Travel Party of 5 | Points & Miles for Family Travel

Raya & Duane
  • 4.8 (81)
  • Places & Travel
  • Updated Weekly

Do you struggle to understand how people travel using points and miles from credit cards? It can be easy to waste a lot of time learning travel hacking on your own, especially if you find it complex and confusing.  Let us pull back the curtain and show you how you can maximize money you're already spending to earn enough credit card points and miles to travel with your family for nearly free. We've used credit card points and miles to take our family of 5 on trips to places like Costa Rica, San Diego, Disneyland, Oceanside, NYC, Washington DC, Hawaii, and next year we have already booked Paris, Spain and Japan! Using credit card points and miles (often called travel hacking) doesn't have to be overwhelming or take a ton of time, and we can show you how. Can you earn a lot of points and miles without opening up multiple credit cards? Only if you have a really high amount of spend each month. For people with larger families, opening new cards is the easiest and fastest way to earn enough points and miles to take a couple of really low cost (but not low budget) family vacations every year! If you want to learn ways to help you and your family travel more affordably using credit card points, this show is for you. 

  1. 2d ago

    Midyear Check-in, a Brief Hiatus, & More Chase News?!?! (Alt Title: Go Home Chase, You're Drunk)

    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.

    28 min

  2. Jun 8

    Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach on Points + Hilton Credits!

    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?

    38 min

  3. Jun 1

    My Fave List App, a Trip Planning Tool, + 10X Chase UR?!?!

    Rakuten Referral Link: 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.

    26 min

  4. May 25

    Our Bilt Plan + Trip/Credit Score Updates!

    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.

    27 min

  5. May 18

    A Couple's Anniversary Trip to Istanbul + Cappadocia on Points!

    Istanbul Bosphorus Cruise Istanbul Full Day Guided Tour Reliable Travel (booked everything in Cappadocia for them) Balloon Turca (booked by/through Reliable Travel) Ariana Sustainable Luxury Lodge (an SLH property!) We trade our usual family travel format for a couple’s Turkey anniversary recap that is packed with points and miles tactics you can steal for your own peak season trips. Melissa walks us through how she booked business class flights, stacked hotel perks, and built a Cappadocia hot air balloon day that actually runs smoothly. • How Melissa plans travel around a strict school schedule  • Booking KLM business class with Flying Blue miles and Amex transfers  • What KLM business class is like including Delft houses and the Amsterdam lounge  • Repositioning to Mexico City to find Turkish Airlines business class saver seats  • Istanbul hotel strategy with Hyatt Globalist benefits at the Grand Hyatt  • Istanbul sightseeing with a guided walking tour, Galata Tower and a Bosphorus cruise  • Cappadocia logistics, why local drivers and guides help, and when cash beats points  • Using Chase The Edit and points to book a boutique Cappadocia lodge with credits and upgrades  • Hot air balloon ride details: weather rules, pickup timing, what to wear and what it feels like  • Returning to Istanbul with an Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts stay at the Park Hyatt and a hamam plan  • Turkish award booking tips, credit card requirements and why travel insurance matters  • School break booking rules: calendar open, flexibility on destination and smart repositioning Let me know your feedback if you think that this would have better been split into two episodes or if you like the kind of longer format. If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message and I will ask her for you.

    1h 40m

  6. May 11

    Points And Miles News You Can Use

    Chase Sapphire Reserve 150K Offer!!! (thank you for using our link!) Marriott Homes & Villas Promotion- register and book by 5/14/26! Spirit Airlines disappears, Hyatt pricing shifts again, and we map out how we keep our family travel plans steady when loyalty programs and flight options change. We also share updates on three international trips and the exact points and miles moves we’re making right now.  • Mother’s Day recap and the economics of buffet pricing versus hotel status value  • Orlando work trip at the Disney partner Swan and Dolphin and how Marriott free night certificates can help  • Why losing Spirit Airlines hurts competition and what it can mean for fares  • How points create flexibility when low cost airlines reroute or disrupt trips  • London and Scotland itinerary pivot after award availability changes, plus a Paris overnight to make business class work  • Switzerland and Italy planning, including Wengen lodging sticker shock and backup hotel strategy for Rome  • Marriott Homes and Villas promo basics and using points to offset cash costs  • Capital One Shopping versus Capital One Offers and how targeted cashback emails can show up  • Hyatt devaluation deadline, booking 13 months out, and dealing with missing standard room availability  • Chase Sapphire Reserve 150K offer, new eligibility rules, and how we think about credits versus the annual fee  Any questions, as always, DM me on Instagram at travelpartyof5

    36 min

  7. May 4

    Travel Insurance for Family Travel - Do you need it? Our personal claim experiences!

    We break down a simple way to think about travel insurance so we stop guessing and start choosing coverage that matches the trip. We also share what happened on our Thailand trip and how our annual policy reimbursed a missing-bag wardrobe and an unexpected ER visit. • thinking in four layers: health insurance, credit card coverage, standalone policy, evacuation membership • deciding when travel insurance matters more for international trips than domestic • credit card travel protections and the need to pay with the right card to activate coverage • what Chase Sapphire Reserve, Amex Platinum, Venture X and Bilt coverage can look like at a high level • why we use an Allianz annual family plan and what it covers • when cancel for any reason can be worth the upgrade • evacuation options like Medjet and what they do differently • Thailand claim walkthrough, what we submitted, and what we would document next time please send me a DM on Instagram.

    41 min

  8. Apr 27

    Points & Miles Meetups - The Upgrade You Didn't Know You Needed

    We share why points and miles meetups can unlock the next level of award travel learning when free online info stops being enough. Raya recaps her Phoenix Award Travel 201 meetup, the best nuggets she picked up from real conversations, and a few credit card strategy updates tied to American Airlines status goals.  • quick family update after Flu B runs through the house  • what the Award Travel 201 meetup format looks like in real life  • CardPointers and SaveWise for auto-adding card offers and tracking value  • American Airlines awards talk that sparks a push toward Executive Platinum  • the most useful insights coming from casual networking, not the stage  • unscrewed.ai as a fast way to check likely trip protection coverage  • why meetups help you find “expert earners” and “expert redeemers”  • upcoming in-person events to watch including Chicago Seminars  • new card moves, approval rules, and the realities of credit utilization swings  • waiting on an Allianz travel insurance claim decision  If as always, if you have questions or if you’re planning to attend any of the meetups that I talked about, send me a DM on Instagram.

    29 min
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About

Do you struggle to understand how people travel using points and miles from credit cards? It can be easy to waste a lot of time learning travel hacking on your own, especially if you find it complex and confusing.  Let us pull back the curtain and show you how you can maximize money you're already spending to earn enough credit card points and miles to travel with your family for nearly free. We've used credit card points and miles to take our family of 5 on trips to places like Costa Rica, San Diego, Disneyland, Oceanside, NYC, Washington DC, Hawaii, and next year we have already booked Paris, Spain and Japan! Using credit card points and miles (often called travel hacking) doesn't have to be overwhelming or take a ton of time, and we can show you how. Can you earn a lot of points and miles without opening up multiple credit cards? Only if you have a really high amount of spend each month. For people with larger families, opening new cards is the easiest and fastest way to earn enough points and miles to take a couple of really low cost (but not low budget) family vacations every year! If you want to learn ways to help you and your family travel more affordably using credit card points, this show is for you. 

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