From Points and Miles to Passports and Memories
I started brand new to the points and miles world In September of 2024, now less than 6 months later I have already booked my first trip, worked on the maximizing my card benefits, and have enough points to book trip number 2 as soon as I convince my family that it is a good idea! I want to show people who are brand new to this world what is possible even when you are starting at the bottom and climbing to the top of the world!
Episodes
58 episodes
What normal people do with their points, vs. what I do
Today I go over ways that typical people might spend their points and miles and explain (again!) how I might go in and do the same thing in a transfer portal for less. I explain how to get the real power out of points and miles and encour...
What people think I do
Today I go over the many misconceptions in the points and miles world. I review what people think that we do and go over what it is that we actually do in order to maximize points and take the trip.
Newest Card....again!
Part of the trick in points and miles is strategically opening new cards that fit your family and your spend. Today I go over what our family's newest card is based off of raising expenses of summer, and give some ideas on how to weigh pe...
The Secret Sauce in points and miles!
Today I go over the secret sauce in points and miles! One of those things that you didn't realize that you were missing and is hard to understand until you start to see exactly how well it works!
How far can I go last minute?
Today I go over some of the things that we can do as a family of four for somewhat last minute trips. We go over ideas of places to go on last minute flights within the budget of 200,000 Amex miles. You may be surprised and how grea...
What cards have paid for themselves?
Today I compare our 4 higher annual fee cards, I go over what they each offer as far as credits that we have used, how much we paid for the fees, and if the fees have been more or less than what we have earned so far!
What to do when points feel overwhelming
Rather you are an old hand at points and miles or have found yourself new to the hobby we have all felt times that we are overwhelmed. Today I go into what you can do when you start to feel overwhelmed and some of the solutions that you c...
What does free really mean?
Today I go over some of the perks that we have in the world of free benefits and how we get to the term free in the world of coupon credit cards, and how to know if you can get the bang for your buck.
How many points we earned in the first quarter of 2026 without opening a new card.
This episode I go over the 'rules' for counting points and how many points we earned without opening any new cards the first quarter of 2026. If you are looking to maximize points without opening new cards, this is the episode for you!&nb...
How having flexibility can help find a better deal.
Today I go over some of the deals that I found recently to help get my mom on her dream trip. In the process I cover how waiting a bit can help you find a better deal and how it is ok to wait on some of the processes to get a better deal!...
Discounts and extra points on excursions and activities.
We all want to earn a little more free with a little less spend! Today I go into some ways to get some discounts and extra points when shopping for excursions and activities.
Where did they come from and how did they disappear?
Today I dive into some of the accidental and fast ways to drain points as well as the ways that you might have points hiding in accounts and not know it.
How it all started
Today I dive into how I started taking my points and miles journey from the planning world to the podcast world. I go over my main reasons behind it, and hoping I can help other beginners as they dive into points and miles.
Why didn't I get points for that?
Today I go over some small mistakes that cost BIG points over the last year! Listen in to avoid making the same mistakes I did!
Things you only say in a points and miles family
Today I go over some of the things we said and did on our last trip that we would not have been saying if we were not a points and miles family! Join us as we go over some silly and relieving things that we say when traveling in the points and ...
Cards you may already have, and what they earn
To add on to last week's episode I go over some of the cards that people may already have, and some of the upgrade options that may be available as well. This helps people figure out how to add on, how many points they may logically alrea...
Things you are already doing right!
Today I go over some of the things you may already be doing right in your points and miles and travel journey! We talk about some of the perks and the many things that you may be doing without even realizing it!
Mock Redemption to Finland
Today I go over some points, flights, and and overall costs on a mock redemption from San Francisco to Finland over Thanksgiving.
Our second large family redemption
Today we are going over our second large family redemption, the difference with our first one, and some of the changes we have made in the process of learning more about points and miles.
Grab yourself a friend and learn points and miles together!
Today I have a chat and some interview questions to a great friend of mine as we review some of our points and miles highlights.
So I have a card that earns points, now what?
One of the most common questions that I get is from people that have been stacking or hoarding points and what they can do now that they are sitting on a stack to earn enough to come back from an amazing adventure!
When to open a new card, and how to earn with what you have.
Today I am going over things to look for when you are considering opening a new card, as well as some information on the challenge that our family is taking on over the first quarter of 2026 to see how many points we can earn without opening ne...
How to make 2026 your year of travel
Today I go over some practical and fast steps that you can take to make 2026 the year that you are finally going all the places and doing all the things!