The Nightly – Episode Summary

Episode: "Silly Fees, Rewards Points & Pepsi Jet"

Date: November 29, 2025

Hosts: Matt & Josh (Hatch Podcasts)

Overview

In this delightfully meandering episode of The Nightly, Matt and Josh wind down with cozy banter about professional disappointments, the frustration of administrative fees, the psychology of rewards points, and a legendary tale from the world of Pepsi’s infamous “jet giveaway.” With gentle humor and relatable anecdotes, the hosts reflect on small annoyances and big absurdities, making it a charming background for pre-sleep relaxation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Handling Professional Disappointments

• Matt recounts a week of career highs and lows: a missed audition offset by a potential brand deal with a canned-pie company (Frey Bentos).
  • "I might not have got the primetime Saturday night slot on TV, but Frey Bentos are—they're keen." (01:15, Matt)
• Both hosts talk emotional resilience: Josh shares that some disappointments roll off, while others linger and fester until properly processed.
  • "I feel like I can never predict with me when I'm gonna go, like, 'You know what? Not everything is meant for you…and usually I can get myself into that mode pretty quickly.' But some days… it does take like 24 hours for me to work out." (01:53, Josh)
• They agree the hardest setbacks are the ones out of your control, particularly when it comes to external validation.
  • "Rather than being upset for me, I just sort of weep for humanity in a way where I go, that's such a shame. No one else has good taste in comedy." (02:26, Matt)

2. The Futility of Admin Fees & Customer Service

• Matt’s boiler saga:
  • He tries to be proactive with a repair, but the problem resolves itself after he'd already called a plumber.
  • "This is a lesson to everybody listening: if there is a problem with something, just ignore it… the valve managed to dislodge itself. Everything is absolutely fine now…But the plumber’s coming with all the parts on Sunday to fix something that doesn't need fixing." (05:48, Matt)
• Avoidance culture:
  • Josh prefers deferring problems to “future me,” opting for momentary comfort over present inconvenience.
    • "I'd rather feel good now and bad a different, imaginary time." (07:20, Josh)
• The absurdity of admin fees:
  • Both hosts bemoan the trend of “silly” administrative charges for simple tasks like name corrections or booking changes.
    • "If anybody's getting the admin fee here, it's me. I called you." (08:54, Matt)
    • "You have employees, that's part of your job as a company is to pay your employees. Why am I paying them your salary?" (10:10, Josh)
  • Matt jokes about having so many minor typos on household utility accounts that he leads “a depressing double life.” (10:54, Matt)

3. Rewards Points: Accumulating, But Never Redeeming

• Josh as a “points dragon”:
  • He accumulates enormous point balances (Amtrak, Dunkin Donuts, etc.) but rarely redeems them, driven by an odd sense of future payoff.
    • "I feel like I'm a points dragon, with just, like, stacks of gold under my scaly limbs." (12:51, Josh)
• Matt’s club card disappointments:
  • He goes out of his way to earn supermarket fuel points, only for them to expire unused.
    • "I would fantasize about this day coming…and then overnight, one day, they just all went out of date." (13:39, Matt)
• The irrational psychology:
  • Neither can articulate why they hoard points, even turning down free stuff to “accrue more.”
    • "There's some untold benefit that I think I'm going to get in the future, if I just cling to these points." (14:17, Josh)

4. The Pepsi Jet Case: When Rewards Go Absurd

• Pepsi’s infamous promotion:
  • Josh recounts how Pepsi jokingly offered a Harrier jet for 7 million points in a 1990s ad, only to have someone attempt to claim it by calculating the “real” purchase value in cash.
    • "He was like, 'Oh, if I can just buy these points for $0.30 apiece, that's actually so much cheaper than buying a private jet would be.'" (15:08, Josh)
  • Legal showdown:
    • The would-be jet owner sues, but the judge sides with Pepsi, citing the obvious joke. Pepsi later upped the requirement to an impossible number of points.
    • "I'm surprised about that. That's an open and shut case. Surely they said it, it was a mistake. Just, you've got to take your medicine there if you're Pepsi, I think." (16:28, Matt)
• The cost of “winning”:
  • The hosts muse on the absurdity of private jet ownership, even if acquired cheaply, and the practical obstacles that would follow:
    • "Maybe the upfront cost of the jet is what was keeping you out of that private jet life. But I feel like most people are not set up to absorb those additional costs." (18:00, Josh)
  • They joke about “driving” the jet like a bus if you couldn’t afford to fly it.
    • "You are basically just driving like a giant bus around, aren't you?" (18:37, Matt)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Emotional Recovery:
  • “No, I don’t need that. If anything, that’s the last thing I need. My ego is out of control. Currently. I’m the greatest thing in the world. Why won’t other people believe me?” – Matt (03:23)
• On Customer Service Suffering:
  • “Never try to improve anything. That’s the lesson.” – Josh (08:18)
• On Point Hoarding:
  • “Do you want to use your points for this? Like, you can get this book for free. And I go, ‘No, no, no, let’s accrue more points.’” – Josh (13:54)
• Pepsi Jet Final Act:
  • “They were like, 'No, that was clearly a joke.' And then he sued Pepsi and the judge sided with Pepsi saying, like, 'Come on, this is silly.'” – Josh (15:45)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• (01:00-04:30): Professional disappointments and coping mechanisms
• (05:48-07:37): Avoiding admin hassles and the case for “future you”
• (08:28-11:00): The rage of admin fees and identity errors on accounts
• (12:08-14:43): The compulsion to collect—but never spend—rewards points
• (14:43-18:00): The Pepsi jet story and reflections on “winning” rewards
• (18:19-19:27): What would you really do with a jet?

Tone & Style

True to its purpose as a bedtime wind-down, the conversation is light, dryly humorous, and full of relatable exasperation at life’s little absurdities. The hosts’ self-deprecating warmth and meandering style make the episode comforting listening for insomniacs, comedy fans, or anyone seeking a gentle transition into sleep.

Takeaway

This episode of The Nightly is a cozy, relatable ode to everyday frustrations—admin fees, expired rewards, customer service woes—sprinkled with nostalgia, dry jokes, and an infamous soft drink marketing disaster. It invites listeners to let go of daily annoyances and laugh them off, the perfect note on which to drift off.