The Thrifty Traveler Podcast

Are You Making These Mistakes with Your Points & Miles?

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 th

Starter Kit Vol. 4, The Best Tools to Get Ahead in Travel

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 thro

No Gatekeeping: The 10 Best Redemptions in Points & Miles

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

Starter Kit, Vol 3: How to Transfer & Redeem Your Hard-Earned Points

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 rede

Delta’s Weirdest Card Offer & Google’s Huge Points Play

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

Starter Kit, Vol. 2: Mastering Credit Cards & Piling Up Points

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 be

Drafting the Perfect 5-Card Travel Wallet: Who Wins?

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, thank

Starter Kit, Vol. 1: The Keys to Find the Cheapest Flights

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, Gunn

Coming Soon: Starter Kit, a Series to Get Started in Points & Miles

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

Biz Class Faceoff: Delta One vs. United Polaris

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 G

Airfare Absurdities, the Battle for Seattle & Other Travel News

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 S

Live from Fargo! Tips for Traveling (& Saving) from Smaller Airports

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 J

Japan & Delta SkyMiles Deals: So Hot Right Now

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 abou

The Current State of Points & Miles Deals in 2026

The world of all things points and miles is changing rapidly. So to dig into where things are at and what’s ahead, Gunnar and Kyle bring in the man they call “St. Peter”

How the Pros Use Google Flights

Booking cheap travel starts and ends with Google Flights, which is why Gunnar and Kyle devoted a full episode of the podcast to how to use our favorite website - includin

Is Airfare Dropping & Where to Find Late Summer Deals

Forget what you’ve heard about flight prices: There’s still time to get a great summer flight deal … if you know where to look. That’s what Gunnar and Kyle discussed this

Top 10 Flight Deals of 2026 (So Far)

It’s the halfway point in 2026, so Gunnar ranked up the 10 best flight deals (and three best hotel deals) of the year so far … and Kyle got to air all of his gripes and g

Amazing Hawaii Redemptions, Delta Highs & Lows and Other News

Gunnar and Kyle brag about gettin’ booksy before diving into a busy week of news: The single best redemption using Southwest miles, translating an airline CEO’s infuriati

Something(s) Hot: What’s Going Right in Travel

Don’t dwell on the bad stuff, the guys remind themselves … because there’s plenty to be excited about in travel right now! So this week on the pod, Gunnar and Kyle outlin

Live From Minneapolis! The Highs and (Disgusting) Lows of Travel

An audience of close to 300 travelers joined us at the Parkway Theater in Minneapolis for an unhinged episode and the very-first (but not last) live recording of the podc