This week’s Quick Hits starts with DeAndre and Taryn returning home from an unforgettable trip to Belgium and Tomorrowland, along with a reminder that even the best planned trips can run into major disruptions. Every flight they took experienced some type of delay, including an 11-hour delay on the way to Europe and another lengthy delay returning home. DeAndre also highlights how the Boldly Go community helped another family navigate major travel disruptions in real time, showing the value of having experienced travelers to turn to when plans fall apart.
On the points and miles side, DeAndre breaks down the new Air Canada Aeroplan and World of Hyatt partnership, including why the status opportunities may be much more valuable than transferring points between the two programs. He also covers the elevated Chase Sapphire Preferred and World of Hyatt Business Card offers, a new Citi transfer bonus to Flying Blue, major upgrades to Seats.aero that bring award pricing directly into Google Flights, and new back-to-school shopping portal bonuses from American Airlines and Delta. The episode wraps with a quick Tomorrowland recap and a preview of a full Belgium trip breakdown coming soon.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro:Back From Belgium and Tomorrowland
(01:49) How the Boldly Go Community Helps During Travel Disruptions
(03:18) Air Canada Aeroplan and World of Hyatt Partnership
(04:00) Hyatt and Aeroplan Status Benefits and Challenges
(05:52) Chase Sapphire Preferred 100K Offer Ending Soon
(06:27) World of Hyatt Business Card Bonus and Citi Flying Blue Transfer Bonus
(07:05) Seats.aero Comes to Google Flights & New Features
(09:07) American Airlines and Delta Shopping Portal Bonuses
Key takeaways:
- Travel Disruptions: DeAndre and Taryn experienced delays on every flight during their Belgium trip, including an 11 hour delay on the way to Europe.
- Community Support: The Boldly Go WhatsApp community helped travelers navigate cancellations, hotel challenges, and other disruptions with real time advice.
- Hyatt + Aeroplan Partnership: World of Hyatt and Air Canada Aeroplan launched a new partnership, but the strongest opportunities appear to come from elite status benefits rather than point transfers.
- Hyatt Status Challenges: Eligible Aeroplan elites and premium cardholders can unlock Hyatt status challenges that may lead all the way to Globalist with up to 20 qualifying nights in 90 days.
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Offer: The 100,000 point welcome offer remains available but is expected to end soon.
- Hyatt Business Card Offer: The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card now offers 70,000 points after meeting the required spending threshold.
- Citi to Flying Blue Bonus: Citi ThankYou Rewards is offering a 20% transfer bonus to Air France KLM Flying Blue through August 22.
- Seats.aero Google Flights Tool: A new Chrome extension displays award pricing directly alongside Google Flights cash fares, making comparison shopping easier.
- Seats.aero Upgrades: New features include improved filters, historical award pricing, transfer partner previews, price alerts, and special Delta and United cardholder pricing.
- Shopping Portal Bonuses: American Airlines and Delta have launched limited time back to school shopping bonuses for members who meet qualifying spending requirements.
Need Global Travel Insurance? We recommend World Nomads
Resources:
Some of Our Favorite Tools For Elevating Your Points & Miles Game:
Note: Contains affiliate/sponsored links
Connect with DeAndre Coke:
Mentioned in this episode:
Check out all of our other travel podcasts from around the world
This podcast is part of the Voyascape Travel Network, that brings together the world's best travel podcasts. You can find all of our podcasts from around the world at Voyascape.com.
If you are interested in advertising or sponsered content on any of our shows you can find out more at the link below.
Voyascape Podcast Network
