POINT ME TO FIRST CLASS
PODCAST

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.

Start having first-class travel experiences without the first-class price tag.

Points earning strategies

Points redeeming

TRAVEL TIPS

The Best Shopping Portals and Card-Linked Offers, According to Millions of Data Points with SaveWise Founder Avneesh Kohli

Find out what millions of shopping portal and card-linked offer data points reveal about earning more points, from the best portal to use and the single best day of the week to shop, to which credit card offers quietly deliver the most value and how to shop smart around Black Friday, with SaveWise founder Avneesh Kohli.

Points Earning Strategies, Points Redeeming, Travel Tips

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Southwest Companion Pass Changes: What’s New, What’s Ending, and How to Earn One Before the Deadline

Find out exactly what’s changing with the Southwest Companion Pass, why Southwest’s Rapid Rewards overhaul upends the usual way to earn one, the narrow window left to qualify under the old rules, and whether chasing a pass still makes sense, with Southwest expert Katie of Katie’s Travel Tricks.

Points Earning Strategies, Points Redeeming, Travel Tips

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Credit Card Bonus Category Spending Caps: Which Cards Have Them and How to Avoid Losing Points

Learn which popular rewards credit cards, from Amex and Chase to Bilt, quietly cap how much of your spending earns bonus points, how to tell whether you’ve hit a limit, and the strategies that let you keep earning at your bonus rate instead of dropping to one point per dollar without noticing.

Points Earning Strategies, Points Redeeming

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How Accor Points Work: Fixed Value, Transfer Partners, and When to Use Them

Discover Accor, also known as ALL (Accor Live Limitless), the overlooked hotel program whose fixed-value points work nothing like Hyatt or Hilton, with Dr. Suzanne Manzi on why boring is a feature, how the transfer partners stack up, and the last-minute, family, and international stays where Accor shines.

Points Earning Strategies, Points Redeeming, Travel Tips

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The Transferable Points Report Card: Which Programs Are Best for Sharing Points?

Learn how to combine or share credit card points with a partner, spouse, or family member, with a currency-by-currency breakdown of which transferable points (Amex, Chase, Citi, Capital One, Bilt, and Rove) make it easy, which take advance setup, and which won’t let you share at all.

Points Earning Strategies, Points Redeeming

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Atmos Rewards Explained: Alaska Airlines’ Loyalty Program, Partners, and Best Uses

Discover why Alaska Airlines miles, now part of the revamped Atmos Rewards program, may be one of the most overlooked currencies in award travel, with longtime expert Betsey Wilson on the best partner redemptions, the credit cards, and whether chasing elite status is worth it.

Points Earning Strategies, Points Redeeming, Travel Tips

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Around the World in Five Days: How We Booked an Epic First-Class Trip With Points

Go behind the scenes of a five-day, five-flight trip around the world built entirely around Singapore Airlines first class Suites on the A380, from how the itinerary came together and what it cost in points and cash to candid reviews of every premium cabin along the way.

Points Redeeming, Travel Tips

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Best Points and Airlines for Family Business Class to Asia with Maria Fung

Learn why booking business class to Asia for the whole family takes a different strategy than any other award goal, which overlooked points currencies and airlines deliver multiple premium seats, and how to plan around your destination using Maria Fung’s ASIA Method.

Points Earning Strategies, Points Redeeming, Travel Tips

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Hotel Planner Points Explained: How to Earn and Negotiate Hotel Rewards for Any Event

Discover planner points, an overlooked category of hotel rewards you can earn just for hosting an event, from a wedding or family reunion to a business conference, plus how to read and negotiate a hotel contract so you never leave points on the table.

Points Earning Strategies, Points Redeeming, Travel Tips

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Is the Bilt Palladium Card Worth It? A Six-Month Review of Bilt 2.0

Get a real-world six-month review of the Bilt Palladium card, from earning points on rent and mortgage payments to Bilt Cash, transfer bonuses, and the guardrails that make this card polarizing, plus a clear sense of the spender it serves best.

Points Earning Strategies, Points Redeeming

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