Earning and burning points and miles for travel is hard enough as a solo traveler or with a companion … but with a whole family or a big group, it takes even more strategy. And that strategy is changing before our eyes.
To break it all down, Gunnar and Kyle bring in Alex and Pam from the Points Talk Squad – a mom and grandmother (of 21 grandkids!) steeped in the world of family travel. They talk through the impact of Hyatt’s big, bad changes, how to earn enough points to bring the whole family. Plus, new(ish) dad Gunnar gets a laundry list of selfish questions in, too.
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In This Episode
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- 00:00 – Welcome Back: The Points Talk Squad!
- 01:00 – The best points and miles-fueled family trip
- 05:15 – Maureen welcomes us back from Baltimore!
- 05:45 – How to become a travel grandparent
- 11:00 – Where family travelers get tripped up
- 17:20 – Thanks to our sponsor, Bilt Rewards!
- 18:00 – Essential points-earning strategies for families
- 28:30 – Is award travel just “extreme couponing” now?
- 31:45 – Finding award space for families and groups
- 38:05 – A shifting strategy for self-professed “Hyatt girlies”
- 43:45 – Rapid Fire: Go-tos, embarrassing stories, & more
- 51:50 – Listener Question: When should you buy points?
- 55:00 – On the Spot: What we’re watching & our family travelers
Produced and edited by Sylvia Thomas
Video editing by Kyle Thomas
Show music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot
The “weird ways to earn points” angle is fun, but the part about where travelers go wrong should be the most useful for newer members. Chasing a big bonus with spending that would not have happened anyway is an easy way to turn points into a net loss. Looking forward to that segment.
How timely, Kyle and Zach’s most hated words from CEO’s and then I get this message from Southwest that will make me an Airline Free Agent in 2028 after my Companion Pass expires, “A more rewarding journey starts January 1, 2027.”
Do you think there is a chance Delta releases any additional award deals or deals in general for flights from nyc-europe again. Im hoping for a RT deal in Prem Select or D1 or at least one way to LHR or CDG from NYC. I wasn’t able to snag a deal a few weeks ago because I didn’t have enough miles, but now I do.
TBH this is closer than I imagined. Kyle has the best earning setup in my opinion, while Nick arguably would have the best year 1 setup. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a draw, or close to a draw.
We were in Japan for over a month this spring and when we tallied up our 10 favorite experiences none were in Tokyo and only one was in Kyoto. We loved Takayama, Nagano, wild areas in Shikoku and the Japanese Alps, and the rural areas in Western Honshu. For onsens that aren’t crazy crowded try the area around the Shin-Hotaka Ropeway in the mountains near Kamikochi.
BTW, before you go to Japan go online and listen to Japanese pronunciation of place names. Narita, Haneda, and even Kyoto and Tokyo aren’t pronounced the way you probably think and Japanese speakers might not understand you if you use English pronunciation. (For example, Tokyo and Kyoto are both two-syllables.)
Can I have more info about the vpn to use for getting more points?
Hi Mary, search Rakuten for “Express VPN” or “Nord VPN.” Both regularly offer close to 100% back – 100x points when you have your Rakuten account set up that way – for these purchases. At 100% cash back (100x points), you’re essentially buying points for 1 cent apiece if you don’t plan to use the service. Just don’t forget to cancel before the promo rate expires!