
RIP World of Hyatt? Dissecting Big, Bad Changes
About this episode
We’re all too accustomed to hotels and airlines making negative changes, but Hyatt genuinely broke our hearts this week. So Gunnar and Kyle devote the show to diving into some massive changes on tap for what is (or perhaps was?) the most popular and valuable hotel points program. We’re talking nasty award rate increases, confusing pricing systems, a few silver linings, and what you should do before the hammer falls. Plus, Gunnar reviews his experience on the new (& improved?) Southwest Airlines, plus they help a listener navigate the dreaded Chase 5/24 credit card rule.
00:00 - Gunnar’s review of the “new” Southwest
03:20 - Welcome back … from the Park Hyatt Tokyo!
04:30 - The “Goat Rodeo” with TSA PreCheck and Global Entry
10:30 - Puerto Vallarta chaos & what to do about your upcoming Mexico trip
15:25 - A word from our sponsor: Sign up for The Extra Mile Newsletter today!
16:14 - World of Hyatt’s positively nasty new award chart changes
35:00 - Listener Question: How far above “5/24” should you go?
40:20 - On the Spot: How 2 hockey fans celebrated a golden weekend
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Produced and edited by Sylvia Thomas
Video editing by Kyle Thomas
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot
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