Milenomics² Podcast Episode 271: News, Follow-up and More…
News:
0:33 Airline Debit Cards
The Milenomics Podcast Network posts
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 270: Shutdowns and Winterization.
0:24 Wyndham Winding Down Vacasa Partnership (Loyalty Lobby)
Bad News, just bad
No longer a path to booking with Wyndham for Vacasa After Nov 30
Last bookable date is Jan 31, 2026
Effectively dead.
Vacasa still exists, and it was p...
2025-11-06 06:55:07 +0000 UTC View Post
Checking in Episode 30: Vacation Rentals Discussion with Chris Hutchins
Kiawah Island Exclusive Resorts Stay: Recap
Quick Review
4 nights in a 4 BR/4.5 BA home that Zillows for $5M
Super-high quality, daily housekeeping, dedicated concierge, fantastic stay
Exclusive Resorts Value Proposition (2025-10-27 13:35:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 269: Citi Fails Up, MSP Meetup Recap and a Kiawah Island Trip Report
0:23 Citi Fails Up (again) Strata Elite Update.
Previously: issues with 4506T forms for multiple Strata Elite cards.
One patron said citi told him 80k people were affected.
WSJ article about the mess pretty well describes the issue.
A few days after the article Citi emailed affected people with a make good: no annual fee and waiving the MSR, since spend is impossible.
Call ...
2025-10-24 03:18:15 +0000 UTC View Post
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 268: Transfer Bonuses and more…
0:20 Transfer Bonuses
CapitalOne (ends 10/22/2025)
NEW! JAL 30% (regularly 1:0.75, so 1:0.95 w/bonus)
New: Preferred Hotels 1:0.2 (no bonus)
Virgin Atlantic 30%
Citi (ends 10/18/2025)
Turkish 50%
Virgin Atlantic 30%
Avianca 20%
Chase (ends 10/31/2025)
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 267: Amex Platinum updates and more
0:22 Amex Platinum Updates
$895 AF (up from $695)
Personal
Increased: $600 Fine Hotels & Resorts ($300 per 6 months, was $200/yr)
Continues: $200/yr Air Incidental
New: $400 Resy ($100 per quarter)
New: $300 Lululemon ($75 per quarter)
New: $200 Oura ring
New: $120/yr Uber One Credit ($200/yr Uber credits continue)
2025-09-22 06:42:40 +0000 UTC View Post
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 266: Rabbit Holes, Hotel Instruments and Vacasa Woes
0:22 New: Redeem JetBlue for Condor (DansDeals)
Also Alaska Bookable.
Route map is interesting for getting to Europe:
Pricing is better on nonstop than 1 stop
60k-70k on some routes in Business.
01:55 My Experience Getting Denied an Alaska Summit Card
Applied rig...
2025-09-07 14:40:12 +0000 UTC View Post
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 265: News, New Cards & Plenty of Updates
News
0:20 First off: Thank you for the response to MSP-3!
Saturday October 11th, 2025 at the MSP Airport Conference Center
Join the Waitlist if you’re interested in coming
Looking forward to seeing everyone there
1:44 Alaska Premium Card Coming A...
2025-08-25 01:08:34 +0000 UTC View PostMSP-3 Tickets -- Link in This Post
Good morning, it is just about time to go live on MSP tickets. The link will be:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/milenomics-msp-meetup-2025-registration-1487260188259?aff=oddtdtcreator
And, if all things go as planned, should allow you to grab a ticket starting at 10am Eastern / 7am Pacific.
If you have any issues please reach out on ...
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 264: Strata Elite, Mesa Card & An Italy Trip Report
0:34 Citi Strata
Indeed released on a Sunday while Sam was away
80k/100k
Approvals were…mixed
6x Dining from 6p-6a Eastern on Friday and Saturday really is a thing
AA lounge passes/account creation
I feel like a new man!
12:15 Mesa Homeowners
Open for applications again
Auditing stated mortgage amounts
Declines...
2025-08-11 05:11:13 +0000 UTC View Post
MSP Meetup 10/11/25: Information and Ticket Sale Date
Hello Patrons! In an effort to get as much information out as possible I'm posting here, on Slack and also will update with a podcast announce as well.
We're getting back together for an in person meet and greet!
Our favorite (and only) dedicated space, the MSP airport conference center has officially confirmed the new space they have built for us to host our meetups. This space is now holds more than 2x the capacity of the old event area, and h...
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 263: Good News / Bad News, Living the Mesa Lifestyle & Award Trends to Europe
0:22 Good news:
0:31 Citi Threatens to Finally Launch “Strata Elite” Card
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 262: Airline Miles vs. Bank Points & More
0:20 JetBlue 350,000 + 25 Years of Mosaic Promo
Trading Time and Money for the right to a free bag for life?
For an airline that is idling planes it would be more fun if you didn’t need to fly. (USAir Grand Slam) <...
2025-07-09 19:03:02 +0000 UTC View Post
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 261: Sapphire Reserve Mania and More
0:23 Chase Sapphire Reserve Changes Summary
08:48 Welcome Bonus
Direct Link (non-referral)
100,000 + $500 Chase Travel Portal credit
$5,000 min spend in 3 months
Available through referral (15k for doing the referring)
Increased Annual Fee:
$795 for primary ca...
2025-06-27 16:36:18 +0000 UTC View Post
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 260: Follow-Up, News, and What to do When it Seems Like Nothing Works?
0:21 Follow Up
0:30 BofA Alaska Cards
Cards arrived: Did they result in new frequent flyer numbers?
How to meet min spend?
Worth spending on in an ongoing manner?
Consumer card earns 2x on Gas, and 10% more miles if you have an active checking or savings account, 2.2 miles per $1
Would LOVE to keep this card and set up recurring Taekus payments. 3.2% for fuel, less 2% would buy Al...
2025-06-17 17:27:58 +0000 UTC View Post
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 259: News, Mesa Card Follow-Up and More…
0:20 Amex Membership Rewards 30% Transfer Bonus to Avios
British Airways, Aer Lingus and Iberia
Can transfer to other Avios partners from there
Ends 7/15/2025
02:59 PayPal Bill Pay: No Longer Useful?
Still exists, but all useful targets seem to be removed
Surprised it ran as long as it did
Online bill pay seems to be a hard business to sustain
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 258: Heightened Welcome Bonuses and Booking Puzzlers
0:19 Heightened Credit Card Offers
BofA Alaska Business 75k
$4,000 in 90 days
$95 AF not waived
https://go.bofa.com/q/akbizcardpromo or https://www.alaska75k.com
Citi Executive 100k
2025-05-26 18:11:07 +0000 UTC View Post
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 257: Mixed Bag, Listener Questions & More
0:41 Rakuten 30,000 Bonus for Chase Sapphire/Ink [Dead/Targeted?]
Highly Variable and seems to be bouncing off this high and coming back down quickly
Still, the idea of this as a way to control your own referral is nice. Keep an eye on this page in the future.
Seeing t...
2025-05-14 12:31:24 +0000 UTC View Post
Checking in Episode 29: Southwest Changes With Brian M
0:47 Background on Southwest Changes
Elliott Management
During past ~1-year increasing ownership stake
Demanded and, eventually, forced Southwest changes
Southwest resisted changes at first
Now, Southwest has announced nearly all changes suggested by Elliott
02:23 Which Changes Are Already in Effect?
Redeyes
Icelandair partnership [m...
2025-05-05 20:38:31 +0000 UTC View Post
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 256: News, Updates, and Trip Reports…
0:20 New: Redeem JetBlue Points for Award Flights on JAL
Miles requ...
2025-04-28 00:34:16 +0000 UTC View Post
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 255: Exciting Developments...
0:20 [Targeted] Heightened Chase Ultimate Reward Point Value for Sapphire Cardholders Booking through Portal
Higher than usual point value on Sapphire cards. Incredible uplift!
How to see whether you’re targeted: Do a search in the Chase portal for United/Delta/Qatar premium cabins -or- “nicer” hotels to see if any “Points offer” appears
Regular uplift on Preferred is 1.25, Reserve is 1.5
With this we’re s...
2025-04-09 13:09:13 +0000 UTC View Post
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 254: Hope Springs Eternal…
0:29 United Changes (link)
Credit card/lounge fees up, more coupons
Examples: $5-$12/ mo in rideshare credits depending on the level of UA Credit card
$50-$100 in Travel Bank for car rentals
Dans Deals covering this in a 2025-03-31 06:45:13 +0000 UTC View Post
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 253: The Path Forward, Southwest Changes & More
0:19 Amex Blocks Fluz Spending (Or: Fluz Blocks Amex?)
Along with this, another wave of shutdowns. Chilling Effect.
Fluz Blocking Amex (More Likely, specifically since the block isn’t 100% successful)
Cash loads blocked too
Are they protecting us from ourselves?
Discuss: Ways to meet minimum spend requirements on Amex cards
9:03 Amex Approvals: Not Getting Any Easier<...
2025-03-21 05:56:30 +0000 UTC View PostMilenomics² Podcast Episode 252: News, Updates, and we play “Name that Terrible Place”
0:20 Amex Email: No More PayPal Bill Pay after 4/1/2025
Was this related to the Shutdowns?
Historically hard to keep online billpay alive (TIO, WMBP, PPBP)
Fluz: Without Amex, and if citi shutdown what good is this service?
12:55 Delta Abandons BOS - HNL Route (OMAAT)
...
2025-03-07 06:41:36 +0000 UTC View Post
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 251: A Wave of Amex Shutdowns and a Hawaii Trip Report.
0:21 Amex Monday Massacre
Horrible Day of Shutdowns
Seems to be relatively widespread
Hit close to home
Both of us not shutdown
What (if anything) makes this different than previous waves of shutdowns
How to move forward? Do we move forward?
Example: Is anyone doing dining on a fluz resy card?
Are more waves coming? If so this does not seem good f...
2025-02-27 07:53:40 +0000 UTC View Post
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 250: Navigating the Amex System in 2025…
01:04 Heightened Amex Delta Offers
Personal
Gold/Platinum/Reserve 80/90/100k
Business
Gold/Platinum/Reserve 90/100/110k
Available through referral
01:41 Amex Bonvoy Business 125k
Min spend $8k in 6 months
Was previously expiring certificates: 3 (or 5) 50k
Also available through...
2025-02-13 23:03:31 +0000 UTC View Post
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 249: News, Puzzlers and More… (Updated Audio)
0:19 Quote of the Day
"We are creatures shaped by our experiences, we like what we know more often than we know what we like." -Wallace Stegner
04:34 JetBlue Premium Card Coming (OMAAT)
$499 annual fee
70k welcome bonus
Current and former JetBlue cardholder ineligible for welcome...
2025-02-04 16:43:53 +0000 UTC View Post
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 248: News, Follow Up and Best of Slack…
News:
0:55 Boston Logan Airport Centurion Lounge Coming 2027 (Thrifty Traveler)
Updates:
03:27 BofA Elite Incidentals: Still Waiting
Last year tracker clicked over on 1/16, and credits posted 1/17
This year? STILL ...
2025-01-23 13:30:25 +0000 UTC View Post
Milenomics² Podcast Episode 247: Getting Going on 2025, and a Kauai Trip Report
0:24 2025 Incidental Eradication Ramp Up
Hilton GC Site: Not taking orders for now
Dell: Not seeing buyers groups deals yet
Saks: In-store for GC purchases for now
BofA Elite: Tracker didn’t update last year for a couple weeks, credits posted Jan 17
10:27 Q1 2025 5x Categories
Chase Freedom
Grocery Stores, Gyms, Hair/Nail/Spa Services, No...
2025-01-10 16:33:49 +0000 UTC View Post
Milenomics² Episode 246: What We Can Learn From What We've Been Up To
Update: An earlier version of this episode had an audio bug, be sure to re-download to get the newest file.
0:39 Hilton Gift Cards (for Amex Business Platinum $50 quarterly credits)
$1.95 shipping per $50
Need to enroll each Business Platinum
GC site says they’re experiencing an inventory outage and will shi...
2024-12-30 04:25:09 +0000 UTC View Post