{"podcast":{"title":"Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways","slug":"smart-travel-upgrade-your-getaways-7201309","podcast_index_feed_id":7201309,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/NRD5604144476","website_url":"https://nerdwallet.com","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/38498f54-e32a-11ef-b372-27d8dfecb90e/image/283bb3cbb85eb4986074e0c9080616f8.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"NerdWallet","episode_count":78,"summary":"Planning your next vacation? Before you budget, learn how to get the most out of your travel dollars with Smart Travel. NerdWallet’s trusted travel experts, Sally French and Meghan Coyle, are here to help your travel dollars work even harder. But the travel Nerds don’t just make recommendations; they break down the latest travel details, exploring the pros and cons of specific strategies, practical tools, and tactics. Dive deep with the experts as they lay out all the options so you can finally plan that dream vacation. So put your seat in its full upright position, buckle up, and let’s help that travel budget take you places you’ve only dreamed about. Join hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle, two of NerdWallet’s expert travel Nerds, as they lay out tips, tools, and strategies for your next travel getaway, including: Travel budgeting: What’s the best way to budget for a vacation? How can you save money planning travel? The Nerds compare the best travel budgeting tools. Travel Strategies: Should you use travel points or travel miles? Should you Airbnb or get a hotel? The Nerds have your how-to travel guide for your next trip. Family vacation planning: Thinking of a Disney trip or s…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-22T16:20:55.756406+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/smart-travel-upgrade-your-getaways-7201309"},"episode":{"title":"How Airline Alliance Status Gets You Into the World's Best Airport Lounges for Free","slug":"how-airline-alliance-status-gets-you-into-the-world-s-best-airport-lounges-for-free","published_at":"2026-04-23T16:02:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/smart-travel-upgrade-your-getaways-7201309/how-airline-alliance-status-gets-you-into-the-world-s-best-airport-lounges-for-free","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/smart-travel-upgrade-your-getaways-7201309","url":"https://pdst.fm/e/pfx.vpixl.com/gr1o7/tracking.swap.fm/track/YfZO4tERxneauNcW9Fgn/mgln.ai/e/211/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML2137455575.mp3?updated=1776907645","audio_url":"https://pdst.fm/e/pfx.vpixl.com/gr1o7/tracking.swap.fm/track/YfZO4tERxneauNcW9Fgn/mgln.ai/e/211/pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML2137455575.mp3?updated=1776907645","summary":"Learn how earning status with one airline can unlock lounges and elite perks on more than a dozen other airlines worldwide. First, host Meghan Coyle breaks down the week’s top travel headlines with producer Tess Vigeland (filling in for Sally French), including a new Google Hotels feature that lets you track prices on a specific hotel (not just a city), Wells Fargo adding Wyndham Rewards as a transfer partner, Air New Zealand’s controversial new Skynest bunk bed cabin, Chase expanding its Plum Guide vacation rental program to Sapphire cardholders, Hilton’s new apartment-style properties, and Norse Atlantic canceling Los Angeles flights amid rising fuel costs. Then, Sally joins Meghan for a conversation with Gilbert Ott, Director of Loyalty at the OneWorld Airline Alliance. They explore how airline alliance membership can elevate every trip you take, with tips and insights on how OneWorld’s Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald elite status tiers work across all 15 member airlines, which world-class airport lounges you can access as a OneWorld elite member, and what Hawaiian Airlines’ new membership in the Alliance means for your miles and travel experience. Card benefits, terms and fees can change. For the most up-to-date information about cards mentioned in this episode, read our reviews: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card Review: Strong Option for Travel Rewards https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/reviews/chase-sapphire-preferred Chase Sapphire Reserve® Review: A High-End, High-Maintenance Card https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/reviews/chase-sapphire-reserve Wells Fargo Autograph® Card Review: Big Rewards, No Annual Fee https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/reviews/wells-fargo-autograph Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ Review: Highly Rewarding for Travelers https://www.n…","meta_description":"Learn how earning status with one airline can unlock lounges and elite perks on more than a dozen other airlines worldwide. First, host Meghan Coyle break…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2731,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/smart-travel-upgrade-your-getaways-7201309/episodes/how-airline-alliance-status-gets-you-into-the-world-s-best-airport-lounges-for-free/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/smart-travel-upgrade-your-getaways-7201309/how-airline-alliance-status-gets-you-into-the-world-s-best-airport-lounges-for-free.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}