Monarch! Go to Monarch.com and use code “THRIFTY” to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just $50!
Inside the Airlines & the Future of Points, with Zach Griff
Episode 84
Thursday, October 15, 2026 • Duration 54:29
What aren’t the airlines saying out loud? How will tech and AI shape our travels? And what’s the future of award travel look like? Those questions are big enough for the guys to bring in another expert to tackle them: Zach Griff, a longtime travel writer, airline and loyalty insider, and the author of the From the Tray Table newsletter. Together, Gunnar, Kyle & Zach analyze the changing loyalty landscape; Zach takes you all inside splashy airline events, and he gives his best travel tips - including his favorite tech and his favorite (and least favorite) travel destinations.
28:15 - Is United overtaking Delta? Or is it just vibes?
34:30 - Why travelers should care about Apple and tech
41:50 - Rapid fire: Best gadgets, best (& worst) destinations & more
49:15 - Listener Question: Outlining our award travel ski strategy
53:30 - On the Spot: Would you ever move based on an airline hub?
A New Tool to Save on Flights, Pricey Airports, Hyatt’s Continued Slide & More
Episode 83
Thursday, October 8, 2026 • Duration 53:29
This week, the guys break down all the travel news that’s fit to podcast … and there’s a lot of it. That includes a brand-new (and free) tool to save on flights when fares drop, new big card bonus offers, 11 (!) transfer bonuses, and a deep dive on what the heck has happened with World of Hyatt? Plus, they go through the airports with the highest airfare, Alaska’s big splash, and we wade into what Gunnar is calling the “Starlink scuttlebutt.”
Thank you to our sponsor, Bilt Rewards! Earn points on rent and make your entire neighborhood more rewarding with Bilt. Sign up at joinbilt.com/thrifty.
15:50 - Now the end of Bilt and Hyatt 1:1 transfers is coming …
Which Airline Miles Are Actually Worth Using in 2026?
Episode 82
Thursday, October 1, 2026 • Duration 56:03
So much changes so fast in the world of points and miles, it’s easy to lose track. So in this episode of the Thrifty Traveler Podcast, the guys go through (almost) every single airline loyalty program and decide: Are they trending up or are they down? But they need some help, so flight deal analyst Katie Rollins joins to break things down … and also shares a legendary travel mishap. The gang also sorts through some hotel points programs and helps a listener deal with their PreCheck-less travel companions.
Download SAILY's app and use code THRIFTY at checkout to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase! For further details go to https://saily.com/thrifty ⛵
11:30 - Our rankings: Who’s up and who’s down in airline loyalty programs
45:45 - The etiquette of ditching your non-PreCheck friends
48:15 - Revisiting Katie’s brutal rental car mistake in Iceland
53:30 - On the Spot: Luxury flights or hotels?
How to Save on Your Holiday Flights (& When to Book)
Episode 81
Thursday, September 24, 2026 • Duration 42:58
Heading home for the holidays can be expensive, especially this year… but it doesn’t have to be. We’re in the heart of holiday flight booking season, so Gunnar and Kyle give all their best tips for saving on flights on those high-demand holiday season flights. The guys go through when to book your trips (spoiler alert: sooooon), where to target for the best deal, and when to turn to your points and miles to get home for the holidays. Plus, the guys gush about Japan Airlines again, welcome the return of cheap flights to Europe, and revisit Kyle’s Hilton vs. Hyatt take.
Thanks to our sponsor, Monarch! Go to Monarch.com and use code “THRIFTY” to get your first year of Monarch Core half off at just $50!
Starter Kit Vol. 5, Tips for Traveling Better & Cheaper
Tuesday, September 22, 2026 • Duration 49:10
You’ve earned the points, you’ve booked the trip … but how do you make your travels more enjoyable? On this (perhaps not final?) episode of Starter Kit, the guys walk through the little things you can do to improve your entire trip, from the planning process to booking lodging, rental cars, and trains to making your airport experience easier - and even how to beat jet lag and find activities to do abroad. And in the name of keeping things thrifty, they spill the beans on the best way to cover these extra expenses with points and miles.
Starter Kit is sponsored by Thrifty Traveler Premium, the world’s best flight deal service. Get $20 off your first year of Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal alerts - use promo code “START” at thriftytraveler.com/premium.
00:00 - Has Kyle achieved travel nirvana?
02:50 - Tools & apps to organize your travel plans
07:50 - Make the airport easier: TSA, lounges & Flighty
20:00 - Lodging tips: Finding the best hotels & vacation rentals
26:05 - Saving on rental cars with Autoslash or Turo
31:00 - How to find other forms of transportation
32:45 - Tips for traveling better on the ground
45:30 - Your final flight plan!
47:00 - Kyle’s final advice to travelers: Get out there!
Volume 5 Flight Plan:
Organize your travel plans with TripIt, Google My Maps, and more, and understand your phone plan or eSim
Streamline your airport experience with TSA PreCheck, Global Entry, Flighty, and other apps and services
Cast a wide net when looking for lodging: Don’t just search Airbnb and Google Hotels - go deeper
Stop overpaying for rental cars: Use tools like Autoslash or Turo for better rates
Use our tips to improve your travels on the ground (and earn Capital One miles to cover them!)
Are You Making These Mistakes with Your Points & Miles?
Episode 80
Thursday, September 17, 2026 • Duration 49:01
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.
Download SAILY's app and use code THRIFTY at checkout to get an exclusive 15% off your first purchase! For further details go to https://saily.com/thrifty ⛵
10:30 - Qatar backs off its restrictive booking rules
15:50 - Thanks to 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 ThomasShow music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot
Starter Kit Vol. 4, The Best Tools to Get Ahead in Travel
Tuesday, September 15, 2026 • Duration 35:49
Award travel can feel overwhelming and complicated … but not with the right tools and organization. This week on our special Starter Kit series, Kyle and Gunnar walk through all the websites, apps, and tools they use to organize their credit cards, points, miles, and travels. From a credit card benefit tracker to ways to use your pesky monthly dining credit to the best services to maximize your points and miles, it’s all here.
Starter Kit is sponsored by Thrifty Traveler Premium, the world’s best flight deal service. Get $20 off your first year of Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal alerts - use promo code “START” at thriftytraveler.com/premium.
00:00 - When did Kyle realize it’s time to get organized?
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