Planning your next vacation? Before you budget, learn how to get the most out of your travel dollars with Smart Travel.
NerdWallet’s trusted travel experts, Sally French and Meghan Coyle, are here to help your travel dollars work even harder.
But the travel Nerds don’t just make recommendations; they break down the latest travel details, exploring the pros and cons of specific strategies, practical tools, and tactics. Dive deep with the experts as they lay out all the options so you can finally plan that dream vacation.
So put your seat in its full upright position, buckle up, and let’s help that travel budget take you places you’ve only dreamed about.
Join hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle, two of NerdWallet’s expert travel Nerds, as they lay out tips, tools, and strategies for your next travel getaway, including:
Travel budgeting: What’s the best way to budget for a vacation? How can you save money planning travel? The Nerds compare the best travel budgeting tools.
Travel Strategies: Should you use travel points or travel miles? Should you Airbnb or get a hotel? The Nerds have your how-to travel guide for your next trip.
Family vacation planning: Thinking of a Disney trip or something more tropical? Should you fly or rent a car? The Nerds lay out your options so you can decide the best way to book your next family vacation.
Travel Agents: Can travel agents save you money? Are there better alternatives? The Nerds dive into the actual cost of financial traveling and lay out your best options.
Seasonal timing: When’s the right time to book travel for next summer? How far out should you plan a holiday getaway? The Nerds got you covered from Spring to Winter with smart travel strategies.
Fee and policy changes: How do the latest TSA rules affect you? The Nerds break down recent regulations and how it impacts your next travel budget.
Travel Planning Tools: Not sure about a new travel app? Does that website actually give you the best deals? The Nerds have reviewed all the major platforms and share their pros, cons, and insights.
Destination-Specific Booking Strategies: Dreaming of Hawaiian or European getaways? The Nerds can help you and your travel budget when booking popular travel destinations.
If you’re planning on traveling within the next 12 months and ready to start researching and booking your next great adventure, then follow Smart Travel to upgrade your getaways.
You’ll love Smart Travel if you like podcasts like: Far From Home, Zero to Travel, Points Talk with the Travel Mom Squad, Amateur Traveler, Point Me To First Class, Takeoff A Points And Miles Podcast, Frequent Miler On The Air, Women Who Travel, and many other travel related podcasts.
NerdWallet Compare, Inc. NMLS ID# 1617539 NMLS Consumer Access: http:// www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/
All content for Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways is the property of NerdWallet Travel and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
Planning your next vacation? Before you budget, learn how to get the most out of your travel dollars with Smart Travel.
NerdWallet’s trusted travel experts, Sally French and Meghan Coyle, are here to help your travel dollars work even harder.
But the travel Nerds don’t just make recommendations; they break down the latest travel details, exploring the pros and cons of specific strategies, practical tools, and tactics. Dive deep with the experts as they lay out all the options so you can finally plan that dream vacation.
So put your seat in its full upright position, buckle up, and let’s help that travel budget take you places you’ve only dreamed about.
Join hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle, two of NerdWallet’s expert travel Nerds, as they lay out tips, tools, and strategies for your next travel getaway, including:
Travel budgeting: What’s the best way to budget for a vacation? How can you save money planning travel? The Nerds compare the best travel budgeting tools.
Travel Strategies: Should you use travel points or travel miles? Should you Airbnb or get a hotel? The Nerds have your how-to travel guide for your next trip.
Family vacation planning: Thinking of a Disney trip or something more tropical? Should you fly or rent a car? The Nerds lay out your options so you can decide the best way to book your next family vacation.
Travel Agents: Can travel agents save you money? Are there better alternatives? The Nerds dive into the actual cost of financial traveling and lay out your best options.
Seasonal timing: When’s the right time to book travel for next summer? How far out should you plan a holiday getaway? The Nerds got you covered from Spring to Winter with smart travel strategies.
Fee and policy changes: How do the latest TSA rules affect you? The Nerds break down recent regulations and how it impacts your next travel budget.
Travel Planning Tools: Not sure about a new travel app? Does that website actually give you the best deals? The Nerds have reviewed all the major platforms and share their pros, cons, and insights.
Destination-Specific Booking Strategies: Dreaming of Hawaiian or European getaways? The Nerds can help you and your travel budget when booking popular travel destinations.
If you’re planning on traveling within the next 12 months and ready to start researching and booking your next great adventure, then follow Smart Travel to upgrade your getaways.
You’ll love Smart Travel if you like podcasts like: Far From Home, Zero to Travel, Points Talk with the Travel Mom Squad, Amateur Traveler, Point Me To First Class, Takeoff A Points And Miles Podcast, Frequent Miler On The Air, Women Who Travel, and many other travel related podcasts.
NerdWallet Compare, Inc. NMLS ID# 1617539 NMLS Consumer Access: http:// www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/
Best and Worst Carriers for Standby and Same-Day Changes — and How to Capitalize (Video Episode)
Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways
33 minutes
1 day ago
Best and Worst Carriers for Standby and Same-Day Changes — and How to Capitalize (Video Episode)
Learn how same-day flight changes and standby can save you money when your travel plans suddenly change.
In this special video episode, hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle dive into last-minute travel rules, exploring when you can make a same-day flight switch, what “standby” really means, and how fees and policies differ from airline to airline. But first, they break down the week’s travel headlines, including Delta’s “Centennial Cheer” holiday kindness campaign, the upcoming closure of the Chase Sapphire Lounge in Hong Kong, new lounge openings in Las Vegas and beyond, and a wave of ultra-luxury hotel growth from Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt. They also share year-end reminders about expiring credit card travel credits, elite status deadlines, and why some travelers consider mileage or mattress runs before December 31.
Then, Meghan and Sally unpack last-minute flight changes and standby strategy, with tips and tricks on using miles and card perks to salvage missed flights, knowing when same-day confirmed changes are a better bet than standby, and navigating very different policies at Southwest, American, United, Delta, Alaska, Spirit and Frontier. They walk through which airlines shine for free or low-cost same-day changes, which bury you in fees, and how elite status and fare class affect your place on the list. You’ll also learn practical tactics like getting on the standby list early, traveling carry-on only, reading waitlists in real time on apps, and deciding when to give up and stick with your original flight — plus a quick hot take on hotel TVs that turn on the second you open the door.
Card benefits, terms and fees can change. For the most up-to-date information about cards mentioned in this episode, read our reviews:
Chase Sapphire Reserve Review: A High-End, High-Maintenance Card https://www.nerdwallet.com/reviews/credit-cards/chase-sapphire-reserve
American Express Platinum Review: Top-Notch Lounge Access, Big Credits https://www.nerdwallet.com/reviews/credit-cards/american-express-platinum
Capital One Venture X Review: A Steal of a Deal Among Premium Cards https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/reviews/capital-one-venture-x
United Quest Card: Piles of Perks and Credits, $350 Annual Fee https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/reviews/united-quest
Best Delta Air Lines Credit Cards of December 2025 https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/best/delta-airlines-cards
Atmos Rewards Summit Card: Perks as Rare as They Are Valuable https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/reviews/atmos-rewards-summit
Resources discussed in this episode:
I Missed My Flight. My United Quest Card Saved the Day. https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/i-missed-my-flight-my-united-quest-card-saved-the-day
The Best Airline Elite Status for 2025 https://www.nerdwallet.com/travel/learn/which-airline-has-the-most-valuable-elite-status-program
Want even more tips and tricks to get the most out of your travel dollars? Subscribe to TravelNerd, our free newsletter designed to help you crack the code on spending less on your travel.
In this episode, the Nerds discuss: same day flight change, same-day confirmed flight change, airline standby rules, how airline standby works, standby list strategy, last-minute flight changes, missed flight what to do, Southwest same day change policy, American Airlines same day change, United standby list, Delta same day standby, Delta Basic Economy standby, Alaska Airlines same day change, Frontier standby fees, Spirit Airlines change fees, budget airlines change fees, mileage run vs elite status value, year end credit card benefits, expiring travel credits December 31, airline fee credits, hotel credits on travel cards, Chase Sapphire Reserve lounge access, Capital One Venture X lounge access, Alaska Atmos Summit card same day change benefit, using miles for last minute flights, and last minute award flight deals.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Smart Travel: Upgrade Your Getaways
Planning your next vacation? Before you budget, learn how to get the most out of your travel dollars with Smart Travel.
NerdWallet’s trusted travel experts, Sally French and Meghan Coyle, are here to help your travel dollars work even harder.
But the travel Nerds don’t just make recommendations; they break down the latest travel details, exploring the pros and cons of specific strategies, practical tools, and tactics. Dive deep with the experts as they lay out all the options so you can finally plan that dream vacation.
So put your seat in its full upright position, buckle up, and let’s help that travel budget take you places you’ve only dreamed about.
Join hosts Sally French and Meghan Coyle, two of NerdWallet’s expert travel Nerds, as they lay out tips, tools, and strategies for your next travel getaway, including:
Travel budgeting: What’s the best way to budget for a vacation? How can you save money planning travel? The Nerds compare the best travel budgeting tools.
Travel Strategies: Should you use travel points or travel miles? Should you Airbnb or get a hotel? The Nerds have your how-to travel guide for your next trip.
Family vacation planning: Thinking of a Disney trip or something more tropical? Should you fly or rent a car? The Nerds lay out your options so you can decide the best way to book your next family vacation.
Travel Agents: Can travel agents save you money? Are there better alternatives? The Nerds dive into the actual cost of financial traveling and lay out your best options.
Seasonal timing: When’s the right time to book travel for next summer? How far out should you plan a holiday getaway? The Nerds got you covered from Spring to Winter with smart travel strategies.
Fee and policy changes: How do the latest TSA rules affect you? The Nerds break down recent regulations and how it impacts your next travel budget.
Travel Planning Tools: Not sure about a new travel app? Does that website actually give you the best deals? The Nerds have reviewed all the major platforms and share their pros, cons, and insights.
Destination-Specific Booking Strategies: Dreaming of Hawaiian or European getaways? The Nerds can help you and your travel budget when booking popular travel destinations.
If you’re planning on traveling within the next 12 months and ready to start researching and booking your next great adventure, then follow Smart Travel to upgrade your getaways.
You’ll love Smart Travel if you like podcasts like: Far From Home, Zero to Travel, Points Talk with the Travel Mom Squad, Amateur Traveler, Point Me To First Class, Takeoff A Points And Miles Podcast, Frequent Miler On The Air, Women Who Travel, and many other travel related podcasts.
NerdWallet Compare, Inc. NMLS ID# 1617539 NMLS Consumer Access: http:// www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/
