Milenomics² Podcast Episode 271: News, Follow-up and More…
Added 2025-11-11 19:21:02 +0000 UTCNews:
0:33 Airline Debit Cards
Earns 0.5 miles per dollar spent
Issued by Sunrise Bank
There’s got to be an angle here.
Everything old is new. This is the golden age of Debit cards.
05:15 Amtrak FNBO Mastercard 40k Back
$2,000 min spend (in first 3 cycles)
$99 AF not waived
What We’ve been Up to:
06:28 JetBlue 20% Off (And it worked!)
Promo code: TAKE20
Book by 11/6/25 (11:59PM EST)
Travel 12/2-12/18/25 (Excludes Friday and Sunday travel).
Discount applies to base fare, valid on nonstop flights only
Not valid on Mint, Transatlantic flights & previous bookings
Not valid for EvenMore & cash + points bookings
Redeemable only on jetblue.com
9:00 BofA Elite Season is Upon Us (in MA)
Probably best to wait until mid December for those of us not in MA
But in MA there’s always a partial refund possibility, and so…
P2: Instant Approval
P1: Pending
We’ll need to get good at incidentals – 75k minimum spend, $450 x 3 incidentals.
What happens in January?
18:24 EVA Air: Fantastic TYP release valve or am I walking into a Trap?
Looking for flights to Thailand, Japan, Taiwan
Lots of TYP and this would be a good place for them
Nonstop from LAX, multiple flights daily even!
But….this seems like a great program for single people, an OK program for couples and….and unknown (at least for me) for families with kids.
Complex system for booking more than just yourself.
Required Reading:
OMAAT: https://onemileatatime.com/guides/redeem-miles-eva-air-business-class/
FM: https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-book-eva-air-infinity-mileagelands-awards/
Is this overblown? As Complex as it seems?
This ends with me driving to El Segundo…
24:35 [VENT] AA’s Theft of the Week:
Complex, but two one ways booked for travel that did not happen.
Outbound was delayed, we decided to just drive.
Asked for a refund on X, was told to expect something.
Still nothing, was possibly going to be given a flight credit, but that hasn’t shown either.
The return trip in vain was refunded without friction even thought it wasn’t delayed.
But….Where does a refund show up when cancelling an AA flight booked with BofA Elite points? Who knows.
This is a mess.
28:45 Shop your way turns into…Citi ThankYou Card
Still 5/3/2/1 x TYP earning in good categories, possibly up to $10k per category?
Spend seems to have reset!
Hearing new offers coming via email.
Current offers will be honored.
There’s also a Shop your way card being launched by another bank.
Hopeful this card keeps working well for us.
33:35 Chase Freedom -> Sapphire Reserve Upgrade: Not Possible?
Wanted another CSR, and we’ve talked about the upgrade of a Freedom to one on the show many times.
Called and was told it is….not possible!
Only path is to a no annual fee sapphire (not preferred or reserve).
Not ideal, now what?
36:33 Strata Elite 100k 4th Quarter Application: Instant Approval
I had held off applying, assumed I was overextended when my wife was only given a $5000 CL
But, in a moment of weakness I applied….and
Instant approval, with a $18k CL.
I don’t think I will ever understand Citi.
Matching His/Hers. Great for the splurge credits and 6x dining –really better to have the big CL on my side anyway.
38:24 What Winterization tasks did we complete this week?
Correction: Elite Hotel credit not terrible at all because it works on ANY hotel.
FHR credits really depend on a want to go to a high end hotel. Just so much less choice.
So last week when I Was sure I wouldn’t use the strata and would use the FHR, now I’m reversing that stance.
Robert: Used the Chase dining $150 credit on the CSR, and… it just worked!
Keep at this, the year ends soon and these are use it or lose it!
Real concerns about cards that are going to be closed soon vs. longer term ones.
45:15 Upcoming Trip Planning?
Sam: Uncertainty abounds around P2’s work schedule. Kauai in Dec/Jan, Maui in April, Need to book more San Diego, S.F. bookings.
Robert: Miraval Berkshires this weekend, Pinhurst (Elite Alliance). Looking for more trips as well.
