Join Benjy and long time Diamond member Rob DeCamp for a fun conversation about North Korea, traveling during early retirement, where to get a great massage in Bangkok and more! Due to the holiday this is being released on a special day. You can either watch it here on Facebook or listen to it on Patreon!
2023-11-26 02:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Shawn's back with Ryan and Benjy. The guys discuss Fluz's rough transition, gift card highs and lows, Bank of America success, and a few Amex conundrums. They share plans for holiday shopping deals, a premature upgrade, and their cycling tendencies. Meanwhile, Ryan's scared of his own shadow.
2023-11-15 05:31:19 +0000 UTC View Post
Larry joins Ryan and Benjy for his last episode of 2023. He shares highlights from the Chicago Seminars and his latest big spend hijinks. Benjy describes his recent Sphere experience, and more importantly, his deep U2 geekdom. After Benjy covers a few interesting hobby nuggets, Ryan applies for a card live. The guys mention Hilton Amex card changes, the upcoming Bank of America day, and a noteworthy Chase program update. Finally, the gang serves up a large, messy...
2023-10-25 00:28:18 +0000 UTC View Post
Shawn's back and planning some big spend! He's been just as busy applying for cards, while Benjy tried to be busier. Benjy describes his return to a familiar spend method. The guys share takes on recent Amex developments, Wells Fargo travel partner plans, and the current state of Chase's Pay Yourself Back. Finally, Ryan shares his Disney Cruise debacle experience.
2023-10-13 02:42:19 +0000 UTC View Post
On this 6th episode of the MtM Diamond Financial Independence podcast Shawn and Benjy tackle insurance. We cover the history of health care in the United States, how we ended up where we are today and the various methods one could use to save money and plan around this huge expense. From different insurance options to other things you might want to know, we do our best to make the subject of insurance as interesting as possible?!!
2023-10-05 21:30:20 +0000 UTC View Post
On this month's spotlight we are joined by Josh who is newer in the hobby, but proves you can achieve great things in not a huge amount of time. During the show we talk about his journey since finding the miles & points hobby, some of the challenges he faces, his plans for future travel and how he is earning a ton of miles & points these days. Josh also loves amusement parks so you know he is a good guy! Enjoy.
2023-09-29 02:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Kristin's back and shares her latest Amex employee card strategy with Ryan and Benjy. The gang talks over Q4 preparations, Prime Day strategies, and Benjy gets back in the saddle with $1k Simon gift cards. They chime in with their Delta devaluation takes, plus a variety pack of Amex content. Kristin steps through her ambitious travel plans, Benjy ticks off his boring schedule, and Ryan shares a bunch of unsolicited Disney Cruise info.
2023-09-27 14:27:50 +0000 UTC View Post
Shawn shares highlights from the Vancouver meetup, Benjy describes his recent Simon experience, and the guys discuss credit card news and rumors. They dork out on lounge developments and potential Delta changes, plus their recent spending activities.
2023-09-13 16:17:57 +0000 UTC View Post
Join Shawn and Benjy as Chance shares his unique background in the tourism industry. He also discusses his hits and misses since picking up the hobby a few years ago. Chance describes how he scales his spending on a variety of cards, including a niche one he currently enjoys. The guys compare notes on a variety of travel destinations, as well.
2023-08-25 02:00:59 +0000 UTC View Post
Larry, Ryan, and Benjy dart from good to bad news and back again. The trio discuss riding the portal wave, a few different shutdowns, One Card nuances, their new card hauls, and upcoming travel. One lucky participant shares an eventful trip to Greenville, SC.
2023-08-23 16:59:22 +0000 UTC View Post
Shawn shares why he plans to buy Visa gift cards again (finally). Benjy and Ryan mention a couple concerning hobby trends and disagree on a few different Marriott angles. The guys talk more about Bank of America than anyone else probably has in recent memory. Benjy brings up his permanent solution for Dell Business Platinum credits.
2023-08-09 21:43:07 +0000 UTC View Post
Join us for this month's Member Spotlight featuring Todd from Honolulu. In addition to the normal topics we dive a bit into Marriott Bonvoy, how you're missing out with best rate guarantees and tons of tips for Hawaii travel.
2023-07-28 02:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Raymond swings by to regale Benjy and Ryan with his Japan trip highlights and spending exploits. The guys reflect on the new Marriott/MGM partnership and the sad state of IHG. They also share a few Amex nuggets, and Benjy updates everybody on the One card.
2023-07-26 18:27:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Shawn triumphantly returns to the show. The guys discuss the ending Hyatt/MGM partnership, Ryan's Bilt issues, a few Amex angles, American Airlines developments, a useful Wyndham trick, and Amazon Prime Day. Oh, and our spending activities, too.
2023-07-12 16:23:12 +0000 UTC View Post
Kristin joins Ryan and Benjy again, carrying her big sack of Amex employee cards. They discuss Amex clawbacks, the latest on Fluz, and a bit of Dell drama. Benjy talks to himself about Amtrak and Breeze Airways, Kristin and Ryan compare how they overcome fails, and the three share which maddening hotels they keep visiting.
2023-06-29 16:14:58 +0000 UTC View Post
Join Ryan and Benjy as they discuss a wide swath of spending and travel topics. Ryan gets weird with his applications, Benjy pontificates on Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts developments, and the guys recap their recent travel, among other items.
2023-06-13 07:52:25 +0000 UTC View Post
Join Shawn & Benjy for the latest episode of the MtM Diamond Financial Independence Podcast. On this episode we answer a number of FI related questions from MtM Diamond members. Enjoy!
2023-06-09 13:45:25 +0000 UTC View Post
Join Benjy and Erik as they reflect on Erik's experiences living in Thailand. Erik also shares his favorite carriers and routes to travel to and from the States, how he manages to earn points while in a faraway land, and his future travel and business plans.
2023-05-26 04:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Larry's back! He joins Benjy and Ryan to discuss a big sack of topics, including Fluz, pushing Rakuten, Amex strategies, the recent United devaluation, and Benjy's joyful use of 10ยข stamps.
2023-05-24 14:26:23 +0000 UTC View Post
Benjy and Ryan discuss the new Capital One Venture X Business welcome offer, acquisition challenges, and Memphis meetup highlights, among other news and spending items. Members also posed a variety of questions, and the guys have their own versions of answers.
2023-05-10 10:40:13 +0000 UTC View Post
Join Shawn & Benjy with this month's member in the spotlight Ryan Moore. Despite being modest, Ryan uses the hobby to travel with his family and also to put some cash in his pocket. We focus on some of his favorite travels and a lot of the spending he is doing to earn miles & points today.
2023-04-27 16:01:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Join Shawn & Benjy with this month's member in the spotlight Ryan Moore. Despite being modest, Ryan uses the hobby to travel with his family and also to put some cash in his pocket. We focus on some of his favorite travels and a lot of the spending he is doing to earn miles & points today.
2023-04-27 16:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Raymond joins Benjy and Ryan again for a wide-ranging discussion. He talks about a couple shutdowns, getting back into buyers groups, and a recent NYC trip. They also discuss their recent card approvals, Benjy's random love of the Air France card, Choice Privileges, and why Lowe's is the worst.
2023-04-26 03:11:35 +0000 UTC View Post
Join us for the latest episode of our FI podcast where we discuss how to cut costs and save money with credit card benefits. We also dive into our "Amex Wallet for FI" detailing which cards we think help move us along towards financial indepence.
2023-04-18 12:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
On this episode of Spending Time Shawn, Benjy and Ryan dive into recent retention data points plus opportunities across banks. Ryan also updates on Metabank woes and we discuss Marriott's online points transfers, Spirit's status match, a Chase Aeroplan Pay Yourself shutdown and how Benjy is living it up at the Ritz Carlton.
2023-04-12 02:32:55 +0000 UTC View Post
Kristin Glad joins Benjy and Ryan in her first Spending Time appearance. She shares her favorite big spend plays and regional wrinkles where she's involved. They also discuss Amex +5x referral moves, debate Chase Pay Yourself Back, and Benjy's AA and Walmart finds.
2023-03-29 14:48:40 +0000 UTC View Post
Join us for this month's Member Spotlight with Austin O'Hara. Austin plays this game hard, while also doing his best to avoid the North Dakota winters and travel with his family. In this episode we talk Bora Bora, hesitant spouses, the joys of playing this game in North Dakota and much more.
2023-03-25 02:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Join Benjy, Ryan, and Shawn as they update a variety of high spend strategies. The guys also discuss Q2 bonus categories, huge Amex referral offers, and a significant Amex welcome offer data point.
2023-03-15 16:15:10 +0000 UTC View Post
Member Spotlight is back and we have a great guest this show! Robert plays this game at a very high level including having his hands into so many different plays it makes my head spin. Get inspired, laugh and learn a few new things about his favorite travel spots, where he is earning and how he approaches the hobby from a bit of a different perspective.
2023-03-03 17:18:46 +0000 UTC View Post
Join Benjy, Ryan, and Larry for a wide-ranging discussion. Larry shares big spending angles where he's focused, how to take spending to the next level, and even more on the Target Mastercard play. They also discuss strategies for paying a seven-figure tax bill, Benjy's latest wacky card, and recent gift card issues, among other spending and news topics.
2023-03-02 03:24:08 +0000 UTC View Post