Travel Party of 5 | Points & Miles for Family Travel

Raya & Duane
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  • 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. 4D AGO

    Preparing for an International Trip with Kids - 2 Weeks out from Thailand!

    We pull back the curtain on the unseen work of family travel and share how we’re prepping for two weeks in Thailand with three kids, seven flights, and one last-minute work trip. Points, packing, meds, and mindset—all simplified into four clear buckets you can reuse. • why Thailand matters to us and how points make it possible • building one master spreadsheet for flights, hotels and transfers • mapping seven flights and overnight layovers with backups • hotel lessons on connecting rooms and nonrefundable rates • Thailand medication rules, doctor letters and refills • digital arrival form timing and annual travel insurance • choosing eSIMs, Grab and simple phone setup • packing light for heat, shoes to prevent blisters, plan for laundry • setting kids’ expectations for a 17-hour flight • using food videos to build buy-in and reduce friction • embracing fewer bookings to protect rest and flexibility • what’s next on the podcast and how to join us Send me a DM on Instagram if you want to come on the podcast to talk about a recent family trip, even if it was part points and part cash

    38 min

  2. FEB 16

    Are we Raising Entitled Humans?!?! (How does Biz class & boujie Hotels affect kids?!)

    Travel with Kids Podcast rec! What happens when your kids fly business class before they can spell it? We tackle the uneasy question head-on: are we raising entitled travelers—or can points-powered perks actually teach humility, gratitude, and grit? Drawing from our own path—from rural road trips and solo backpacking to parenting three kids with a points strategy—we share the mindset shifts that turned “is this too much?” into “how do we frame this well?” We start by defining entitlement in practical terms: not nice experiences, but the expectation of them. Then we open the curtain on the hidden work that makes “free” travel possible—earning and redeeming points, offsetting annual fees, stalking award space for five seats, and choosing trade-offs. When kids see the effort, they understand the privilege. From there, we focus on modeling over lecturing. The tone we set—thanking staff, marveling at an economy seat’s movie selection, celebrating a sunset from a budget room—shapes how our kids assign value to comfort, people, and place. Money talk plays a starring role. We walk through real numbers—cash rates, point valuations, taxes—and turn it into simple math for older kids: how many hours at $10 an hour equals a hotel night? That perspective check pairs with a conscious rewrite of scarcity scripts. Instead of “don’t get used to it,” we teach that with planning and responsibility, they can build the life they want—travel or not. We also highlight the quiet wins travel gives kids: resilience through jet lag, flexibility during delays, adventurous palates, and empathy born from noticing what’s different and what’s the same. To root those lessons deeper, we add service. Local volunteering like meal packing, and one-day opportunities with reputable groups on trips, turn comfort into contribution without savior narratives. By the end, our stance is clear: perks don’t create entitlement—stories do. We choose to tell a story of gratitude, effort, and respect, so luxury becomes a lesson rather than a baseline. If this conversation resonates, follow along, share it with a travel-loving parent, and leave a quick rating and review so more families can find the show.

    33 min

  3. FEB 9

    Our 2026 Points and Miles Plan - With a new focus!

    Our 2026 travel plan blends status goals, certificate plays, and a careful move toward cash back so we can travel better now and fund freedom later. Along the way we test gold reselling, protect 5/24, and hold out for premium flights that fit a family of five. • shifting from constant new cards to maximizing existing spend • step-by-step approach to buying and reselling gold with guardrails • Hilton Aspire to Surpass downgrade path for four free nights • prioritizing Hyatt Globalist for suites and breakfast value • trip plans for Thailand, London and Scotland, Switzerland plus Italy • strategy for holding out for business class returns • moving to shorter trips to save PTO and add flexibility • staying under 5/24 and timing future applications • adding cash back via business cards and bank bonuses • using Schwab or Morgan Stanley Platinum to cash out MR at 1.1 cpp • FIRE mindset and key takeaways from Die With Zero Send us your gold reselling tips and questions on Instagram at travel party five

    41 min

  4. FEB 2

    Would You Rather - Family Travel on Points Edition!

    We play a family travel Would You Rather built around real points-and-miles tradeoffs, from Hyatt love to premium economy sanity. Along the way we compare Chase, Amex, and Citi, weigh taxes and fees, and debate lounges, breakfast, and splitting flights with kids. • quick update on Bilt changes and current cards • luxury hotel without breakfast vs budget stay with big breakfast • free family trip in economy vs solo business class splurge • Chase vs Amex value with Hyatt and earnability • first class on separate flights vs economy together • premium economy both ways vs mixed cabins • splitting parents and kids to secure business seats • middle seat marathon vs a week at a budget motel • historical city breaks vs tropical downtime • unlimited points hypotheticals across Chase, Amex, Citi • taxes and fees tradeoffs across airlines and families • lounge access benefits vs time flexibility at airports • five years stateside travel vs two weeks global each year We will do an Instagram poll Monday so you can weigh in on today’s questions—send us a DM with your picks and ideas for part two

    28 min

  5. JAN 26

    When "Free" Travel Isn't Really Free - Realistic Cash Back Options for Families!

    https://5calls.org/ https://www.standwithminnesota.com/ Chase Ink Premier Referral Link (Also 100K Ink Preferred!!!) Never used Rakuten? Join now and earn $50 cash back! www.rakuten.com/r/RAYAPI6?eeid=28187  Free flights don’t feed your kids on vacation. That’s the real truth because even with points and miles, we still need to fund the real costs of travel - meals, trains, tips, tours, and all the little line items that don't fit inside award charts.  We break the plan into four parts. First, bank account bonuses: what they are, how to hit the requirements, why “push” ACH often matters, and simple tracking to avoid early‑closure fees. We point you to trusted resources like Doctor of Credit and explain how to double up when there’s no household cap. Second, cashback portals: Rakuten, Capital One Shopping, and TopCashback can sometimes stack with bank bonuses on select fintech signups, and quarterly payouts make a solid travel fund if you plan ahead. Third, cashback credit cards: we highlight business options like Chase Ink Business Premier and U.S. Bank Triple Cash Rewards, plus family‑friendly picks like Capital One Savor and Amex Blue Cash Preferred for groceries, dining, and gas. Fourth, purchase erasers: use Capital One miles at a clean one cent per mile to wipe rentals, trains, and boutique stays that don’t play nicely with points. We also share real‑life tactics: split hotel bills to trigger Amex Offers, volunteer for reimbursable school or work expenses to earn rewards without extra out‑of‑pocket costs, and choose when to prioritize cash over points based on your season of life. The outcome is a strategy that pairs your favorite points redemptions with dependable cash streams so your next family trip feels affordable from takeoff to taxi back home. If this helps you rethink “free travel,” tap follow, share with a friend who loves a deal, and leave a quick review telling us your favorite cashback win.

    31 min

  6. JAN 19

    AA Status Update & Bilt 2.0 - Are the new Bilt cards worth it for families?!?!

    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!

    40 min

  7. JAN 12

    How We're Setting up for Success in 2026!

    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

    49 min

  8. 12/22/2025

    Our Best (& Worst!) of 2025 Travel!

    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.

    32 min
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4.8
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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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