Getting 125K Expired Points Back, New Southwest Companion Pass Truth & JetBlue Launches First Class!
• Get a $230 gift card after making a $500 payment with Melio (affiliate) - https://milestomemories.com/go/melio
• Join MTM Diamond our private community! Slack, meetups, tons of bonus content and more. More info - https://www.patreon.com/milestomemories Shawn let 125,000 Accor points expire, and what happened when he asked for them back surprised both of us. We also break down the new Hyatt and Aeroplan partnership and why Canadians walked away with all the good stuff, plus Thrifty Traveler's new free tool that watches your airfare after you book. Then we dig into what really happened to the Southwest Companion Pass, the new path to earn it, and the 2026 deadline everyone is racing. Plus JetBlue finally rolls out a domestic first class cabin. Are you chasing the Companion Pass before the rules change? Let us know in the comments.
Episode Guide:
• 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel
• 0:22 Michigan Weekends & Our Detroit Meetup
• 1:50 What's New in MTM Diamond
• 3:41 Is Diamond Only for Big Spenders?
• 5:35 Hyatt & Aeroplan's Partnership Is a Dud for Americans
• 7:10 The Aeroplan Hyatt Free Night Certificates
• 8:58 Hyatt & Delta: The Partnership That Matters
• 9:20 Thrifty Traveler's Free FareTracker
• 11:01 How Shawn Lost 125,000 Accor Points
• 12:33 Getting Expired Points Back as a Courtesy
• 14:42 Why We Still Like Accor
• 16:16 What Really Happened to the Companion Pass
• 17:51 The Companion Pass Now Comes With Platinum Status
• 18:43 The 95,000 TQP Companion Pass Trips
• 19:46 The 2027 Bump & Our TQP Card Bonus Prediction
• 21:19 Southwest vs. Alaska: What Your Spend Gets You
• 22:30 JetBlue Launches BlueFirst Domestic First Class
• 24:09 Every Airline Is Becoming the Same
• 24:58 Final Thoughts
Links
• MTM Diamond - https://www.patreon.com/milestomemories
• Aeroplan Hyatt - https://milestomemories.com/world-of-hyatt-and-air-canada-aeroplan-launch-new-partnership/
• Thrifty Free tracker - https://milestomemories.com/thrifty-traveler-launches-free-faretracker-tool/
• Southwest - https://www.jetblue.com/flying-with-us/bluefirst
• Companion Pass in 2027 - https://www.southwest.com/rapid-rewards/2027/companion-pass-changes/ 💳 Join our free Facebook group (16,000+ members)
🏆 Diamond Patreon — bonus shows + Slack community
🥇 Gold Membership ($10/mo)
🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
📖 Miles to Memories website
• Join MTM Diamond our private community! Slack, meetups, tons of bonus content and more. More info - https://www.patreon.com/milestomemories Shawn let 125,000 Accor points expire, and what happened when he asked for them back surprised both of us. We also break down the new Hyatt and Aeroplan partnership and why Canadians walked away with all the good stuff, plus Thrifty Traveler's new free tool that watches your airfare after you book. Then we dig into what really happened to the Southwest Companion Pass, the new path to earn it, and the 2026 deadline everyone is racing. Plus JetBlue finally rolls out a domestic first class cabin. Are you chasing the Companion Pass before the rules change? Let us know in the comments.
Episode Guide:
• 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel
• 0:22 Michigan Weekends & Our Detroit Meetup
• 1:50 What's New in MTM Diamond
• 3:41 Is Diamond Only for Big Spenders?
• 5:35 Hyatt & Aeroplan's Partnership Is a Dud for Americans
• 7:10 The Aeroplan Hyatt Free Night Certificates
• 8:58 Hyatt & Delta: The Partnership That Matters
• 9:20 Thrifty Traveler's Free FareTracker
• 11:01 How Shawn Lost 125,000 Accor Points
• 12:33 Getting Expired Points Back as a Courtesy
• 14:42 Why We Still Like Accor
• 16:16 What Really Happened to the Companion Pass
• 17:51 The Companion Pass Now Comes With Platinum Status
• 18:43 The 95,000 TQP Companion Pass Trips
• 19:46 The 2027 Bump & Our TQP Card Bonus Prediction
• 21:19 Southwest vs. Alaska: What Your Spend Gets You
• 22:30 JetBlue Launches BlueFirst Domestic First Class
• 24:09 Every Airline Is Becoming the Same
• 24:58 Final Thoughts
Links
• MTM Diamond - https://www.patreon.com/milestomemories
• Aeroplan Hyatt - https://milestomemories.com/world-of-hyatt-and-air-canada-aeroplan-launch-new-partnership/
• Thrifty Free tracker - https://milestomemories.com/thrifty-traveler-launches-free-faretracker-tool/
• Southwest - https://www.jetblue.com/flying-with-us/bluefirst
• Companion Pass in 2027 - https://www.southwest.com/rapid-rewards/2027/companion-pass-changes/ 💳 Join our free Facebook group (16,000+ members)
🏆 Diamond Patreon — bonus shows + Slack community
🥇 Gold Membership ($10/mo)
🎧 Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
📖 Miles to Memories website