January 12, 2026
How We Redeemed Credit Card Points in 2025: First Class Flights, Family Trips & 2026 Planning
Episode Description
Today we’re picking up where we left off last week in our 2025 points recap. In this second part of our year-in-review series, Dr. Andrea Mabry and I continue to break down the travel we actually booked with all those points we earned in 2025.
We’re sharing the total value of travel we booked, our average redemption values, and the specific trips we planned—from family vacations to aspirational first class products. We also reveal what we’ve already booked for 2026, including trips worth over $300,000 combined.
Andrea and I each share how many points we used to book travel in 2025, what that travel was worth, and what we paid out of pocket in taxes and fees. We talk about booking business class for large groups from non-hub airports, navigating award space challenges and disappointments, and the airline products that delivered exceptional value versus the ones that fell flat.
Listen in as we discuss the strategic decisions behind our redemptions and the lessons we’re applying to future travel. Whether you’re planning your first award trip or refining your approach to premium cabin bookings, this episode offers real numbers, honest takeaways, and strategies you can apply to your own travel.Turn your expenses into points and save tens of thousands of dollars a year on your wishlist travel. Don’t miss out! Click here to know more about my comprehensive online program, Points Made Easy.
What You’ll Learn from this Episode
- How to calculate redemption value and why this data matters for annual fees and point purchases
- Strategic approaches to booking business class for 7-15 people from non-hub airports
- Which first class products deliver exceptional value and which ones disappoint
- The hidden LATAM award space trick through Finnair versus other partners
- Why flexibility matters when plans change throughout the year
- Which airline programs and points currencies are most valuable for premium cabins
- What’s already booked for 2026 and where the highest redemption values come from
Featured On the Show
- Follow me on Instagram
- Get on the waitlist for the Points Made Easy Course here!
- Get My Cash-Back Credit Card Cheat Sheet!
- If you have any questions or you want me to dive deeper into a specific topic, email me here: podcast@pointmetofirstclass.com
- Ep. 149: 2025 Points Year in Review: A Look Back at Cards, Strategies & Earning (Part 1) with Dr. Andrea Mabry
Click here to download full episode transcript
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Point Me to First Class is the show for professionals and business owners with higher-than-average personal or business expenses, who want to learn to leverage these expenses into credit card points they can spend on travel.
Each week, I share valuable tips, tools, and strategies to help you uplevel your skills earning and redeeming credit card points, so you can expand your travel and expand your experiences.
