The Current State of Points & Miles Deals in 2026

The world of all things points and miles is changing rapidly. So to dig into where things are at and what’s ahead, Gunnar and Kyle bring in the man they call “St. Peter” – Thrifty Traveler’s Senior Award Analyst and guru of all things award travel, Peter Thornton – to talk about the state of award availability and spell out the best uses of your points and miles as we enter the second half of 2026. Plus, they recap about some rare business class deals making a comeback, why airlines are throttling award searches … and, for some reason, talk a lot about cycling?  Show Notes Thanks to our sponsor, Bellroy! Check out Bellroy’s travel gear and get 10% off using this link. They've got the perfect design for any kind of traveler. Watch us on YouTube! Join the conversation! Sign up for the free Thrifty Traveler Podcast Slack community today. 00:00 - Introducing “St. Peter” and his adventure across Iowa 03:35 - Rami introduces the show from Emirates First Class! 04:35 - Rare business class awards are … back? 09:25 - Airlines are blocking award searches 15:15 - The Extra Mile: The current state of award availability 20:40 - Where to find economy award availability 23:30 - Where to find business class deals 27:15 - R.I.P. to the deals that got away 36:00 - Peter predicts: What’s coming next? 40:20 - A listener asks: How to find award space before calling to book 44:30 - Peter asks: What state would you bike across? Produced and edited by Sylvia Thomas Video editing by Kyle Thomas Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts! Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at podcast@thriftytraveler.comGet 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!Follow us on…InstagramYouTubeFacebookBluesky Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.