English
The Thrifty Traveler Podcast
by Thrifty Traveler
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.
Episodes
Basic Fares Get Worse, Bilt & Amex Changes & More Travel News
29 Oct 2026 · 44 min
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…
12 Biz Class Seats You Can Actually Book with Points
22 Oct 2026 · 52 min
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…
Inside the Airlines & the Future of Points, with Zach Griff
15 Oct 2026 · 54 min
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…
A New Tool to Save on Flights, Pricey Airports, Hyatt’s Continued Slide & More
8 Oct 2026 · 53 min
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?…
Which Airline Miles Are Actually Worth Using in 2026?
1 Oct 2026 · 56 min
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…
How to Save on Your Holiday Flights (& When to Book)
24 Sept 2026 · 43 min
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…
Starter Kit Vol. 5, Tips for Traveling Better & Cheaper
22 Sept 2026 · 49 min
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…
Are You Making These Mistakes with Your Points & Miles?
17 Sept 2026 · 49 min
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…
Starter Kit Vol. 4, The Best Tools to Get Ahead in Travel
15 Sept 2026 · 36 min
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…
No Gatekeeping: The 10 Best Redemptions in Points & Miles
10 Sept 2026 · 56 min
Some deals are just unbelievably good in the world of points and miles … and a select few are too good to last forever. That’s why the guys are shining the light on some of the best deals in all of points and miles - the ones you should book ASAP before they disappear. Whether you’re spending…
Starter Kit, Vol 3: How to Transfer & Redeem Your Hard-Earned Points
8 Sept 2026 · 45 min
It’s time to learn how to redeem those points and miles you’ve earned for travel … and while it might seem scary, this is the fun part! We walk through the basics of redeeming your points – including a step-by-step guide to transferring to partner airlines and hotels, which is (almost) always the…
Delta’s Weirdest Card Offer & Google’s Huge Points Play
3 Sept 2026 · 58 min
Google Flights is making a big move into the points and miles game, United’s CEO’s egotistical comments, Delta’s weird (but arguably best-ever?) credit card offer, and a bevy of new Europe routes all headline a big news roundup to close out the summer. Tune in as Gunnar and Kyle dole out advice…
Starter Kit, Vol. 2: Mastering Credit Cards & Piling Up Points
1 Sept 2026 · 46 min
If you want to get into redeeming points and miles, you need to earn them first. So in our second installment of our Starter Kit series, Gunnar and Kyle break down the best strategies for earning tons of travel rewards. While it might start with credit cards as the engine of an earning strategy -…
Drafting the Perfect 5-Card Travel Wallet: Who Wins?
27 Aug 2026 · 51 min
Gunnar’s gone, so Kyle and Nick go head-to-head in a fantasy football style draft to build the perfect five-card travel wallet ... with a lot riding on the outcome, thanks to a last-minute bet. But before the draft, they unpack American’s (long-overdue) reversal to seatback screens, United’s…
Starter Kit, Vol. 1: The Keys to Find the Cheapest Flights
25 Aug 2026 · 38 min
Are you ready to get started with points, miles, and all things cheap travel? It all starts with airfare, so in this first installment of our new Starter Kit series, Gunnar and Kyle walk through how to find the cheapest flight possible, every single time. The guys cover the tips, tricks, tools,…
Coming Soon: Starter Kit, a Series to Get Started in Points & Miles
21 Aug 2026 · 2 min
Introducing “Starter Kit” - a dedicated series of special bonus episodes to help you get started in points and miles, become a true award travel “sicko” or just brush up on your skills and knowledge on all things cheap travel. Over the course of several episodes, we’ll walk through the basics of…
Biz Class Faceoff: Delta One vs. United Polaris
20 Aug 2026 · 56 min
Kyle is out on vacation, so … Kyle is in - the younger, arguably cooler, and definitely taller Kyle, that is. Our podcast editor & social media guru, Kyle Thomas, joins Gunnar on the show to recap his recent flight in United’s new “Elevated” Polaris business class cabin over to London and answers…
Airfare Absurdities, the Battle for Seattle & Other Travel News
13 Aug 2026 · 51 min
From a bizarre (and arguably absurd) Delta flight pricing quirk, new and disappearing Alaska Atmos redemptions, American’s late premium push, or the ongoing “Battle for Seattle,” there’s no shortage of travel news for Gunnar and Kyle to break down on the show this week. Plus, the guys help a…
Live from Fargo! Tips for Traveling (& Saving) from Smaller Airports
11 Aug 2026 · 1 h 01
The guys took the show on the road: Coming to you live from TEDxFargo in North Dakota in late July, Gunnar and Kyle devoted an episode of the show to airports not named JFK, LAX, MSP, ORD, or the other big hubs. The guys swapped stories and shared tips about traveling from smaller airports and…
Japan & Delta SkyMiles Deals: So Hot Right Now
6 Aug 2026 · 1 h 04
Kyle joins the show from the Park Hyatt Tokyo on this special Japan-themed episode. While the sun slowly rises behind him, Kyle first revisits his scorching hot take about the rise of SkyMiles before the guys dig into where to go in Japan, how to get there, and where to stay on your next trip.…