Shoutout to Thrifty Traveler Premium for partnering with this episode of the Award Travel 101 PodcastWouldn't it be amazing to get alerts when lie-flat business class space opens up? Thrifty Traveler Premium does just that.Use the promo code ‘AT101’  for $10 off your first year at thriftytraveler.com/premiumPOST OF THE WEEKSusie Buckwald - NYT Article on packing efficiently.  Are you #teamcheck or #teamcarry?NEWS & ENHANCED OFFERSWe're breaking away from our normal discussion on credit card offers, asking if it's worthwhile to chase or keep top-tier American Airlines status now that benefits that once were only available to Executive Platinum members are now available to all. Is Platinum Pro the new sweetspot?TRIP UPDATESMike -Headed to Paris for a meeting. Ted Lasso Tour, Historic Bar Crawl.Economy-only work policy 15k UA miles waitlist to Premium EconomyTwo Hilton certs for Waldorf Hilton normally 80k or 500£ per night12.5k AA for British Airways London (LHR) to Milan (LIN) - lounge accessJoe -19K AA miles for P3 and me for impromptu NYC tripRitz Carlton - card Free Night Award plus pointsMexico - 37.5K UA miles per person round-trip (booked in one-way segments).1K status - how will I try to get upgrades?Andaz Mayakoba - how did I get a beach suite with a plunge pool?WHAT BONUSES DID WE GET?Mike- Barclay AA Aviator Red for 70KJoe - Barclay AA aviator Red for P2 for 70KHIGHLIGHT (Main Feature) Airport LoungesMike's joining us LIVE from the Polaris Lounge in Newark (EWR), where he discusses the ways to gain lounge access via cards, status, or select airline tickets. What are some of your favorites?CardsAmex PlatinumCapital One Venture XChase Sapphire ReserveUnited Club CardCiti AAdvantage Executive EliteDelta ReserveStatusStar Alliance GoldOneWorld SapphireOneWorld EmeraldSkyTeam Executive Elite Only Available Via Premium TicketPolaris LoungesChelsea Lounge JFK (First)Greenwich Lounge JFK (Business)Soho Lounge JFK (First Class or Emerald)Airline First Class loungesLufthansaEtihadSwissAir FranceCathay PacificEmiratesSingaporeBritish AirwaysWHAT YOU DIDN'T KNOWTwo new features of TTP - Our sponsor Thrifty Traveler Premium has introduced two new features - Never lose notices again and “Nerd Alert” Use Code AT101 to save $10Where To Find the Award Travel 101 Community For questions, you can join us in the free 95,000+ member Award Travel 101 Community. If you want to jump into more intermediate and advanced strategies, join Award Travel 201 community To book time with our team, check out Award Travel 1-on-1. You can also email us at contactawardtravel@gmail.com. Meetup sold out, but you can waitlist