Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

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Welcome back to the final episode of Season 3! This season has been a bit more drawn out than I originally planned, and because the world of miles and points moves fast, I wanted to take a moment to catch you up on all the significant changes that have happened since I first recorded these episodes over the last year.
In this wrap-up, we are covering everything from the Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines merger, to the shifting sweet spots with Finnair and Avios. I'm also diving into some sudden updates and devaluations with Citi ThankYou points, and I'm breaking down the somewhat confusing new Bilt Cash strategies so you can figure out if it's worth your time. Plus, I'm sharing some exciting behind-the-scenes updates about our website and what to expect when we return for Season 4. 
ACTION STEPS & RESOURCES
Compare partner programs (like Qatar Avios vs. Finnair Avios) before transferring any points to ensure you get the best deal.
Call Finnair to book partner awards instead of using the chat, as the chat queue is often full and phone fees are waived for these unbookable-online awards.
Cancel and rebook Finnair partner award tickets instead of changing them to avoid the €50 change fee.
Use our Bilt calculator to see if a Bilt strategy is right for you: https://katiestraveltricks.com/bilt-guide-to-cards-earning-on-mortgage-and-rent-payments/ 
Sign up for my newsletter to get all of my recommendations first! https://katiestraveltricks.kit.com/news 
Email Katie to brag about your latest travel point redemptions: [email protected] 
New Here? 
Hi, I’m Katie from Katie’s Travel Tricks! I am here to help you learn the secrets that my family has been using for over a decade, using everyday expenses and welcome offers to supercharge your points earning. When you learn to do this, you can cover entire vacations every year.
Our family has been to Hawaii, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe — and more — all thanks to strategically earning and redeeming points. We've done this on a limited travel budget and now want to help you do it, too.

More from Katie’s Travel Tricks
🔗 Website 
Instagram
💻 Free Course
💳 Best Current Card Offers
🎒 Favorite Travel Gear

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the card links and other products that appear on this podcast are from companies which Katie's Travel Tricks will earn an affiliate commission. Katie's Travel Tricks is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. The content in this podcast is accurate as of the posting date. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available. Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone...

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Last episode I went deep on MileagePlus®, and today I'm following it up with the other half of the United puzzle: how to book United flights even when you don't have United miles, and when it might make sense to book that way even if you do. We're walking through Avianca LifeMiles®, Air Canada Aeroplan®, Singapore KrisFlyer, JetBlue TrueBlue® (through the new Blue Sky partnership), and a quick note on what happened with Turkish Miles&Smiles® after their December 2025 devaluation.
I'll cover the pros and cons of each program, share the workflow I actually use when I'm pricing a United route across partners, and give you my honest ranking for short flights, medium flights, and Hawaii trips. Everything in this episode is also going up as a blog post, and if you want the most current info going forward, my Saturday email is where I put it first.
ACTION STEPS
Sign up for my newsletter to get all of my recommendations first! https://katiestraveltricks.kit.com/news
RESOURCES
Here is our article on this topic with charts and tools to help you decide which United partner is best for your specific situation: https://katiestraveltricks.com/how-to-book-united-flights-with-partner-miles-even-if-you-dont-have-united-miles/ 
New Here? 
Hi, I’m Katie from Katie’s Travel Tricks! I am here to help you learn the secrets that my family has been using for over a decade, using everyday expenses and welcome offers to supercharge your points earning. When you learn to do this, you can cover entire vacations every year.
Our family has been to Hawaii, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe — and more — all thanks to strategically earning and redeeming points. We've done this on a limited travel budget and now want to help you do it, too.

More from Katie’s Travel Tricks
🔗 Website 
Instagram
💻 Free Course
💳 Best Current Card Offers
🎒 Favorite Travel Gear

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the card links and other products that appear on this podcast are from companies which Katie's Travel Tricks will earn an affiliate commission. Katie's Travel Tricks is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. The content in this podcast is accurate as of the posting date. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available. Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone...

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If you fly United — or even if you're just thinking about it — this episode is your starting point for understanding their MileagePlus® program from the ground up. I'm covering how dynamic pricing and saver awards work, the full United credit card lineup and what cardholder pricing actually means for your bookings now, ways to stack your earnings with the MileagePlus X app, and one of my favorite United features that no other major airline offers: miles pooling for families and friends.
This is part one of a two-part series. Next time, I'll show you how to book United flights through partner programs like Avianca LifeMiles®, Air Canada Aeroplan®, and Turkish Miles & Smiles® — which is especially helpful if you have Amex®, Capital One®, or Citi® points. All the links and resources I mention are in the show notes below!
ACTION STEPS
Download the MileagePlus X (MPX) app and spend a few minutes browsing the stores and earn rates to decide if the e-gift card strategy makes sense for you.
Link your Lyft® and United MileagePlus® accounts if you have an upcoming trip — or wait until you know you'll have two Lyft rides within 30 days to earn the 1,000 bonus miles. https://promo.united.com/offers/lyft 
Set up a family miles pool now if you have family members with small United balances, even before you need it — so the 72-hour waiting period is already behind you when you're ready to book.
RESOURCES
How to maximize Instacart Benefits: https://katiestraveltricks.com/new-chase-instacart-benefits-how-to-maximize/ 
Seats.aero and PointsYeah.com (for setting up award alerts after booking a United flight)
United.com miles pooling setup page: https://www.united.com/en/us/mileageplus/miles-pooling 
MileagePlus Shopping portal: https://shopping.mileageplus.com/ 
MileagePlus Shopping browser extension: https://shopping.mileageplus.com/button/ 
MileagePlus Dining program: https://d
New Here? 
Hi, I’m Katie from Katie’s Travel Tricks! I am here to help you learn the secrets that my family has been using for over a decade, using everyday expenses and welcome offers to supercharge your points earning. When you learn to do this, you can cover entire vacations every year.
Our family has been to Hawaii, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe — and more — all thanks to strategically earning and redeeming points. We've done this on a limited travel budget and now want to help you do it, too.

More from Katie’s Travel Tricks
🔗 Website 
Instagram
💻 Free Course
💳 Best Current Card Offers
🎒 Favorite Travel Gear

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the card links and other products that appear on this podcast are from companies which Katie's Travel Tricks will earn an affiliate commission. Katie's Travel Tricks is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. The content in this podcast is accurate as of the posting date. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available. Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone...

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Today we’re doing a full deep dive on booking domestic Delta® flights using points. I’m covering how to earn SkyMiles®, how to find the best deals when you use them directly on Delta®, and when it actually makes more sense to book the exact same Delta® flight through a partner program like Flying Blue® or Virgin Atlantic® for fewer points. We’re also looking at fare class differences, cancellation policies, and how dynamic pricing works so you can make smarter choices for your family.
I also share some real pricing examples we pulled while working on this episode so you can see just how much you could save, plus a simple framework for deciding how to book any Delta® flight with points. Whether you live near a Delta® hub or just fly them occasionally, this episode will give you the tools to stretch your points further. Stick around for the action steps at the end so you know exactly what to do next.
ACTION STEPS:
Link your SkyMiles® account to Starbucks® and Uber® (set it and forget it).
Make a note that you can earn SkyMiles® through Airbnb® (must be done manually each booking via the Delta®–Airbnb® landing page).
If you plan to fly Delta® regularly, look into one of the Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express® Cards to start.
Bookmark the SkyMiles® Award Deals page and check it regularly for your home airport.
Sign up for transfer partner bonus alerts
Watch the seats.aero webinar inside the free course at learn.katiestraveltricks.com.
Practice searching routes: pull up a route on Delta®, then check the same route on Flying Blue® and Virgin Atlantic®.
Try out PointsYeah or seats.aero to get comfortable comparing prices across programs.
RESOURCES
SkyMiles Award Deals page (enter your home airport for current award sales): https://www.delta.com/us/en/flight-deals/skymiles-award-deals
Delta's Deals & Destinations page (cash deals that often signal award deals): https://www.delta.com/us/en/flight-deals/current-flight-deals
Link Starbucks + SkyMiles accounts: https://www.deltastarbucks.com
Article by Kamree from Our Family Passport (Delta® tips):
New Here? 
Hi, I’m Katie from Katie’s Travel Tricks! I am here to help you learn the secrets that my family has been using for over a decade, using everyday expenses and welcome offers to supercharge your points earning. When you learn to do this, you can cover entire vacations every year.
Our family has been to Hawaii, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe — and more — all thanks to strategically earning and redeeming points. We've done this on a limited travel budget and now want to help you do it, too.

More from Katie’s Travel Tricks
🔗 Website 
Instagram
💻 Free Course
💳 Best Current Card Offers
🎒 Favorite Travel Gear

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the card links and other products that appear on this podcast are from companies which Katie's Travel Tricks will earn an affiliate commission. Katie's Travel Tricks is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. The content in this podcast is accurate as of the posting date. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available. Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone...

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I pay almost $3,000 a year in credit card annual fees — and yes, that's more than our monthly mortgage. In this episode, I'm walking you through every single keeper card my husband and I hold year after year, showing you exactly how I value each benefit and how I personally decide whether a card earns its place in our wallet. 
I also want to be really clear: what works for our family isn't necessarily right for yours, and I don't think it should be. That's exactly why my team has built card benefit calculators on the blog — so you can plug in your own life and see what actually makes sense for you. At the end, I've got three simple action steps so you can do your own credit card spring cleaning and make sure every dollar you're paying in fees is actually working for you.
ACTION STEPS:
Take stock of every card you have open. Use the Travel Freely app to stay organized, or track everything in a spreadsheet.
Review every card with an annual fee. Use the benefits calculators on Katie's blog to assign your own values to each benefit and see if it's worth what you're paying.
Make a plan. Use the "Ultimate Guide to Closing a Card" (linked in show notes) to understand the full evaluation process before canceling, downgrading, or keeping any card.
RESOURCES
Detailed blog post on the Chase Sapphire Reserve: https://katiestraveltricks.com/sapphirereserve/ 
Map of Chase Sapphire Reserve dining credit locations: https://katiestraveltricks.com/chase-sapphire-reserve-participating-restaurants/ 
Overview article on the Chase Ritz-Carlton card: https://katiestraveltricks.com/the-complete-guide-to-the-chase-ritz-carlton-card/ 
Episode on Citi ThankYou Points: https://youtu.be/8Zzdczsvti4 
Bank of America Museums on Us program: https://about.bankofamerica.com/en/making-an-impact/museums-on-us-partners 
Credit card spring cleaning post:
New Here? 
Hi, I’m Katie from Katie’s Travel Tricks! I am here to help you learn the secrets that my family has been using for over a decade, using everyday expenses and welcome offers to supercharge your points earning. When you learn to do this, you can cover entire vacations every year.
Our family has been to Hawaii, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe — and more — all thanks to strategically earning and redeeming points. We've done this on a limited travel budget and now want to help you do it, too.

More from Katie’s Travel Tricks
🔗 Website 
Instagram
💻 Free Course
💳 Best Current Card Offers
🎒 Favorite Travel Gear

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the card links and other products that appear on this podcast are from companies which Katie's Travel Tricks will earn an affiliate commission. Katie's Travel Tricks is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. The content in this podcast is accurate as of the posting date. Some of the offers mentioned may no longer be available. Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone...