Point Me To First Class

If you have a high monthly credit card spend and want to leverage these expenses to earn even more points, this episode is for you. Signup bonuses are the easiest way to earn a huge points return for every dollar spent, but what I'm sharing today allows you to expand upon this strategy, sometimes with relatively little effort, and earn more points without needing to take out new cards and rely on...

Kevin Zanes has a background in data science and analytics that he now uses to scour award programs for the best points deals. So on today's show, we're talking math, data, and how these two things help you land the most amazing points deals.   Tune in this week to discover how data can get you the best value for your points. Kevin is using data and technology to dispel common myths of the award t...

Dr. Laura Jana is an Omaha-based pediatrician, social entrepreneur, and award-winning children/parenting book author. From early literacy advocate and 9-year owner of a 200-student educational childcare center to advisor to Mattel, Primrose Schools, and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics, she is dedicated to addressing the most pressing needs of children, families, and communities...

Today, I'm joined by my friend, points-earning expert Dr. Andrea Mabry. She's here to show you exactly how to earn points by paying off your student loans or by paying for your kid's education. This is taking one of your biggest expenses and leveraging it to earn more points, and Andrea's here to show us how to make this part of a financially responsible points strategy.   Discover how to earn ton...

Miraval Resort is an all-inclusive, adults-only health and wellness resort that started in Tucson, Arizona, and has expanded to Austin, Texas, and The Berkshires, Massachusetts. Each location is different but has the same signature approach to wellness. So how do you know what to expect at the different locations and choose which one is right for you? That's exactly what we're diving into today.  ...

Lindsay Bradley started her points and miles journey in 2011 but didn't get into extensive points travel until meeting her P2. After marrying in 2018, they took off to travel the world, doing mini retirements on points and miles. Lindsay has visited 77 countries on all seven continents and has redeemed over $300,000 worth of travel with credit card rewards.   Tune in this week to discover some uni...

For this conversation about how we think about ourselves in relation to money, I'm joined by one of the most brilliant women that I know, Kara Loewentheil. Kara is the Founder of The School of New Feminist Thought and creator of The Feminist Self Help Society, host of the top-rated podcast UnF*ck Your Brain, and author of the upcoming book Take Back Your Brain.   Tune in this week for a unique ins...

Earning transferable points is key to unlocking some of the best possible deals on flights and hotel stays. But which of the points currency ecosystems best suits your specific needs? Well, there's a newbie in the transferable points currency family: the Bilt points ecosystem, and it might just be the one for you. To help me explore the Bilt points world, I'm joined by Dr. Suzanne Manzi.   Dr. Suz...

The points hobby has changed massively over the years. We have more points-earning cards, higher sign-up bonus offers, and rewards programs themselves are becoming more innovative. But on the other hand, we've also seen some less positive changes, like more restrictions around acquiring rewards credit cards, stricter eligibility rules, and limitations on how many cards you can hold at once.   Disc...

Right now in April 2024, there's a unique points opportunity that I've taken advantage of every year for the past few years, but nobody seems to be talking about it. Despite my strong inclination to keep it to myself, I'm sharing it with you this week just in case you can make use of it for yourself. This points-earning opportunity isn't for everybody, but it could open up some truly fantastic awa...

Dr. Lisha Taylor is a wealth strategist, "doctorpreneur," professional writer, and podcaster, advocating for physician wellness through financial literacy. As a Board Certified Primary Care Sports Physician, she's also the co-founder of Wealth Minded MD, a company and podcast that empowers women in medicine to build wealth and create the lives they desire.   Initially, Dr. Taylor navigated the com...

If you're serious about points, you should have access to at least one of the major transferable points currencies. But how do you know which of the transferable currencies you should focus on? This week, I'm joined by Dr. Sujatha Murali, and we're diving deep into one transferable points currency: the world of Chase Cards and their Ultimate Rewards Points.   We're discussing the Chase points-earn...

Tune in to today's update on paying taxes with a credit card to hear how this annual expense can play a crucial role in your points strategy. If you're a high-earning employed professional or a self-employed business owner, your tax expenses offer an enormous points-earning opportunity.   Discover whether it makes sense for you to pay your taxes by credit card, how to strategize the best points ea...

Dr. Erika Moseson is a Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Physician in Portland, Oregon. She's also the host of the Air Health Our Health podcast, about the air we breathe and how it impacts our environment and communities. Erika loves travel, but she's also concerned about the climate implications of the travel industry and wants to explore how we can experience the benefits of travel while red...

Points travel is possible for everyone, even a family of five or more. To discuss the ways families can maximize their points, I'm joined by Dr. Susan Zink. Susan is a psychiatrist with three children who has managed to get some amazing deals that meet her family's travel needs, and she's here to share her tips for family travel using points.   Discover some of the challenges related to reward tra...

Have you ever felt like you were doing points "wrong" because you aren't booking the same kinds of high-value redemptions that you see other people posting about? If you're scared of wasting your points so you just don't use them to book travel, despite having hundreds of thousands of points saved up, you are not alone.   This week, discover how to calculate exactly how much value you're getting f...

What do you do with cards once you've had them for a while and you've already earned the welcome bonus? How many cards is too many for you? What strategy will allow you to accumulate millions of points over one year? These are just some of the questions I'm covering in today's Q&A episode. I'm discussing specific cards, points currencies, and strategies that will help you achieve your points trave...

My guest this week is points expert Traci Siegel, a non-practicing attorney who has been using miles and points to travel around the US and the world with her family of four since 2011. She's been teaching friends how to hack their families' travel for years, and now she's teaching even more new friends how to expand their travel budgets through her Instagram.   Discover the recent announcements t...

Looking to plan your next warm weather vacation? Tune in today to hear a comparison of three tropical Hyatt hotel properties where you can use points for vacation. I'm putting each of these properties head-to-head to give you an idea of what you can expect in each, and which one might be the best fit for your travel plans.   I break down the basics of each of these three resorts including the acco...

Have you ever wondered what it would look like to take your career on the road and live location independent as a digital nomad? Did you know that you can you use your travel points to make this dream a reality? My guest this week has done just that and is here to tell you all about it.   Dr. Kristine Goins is a Board-Certified Integrative Adult and Pediatric Psychiatrist, physician coach, and wor...

Dr. Chandani DeZure is a Board Certified Physician living in California who's been maximizing points for travel since 2014. She started out on a resident's salary, traveling with no kids and tons of flexibility, and now she's taking her kids on her trips and her flexibility has all but vanished. But that doesn't stop her getting an amazing deal.   Discover how traveling with children changes the g...

Amena Bakali is an award travel educator, travel blogger, and family travel enthusiast. While many of us use our points for leisure travel, points can also help with booking travel that is of religious or cultural significance. One example of that is how she used points to book a trip to observe Umrah, the Islamic pilgrimage to their Holy City: Makkah, Saudi Arabia.   Discover her tips for booking...

I'm back with part two of my episode with Kelly, the Points and Miles Doc. In this episode, we're divulging how we decided to spend the treasure trove of points we earned last year. We're letting you see behind the scenes of our points wallets and travel plans, comparing the really fun part of the points hobby: how we used these points to book incredible travel experiences.    Tune in this week as...

Today, I'm joined by my points friend Kelly (The Points and Miles Doc) and we're taking a look back at 2023, breaking down all the points we earned last year, how we earned them, and we're analyzing some current trends in the points and miles world.   Tune in this week as we discuss the highs and lows of the points world in 2023. Kelly and I are sharing our favorite cards, points currencies, and s...

What can you expect from the Point Me to First Class Podcast in 2024? Instead of taking a deep dive into a points earning topic, I'm just bringing you a short and sweet episode about what's to come over the next 12 months. Discover what the next year has in store for the Point Me to First Class podcast and how I'm diversifying the types of travel inspiration and advice offered here.   Get full sho...