December 15, 2025
The State of Points and Award Travel in 2025 (Part 1): The Programs That Won, Lost, and Forced Us to Adapt
Episode Description
In this episode, we bid farewell to 2025 with a year-in-review analysis of the biggest news, changes, and trends in rewards, credit cards, and award travel over the last 12 months.
This episode is part one of a two-part year-in-review series, and I’m joined by Kelly, the Points and Miles Doc, to break down the biggest changes, surprises, and shakeups in the points and award travel world over the last year.
In this first half of the conversation, we focus on the biggest wins and disappointments of the year—from credit card issuers that made significant changes to new programs that expanded what’s possible with points. We talk through how the landscape has shifted, why earning and redeeming points feels more complex than it used to, and how those changes showed up across credit cards, transferable points currencies, and airline loyalty programs.
This episode isn’t about declaring whether 2025 was “good” or “bad.” It’s about understanding how the points and miles world is becoming more specific, more nuanced, and more complex—and what that means for how you participate in it moving forward.
Be sure to tune in next week for Part Two, where we’ll dive deeper into the trends we expect to shape 2026, along with our predictions and award travel wish lists for the year ahead.
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
- The biggest wins and disappointments in points and miles in 2025
- How credit card issuers reshaped value and eligibility this year
- Why new transferable points currency programs stood out in the points landscape
- How transferable points currencies expanded—and complicated—earning options
- Why earning and redeeming points feels more complex than it used to
- What airline loyalty program changes in 2025 signal about where award travel is headed
Featured On the Show
- Kelly, The Points & Miles Doc Website
- Connect with Kelly, The Points & Miles Doc on Instagram
- Follow me on Instagram
- Learn more about Rove in episode 144 of the podcast here
- 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
Click here to download full episode transcript
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.
