Ask Us Anything: Biz Class to Australia, How We Earn Points & Big Pod News!

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.