Episode
Forget Hyatt: The Hotel Programs Actually Worth Your Points Now + Trip Rebooking CHAOS!
- Published
- Mar 17, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1593
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Summary
Want to work with us? Reach out! inquiries at milestomemories dot com Hyatt just dropped five new pricing tiers on their award chart — and it's got Shawn and Mark rethinking their entire hotel strategy. Plus: Mark had to scrap his Istanbul trip, rebook his whole Europe itinerary using Aeroplan, LifeMiles, Delta SkyMiles, and Bilt credits, and lived to tell the tale. And yes — the LifeMiles call center almost broke him. **What we cover:** - Hyatt's award chart devaluation: five new tiers and what it actually means for redemptions - Why Hyatt's value proposition was always about consistency and Chase earning (not footprint) - Mark's current hotel rankings: Hilton free night certs, IHG's underrated card refresh, and Accor's flexible points - Choice Hotels and why Benjy's going to be thrilled - The Hilton Surpass card: still the best mid-tier hotel card and why - Hyatt free night certs — are they actually worth more now post-devaluation? - Why Mark abandoned Istanbul and pivoted to Warsaw two weeks before the trip - Rebuilding the whole itinerary: 70K Aeroplan on Turkish, 8K United miles Istanbul-Warsaw, 25K Delta SkyMiles on Air France business, and Bilt credits for the Sheraton - Turkish Airlines IT nightmare: can't check in, ticket number mismatch, and the LifeMiles call center hangup saga - RyanAir reality check: what Americans need to know about weight limits and bag rules - The case for travel flexibility and why points make last-minute pivots actually possible 📧 Free newsletter: https://milestomemories.us3.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=39c6737d725a04fea73324680&id=1e73edd8c8 ✈️ Track your travel credit cards for free: https://milestomemories.boardingarea.com/go/travel-freely-eop/ 💳 Join our free Facebook group (16,000+ members): https://www.facebook.com/groups/116…