Category: Podcast

We’re back from a break and sharing how our family of five tackles three sweaty days in London while using points and miles to make business class happen. We break down what worked, what flopped, and the small decisions that mattered most when traveling with kids in a heat wave. 

• taking a needed podcast hiatus and what it’s like recording at home with kids 
• the washer saga and why appliance research became a full-time hobby 
• booking six business class seats to London with points, plus the mistake that nearly derailed it 
• positioning flights to Dallas and using airport lounges to survive a long travel day 
• arriving in London and checking into Hyatt Regency London Churchill on points 
• dealing with the London heat wave and inconsistent hotel air conditioning 
• London highlights including Westminster Abbey, Borough Market, and Mercado Mayfair 
• why we would not repeat the Mad Hatter afternoon tea experience 
• Tower of London strategy, Beefeater tour tips, and prioritizing the Crown Jewels line 
• the wild coincidence of running into our kid’s teacher at the Tower of London 
• the Heathrow Express saved us after a confusing early-morning transit mess 

We share a quick life update and explain why we are taking a four to six week break so we can reset and come back stronger. Then we dig into the latest Chase and Hyatt changes, run our midyear points and cash back totals, and share how we finally locked in business class seats for our upcoming London and Scotland trip. 

• announcing a short podcast hiatus and the reasons behind it 
• plans to set up a guest scheduling system for future episodes 
• reacting to the Chase Sapphire Preferred Hyatt transfer cut to 4:3 
• what the change means for Hyatt fans and award booking value 
• why Chase is pushing elevated offers after recent nerfs 
• midyear recap of cards opened and total points earned so far 
• cash back strategy including bank account bonuses and tracking 
• frustrations with US Bank central billing and bonus timing 
• warning story about Chime and why we are waiting on a resolution 
• booking last-minute business class to London using American Airlines miles 
• focusing more on family travel stories alongside points and miles 

If by chance no one in your family has a Chase Ink business card and you would like to get one, please use our links above.

We just pulled off a travel move that still makes us laugh: a luxury stay at Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach that was booked on Hilton points, covered by stacked Hilton resort credits, and somehow ended with us up $38 thanks to a perfectly timed Amex offer. If you’ve ever wondered whether points and miles are actually worth the effort, we walk through the real math, the real cards, and the real checkout moment where Raya hands over a stack of credit cards and asks the front desk to split the bill across all of them. 

Along the way, we rewind to our annual Oceanside getaway, the trip we protect on our calendar because it has almost no itinerary. Beach, pool, good food, and a reset. This year includes a surprise birthday dinner for Dwayne with friends he hasn’t seen in more than 20 years, plus little details that made it feel special, like a custom menu and a table that just kept growing as more people arrived. 

We also get practical about family travel logistics: when a “standard room” starts feeling too small for five people, how we think about suites, and why an ocean view matters when one of us is working during the trip. We share our experience at The Seabird, how we handled a disappointing initial room assignment, and the polite ask that got us into a true oceanfront suite. Expect plenty of California details too, from the Monarch Beach club shuttle to June gloom weather timing, plus our favorite eats and one meal that went off the rails. 

If you want more strategies like this for affordable luxury travel, subscribe, share this with a points-obsessed friend, and leave us a quick review so more families can find the show. What’s the next hotel you’d love to book entirely on points?

Rakuten Referral Link: http://www.rakuten.com/r/RAYAPI6?eeid=28187

Chase Sapphire Reserve 150K REFERRAL LINK!

Capital One Shopping Referral Link (turns out I do have one!!!!)

We share the exact tools we use to plan trips faster, keep packing under control, and squeeze more value out of everyday spending. We also break down a 10x Chase Ultimate Rewards play using Paze, including where it works, how to stack it, and what to troubleshoot if your accounts get messy. 
• noting the elevated Chase Sapphire Reserve offer and why we still use it heavily 
• using Rakuten to earn cash back or points on regular online shopping 
• testing Capital One Shopping for strong cash back offers 
• building trip idea lists and reusable packing checklists in Google Keep 
• planning itineraries with Trava linked to TripIt for confirmation email imports 
• earning 10x Chase Ultimate Rewards with Paze on eligible retailers 
• maximizing the promo with Newegg gift cards including Airbnb 
• stacking card category multipliers on top of the 10x where it applies 
• fixing Paze issues by separating emails and phone numbers across accounts 
If you have questions, find me on Instagram and we will catch you on the next episode. 

We share how we’re reshaping our points and miles strategy after Hyatt devaluations, including new card moves and the reality of planning family travel when award space disappears. We also walk through our Italy and Switzerland pivot, plus a credit score rebound that lets us apply for new cards with confidence. 
• choosing the Bilt Palladium for the signup bonus and transfer partners 
• why we skip mortgage payments through Bilt for now 
• using Bilt cash to activate the 3x accelerator on planned spend 
• targeting Japan Airlines miles and watching hard expiration rules 
• adding Capital One Savor for uncapped 3x groceries 
• pending Wells Fargo Autograph Journey verification and what we’re sending 
• navigating Chase 5/24 and our plan to earn more Chase points via a business card 
• booking Hyatt stays before devaluation while keeping options open 
• dropping Lake Como due to missing standard award space for two rooms 
• deciding between Florence costs and a Switzerland-heavy itinerary 
• planning Rome with hotel openings still uncertain and building a backup 
• timing credit card applications after utilization drops and scores rebound above 800 
If you listened to last week's episode where I had our very first guest on, I would love feedback if you haven't already sent it. Find me on Instagram at travel party5, and we will catch you on the next episode.