Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

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Southwest just announced big changes to Rapid Rewards, including what we've been fearing for a while: the end of the Companion Pass as we know it. In this episode I walk through what's changing and when, the new status levels, and a few smaller positive changes, like partner awards and the new Icon Lounges.
Then we talk strategy. If you were hoping for a Companion Pass in 2027 or 2028, your best move is to pivot and earn one before December 31, 2026. I cover exactly how to do that, including why you should now move your statement closing date later in the month. I also share how I'd shift both earning and booking domestic flights with points from here on out. Change is hard, but there are no crises in miles and points, and I'll keep helping you find the deals.
UPDATE: There is a note in the fine print of FAQs that reads:
If I get a Rapid Rewards Credit Card now, can my points count towards Companion Pass if and when I meet the requirements through the new Cardmember welcome bonus I apply for?

Yes, any Cardmembers who are approved for a Rapid Rewards Credit Card on or before Dec. 2, 2026 and meet the requirements for the new Cardmember welcome bonus will have the opportunity to have those points count as Companion Pass qualifying points, even if the spend threshold is met in early 2027.

MY TAKE: It seems like Southwest may be backdating points earned from a welcome bonus to 2026 if you opened the card before December 2, 2026 -- so you might have a grace period here where you can finish your spending and not HAVE to do it before your December statement closes. Waiting for precise confirmation. 
ACTION STEPS
Take the free course at katiestraveltricks.com/course. 
Do a quick strategy check if you're going for a Companion Pass. Use the Card Eligibility Checker to see which cards you can get. https://katiestraveltricks.com/course/lessons/card-eligibility-checker/ 
Then use the Card Combo Calculator to see how many points you need and which offers get you there by December 31. https://katiestraveltricks.com/course/lessons/card-combo-calculator/ 

Review the Bootcamp lesson on changing statement close dates. https://katiestraveltricks.com/course/lessons/nov-15-adjust-your-statement-close-date/ 
Sign up for her Saturday morning newsletter: https://katiestraveltricks.kit.com/news 
Take a few deep breaths. There are other deals and other ways to travel with points. 
RESOURCES
New Article on Southwest Status Tiers Explained: https://www.southwest.com/rapid-rewards/guides/status-tiers-explained/
The article on topping off your Companion Pass tracker: https://katiestraveltricks.com/earn-more-points-for-a-southwest-companion-pass-fast/ 
The Southwest Companion Pass Bootcamp: https://katiestraveltricks.com/southwest-companion-pass-bootcamp/ 
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've been avoiding Chase Ink cards because you heard about the "lifetime language," or because someone told you Chase is dead, I want to walk you through what I'm actually seeing. There's a lot of half-truths floating around right now, and it's leaving a lot of people confused.
In this episode I break down why I think "lifetime" is a misnomer and what the approval data points tell us about who is still getting approved and who isn't.
RESOURCES
Sign up for my newsletter to get curated miles and points news and first access to new resources: https://katiestraveltricks.kit.com/news 
Chase Ink Guide: https://katiestraveltricks.com/chase-ink-guide/
Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card: https://katiestraveltricks.com/credit_card/ink-business-unlimited-credit-card/
Ink Business Cash® Credit Card: https://katiestraveltricks.com/credit_card/ink-business-cash-credit-card/
Chase Business Card Denials: Strategy Tips: https://katiestraveltricks.com/recent-chase-business-card-denials-strategy-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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Significant changes are hitting the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card program starting June 15th, and while there are some nice new perks, others might cost new cardholders as much as $700 in potential value in the first year alone. 
In this episode, I’ll be covering the bad news and the good news. Because these changes have different rollout dates depending on which card you have and when you applied, it can feel a bit complex. But don't worry—I'm walking you through everything step-by-step so you understand exactly what is happening to your points.
RESOURCES
Sign up for my newsletter to get curated miles and points news and first access to new resources: https://katiestraveltricks.kit.com/news 
Sapphire Preferred Refresh 2026 Article: https://katiestraveltricks.com/sapphire-preferred-refresh-2026/
Aeroplan Pay Yourself Back Article: https://katiestraveltricks.com/aeroplan-pay-yourself-back/ 
Guide to Chase Sapphire Preferred: https://katiestraveltricks.com/sapphirepreferred/
Guide to Chase Sapphire Reserve: https://katiestraveltricks.com/sapphirereserve/ 
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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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: katie@katiestraveltricks.com 
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...