Recommendations: Close AA, Consider United

Hear how 2025 money news hit your wallet and whether your travel cards are really pulling their weight.

How did 2025’s biggest money stories actually affect your wallet? How can you decide if your pricey travel credit cards are still worth it? Hosts Sean Pyles and Elizabeth Ayoola recap the year in finance news to help you understand what the stories mean for your budget, savings, and plans for 2026. They unpack top news items including tariff-driven uncertainty, a brief but historic stock market crash and subsequent rebound, stubborn home prices, softening rents, and a late-year run of Fed rate cuts. Then they provide tips and tricks on staying focused on long-term investing despite volatility, using rewards cards and store programs to fight higher grocery bills, weighing renting vs. buying when housing costs are sky-high, and making sure your cash is still earning a competitive yield as high-yield savings rates drift down.

Then, Smart Travel podcast hosts Meghan Coyle and Sally French give Elizabeth a live “credit card consult” on her stack of high-fee travel cards. They discuss how to tally up annual fees versus statement credits and perks, decide when lounge access really justifies keeping a premium card, identify weak-link airline cards that no longer match your home airport, and choose when to downgrade instead of cancel. They also dig into using grocery cards strategically, avoiding overpaying just to chase credits at specific merchants, managing the mental load of multiple “coupon book” benefits, and building a simple system to track expiring credits so your wallet — and not the card issuers — captures the most value.

Card benefits, terms and fees can change. For the most up-to-date information about cards mentioned in this episode, read our reviews:

• American Express Blue Cash Preferred Review: The Ultimate Family Card 

• American Express Platinum Review: Top-Notch Lounge Access, Big Credits 

• Chase Sapphire Reserve Review: A High-End, High-Maintenance Card 

• Citi AAdvantage Platinum Card Review: Worth the Fee for Airline Loyalists 

• Citi AAdvantage Executive Review: Your Key to the Club  

• AmEx Blue Cash Everyday Review: Solid Cash Back, $0 Annual Fee 

• 5 Things to Know About the T.J. Maxx Credit Card 

Follow Smart Travel on your favorite podcast app: https://play.megaphone.fm/l-7v0exnsxc-kc8kejdruq 

Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header

To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com.

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