Thrifty Traveler
64 episodes listed below
PRESS PLAY
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.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Travel rewards become usable decisions through candid trip reports, specific booking mechanics, and the hosts' good-humored scrutiny of value.
The Thrifty Traveler Podcast turns trip planning into a practical conversation between Gunnar Olsson and Kyle Potter, with real travel mishaps feeding directly into useful advice.
Three and a half hours on the tarmac, and suddenly your backup miles look less like a hobby.
Press play if you want
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A brisk, insider look at mistake fares worth chasing.
An energetic look at mistake fares, it follows Gunnar Olsson and Kyle Potter as they compare a $134 round trip that should have been at least $700, a JFK-to-London Virgin business-class fare under $900 round trip, and a Vietnam business-class deal that was gone about 10 minutes…
A practical guide to the tools and timing behind smarter points and miles decisions.
Gunnar Olsson and Kyle Potter keep the episode grounded in the basics of award travel. They move cleanly from earning points to organizing them to redeeming them, and the most useful stretch is the discussion of card timing, welcome bonuses, and why old offer charts can be more…
A blunt, useful look at why flight prices feel higher and what to watch now.
The episode moves from a rain soaked Hawaii trip into a wider travel news run through, then lands on the simple reality that airfare is getting harder to shrug off.
Family travel advice that treats points like a tool, not a hobby trophy.
This episode blends family travel and points strategy, with Gunnar and Kyle opening on a lighter note before Jess Field and Alex Payne move into the practical details.
A grounded look at fading award-travel tricks and the places value still remains.
The episode gives award travel a practical update, focusing on what still pays off and what has quietly disappeared. It uses the once-reliable Virgin Atlantic route to ANA business class as a clear marker of how fast these sweet spots can vanish, while also pointing to Canada as…
A practical travel forecast for deal hunters and points tinkerers.
At heart, this is a travel-minded forecast that treats prices, routes, and points with the same seriousness. Gunnar and Kyle move from their own trips to the larger question of where good deals might still surface, what airports and planes could look like next year, and how far…
Airport lounges are useful, calm, and still a little bit fun.
Airport lounges are treated here as part of the trip, not just a status perk. The opening leans into the familiar routine of hunting for a seat, heading for the bartender, and grabbing a drink or a quick bite, but the stronger case is simpler: a lounge gives travelers a quieter…
A French Polynesia travel discussion that keeps the jokes, logistics, and cost math in view.
The episode starts with a continent-sized argument before settling into a French Polynesia trip built around Tahiti and Bora Bora. Gunnar and Kyle keep it loose, but the practical bits land: the Capital One Venture X travel credit helps with the cost, Air Tahiti makes a seven…
Deep Disney parks talk, right down to the signage.
Real family routes, practical travel stories.
Everyday curiosities, explained with a sideways grin.
The hosts discuss travel news, packing tips, and strategies for earning and redeeming points and miles.
Brett Catlin of Alaska Airlines used a Reddit AMA to take questions on award pricing, partner availability, elite upgrades, and the line that Alaska is not in the business of giving out 'monopoly points like some of our competitors.' The hosts read that as a shot at Delta, while also noting Alaska's international push to London, Rome, Tokyo, and Seoul and its claim that 60% of elites get first-class upgrades.
Gunnar and Kyle talk through how award travel is changing fast.
Gunnar Olsson opens with a warning.
Gunnar Olsson opens with a rain-soaked family trip to Hawaii and some self-aware banter with Kyle Potter.
Gunnar opens by wishing listeners a happy new year.
Gunnar Olsen opens by bringing Jon Schalvetter and Kyle Thomas into a ranking exercise about business class.
Casey Della Pena gets the spotlight.
Gunnar Olsson and Kyle Potter open with their own recent travel disruption stories, including Gunnar’s 3.5 hours on the tarmac in Detroit and Kyle’s delayed return through Newark.
The hosts share their dumbest travel mistakes and discuss common traveler errors like blind airline loyalty and poor planning.
The Thrifty Traveler Podcast episode “Is Lounge Access … Underrated?
The Thrifty Traveler Podcast uses this episode to walk through the tools the team uses to earn, organize, and redeem points, starting with Card Pilot, uscreditcardguide, cashback monitor, Rakuten, and where to credit.
The Thrifty Traveler Podcast marks one year on air by answering listener questions about Australia and New Zealand awards, points earning, Hawaii lie-flat seats, and upgrade tactics.
The Thrifty Traveler Podcast spends most of this news roundup on airfare trends, credit card changes, and hotel value plays, starting with Serium's July 2026 data showing Europe-to-U.S.
Gunnar, Kyle, and Nick Cerati spend the episode mapping their 2026 travel-card strategy, starting with a “peacetime credit card strategy” and dividing wallets into starters, backups, bench cards, and cuts.
The Thrifty Traveler Podcast uses this episode to rank five airline loyalty programs that can book flights for fewer miles and are easier to reach through transferable bank points.
Gunnar Olsson and Kyle Potter open with a geography argument about whether Oceania counts as a continent, then use it to frame Kyle's trip through Bora Bora, New Zealand, and Australia.
The Thrifty Traveler Podcast welcomes Jess Field and Alex Payne of the Points Talk Squad, formerly Travel Mom Squad, to discuss family points strategy and a recent rebrand tied to legally owning the name.
The Thrifty Traveler Podcast centers this episode on a news rundown, with Gunnar Olsson and executive editor Kyle Potter covering new routes, hotel changes, credit card updates, and government filings.
A Turkish Airlines mistake fare of $410 one-way in business class from Vancouver was canceled after about 48 hours because the $3,600 base fare was missing, and Kyle says 18 of the last roughly 20 mistake fares since 2020 were honored.
In this 50th episode, host Gunnar Olson interviews Thrifty Traveler founder Jared Kamrowski, covering the company's origin story, current travel pain points like award availability, and behind-the-scenes insights into finding flight deals.
The hosts discuss major travel news, including a significant drop in one-way international airfares, the Allegiant-Sun Country merger, and updates to Bilt Rewards credit cards, while also covering rapid-fire topics like airline loyalty changes and lounge announcements.
Northern Lights plus hot tub plus baby's first snow equals magic.
just the last great unique airline in this country just kind of joined the pack.
Gunnar Olsson and Kyle Potter cover two major trends affecting points and miles: negative airline loyalty program changes (Cathay Pacific and Emirates reducing transfer value, United restricting partner awards) and a year-end opportunity to maximize travel credit card benefits before reset.
Gunnar and Kyle discuss mistake fares—errors in airline pricing that create extraordinary deals—and identify a major loophole in Japan Airlines' round-trip pricing.
The hosts discuss the new mirrored Amex Platinum card, its perks, and the welcome offer, sharing their opinions on physical card design and the card's value.
Interview with Flighty founder Ryan Jones about the flight tracking app and travel tips.
The hosts discuss the worst airline websites for booking and customer support, focusing on Qatar Airways and Air Canada.
Hosts discuss the importance of taking vacation days and preview a co-host's upcoming trip to England and Scotland, emphasizing travel as a reset.
The hosts discuss travel news and prioritize headlines about plummeting flight prices to Europe, with a special guest expert on travel rewards.
The hosts interview a travel influencer about getting started in travel, the state of travel influencers, and breaking down news from major credit card companies.
Hosts discuss a listener's mistake of having his last name repeated on a boarding pass due to autofill, and how he fixed it with Avianca.