Learn how to unlock Japan Airlines miles for more than just flights to Japan. Michael Gandara from Nurse Michael Travels breaks down partner award sweet spots, award search strategies, and the practical steps for finding and booking award flights through this powerful but often overlooked program.

Learn how to earn and strategically use Hilton free night certificates to unlock stays at properties that would otherwise cost $2,000+ per night. Jess Field of Points Talk Squad walks through the card strategy, redemption tactics, and aspirational properties where these certificates deliver spectacular value.

Get a detailed breakdown of Hyatt’s major award chart overhaul. Kelly and I walk through what’s changing, why it’s changing now, and how to think about your Hyatt points strategy moving forward.

Discover how Dr. Alison Curfman books international business class flights and hotel stays for her family of eight using points and miles. Learn her exact strategy for finding award availability for large groups, booking multiple hotel rooms strategically, and organizing complex itineraries that actually work.

Discover the most valuable points lessons from 2025—real insights from actual travelers on everything from transfer timing and phantom space to the importance of flexibility, progress over perfection, and actually using the points you’ve earned.

Discover how Avios work differently than any other airline points currency and how to leverage their unique transferability to unlock award flight sweet spots, save massive points on premium cabin bookings, and access airlines you can’t reach directly with your credit card points.

Get a detailed breakdown of everything that shaped points earning in 2025. Learn which credit cards were opened, how points were allocated across ecosystems, what worked, what didn’t, and what’s on the radar for 2026.

Have you ever taken a step back and reviewed your full year in points? In this episode, I invite you to do your own Year in Points Review and explain why a year-end review is worth doing. I walk through what you can learn by looking at how you earned points, how you used them, and how reviewing those details together can help you better understand your overall approach to earning and redeeming points.

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 […]

Ever wondered what really happens behind the scenes of your favorite hotel loyalty program? In this episode, I sit down with Hyatt’s Senior Vice President of Global Marketing and Loyalty, Laurie Blair, for a rare inside look at how World of Hyatt builds loyalty through care, transparency, and trust. From fixed award charts and the Guest of Honor program to how Hyatt balances business goals with member experience, this conversation pulls back the curtain on what makes Hyatt one of the most loved loyalty programs in travel.