Destination: Alaska

In Episode 126 of the Award Travel 101 podcast, Angie Sparks welcomes back Mike Zaccheo, who just returned from a two-week Alaska adventure with 18 family members. The trip included a cruise from Vancouver through Glacier Bay and College Fjord, followed by a land segment from Whittier to Anchorage, Denali, and Fairbanks. Mike recapped highlights like ziplining in Skagway, a mushing experience with an Iditarod competitor, and scenic rail rides with Alaska Railroad. He also shared the chaos of managing 19 travelers, tips like using AirTags on all luggage and assigning group captains, and the value of oneworld Emerald status and the co-branded Alaska Card and for free Alaska Airlines baggage for everyone.The episode’s news focused heavily on the overhaul of the Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR), which introduced 8x points on Chase Travel purchases, a $500 Edit credit, 4x on direct bookings, and a Points Boost program replacing the 1.5x portal redemption. Other perks like lounge access and travel credits remain, but approval language may tighten. The new CSR Business version, comes with business related credits and large welcome offer. Additional updates included Citi’s 20% transfer bonus to Flying Blue and Amex devaluing the Business Platinum 35% rebate. The episode wrapped with tips on Alaska cruise and land tours from both hosts.Links to Topics DiscussedChase Sapphire Reserve Personal Card OverhaulNew Chase Sapphire Reserve Business CardCiti Thank You Points Transfer Bonus to Flying BlueAmex Business Platinum 35% Points Rebate DevaluationAwardWallet Merchant Lookup ToolWhere to Find UsThe Award Travel 101 Facebook Community.To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1.You can also email us at [email protected] your Award Travel 101 Merch hereReserve tickets to our Late Summer 2026 Meetup in Milwaukee now. award.travel/mke2026Our partner CardPointers helps us get the most from our cards. Signup today at https://cardpointers.com/at101 for a 30% discount on annual and lifetime subscriptions! Lastly, we appreciate your support of the AT101 Podcast/Community when you signup for your next card!Technical note: Some user experience difficulty streaming the podcast while connected to a VPN. If you have difficulty, disconnect from your VPN.