Category: Podcast

Chase Sapphire Referral Link – Earn 125,000 points with Sapphire Reserve® or 75,000  bonus points with Sapphire Preferred® 

Chase Ink/Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business Referral Link (if you've never had one!) – Earn 200,000 bonus points with the new Sapphire Reserve for Business credit card and access over $6,500 in value your first year . You can also earn bonuses with the Ink Business Premier® card,  Ink Business Preferred® card, Ink Business Unlimited® card or Ink Business Cash® card.

*if the links above do not work, please DM me on instagram @travelpartyof5 and I will send you a fresh one! Thank you in advance for your support of our free content*

A few more articles/links to read more about the Bilt cards: 

Frequent Miler Bilt 2.0 Article

Bilt Update Announcement from CEO

Bilt Calculator (from Max Miles Points)

In today's episode we pull apart the confusing launch of Bilt 2.0 to decide when, if ever, it’s worth it. The short answer: value beats vibes, and simple beats complicated.

• AA Gold to Platinum Pro to Platinum: what changed and what did not
• Group boarding, Main Cabin Extra, and upgrade odds from an AA hub
• Booking Park Hyatt Los Cabos and Waldorf Astoria with points and FNCs
• Extending an expiring Hilton Free Night via chat
• Real cents-per-point math across flights and hotels
• Bilt 2.0 structure: Blue, Obsidian, Palladium, and mixed “points” vs “cash”
• Mortgage and rent earning explained, fees, ACH, and opportunity cost
• CEO’s two new paths and why most families should pass
• Niche first-year use case for Palladium with transfer bonuses
• Starter strategy: open Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve first

We would be so grateful if you are going to apply if you would utilize our links above!

InKind Referral link (Save $25 off your first bill!):  https://app.inkind.com/refer/RUL9NCCP

Three spreadsheets I mentioned for tracking credits: 

Thrifty Traveler Credit Tracker (you have to make a copy)

Points Talk Squad Credit Tracker (you have to make a copy)

I have combined the above two, in different tabs, on the same Google Sheet doc. 

Frequent Miler Tracker (not using this one)

In this episode we map out a smarter 2026 points strategy: triple dips where they make sense, a unified tracking sheet to measure real value, and stacks that replace cash we planned to spend. The Phuket hotel save is our case study on turning complex credits into concrete nights.

• 2025 recap of 18 cards opened and 1.77 million points earned
• Triple dip timing and why it can offset big annual fees
• Beginner setup: real credit reports, 5/24 status, minimum spend math
• Keeper cards versus one-year cards and how we decide
• Chase Sapphire Reserve credits: travel, StubHub, and Edit limitations
• Citi Strata Elite hotel credit and two-night tradeoffs
• Amex Business Platinum: Dell, airline incidental, and FHR stacking
• InKind + Costco gift card stack for cheap family dining
• Tracking system using combined spreadsheets and real valuations
• Phuket stack: Edit credits, $250 hotel credit, Chase offer, and UR points
• Plan to build helpful resources and tools for listeners

Book a call with me and we can map your card strategy or plan your upcoming trips. If you want us to build a specific resource, DM me on Instagram and tell me what would help most

We revisit a year of family travel to rank the hotels, flights, and upgrades that delivered real value, and we tell two travel stories that never made it to air: a runaway carry-on on an escalator and a seatmate who ate our snacks. We also reassess elite status and share where we’ll spend points next year.

• best hotels across Barcelona, Cabo, Lake Tahoe, Cologne
• worst stay experience at Thompson Dallas and why
• top suite upgrade at the Seabird with ocean views
• business class joy on the return from Europe
• economy comparisons between JAL and Singapore Airlines
• practical value of Hyatt Globalist for a family of five
• metro over location myths in Barcelona
• stressful escalator mishap and how we handled it
• the strange snack incident on a short-haul flight
• points strategy over pricey short cruises

Happy holidays to you, Merry Christmas, happy holidays to you, your family, and everyone you know. We will be back in two weeks with a fresh new episode.

Thanks for finding our podcast! We are a family of 5 who does most of our travel using credit card points and miles and we share how we leverage credit card offers to earn a ton of points/miles so we can afford travel as a larger family.

Follow us on Instagram @TravelPartyof5

In this episode we travel from Strasbourg France to Cologne Germany for more Christmas Markets! 

• setting souvenir budgets per kid to teach value and limit clutter
• carry-on packing for cold with layers, wool socks and two shoe options
• laundromat lessons in Germany and why translation matters
• train routing to Cologne and booking Deutsche Bahn seats directly
• Hyatt Regency Cologne suite upgrade, club access and breakfast views
• stacking Amex and Hyatt credits against on-property dining
• Cologne market highlights, from blacksmiths to ice skating
• food notes on sausages, chimney cakes and crepes
• navigating Frankfurt delays, lounges and late-night CDG transfers
• Air France business class pods, seat quirks and nonstop value
• global entry ease on arrival and the checked-bag trade-offs

DM me on Instagram if you have questions!

Strasbourg AirBnB (not sponsored, paid with our own money!)

Magical Christmas Markets of Europe (please note: we are not affiliated with this group in any way, and potentially it is run by a travel agency? Either way, lots of good info in there!)

Thanks for finding our podcast! We are a family of 5 who does most of our travel using credit card points and miles and we share how we leverage credit card offers to earn a ton of points/miles so we can afford travel as a larger family.

And make sure to follow us on Instagram @TravelPartyof5

In this episode we share how we turned a long-held bucket list into a family trip to Strasbourg’s Christmas markets. From market food to day trips in Alsace, we show how to plan, but also pivot if needed.

• Booking Air France business class for five with Flying Blue and kid discounts
• Managing points transfers, schedule changes, and positioning flights
• Lounge strategy at PHX, DEN, and JFK for sanity and savings
• Choosing a Strasbourg Airbnb near the tram for easy access
• What to eat and drink at the markets and how mug deposits work
• Handling crowds, rain days, and a restorative slow afternoon
• Day trip playbook for Colmar and Eguisheim with shuttle tips
• Why small-town markets feel calmer and more craft-forward
• Budgeting with cards and euros and when to reserve trains
• Key resources: Facebook groups, routes by train, and timing markets

We will be back next week with all about Germany.  Airbnb and the Magical Christmas Markets of Europe Facebook group linked above!