Travel Party of 5 | Points & Miles for Family Travel

Points and Miles Q&A - Ask Us Anything Episode!

• Raya & Duane

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Ready for an unfiltered look at family travel? Join Raya and Duane as they pull back the curtain on their travel strategies, answering your burning questions about navigating the world with three kids in tow.

Ever wondered how to prepare toddlers for their first flight? Our hosts share their trial-by-fire experiences, from eight-month-old lap infants to red-eye flights with layovers. Their practical advice on entertainment, snacks, and managing expectations comes from years of real-world testing with their own children. The unanimous verdict? Pack more snacks than you think you'll need and don't be afraid to bend your screen time rules when 30,000 feet in the air.

Accommodating a family of five presents unique challenges in a hotel industry designed for parties of four. Raya explains how their pursuit of Hyatt Globalist status was driven by the need for space through suite upgrades, while also exploring alternatives like family plan rates and home exchanges. The conversation takes an honest turn when discussing points valuation – sometimes getting accommodations "free" matters more than optimal redemption value when you're managing the substantial costs of feeding and entertaining multiple children abroad.

The episode dives deep into credit card strategy, with Raya sharing details about their impressive points portfolio (including 600,000 Amex points!) and recent approval experiences. Their candid admission that they "never feel like they have enough points" will resonate with anyone who's caught the travel hacking bug.

Whether you're planning your first family trip or looking to optimize your travel strategy, this ask-me-anything episode delivers practical insights from parents who've learned to navigate the complexities of family travel without sacrificing adventure. Tune in before their next journey – they're off to Japan tomorrow and promise to return with a wealth of new experiences to share!

Speaker 1:

In today's episode we're switching things up a little bit and we are doing an Ask Me Anything episode. You sent in your questions on Instagram and we are answering them all today, so listen in. Hi, I'm Raya.

Speaker 2:

And I'm Dwayne.

Speaker 1:

And we are your hosts of the Travel Party of Five podcast, where we share how we travel as a family of five around the world.

Speaker 2:

We will also share how we use points and miles to travel as affordably as possible and sometimes even completely free.

Speaker 1:

So if you're wanting to travel more with your family but you're not sure how, we'd love for you to listen in.

Speaker 2:

So welcome to our podcast, where we hope you learn a thing or two to get you closer to your next trip.

Speaker 1:

Hey, welcome back. Hello friends, Thank you for tuning in today.

Speaker 2:

That was my line.

Speaker 1:

Oh, sorry, we are doing something a little different. We've done this maybe once before, but we were doing an Ask Me Anything episode, and so I asked on Instagram a few days ago if anyone had any questions. Literally, nothing was off limits, did not have to be points and miles related and we are just going to go through them one by one. I think there's maybe nine or ten questions total, and so, yeah, should be fun, all right.

Speaker 2:

First question how did you prepare your kids for their?

Speaker 1:

first flight and how old were they? So our oldest was about eight months, I think both of our our older two boys first flights was just with me. It was just like a solo flight with me and them. So our oldest was eight months old and he and I flew from Phoenix to New York, new York State, like Rochester area that's where I grew up and we spent a week there like at a family's, like a friend's lake house basically, and that was kind of our like his first flight, my first flight with a kid, and he was a lap baby. Obviously we were very broke back then, so maybe my parents even paid for my ticket, I don't remember. But so there really was no preparing him Right, it's just preparing me as the parent and I think snacks and like all that fun stuff, um, I think our middle. Do you remember when he went to Florida with me? Was that his first flight to visit my sister?

Speaker 2:

Maybe. How old was he?

Speaker 1:

I think he was like a year and a half.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, I would assume so.

Speaker 1:

So our second one was a year and a half-ish. I remember that trip because it was also just me and him and we flew from Phoenix to Orlando. I went to see my sister and one of her friends. We had I think it was a red-eye flight. We had I think it was a red eye flight, and then we had a literal seven hour layover in the Dallas airport and he I was there with like a 15 month old maybe he was maybe 16 months old and again he was a lap infant or a lap baby, so he did not have his own seat and I just remember being so tired and trying to hold him and sleep in the airport and it was. It was not fun, like at all, but we flew a red eye flight because we didn't have any points, didn't even know points were a thing at that point.

Speaker 1:

So yeah it's a long time ago, and then our daughter was born in february 2020, so right right before the world shut down. Her first flight wasn't until we went to disney world, I think, and that was october.

Speaker 2:

No, that was november 2021 yep, so she was almost two. Yeah, that was a great trip, though I mean it was a stressful, that was a great trip, though I mean it was a stressful trip. It was a stressful trip, but it was fun. It was fun, but that's also when we decided we wouldn't go back to Disney World until they were older.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, yeah because it was our. Yeah, it was so expensive. Again, this was before Points and Miles. It was like literally $10,000 and our two boys fought the whole time. I was so stressed out I was like this is not magical at all. I think the part of the question also said did it say how did we prepare? Is that?

Speaker 2:

Yes.

Speaker 1:

It's down there. Yeah, how did we prepare Just literal snacks and any kind of age appropriate like toys for them?

Speaker 1:

so if they're super little, like stickers or like the window cling on things, those are really good anything to keep them busy yes, but what you want to avoid is anything that has a lot of little pieces, because they will fall on the ground and it is very hard to get them and you don't want to be doing that over and over again because that's annoying. So anything you can like attach to them that they can play with, I feel like, is good. And snacks, and if they're babies, then bottles, because that helps the ears pop. Yeah, just, and like way more snacks than you think they'll eat and way more toys than you think they'll need, and toys that they have not seen before, like that are new, and if they're a little older and they can wear headphones, screens.

Speaker 2:

Yes, screens for sure. Um, we're going to Japan tomorrow, yep, and I've loaded the iPads up with movies and shows.

Speaker 1:

Dwayne's in charge of technology.

Speaker 2:

So, yeah, they have a lot to watch to keep them busy. Yep, Typically we don't allow them to use the screens, but yeah, they don't get to watch them at home. Trips like this, it's a must.

Speaker 1:

When I did the episode on like adhd and like traveling with like gifted kids and stuff that was. One of the things I talked about is that we do allow screens on travel days but we try to limit it everywhere else because they get addicted and then they like don't want to see the place you're traveling to and they just want to live in this video game land and it's like no, no, please, please, let me bring you into reality. Um, okay, what's the next one?

Speaker 1:

next question which one you want me to oh, this is there's like a first part to that which is a screenshot, so do this one first have you ever considered staying at the grand roton?

Speaker 2:

is that how you say that? Roton roton sinceatan, since canceling Belize?

Speaker 1:

Yes, that's Honduras, and yes.

Speaker 2:

I have. We have considered that.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so that's an IHG property and yes, it is on my radar, but we currently have zero IHG points or maybe have like 10,000, so like really nothing and I don't know, just not high on my list at this point. It was for a bit and then it kind of fell off.

Speaker 1:

It definitely was for a bit. Yeah, because we've talked about this property, um. So anyways, yeah, we did cancel Belize. We have Thailand booked instead. I don't think I haven't done an episode on how I booked that yet, but I can. Yeah, I don't know, I think Honduras would be cool.

Speaker 2:

I just I think when the kids are older.

Speaker 1:

And we could do more of like the fun stuff. Yeah, because in Costa Rica we were kind of limited based on the ages of our kids.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, yeah, I agree, and Costa Rica was beautiful. Yeah, I'm sure it's the same in Honduras, but yeah, Central America.

Speaker 1:

I think is really kind of underrated.

Speaker 2:

You got any more to add to that?

Speaker 1:

No, I thought you were going to say something. That's all you got any more to add to that um no, I thought you were gonna say something that's all um here.

Speaker 2:

We could do this one next question how did you and duane meet? What do you do for work?

Speaker 1:

okay, how did we meet? And what do I do for work? So duane and bartending at the place where he worked, and that is how we met and currently for work I. Oh well, do you have anything to add about how we met?

Speaker 2:

I mean no, that, that is how we met.

Speaker 1:

I know you were just looking at me weird, so I thought you might have something else to say. I know you were just looking at me weird, so I thought you might have something else to say, so at the time. So I was a server and the bartender that I worked with and I eventually also became a bartender but the bartender that I worked with was one of Dwayne's good buddies at the time and like that's kind of how the whole thing came about. Basically, yes, and I just remember him telling me that you were from Guam and I was like where is Guam?

Speaker 2:

That's what everyone says.

Speaker 1:

What do I do for work? I, I work in software sales, so I work for a supply chain planning software company. It's a SaaS company, so software as a service, and I primarily work with our existing customers and I do business development, which essentially means I am helping to unearth like new function sorry, a need for new functionalities within these customer accounts. So basically it's a sales role, but it's it's super relationship based because these are already our customers and so I I really enjoy that part of it. I work remotely, I work from home, which I also really enjoy that part of it. And yeah, I've been in sales for over 10 years, various types of sales, but software for the last like maybe five years, and that's probably where I will continue.

Speaker 2:

So yeah, so I'm at a conference center which I've been there for 22 years now.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, dwayne still works at the place where we met. I should add that he still works there. Dane is very loyal, very loyal yeah, um, I've had, like probably, I don't know a lot of jobs since we've been together at least six, five, yeah, a good amount, yeah, um okay, next question this high one yeah so it says.

Speaker 2:

I know hyatt is great, is a great redemption, but I hate squeezing five in a room. Too cheap to pay for two rooms yeah.

Speaker 1:

So I messaged um this person because I was like I wanted to make sure I understood their question, and their question was basically just like what are the other options like instead of buying, paying for two rooms, yes, or squeezing five people into one room? And they were like I know Airbnb is an option, but that's just as expensive, basically, and I'm like well, yes, it is. So I think there's a couple of options and also maybe we just need to like a level set that like when you are traveling with five people, it's expensive, especially outside of the US. But so there's a few like trusted, trusted house sitter or home exchange, or a couple of websites where people like so you can either like list your house right for people to stay in and like you can do it literally in exchange, just like that movie, the holiday, or I do think there is an option for you to not list your own house but stay in someone else's home.

Speaker 1:

I don't I I want to be super honest that I don't know all the details of this because I've never looked into it. I would probably never let someone stay in our home. That was a stranger, and I'm not opposed to doing it like to staying in someone else's home and like caring for their cat or whatever Well, dog. I'm allergic to cats, but I've never done it, so I do think that could be an option that could be affordable.

Speaker 2:

I mean, let me just add we're too cheap to pay for two rooms too if we don't need to. You know what I mean.

Speaker 1:

That's why yeah, we are, we cram into one room. That was a big reason why we prioritized getting globalist status with hyatt is for the possibility of an upgrade, so we could get more space. Um, for us, that has 1000 been worth it. It is not worth it for everyone, though, and I get that um, but I mean the space was like the biggest driver for us, I think don't you?

Speaker 2:

I mean, oh for sure. I mean the last three or four suite upgrades. We we've gotten have been fantastic, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1:

So I think I mean, if that's like anywhere on the radar for you, then I would recommend that. If not, then yeah, I think you can do one room and you can, you know, ask if they have like the family plan rate for the second room, which I theoretically should be 50% ish off of the regular cash rate. You could do like a trusted homesteader I forget exactly what it's called, but if you Google something like that, the right thing will come up. Or a home exchange. I mean beyond that, with a family, like I don't know. I feel like those are probably your best options.

Speaker 1:

I do know some people that like book in the portal and they'll look for a room that like will sleep five and you can use your points that way, and or you can pay cash if it's a good rate. So maybe that's another option. But I mean, I also just just think, unfortunately, when you're traveling with a family of five or even more, like there is just a cost that goes with it and it stinks um, yeah, that's when you bring grandma and grandpa first on the picture and have them pay for the second room yeah, if that's an option, I highly recommend that one um.

Speaker 1:

The other thing I was gonna say is shoot.

Speaker 2:

I forgot well, let me stop. You kind of mentioned something from another question. Oh okay, it says what things do you do that go against travel hacking common knowledge? Because you're traveling with kids, for example, I often use travel portals to find properties that will hold everyone in one space instead of two rooms.

Speaker 1:

Oh, okay, yeah, 100%. So that's not something that we have done, but the only reason we haven't done that is because of the status that we have with Hyatt. And here's the thing once you have the status, they this. This is how they get you, because once you're in there, you don't want to leave it. You know, like I don't want to give up the possibility of a suite and I don't want to give up the free breakfast by staying somewhere else.

Speaker 1:

So no, like you said it, the suites have been worth it, you know well, I mean, we have stayed in some really phenomenal rooms in the last year the last four suite upgrades we've gotten have been great, so great yeah, so let me think about that for a second. So other things we do that go against travel, hacking common knowledge because you're traveling with kids, I think the other thing is I don't super pay attention to cents per point. Do you even know what cents per point is?

Speaker 2:

Of course I don't.

Speaker 1:

Essentially, cents per point is just like what? What value are you are you getting for your points? And it matters because you could cash out these points for actual cash. Right, you could cash them out for one cent per point at a minimum for the most part and get like instead of 100,000 points, you get 100 or, I'm sorry, instead of 100,000 points, you could get $1,000. Thousand points you get 100 or, I'm sorry, instead of 100,000 points, you could get $1,000. So the whole like fun of points and miles is getting a better value than that right for your points. And every point, currency has like its own kind of suggested value that you should not accept less than right. And like Marriott is like 0.8 cents per point, so it's not even a full cent per point, but Hyatt is like closer to two cents per point, if not more, and so I think it's.

Speaker 1:

I want to acknowledge that it is important to pay attention to cents per point because you don't want to lose money. Right, if you could cash out your points for $1,000, and you're spending it on something that costs 500, like that's a terrible redemption value. But at the same time, traveling with a family of five is very expensive. There is food costs, there is transportation, there are a lot of other costs that go into it that are not included in. You know that are a lot more than if it's just like one or two people traveling, and so I don't always look at cents per point, because getting it free is more important, because we are already going to spend so much money on the food and whatever else.

Speaker 1:

You know what I mean the activities. So I do think that's something that I I don't put a ton of like thought into, although, although it's always a caveat, there's always a nuance. Uh, for our Thailand trip, I we did end up paying cash for our flights both ways, because the cents per point was terrible and even the like. I have hotels booked on points, but the cents per point value is not great and I'm not feeling good about it. So I have to decide if, like how, I want to go about that. So, anyways, those are my, those are my things.

Speaker 2:

Okay, next question have you opened checking accounts with banks to increase personal slash business approval?

Speaker 1:

Um, yes, it didn't work, spoiler alert. So I opened up a Bank of America checking account literally just a few weeks ago to try to increase my chances of getting approved for the new Atmos card Atmos card whatever the new Alaska Airlines card, the business card specifically and it did not work. And let me share. So if you have a, okay, the card is issued by Bank of America and Bank of America, similar to chase, having a 524 rule, has a three slash 12 rule. So they are really looking at inquiries, I think not even cards opened, but they're looking at like, do you have three or less in the last 12 months? I have opened 10 credit cards this year, so, and I've also been denied.

Speaker 1:

So I have an incredible amount of cards and even more inquiries into my credit. So I knew I wasn't, I knew I wasn't getting approved for that. But if you have a bank account with them or like a banking relationship of some sort, then it increases to seven in 12 months and I was like, oh, I'm still probably over that, but I tried anyways and I was denied you might get approved, but I don't know if I have the mental capacity to open up a bank account for you right now, and then I also I have a Capital One One checking account and our regular bank is Chase, so I didn't open those to get approved for more cards. But I mean, it maybe has helped, you know.

Speaker 2:

I do know, do you though I? Know what's funny is it brings me to the next question, which I have no idea how to answer this, but that's why you're here. Yeah, it says, do you worry, chase Inks will adapt lifetime language in the future. What the fuck does that mean?

Speaker 1:

You can't curse. This is a clean podcast. Okay, we're going to get like some kind of a flag, okay, okay, we're gonna get like some kind of a flag. Okay, the lifetime language is an American Express term actually, and it basically says, like you can only have this card once per lifetime. But for Amex, per lifetime generally means around seven years, right and okay. So, to answer the question, I, I don't worry so much that Chase will adapt that language in the future, because even the Capital One lifetime language, like Capital One, has no lifetime language offers that come out and I, I'm sorry, not Capital One, american Express. Okay. So American Express, like, has this rule right, you can only get one of these cards every seven years. Well, I've had two Amex Biz Platinums in the last year alone because I opened one and then they sent me a mailer with no lifetime language in it and essentially that just means in the offer it doesn't say anything about you not being able to get that card if you've, really if you've had one. That's all it's saying. So I don't really worry about that Because, even if they do, I feel like they're they're taking like a play right out of the Amex playbook and so, even if they do that, I feel like there's going to be some kind of a workaround.

Speaker 1:

I mean, chase has cracked down on all the inks recently, but then they just rolled out to elevated offers on their ink cards. Okay, if you, if you want people to stop applying for them, you don't give elevated offers. You know what I mean. So I just think I do think there are changes happening at Chase and again, I'm I don't have any behind the scenes information, so take all this with a grain of salt. But there have been a lot of changes happening with Chase and a lot of like speculation around how to get approved and what they're looking for, and I think it's all still very much in flux. But I'm not super worried about the lifetime language on the inks.

Speaker 2:

Thank you for that. So next question Do you only put business expenses on your business card?

Speaker 1:

No, no, not at all.

Speaker 2:

I don't think we put any business. No, that's not true, I do.

Speaker 1:

I like the podcast hosting and all that. I guess there's there are expenses, but no, most of there is like, if you use purse, if you use your business card for sorry, excuse me, it is 1030pm at the time of recording Um, if you put your personal expenses on a business card, I do think there is like some kind of theory that that like blurs the line between business and personal expenses and then that therefore like removes your protections that you have with that LLC or S Corp. But I am not a tax lawyer, so take all that with a grain of salt. We use our business cards for personal things. Period the end.

Speaker 2:

The end.

Speaker 1:

Not the end, though, because there's more questions.

Speaker 2:

There's one more question, but it's a two-parter and I can only see the second part.

Speaker 1:

Oh, is that the only one? Okay, so I don't know the first part. Yeah, the first part is right here, this one.

Speaker 2:

Okay, it says how many points do you have on average at any given time and how many of those are transferable? Okay, and then the part two to that is at what number do you start to panic that you need more?

Speaker 1:

Okay, well, let me answer part two first. All the time I'm always panicked that we need more points. Okay, but to answer the first question, or the first part of the question. So how many points do you have on average? Okay, I have a rough idea of this in my brain so and I like wrote it down on this post it to make sure I don't forget. So we have right now around 200,000 chase points, which I feel like is solid, like I can book a vacation with with that, for sure.

Speaker 1:

We have a lot of American Airlines miles. We have 290,000 AA miles and I had a very specific redemption in mind for those. That has disappeared off the face of the earth. So I don't know what we're going to do with those, but I will find a use, don't you worry. We have close to 600,000 Amex points and we're working on a sign up bonus for Dwayne's first Amex business card, the ABG, the Amex business gold, and that will add another 200,000 to that, plus whatever I can scrape up through Rakuten this quarter. So we are we're I feel like we were doing really good on Amex points, like I find that they have been the easiest to earn Thus, like in this year, for sure. And then we have 200,000 United miles, that between the two of us, I think I have like 90 and you have like 110 or something like that, and like maybe like 5000.

Speaker 1:

Capital One we have pretty much no Hilton points because I had just booked, right before the Hilton devaluation, like literally days before, I had booked a couple of nights at the Grand Hotel Victoria in Lake Como and I booked two nights under each of our names so that all five of us can go, and literally a few days later they did their third devaluation of the year and now those rooms are going for, I think, 190,000 points a night or something like that. So we also have a bunch of free night certificates Hilton, ihg, hyatt, oh, and as for Hyatt points, we have not a lot like maybe 8,000 points, I don't. I mean all my, all my chase points pretty much go to Hyatt. So that's kind of how I view it. But yeah, oh, and Dwayne was recently approved by recently, I just mean a few days ago for a Chase Inc Unlimited card with the elevated offer which I'm sorry, not Dwayne, not Dwayne me, it was me that makes my sixth business card.

Speaker 1:

I think that's my sixth business card with Chase Two I have a World of Hyatt business, a United business, and three other inks, so this is my sixth one. Dwayne has one ink and that is it, and he cannot get approved. It is really annoying. Actually, I do not understand the like, the logic, but somehow chase has put a higher value on me as a customer than duane. I really don't know why.

Speaker 2:

Sorry my card is your card.

Speaker 1:

Your card is my card um, I pretty I think that's roughly all the points we have. We don't really. We have like no city thank you points at all. Um, oh, you know what I'm sorry. I have like no city thank you points at all. Oh, you know what I'm sorry. I have like 45,000 Alaska points and another 100,000 coming from Hawaiian, because we have met the minimum spend on one Hawaiian card and we have. We will soon meet the minimum spend on the other one, which will give us a total of 100,000 Hawaiian miles which will become Alaska miles Plus.

Speaker 1:

I transferred in 45,000 before the Amex window transfer closed, because 45,000 is enough for two positioning flights for all five of us and that's what I like to use Alaska miles for. So, hope, hope, that's helpful. As far as like, when do we feel like we panic? The 200,000 chase points is like I don't really like to see it lower than that. It will go lower because I need to book our fall break trip. But whatever, I mean, is there ever a moment where I have been satisfied with the number of points that we have had?

Speaker 2:

No.

Speaker 1:

Never Like. Maybe if we were at like over a million I might like for Amex and Chase, like I might feel okay about it. But no, I don't. I never feel like we have enough. But we also really go through them pretty quickly because we travel a good amount. So, yeah, I don't know, I do think the points and miles can be like an addiction of sorts, you know.

Speaker 2:

It already is an addiction.

Speaker 1:

I know that's what I'm saying to you. Like it's like I need more, I need my fix. You know, I mean when I got approved for that Chase Inc unlimited card, I mean that made my whole day, that's made my whole week, honestly Like I was shocked that they approved me. If anyone wants to know the process for that, I'll just briefly tell you they. So I applied, it, went into review and they I assumed, okay, tomorrow I'm gonna get a denial letter, like every other time they called me in the morning I saw that it said JP Morgan Chase was calling. So I answered and the girl was like, hey, I got your application. Like just had a few questions.

Speaker 1:

And I was like, okay, and basically she just wanted to know why I needed this business card when I already have five. And I said there for more than one business was my answer. And she asked if I was open to moving credit. And that was the point where I was like, oh my gosh, they're gonna approve me for this card. Like I was floored and I said yes, I am open to moving credit, that's fine. She asked me which card I wanted to move it from and I thought I don't really care, but I chose a card. I chose a different ink card that had a high limit and she moved it over and said congratulations. And you know they can do that. You can do that. You actually can do it yourself For some cards if you sign into your chase account. I just I did it the other day actually for my chasing cash.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so basically you're just taking credit from one card.

Speaker 1:

I mean, no, I had no idea. Yeah, so basically you're just taking credit from one card.

Speaker 2:

I mean no, I get it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, so, yeah, so that was a fun surprise, but in general, I never feel like we have enough points and I am always thinking about the next card that we are going to open and or thinking, okay, if I'm not going to open a card right now, like how can I maximize our, our daily spend, and whether that's, like, you know, a Forex on groceries card and dining or whatever Rakuten you know. So, yeah, those are all the questions and I hope that that was helpful. Um, those are all the questions and I hope that that was helpful and if you have any other questions, find us on instagram at travel party five, and that's where I will be yes, sorry if we seem out of it, but it is now what it's almost 11 pm, almost 11 and um, I still have to pack for myself.

Speaker 1:

So I might not even edit this one, so you might just get a raw podcast this time oh goodness, okay, well, um, thank you, as always, for listening. We appreciate you so so much. Yes, thank you very much, and we will catch you on the next one, which I will. It be a Japan episode.

Speaker 1:

I mean it probably will be. That's very exciting. I hope you guys are ready for all the Japan content, because there will be at least it will be at least three podcast episodes, maybe four, because I think we might need to do the Disney ones separately, and it's just going to be a whole month of Japan. It's going to be great. Okay, we will see you on the next one. Have a good one, bye.