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.

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?

How can you find the best value for your SkyMiles? Are Delta SkyMiles worthless? Can you book Delta One for cheap? Am I an idiot for caring about SkyMiles? These are the questions we get about the wildly popular (yet maddening) Delta SkyMiles program, so we do our best to answer all of them and more. Whether you want to book quick, cheap flights within the U.S. or fly business class to Asia (and everything in between), we go over all the best ways to earn and burn Delta SkyMiles.

Gunnar's still enjoying the new life of a girldad, so Kyle brought our first-ever special guest on the show: Max Do - better known as MaxMilesPoints. As one of the biggest and best social media creators covering points and miles, Max is uniquely qualified to explain the rise of travel influencers - both the good and the bad - while sharing his own story of how he left his 9-to-5 job (it involves a $10,000 deal with a hotel brand). Plus, Kyle and Max talk through the big news from Chase and American Express ... and place their bets on just how high the Platinum Card's annual fee may go.

It’s time to talk to the Oz of our flight deal service: Jon Shallbetter, aka Jonny Nonny. Gunnar and Kyle bring Jon on the show to talk about his wizardry of all things Google Flights, finding and sending flight deal alerts, his favorite flight deal ever and worst-ever travel mistake, and more. Oh, and the guys grill Jon on the allegations that he drank Emirates dry … and he does an Admiral Ackbar impression?!

What else would we talk about on this week’s podcast than one of the biggest stories in travel? The three largest U.S. airlines were quietly charging some solo travelers higher fares …until we caught them in the act! We break down this crazy story and discuss why - and how - it was happening. Plus, we laugh at Southwest’s botched rollout of its new baggage fees, look into some (awesome) rare Etihad partner award space, and Gunnar reveals what he thinks is the second sleaziest thing airlines do in airfare.

This week, Kyle walks us through how he booked an epic trip to England and Scotland using points and miles. There’s a business class award to London, an economy flight home, and plenty of flights, hotels and other travel expenses in between. Plus, Phoenix gets its first nonstop flight to Asia and we say goodbye to the Southwest we knew and loved. Do yourself a favor and stick around for Gunnar’s cant-miss, ridiculous story of his own trip to London … when he learned some of England’s beer-drinking rules the hard way at a consequential Chelsea match.

This week on the show, Gunnar and Kyle talk about a recent, unprecedented run of roundtrip flights to Europe in the $400s, $300s, and even $200s. The guys ask the important questions like “What is going in here?!” - and more importantly, stress that travelers should run to book a cheap trip to Italy, Greece, England and beyond this year. Plus, we’ve finally got an end date for a workaround to turn Amex points into Alaska, we talk about Delta’s gross Basic Economy rebrand, and Kyle reveals the cheapest flight (or 10) he’s ever booked.

This week, Kyle gets to fire up the grill and interview his co-host Gunnar his own career in journalism and travel, why he hates “cents per mile,” his trip to Antarctica (?!), and how he feels about his looming future in family travel. Plus, the guys break down one of the best flight deals of the year, the lingering issues at Newark, and their biggest travel pet peeves.

This week on the show, we get to know co-host Kyle Potter a little better as Gunnar grills him on everything from his failed attempt at becoming an Uber driver that ultimately brought him to Thrifty Traveler, his punk/hardcore touring band days, to covering state politics as a journalist for the Associated Press (Kyle contains multitudes…). Plus, we talk about some sizzling transfer bonuses and help a listener decide if she should transfer points to Emirates speculatively.

The NFL Draft is over. Our Airline Mileage Program Draft is here as Gunnar and Kyle each pick their top 5 frequent flyer programs. Which airline pulled a Shedeur Sanders and slid into a later round? And more importantly, who wins: Gunnar or Kyle? Oh, and the guys also talk about a crazy Delta SkyMiles sale, Tulum losing its luster, and getting to Italy for next year’s Winter Olympics.

Gunnar and Kyle pull out their binoculars to be your safari guides in this week’s episode. After going on their own safaris with the help of points and miles, they talk through their trips, what they loved (spoiler alert: pretty much everything), what they learned, and what they’d do differently next time. Plus, the guys gush about a new feature Google Flights is testing, wonder aloud about when the Chase Sapphire's big bonus will end, and get (rightfully) called out by a listener for a bad take on a previous episode.

Gunnar and Kyle dive deep into the tenuous state of travel demand (it's slowing down) and what it means for travelers on the hunt for a bargain (good things!) They also chat about a pair of spectacular deals that went out to Thrifty Traveler subscribers and wonder if Real ID enforcement is actually coming or not. Oh, and we officially have a listener of the week!

Gunnar and Kyle go back to basics on the pod: It’s not the Five D’s of Dodgeball, it’s the 10 Commandments of Points and Miles. Whether you’re just getting started with travel rewards or consider yourself a pro, this (only slightly irreverent) list can help you take things to the next level with your points. The guys also break down a troubling trend in frequent flyer programs … and Kyle roasts Gunnar for his clothes.

Gunnar and Kyle record a special, emergency episode to explain why a new 100,000-point sign-up bonus on the Chase Sapphire Preferred card should be on every traveler’s radar. Plus, they explain who is eligible for the bonus (including if you already have the card), and take a stab at explaining why Chase would be doing this in the first place.

Hotels, hotels, and also hotels: That’s what episode four of the pod is all about. Gunnar and Kyle talk about some huge hotel credit card bonuses and how Hyatt needs to step up its game … especially with Hilton hot on its heels lately for the crown of the world’s best hotel loyalty program. Gunnar makes a lot of pained (and strange) references to pools. And the guys quiz each other on where to set season 4 of The White Lotus – we know you’re listening, Mike White.

Gunnar and Kyle kindly invite Thrifty Traveler Founder Jared Kamrowski on his own show! Jared shares his favorite flights, worst travel mistakes, looks back on the (almost) decade since starting Thrifty Traveler and what he’s seen change in 10 years of flight deals and points and miles. Plus, the guys laugh about Thrifty Traveler’s extremely humble beginnings (in Jared’s garage - literally) and Gunnar’s memorable job interview in 2021.

Gunnar and Kyle put Southwest on trial, explaining the (shortsighted) logic behind the airline’s incredibly unpopular changes to baggage and other negative moves - and what it means for all you travelers going forward. Plus, some Hyatt properties to book ASAP before they’ll cost you more points and our absolute favorite travel hack ... that isn’t much of a “hack” at all.

Gunnar and Kyle kick off the podcast by focusing on the cheapest destinations for a trip in 2025, discussing Chase’s dominance in the airport lounge wars, some bad Southwest news (which was just the tip of the iceberg…), and more!

Introducing the Thrifty Traveler Podcast! Join your hosts Gunnar Olson and Kyle Potter every week for the latest in travel news, points and miles analysis, and tips to travel more for less.