New Amex Lounge Concept, Citi Transfer "Mistake" & New Premium Card + Is AI Ripping Off Travelers?

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Episode Description

This week Citi was in the news for a few reasons. First, they have upped their transfer ratio to Accor by 2X. This might not last, but it is quite valuable. Citi also is planning to launch their new premium Strata credit card next week. While not all of the details are known, tons of rumors have leaked and we'll dive into what this card can be and how it competes with Chase, Amex and Capital One. In other news more and more travel providers are using AI tools to crack down on travelers, but sometimes they backfire. We look at a couple of these tools and what you need to know. We also discuss: Amex's new sidecar lounge concept, how premium credit cards probably aren't worth it and why Amex is trying to make their benefits easier to use. Episode Guide

• 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel
• 2:52 Citi’s Accor transfer mistake?
• 6:27 Citi’s new premium credit card is coming very very soon
• 10:45 The rumored benefits for Citi’s new card
• 16:28 The year of the premium credit card?
• 18:35 Amex’s new Sidecar lounge - The lounge boom
• 23:42 Amex’s earnings dive-in - Less breakage & slow bookings?
• 30:15 A new easier way to connect on international flights
• 35:14 AI tools and travel - Smoke detectors, Hertz scanners - Reliable?

Smoke detector situation - https://x.com/_zachgriff/status/1945959030851035223?s=46&t=B9kWNUIY21TRZnc8tXrfRQ Hertz scanners - https://www.thedrive.com/news/how-to-stop-hertzs-ai-rental-car-damage-scanners-from-screwing-you DFW connection - https://viewfromthewing.com/american-airlines-makes-history-connecting-passengers-arriving-in-u-s-now-skip-security-and-customs-in-new-trial/ Amex earnings breakdown - https://viewfromthewing.com/amex-ceo-admits-we-made-benefits-hard-to-use-on-purpose-now-reveals-plan-for-even-higher-fees/ Citi Strate Elite rumors - https://milestalk.com/updated-citi-strata-elite-details-launch-date-bonus-annual-au-fee-bonus-categories-benefits/