Point Me To First Class

Earlier this month, United Airlines increased its award prices across the board for economy and business class flights on United and partner-operated international flights without any advanced notice to its frequent flyer program members. After this points devaluation, it now costs roughly 33% to 55% more points for any award flight booked through United. The worst part of this news is that United points aren't transferable.   Discover how to protect yourself from points devaluations by leveraging transferable points. I'm showing you how to keep your options open when accumulating awards-travel points, how to see whether you will be disproportionately affected by a points devaluation, and how you can act now to protect yourself against the instability of points as a currency.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.pointmetofirstclass.com/blog/points-devaluations   Grab your spot inside Points Made Easy: https://www.pointmetofirstclass.com/pointsmadeeasy

Julia Menez is a points strategy coach, speaker, and host of the Geobreeze Travel Podcast. Having traveled to more than 30 countries before the age of 30 and saving thousands of dollars using points and miles in the process, Julia has distilled the strategies from top award travelers around the world and shares them with her audience.   Discover some of the amazing things we can learn when we diversify the conversation around points travel and discuss our mistakes along the way. Julia Menez is sharing why your points journey doesn’t have to start out a certain way in order to be successful, her favorite lessons she’s learned from opening up the conversation on her own podcast, and her strategic tips for points travel that everyone can benefit from.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.pointmetofirstclass.com/blog/luxury-travel-strategies-obstacles-mistakes-julia-menez   Grab your spot inside Points Made Easy: https://www.pointmetofirstclass.com/pointsmadeeasy

You guys have a lot of questions. So, we’re doing something a little bit different this week. Instead of me teaching you about a specific topic within the world of credit card points travel, I’m bringing you a listener Q&A.    I’m talking transfer bonuses, airline-specific cards, business credit cards, and maintaining a good relationship with banks. I’m also providing a framework for understanding the reasoning behind these answers, so you can decide what’s best for you.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.pointmetofirstclass.com/blog/rewards-travel-qa   Grab your spot inside Points Made Easy: https://www.pointmetofirstclass.com/pointsmadeeasy

My guest this week is Dr. Priyanka Venugopal, a physician-turned-coach for high-achieving working moms. Priyanka and I have been working together for a while, and she’s here today to tell us about her first trip with her husband and kids all together to visit their extended family in India. Not only was this trip booked using points, but it was Priyanka’s first-ever first-class flight.   Discover why your points journey doesn’t have to be planned out a certain way. As an entrepreneur, Priyanka didn’t realize how many points she was accumulating. However, when she learned what she was sitting on and how to leverage those points, she was able to book four first-class tickets going halfway around the planet. She just needed to ask for help to make it happen.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.pointmetofirstclass.com/blog/fly-first-class-priyanka-venugopal   Grab your spot inside Points Made Easy: https://www.pointmetofirstclass.com/pointsmadeeasy

There's a big difference between loving the idea of using points to save thousands of dollars on travel and actually knowing how to earn and redeem points for the travel experiences that matter most to you - listen in on this bonus episode to hear exactly how Points Made Easy can help you bridge that gap and what that has to do with the time Devon got hopelessly lost in the souks in Marrakesh.   To join Points Made Easy before doors close on May 26, visit: https://www.pointmetofirstclass.com/joinpointsmadeeasy

My guest this week, Cherie, is a client in my Points Made Easy program who recently sent me a message saying that she had redeemed points worth $20,000 in travel in just one year. I immediately had so many questions and I knew I needed to get her on the podcast.   Cherie is a pediatrician and the founder of Doctor Moms Lounge, a membership designed to help women physicians take the busywork out of "momming" so they have time for what matters to them most. Discover how she went from having zero points-earning credit cards to redeeming $20,000 worth of rewards travel in just 12 months!   Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.pointmetofirstclass.com/blog/redeeming-20000-points   Get on the waitlist for my online course, Points Made Easy, here: https://www.pointmetofirstclass.com/pointsmadeeasy

There are some amazing sign-up bonus offer on the market right now. Even if you utilize several different methods of earning points for your expenses, new card sign-up bonuses are still the easiest way to earn lots of points quickly. However, you want to be absolutely sure that when you get approved for a new rewards credit card, you don’t make a mistake that’s going to cost you your sign-up bonus. This week, learn how to avoid common sign-up bonus snafus.   Get full show notes and more information here: www.pointmetofirstclass.com/blog/sign-up-bonus-snafus   Get on the waitlist for my online course, Points Made Easy, here: https://www.pointmetofirstclass.com/pointsmadeeasy

I’m joined by Kelly, a surgeon and points enthusiast based in Los Angeles, California. At work, she serves as a division director for her surgical field while working on projects regarding sustainability in healthcare. On the side, she loves promoting intentional reward travel to prevent burnout among medical professionals, which I think is an incredible mission.   Discover why rewards travel offers a unique opportunity for physicians who want to travel more. Kelly and I are discussing the travel experiences she’s been able to take that wouldn’t have been possible without points, how reward points free up money to spend in a sustainable way, and Kelly’s tips for leveraging your expenses as a medical professional so you can have more luxurious travel experiences.   Get full show notes and more information here: www.pointmetofirstclass.com/blog/points-miles-physician   Get on the waitlist for my online course, Points Made Easy, here: https://www.pointmetofirstclass.com/pointsmadeeasy

I’m joined by Dr. Payal Patel Ghayal, an amazing physician who’s here to share her story of points travel with all of us today. Discover the mindset side of points travel and what stops high-achieving professionals from getting started on their points travel journey. Payal is sharing her experience as a Woman of Color sitting in the front of the plane, the fun and play involved with points travel, the value of picking one place to start, and her advice for anyone else thinking about starting their points travel journey.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.pointmetofirstclass.com/blog/points-travel-dr-payal-patel-ghayal   Get on the waitlist for my online course, Points Made Easy, here: https://www.pointmetofirstclass.com/pointsmadeeasy

In the second part of the Paying Your Taxes by Credit Card series, I’m sharing everything you need to know about which credit cards are best for paying taxes, how to leverage and maximize the points you can earn, and what you need to keep in mind when choosing which card or cards you want to use to pay them.   Get full show notes and more information here: https://www.pointmetofirstclass.com/blog/paying-taxes-credit-card-2