Travel Party of 5 | Points & Miles for Family Travel

Raya & Duane
  • 4.8 (80)
  • 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

    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

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. Apr 13

    A Check in: New Cards, + Spend & Trip Updates!

    Travel Party of 5 | Points & Miles for Family Travel

    32 min

  7. Apr 6

    Thailand Pt 3: Park Hyatt Bangkok, Stacking FHR Credits + Points, & an ER Visit

    Bangkok is our last stop in Thailand, and it turns into the most chaotic stretch of the whole trip. We break down how we booked a luxury Park Hyatt stay with points and Amex credits while juggling traffic, malls, heat, and two kids getting sick at the worst possible times. • flying Bangkok Airways and dealing with delays plus airport traffic • using the Bangkok taxi kiosk system and deciding when the train makes more sense • booking Park Hyatt Bangkok with Hyatt points and Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts credits • how the hotel created an “almost connecting” room setup with a private foyer • sticker shock at the hotel steakhouse and what we’d skip next time • standout Park Hyatt breakfast buffet and the infinity pool experience • the market meal with Terrence that ends with elevator vomit and a fast staff response • pushing the Grand Palace to the next day then bailing after round two of sickness • building a smart indoor backup plan with Bangkok malls and air conditioning • trying durian once and learning why hotels ban it • a midnight bedding disaster, blood in vomit, and a rapid ER run at an international hospital • what to ask for when you need receipts and paperwork for travel insurance • why tipping housekeeping and staff matters when they rescue your trip • outsourcing laundry in Thailand to save time and sanity If you don't already follow us on Instagram, you're gonna be like, oh my God, what a trip.

    1h 5m

  8. Mar 30

    Thailand Pt 2: Koh Samui On Points, Ang Thong National Marine Park, Big Buddha & More!

    Ang Thong National Marine Park Boat Tour Koh Samui ends up as our favorite stop in Thailand thanks to an incredible Hyatt Regency stay booked on Hyatt points, a surprise suite upgrade, and family-friendly perks that actually make travel easier. We also share the stuff no one puts on the brochure, including a brutal sunburn mystery and what a 13-hour Ang Thong National Marine Park tour really feels like with kids.  • quick life updates after jet lag and a missed episode upload  • a TripTales podcast shoutout for destination research and travel inspiration  • Bangkok Airways inter-island flights and what to expect on a small plane  • using Blacklane credits for airport transfers  • booking Hyatt Regency Koh Samui on points with two rooms and connecting-room tips  • the suite upgrade surprise and what made the rooms stand out  • breakfast buffet value and how we handled the kids breakfast benefit  • beachfront dining, pool service, and what we loved most on property  • Camp Hyatt kids club details and why it changed the trip  • Chong Mon Beach day with jet skis and why we skipped Pig Island  • the fake sunscreen suspicion and how the sunburn derailed plans  • Ang Thong National Marine Park tour breakdown including snorkeling and kayaking  • night market dinner near Fisherman’s Village and trying khao soi gai  • the open-air Koh Samui airport and the checked-bag screen process  • what we’d do differently next time and why we’d still go back  If you have any questions, DM me on Instagram.

    55 min
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4.8
out of 5
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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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