Point Me To First Class

Have you ever wondered whether there's still travel value hiding inside the expenses you already have, points you could be earning but aren't, with no real way to know for sure?
 
That's one of the few questions in this hobby I've never been able to answer for you, and it's probably one you've quietly wondered about yourself. We have a rough way to gauge how well we redeem points, our cents per point at least gives us a benchmark, but there has never been a clean way to know whether the expenses you already have are earning a fraction of the points they could.
 
So in this episode I get into why earning potential is so hard to pin down, why two people who spend the same amount can have completely different potential, and the difference between an optimized card portfolio and a maximized one. 
 
Listen as I introduce the first version of a tool I built to take a crack at it, the Hidden Travel Budget Calculator. You give it your annual spend across a handful of categories, and it shows you how many points your expenses could earn, what those points could be worth in travel, and how much of that potential you're capturing right now. 
 
Whether you're newer to points and wondering if it's even worth it for the expenses you have, or you've been at this a while and just want to know how much room you have left, my hope is you come away seeing the opportunity that might still be sitting inside the spending you already do.
 
Get full show notes and transcript: https://pointmetofirstclass.com/points-earning-potential 
 
Want to see how much spending could be hiding in your own expenses? Try the Hidden Travel Budget Calculator here: https://points.pointmetofirstclass.com/discover-your-hidden-travel-budget 
 
Eager to learn the secrets of award travel so that you can turn your expenses into unforgettable experiences? Join the Points Made Easy course waitlist here: https://pointmetofirstclass.com/pointsmadeeasy

Have you ever had a points question where every source online seems to contradict the last, and what you really want is for someone to walk you through how to actually decide?
 
In this listener Q&A episode, I'm answering the questions you have sent in on everything from choosing your next credit card and where to credit your cash-paid flights to which Hyatt award is worth using, when. But the biggest topic I dig into is the Chase change to how its points transfer to Hyatt, and what that should, and shouldn't, change about the cards you already hold.
 
Listen in as I compare the Bilt Palladium and the Capital One Venture X, work through whether it's worth moving Chase points to Hyatt before the transfer ratio drops in October. And I talk about a brand-new Philippine Airlines award option, now bookable through Qatar, that opens up direct routes to Manila that used to be almost impossible on points. 
 
Whether you're deciding on your next card or sitting on a pile of points you're not sure what to do with, this episode gives you both the specific answers and a clearer way to think through your own decisions.
 
Get full show notes and transcript: https://pointmetofirstclass.com/credit-card-points-qa 
 
Eager to learn the secrets of award travel so that you can turn your expenses into unforgettable experiences? Points Made Easy is opening for enrollment soon, from August 15 - August 23, 2026. Join the Points Made Easy course waitlist now to have first dibs on enrollment: https://pointmetofirstclass.com/pointsmadeeasy

If you've ever looked at the cash sitting in an emergency fund, a business account, or your tax reserves and wished it could earn travel points the way your spending does, this conversation is for you.
 
For as long as I've been earning points and miles, one piece has been missing. We've gotten very good at earning points on the money we spend, but almost no one has offered a way to earn transferable points on the money we save. That's what made Symphony worth a close look, and I sat down with co-founder James Berry to understand how it works. 
 
Upfront: this isn't a recommendation and it isn't sponsored. I opened an account myself to see it firsthand, I do have an affiliate relationship with Symphony, and my goal is the same as always, to give you enough to decide for yourself.
 
We get into how the platform actually works, the fixed rate you earn and whether you take it as cash, as points, or a split of both. We also spend real time on the questions worth asking before putting money anywhere new, why it isn't FDIC insured, how the risks weigh against the rewards, and who it fits versus who should stay away. And we close on the bigger question underneath it all, whether saving could become a new way to earn points alongside spending.
 
Whether you decide it's for you or you'd rather watch from the sidelines for now, the approach is the same, understand it first, then make the call that fits your own goals and risk tolerance.
 
Earn up to 5,000 bonus points for opening and funding a new Symphony account: join.symphony.io/devon 
 
Get full show notes and transcript: https://pointmetofirstclass.com/earn-points-on-savings-symphony 
 
Eager to learn the secrets of award travel so that you can turn your expenses into unforgettable experiences? Join the Points Made Easy course waitlist here: https://pointmetofirstclass.com/pointsmadeeasy

 
Some links in these show notes are affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

If you've been paying attention to points and miles this year and something has felt off, like the ground keeps shifting under the rules you thought you understood, you are not imagining it.
 
I'm joined again by my good friend and points expert, Kevin Zanes, to make sense of it all. We are hitting pause at the halfway mark of the year to ask what the biggest stories in points, miles, and award travel have really been so far, and more importantly, what those changes tell us about where this whole hobby is headed. This year hasn't just brought the usual devaluations we all expect. It has brought step changes big enough to make both of us reconsider strategies we've relied on for years.
 
Kevin and I each picked our top three stories and compared notes. We get into the Hyatt award chart overhaul and whether chasing Globalist status still makes sense, the new Qatar restrictions on booking award flights for family and friends, the three new Bilt cards and how they reshuffled where our everyday spend goes, and the way United is now tying its best award space and discounts to holding a co-branded card. I also walk through the Chase change I'm most worried about, a differential transfer ratio to Hyatt that depends on which card you hold, and why I think it could open a floodgate. Listen in as we spend just as much time looking forward as back, on super currencies, newer players like Symphony and Rove, and the rise of the co-branded airline card as a value multiplier.
 
Whether you've been collecting points for a decade or you just opened your first card, this one is less about the headlines and more about reading the trends underneath them, so you can decide where your own time and attention are actually worth spending for the rest of the year.
 
Earn up to 5,000 bonus points for opening and funding a new Symphony account here.
 
Get full show notes and transcript: https://pointmetofirstclass.com/2026-points-miles-mid-year-review 
 
Eager to learn the secrets of award travel so that you can turn your expenses into unforgettable experiences? Join the Points Made Easy course waitlist here: https://pointmetofirstclass.com/pointsmadeeasy
 
*Some links in these show notes are affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

If you've been eyeing one of Hyatt's newer Mexico resorts and wondering whether it's actually worth your points, you're not alone.
 
I'm joined this week by Michele from Fancy Travel Pointers, and the two of us have both separately stayed at Park Hyatt Los Cabos at Cabo del Sol and Alila Mayakoba within the last six months. Instead of each doing a solo review, we decided to sit down and compare notes, since we booked, stayed, and experienced both properties independently and didn't come away agreeing on everything.
 
We walk through exactly how we each booked these stays in points, what room categories and upgrades we landed, and how the two resorts stack up on rooms, pools, dining, and service. I talk about the exceptional pool service and an unexpected ear-piercing emergency at Park Hyatt Cabo, and Michele shares why the lagoon side sold her on Alila Mayakoba over the beach. We also get into the dining misses at both properties, whether either one has a kids' club, and how Hyatt's newly changed award chart is reshaping whether a category 8 redemption like Park Hyatt Cabo still makes sense going forward. Michele also weighs in on how both properties compare to the neighboring Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal, long considered the pinnacle points redemption in the area.
 
Whether you've got one of these resorts on your wish list or you're just trying to figure out where your Hyatt points go furthest right now, this conversation should help you decide.
 
Get full show notes and transcript: https://pointmetofirstclass.com/park-hyatt-cabo-vs-alila-mayakoba 
 
Eager to learn the secrets of award travel so that you can turn your expenses into unforgettable experiences? Join the Points Made Easy course waitlist here: https://pointmetofirstclass.com/pointsmadeeasy