Your Travel Credit Card Questions Answered: What to Keep, What to Add, and When to Redeem

If this were a Reese's TV ad, you'd be staring at a Reese's peanut butter cup.

And sure, my voice is peanut buttery smooth, but still, you need to see the peanut butter cups, right?

No?

I can really just say Reese's and you'll go get some?

Okay.

Reese's, Reese's, Reese's.

Really working, actually.

Reese's, Reese's.

I'm on to something.

Reese's, Reese's, Reese's, Reese's.

Megan, I am so excited to answer some listener questions today.

We had so many questions come in that we decided to do a whole show on them.

And who knows, maybe you, the listener, have had some of the same questions too.

We narrowed it down to some of the burning credit card and points and miles questions for right now.

This is going to be a fun show.

And maybe you'll rethink your credit card strategy.

Welcome to Smart Travel, a deep dive into the tips, tools, and tactics to maximize your travel dollars.

I'm Megan Coyle, And I'm Sally French.

And we're the travel nerds ready to help you plan your next big trip.

Today, we're answering your questions about which cards to add or keep in your wallet and some of the best ways to combine or redeem those points once you have them.

Of course, that means we'll talk about some credit card companies that are nerd wallet partners in this episode, but that does not influence how we discuss them.

The benefits, terms, and fees mentioned were accurate at the time of posting, but things can change.

Some offers may have expired by the time you're listening, so for the latest details, follow the links in the episode description.

Also, there's a ton of credit card news this week.

So let's get into it.

We don't talk a lot about City on this show, but maybe we should because they just unveiled a new premium travel credit card, the City Strata Elite card, and they also unveiled a new transfer partner.

And this card has a $595 annual fee.

So this is more expensive than even the Capital One Venture X, but it's less expensive than something like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or the Amex Platinum.

It does have similar perks, including the ability to transfer your city thank you points to airline and hotel partners.

It also has up to $120 in credit for global entry or TSA pre-check application fees.

And it has up to $300 off a hotel stay, but it needs to be two nights or more and booked through city travel.

It also has some huge rewards rates.

We're talking 12 points per dollar on hotels, car rentals, and attractions booked on citytravel.com.

six points per dollar on air travel booked on citytravel.com, six points per dollar at restaurants, including restaurant delivery services but get this it's only on the weekends so every friday and saturday from 6 p.m to 6 a.m eastern whoa and then the rest of the time it's three points per dollar on restaurants and one and a half points per dollar on all other purchases That's so odd.

6 p.m.

Eastern.

So the West Coast people can do like the early happy hour and get the bonus points.

That's so bizarre.

That's so chaotic.

Or you could be out really late and still be getting your 6x dollars if you're like 3 a.m.

What an odd concept of bonus points only at certain times.

I kind of like it though.

I feel like that's easier to use and like easier to keep track of than all those restaurant credits.

Like, yeah.

I guess.

Shout out City for the chaos.

I won't say no to six points per dollar.

That's all I'm saying.

I'm also really interested in the American Airlines perks because you know I fly American a lot.

You love American.

I don't know.

Love is a strong word.

Am I like friends with them?

Yeah.

Am I loyal to them?

Yeah.

Let's dive into those American Airlines perks.

So the Citi Strata Elite card will give cardholders four Admirals Club passes each calendar year.

So that's four visits to an American Airlines airport lounge.

Or I love to take my family.

So it could be one visit.

I take three members of my family.

Oh, I'm not sharing.

All four for me, dog.

Citi also now allows you to transfer points to American Airlines.

That's huge because no other card issuer has American Airlines as a transfer partner.

And American Airlines actually has some of the cheapest award flights in the U.S.

Really interesting because up until now, unless you fly a lot with American Airlines or had an American Airlines credit card, there really was no other easy way to earn a Advantage file.

So good news for you, American flyers out there.

Yeah, I'm really considering this card, but I'm also waiting for the Alaska Airlines premium card to come out.

And Alaska Airlines just had their earnings call last week and they confirmed that it's coming out next month in August.

We'll be standing by.

Yeah, that one has a $395 annual fee, so it's a little bit cheaper than the City Strata Elite card, but I'm going to wait till we have all the benefits and then I'll decide.

Wow.

Okay, we're going to have to do a premium card deep dive once we have all these details.

I agree.

I think by the end of the year, we'll have a lot of different options.

Speaking of card changes, Southwest Airlines Consumer Cards got a big update last week.

All three,

that is the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Premier and Priority Cards.

These cards saw annual fee hikes and then also some benefit changes to go along with it.

And a pretty sweet sign-up bonus, if I can say so myself.

Yes, so these cards now range in annual fees from $99 to $229 per year.

All three have the same, and I will say massive, limited-time welcome offer.

So it is this.

From July 24th through September 17th, 2025, new card holders can earn 100,000 points.

That's after they spend $4,000 in the first five months of account opening.

Since NerdWallet values a Southwest point at 1.3 cents each, that bonus is worth about $1,300.

But I think even more importantly, those 100,000 bonus points will count towards the 135,000 points you need to earn the Southwest Companion Pass.

That will probably put the Southwest Companion Pass in reach for a lot of new Southwest cardholders.

And even if you don't get that benefit, there are other benefits like one free checked bag for the cardholder, up to eight passengers on the same reservation, and free seat selection.

That benefit is also available across all three cards.

Yes.

In case listeners didn't get the memo yet, Southwest has changed all sorts of stuff this year.

It ended its famous two-free checked bag policy and it added seat selection like very recently for flights next year.

So if you fly Southwest a lot, having one of these cards is basically a must so that you can get those benefits.

And it's kind of like flying the old Southwest.

Maybe.

All right.

Well, of course, the higher the annual fee, the more benefits you get.

Like the Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority Credit Card, that's the one with the $229 annual fee, has some extra goodies, things like unlimited upgrades to the extra legroom seats when available within 48 hours prior to departure for yourself and up to eight additional passengers on the same reservation.

So those are the big seats in front of the plane.

They have five extra inches of seat pitch.

Pitch is that distance between your seat and the seat in front of it.

Yes, good call out for the non-nerds.

We'll link to the article about all the changes at Southwest in the episode description, as well as all the changes to the cards.

And of course, those updates come on the heels of more details on the end of open seating.

So as of July 29th, on Southwest, passengers now have the option to select or not to select a seat during the booking process.

This will apply to flights departing on or after January 27th, 2026.

Rest in peace to that open seating.

I'm glad it's gone.

No, wait.

Too chaotic, man.

Oh my gosh.

Okay.

Not only do I love the chaos, but I swear it is faster because with open seating, people just grab the first open seat rather than do the annoying shuffle where it's like, I have the window seat.

Now y'all in the middle and I all got to get out.

People will just pick the quickest seat they can get into.

The stress, though, the stress.

Well, we'll see if the boarding slows down even more because Southwest is also introducing a group-based boarding process that's pretty similar to all the other airlines.

So starting January 27, 2026, passengers are going to get a boarding group on their ticket, and that's tied to your loyalty status or the fare class of your ticket.

So when you arrive at the gate, then you'll have to wait for your boarding group to be called just like every other airline.

Boo.

Okay.

And then I swear this is the last thing we're going to say about Southwest for today, but that is that there are new seat types, standard, preferred, or extra legroom.

Southwest famously had no first class and not even extra legroom seats.

Like everything, every seat was the same.

I was a caledarian.

I liked it that way.

Yeah, that's true.

But now a standard seat is what you get when you book a BASIC or Choice Fair, the two cheapest fair classes.

And Choice Fairs get to select their seat at booking while BASIC basically gets their seat assigned.

And, you know, you're going to be stuck with all the middle seats.

And also, this is sad, but the new standard seats will actually have one inch less pitch than Southwest old seats.

Same with the preferred seats.

The preferred seats are similar, but just closer to the front of the plane.

Right.

And the extra legroom seats do have five extra inches of seat pitch.

So that's kind of nice.

Yeah, but you have to book a choice extra fare.

Yeah, I'm not doing that.

Me neither.

So the listeners probably know that I used to love Southwest because they were so different from all the other airlines.

But if it is not clear to you already, this is making me turn on them.

So you'll have to give us updates on your journey to find a new airline loyalty program.

What are you flying these days, United?

Yeah, well, my next flight will be United.

So stay tuned.

There are so many United flights out of SF and they're kind of normal and sane.

So United for now.

Okay, let us know when you get an airline car.

Then I'll know you're committed.

Let's move on to luxury hotels because, Megan, I've realized you love luxury hotels so much, and so do many people out there.

I sure do.

That's what I'm spending my points on.

It's the best.

Okay, so this is interesting.

Hilton's second quarter earnings dropped last week, and they had really cool stuff out there.

So, RevPAR, that is short for revenue per available room.

It's a big term in the hotel industry and a good key indicator for hotel performance.

It is up nearly 11% for Hilton's LXR Hotels and Resorts brand.

That's a luxury brand they have.

And then it is up nearly 9% at Waldorf Astoria, their other big luxury name.

That's especially interesting considering RevPAR overall is like slightly negative for Hilton.

So that's largely led by decreases in Hilton's value brands like Embassy Suites and Hampton.

Methinks.

This is reinforcing that trend we're seeing of people really wanting to go all out on that great experience, having that luxury hotel that really hits on Instagram.

In fact, Hilton just reopened one very anticipated luxury property.

That's the Waldorf Astoria in New York.

Nostalgic, luxury, something everyone's talking about in the hotel industry.

I'm actually in New York right now, so I'm trying to swing by this week.

The photos look amazing, like all those marble fireplaces, that legendary clock in Peacock Alley, which is their famous bar.

And then the Cole Porter piano is back, freshly restored.

Oh, you're going to have to stop by for a drink or something.

Yeah, it sounds really nice.

Okay, the thing that I want to hear your report back on is the smell.

Apparently, they rolled out their own signature scent.

It is called 301 Park Avenue.

Oh, okay.

I'm interested.

Honestly, I love a good hotel lobby scent.

I agree.

I a thousand percent believe it's kind of like part of the atmosphere, like the design of the place.

And so I also like making my home try to smell like that.

Well, they say scent is most closely associated with memories.

So then you have that smell and you're like, oh my God, great trip.

I love it.

Great memories.

Yeah.

Okay, let's wrap up with some cruise news that just hit yesterday norwegian cruise line just announced that it is building a water park called great tides water park this will be located on its private island which is called great stirrup key in the bahamas or great stirrup k

i don't we don't know k or key whatever man cool well many of norwegian cruise line's ships on caribbean sailings make a stop there so i think that'll be really fun it gives people another option of things to do on the island yeah but i was pretty shocked because the last time I was on Great Strup Key, I had a behind-the-scenes tour of the island and they were doing all sorts of construction.

And they had showed me where the new pier is, where the boats are going to come so they don't have to tender anymore.

They showed me the new pool area, but I really had no idea the water park was coming.

You mean you didn't see a giant water slide?

No, I did not.

I saw the water slide over at Perfect Day on Cocoa Key, which is Royal Caribbean's island from Norwegian's Island.

And I was kind of like, I want to be on that water slide.

So I'm happy that now Norwegian has its own water slide.

There you go.

Well, once it's built, you probably won't be able to miss it.

Like, there's going to be 19 water slides, a kids' splash zone, and even 15-foot cliffs that you can jump off of.

I will not be doing that.

And don't forget the dynamic river, which is not a lazy river, apparently.

It is faster and thus more exciting.

So you got to call it a dynamic river, not a lazy river.

And then get this.

They're planning to build an illuminated grotto tunnel featuring a bioluminescent scene on that river.

Interesting.

Kind of reminds me of the glowworm caves in New Zealand.

Have you ever seen pictures of it?

No, I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm getting avatar energy.

It looks like the night sky inside of this cave.

It's very cool.

Can't wait to check it out.

The water park is coming in 2026.

So we keep soliciting listener questions and sometimes we'll read one at the end of the show, but we got so many listener questions that we wanted to do a whole show devoted to answering them.

Yes, thank you for sending your questions and we filtered these ones out so that today's show is devoted entirely to us answering your questions related to points, miles, and with that comes credit cards.

And don't worry, we've got a whole nother pile of non-points and miles related questions.

So we'll be doing another listener questions episode soon.

Yes.

And if you still have your own questions that you want to hear on a future show, email us at travel at nerdwallet.com, either as a text email or in a voice memo form, and we will play that on air.

Let's dive into our first question.

Let's start with that one from Peter.

He's one of our biggest fans of the show, and he gave us a nice five-star review on Apple Podcast, too.

I saw that.

Hi, Peter.

Thanks for that five-star review.

Hey, thank you.

Hugely appreciated.

All right, Peter says, hi, Megan and Sally.

I love your new Smart Travel podcast.

I'm recently retired and finally have time to dig into travel strategies, especially around credit cards.

My wife and I live in San Diego and travel a lot.

I've had the Alaska Airlines card for years and use the companion fare regularly, though I've let a few go unused.

I heard you can downgrade a card, then reapply to earn a new sign-up bonus later.

Is that a good idea?

Should I call Bank of America or do it online?

And should I tell them I'm trying to reapply later for a new bonus?

Thanks.

And looking forward to your advice.

Peter in San Diego.

Peter, congrats on making travel part of your retirement routine.

Alaska is an airline that Megan flies often.

Yeah.

And also great questions.

So let's start here.

The Alaska card, officially known as the Alaska Airlines Visa Signature Card, can absolutely be a great fit for West Coast travelers, especially if you're using that annual companion fare benefit.

But keyword is using it.

And of course, that benefit is only valuable if you actually do use it.

I definitely feel like I've had moments of scrambling to use these kinds of benefits before they expire.

And sometimes, I got to say, it ends up being more stressed than it's worth.

Now, the idea of downgrading a card and reapplying later to earn another sign-up bonus is a popular one in the points and miles world.

But in your case, Peter, we wouldn't recommend it.

And here's why.

Yeah, so this is really interesting and specific to your card.

So there was a major change to the Alaska Airlines card as of January 18th, 2023.

Anyone who applied after that date now has to spend $6,000 per year on the card to unlock that companion fare.

But here's the good news, Peter.

Since you've had that card for years, you've been grandfathered into that old policy.

That means you automatically get that companion fare each year without needing to hit any minimum spend.

Yeah.

So if you cancel and reapply, then poof, that benefit is gone.

So now you would have to also have that requirement of spending $6,000 per year hanging over over your head.

So unless you are spending $6,000 on that card every single year, really regularly, we'd say just keep your current card and don't downgrade it.

Yeah, I think the value of that grandfathered benefit probably outweighs any new sign-up bonus you'd earn by canceling and reapplying.

So just stick with what you've got.

Yeah.

Now, Peter, you mentioned your wife is retiring in a few years.

That could be a great opportunity for what we like to call two-player mode.

Yes, this is my favorite game.

So you keep your current Alaska card and then you might have your wife apply for her own Alaska card.

That way you maintain your grandfather benefit and then she earns a new sign of bonus and then she also gets her own companion fare.

Just a quick note.

Yes, Alaska lets you transfer miles between accounts, but we don't recommend it because the fees kind of cut into the value of your miles.

Kind of, but super do.

So if one of you doesn't have enough points for two seats, you'll have to book with your own miles.

Yeah, but you could still really maximize the companion fare benefit with this setup because basically you use your card to take her on one trip as your companion and then you do a second trip where you are her companion boom i like it either two trips for the two of you or one trip for four people and double the value peter thanks so much for the question and happy travels to you and your family we've got all sorts of credit card and miles questions up next after this

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It is time now for an interesting question from Alyssa.

She writes, hi, Megan and Sally.

I've been a longtime listener of Smart Money and was so excited to follow you to Smart Travel.

Ooh, yay.

I'm a business owner and use the Chase Inc.

business preferred, earning around 100,000 points a month.

Woo!

I also have the Chase Sapphire Reserve for personal use.

Someone told me I can't transfer the points from my business card to my personal Sapphire Reserve account.

Is that true?

And if so, what's the best way to use all those business points?

I was so quiet because my jaw was on the floor when she said 100,000 points.

That's amazing.

Alyssa, you're crushing the points game.

Yes.

So let's bust this myth right now.

Yes, you can absolutely transfer points from your Chase Inc.

business preferred to your Chase Sapphire Reserve account.

That's a super common misconception, but Chase lets you combine ultimate rewards points between any of your accounts, business or personal, as long as your name is on both.

It's really simple.

You log into your Chase Ultimate Rewards dashboard, select your Inc.

Business Preferred account, if you can already see it, and then look for the option to combine points.

And from there, you can transfer those points over to your Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Yeah, if you're having trouble, you might just need to link your personal and business profiles first.

You literally just go to profile and settings under your business account, then manage linked accounts, or you can always just call the number on the back of your card and Chase will help you out.

And as you know, your points are more valuable once they're sitting in your Chase Sapphire Reserve account.

You'll get up to two cents per point when redeeming through Chase's travel portal for points boost eligible bookings.

And if you've had the card prior to June 23rd, 2025, which is that big revamp we talked about a while ago, you'll get at least 1.5 cents per point on your other Chase Travel bookings through October 2026.

So combining those points and using them that way would be really good to do before like next year.

Totally.

And maximize that Chase Sapphire Reserve.

That way you are flying farther and fancier and for fewer points.

All right, let's move along to another question.

This one's meaty.

It's from Josh.

He says, I'm Josh, a pharmacist by day, travel advisor by night, loving the podcast.

These are my current cards, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Hilton Honors Amex, and a City A Advantage Platinum Select.

What card should I add next to complement these?

Or is there one I should upgrade instead?

Thanks so much, Josh.

I love doing these things where we get to choose a new add-on card.

Well, let's start by breaking down what those cards are already doing for him and where he might need to fill in some gaps.

Okay, let's start by talking about the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

This is one of our all-time favorite travel credit cards.

You get solid travel protections, decent earning rates, and then most importantly, access to some really valuable transfer partners, especially Hyatt.

That has one of the best sweet spots for Chase Redemption.

So strong core card, I would say, hang on to this one.

Now, the Hilton Honors American Express card, that's a no annual fee card.

So it's a nice low maintenance way to keep building Hilton points.

You'll earn bonus points at U.S.

restaurants, supermarkets, and gas stations, but the perks sort of stop there.

It's pretty light otherwise in terms of what you get at Hilton properties.

Yeah.

And I do kind of like that he mentioned a Hilton card because we also talked about Hyatt.

So now you just have way more options if you have Hilton points and Hyatt points.

If you're going to a city that only has one or the other, you have way more options.

And finally, the City A Advantage Platinum Select.

I actually have ours.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking.

It's really good if you fly American, you get a free checked bag, you earn some American miles, but most importantly, you earn loyalty points toward elite status.

Yeah, so definitely good if you fly American often, but even occasionally, and if you're someone who's checking bags, that benefit is so good.

That's what I use to visit my family on the East Coast.

That said, it doesn't offer a ton of bonus points for everyday spending.

Well, maybe we should give him a better card for everyday spending.

What should we add?

Hmm.

Okay.

Well, I was actually thinking a hotel card, another hotel card.

Yeah, well, he mentioned that Hilton Honors American Express card.

And I was like, sir, you might be able to do better.

Yeah.

I mean, you could go for something like the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass card.

Yes.

You have that one.

Yes.

So I personally carry that card.

And that one is nice because it gives you better perks at Hilton.

So if you have gold status, you get the daily food and beverage credits and you know love my free food.

It also earns more points than what he's currently getting on bonus categories like US supermarkets and restaurants.

And if you spend enough each year, you can unlock a free night certificate.

Yes.

So this is typically what I'm using at supermarkets as well.

Although keyword, it's U.S.

supermarket.

So like the corner store does not count as a supermarket.

So just make sure you know what a supermarket is versus buying food at a different market.

Good tip.

Good tip.

But I do think this card can be super valuable with that free night certificate.

If you are someone who loves to like ball out at a super bougie hotel, me, yes, I know, I know, Megan.

This is good to use at a hotel that's otherwise like $800 a night.

Super high value right there.

And if you want to go all in on Hilton, there's also the Hilton Honors Aspire card, which is a premium option.

It comes with diamond status, a free night every year, and resort credits.

The annual fee is high, but if you travel often and stay at Hilton's, Hilton's, this can pay for itself pretty quickly, especially if you're staying at those luxury properties we were just talking about.

So definitely consider adding a fancy Hilton card.

What about some no annual fee cards?

Since they already have a Chase Sapphire Preferred, I was thinking one of the Chase cashback cards because that might super boost the earnings you're getting on non-bonus categories from the preferred.

I'm thinking about something like the Chase Freedom Unlimited.

That one earns 1.5x on all purchases, which I like because you don't need to mess around with like, is this a supermarket or the random corner market?

You just know it's all getting 1.5x.

And then since you have the chase sapphire preferred, you can combine those points and then you can transfer the points that you earned from your 1.5x on the corner store and then transfer those to travel partners.

I'm looking at you, Hyatt.

You can also redeem them in the travel portal.

You have a lot of options here.

So let's sum it up.

I think, number one, keep the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

We like this one.

It's a great card.

Then upgrade the Hilton Amex to either the surpass or the aspire depending on how often you stay with hilton and how much luxury you prefer

and finally add a general spending card like the chase freedom unlimited to help boost the value of all those random uncategorized purchases for sure and just always make sure the math works out for your budget you do not want to pay annual fees for perks you will not use absolutely not all right all right time for another points boost question this one is from my friend wasim what's up wasim he says hey smart travel team i've got a lot of chase Sapphire Reserve points right now.

With all of the recent changes to Chase's travel portal, should I be in a hurry to redeem them?

Historically, I've just transferred to United or booked through the portal, but I've heard things have changed.

What should I do now?

Yes, Waseem.

So he sent us this question in June, just days after all those Chase Sapphire Reserve changes went into effect.

Megan and I will not rehash them here as we did an entire episode on that already.

If you aren't sure what we're talking about, go back to our episode from June 18th where we talk about the Chase Chase Sapphire Reserve's big makeover.

Big makeover.

But if you had the Chase Sapphire Reserve before all those changes went into effect, your points are still worth 1.5 cents each when you book through the Chase Travel Portal through October 2026.

So for example, if you have 66,666 points, you know, just six all across the board.

then you've got $1,000 worth of flights if you book them through the Chase Travel Portal.

But of course, Wasseem, this changes come October 2026, unless your booking qualifies for this new points boost, which spoiler alert, most economy fairs do not qualify for this, and your points are only worth one cent each.

So that's effectively a 33% drop in value.

So 66,666 points would now only get you $666 in travel.

Not a thousand.

That's a big deal.

So if you, like Waseem, are sitting on a mountain of points, you want to use them strategically before that date, because after that, you're getting a lot less.

The thing I do want to mention, though, is the transfer partners aren't going away.

That'll still be a one-to-one ratio.

So if you are planning on just transferring those points to a transfer partner, then you don't have to be so concerned about this date.

Yeah.

And then I also do want to be somewhat fair to Chase.

I know that we love taboo on Points Boost, but there is a chance that your points are now worth more than 1.5 cents each if you are booking travel that is points boost eligible.

Absolutely.

So that could be anything from flights, hotels, cruises, rental cars, and it'll say right in the chase travel portal that it's points boost eligible and it'll cost you a little bit less points.

Yeah.

Okay.

So I think we should do just like a little tangent on what is points boost eligible or not, because our amazing colleague Craig did this huge analysis of more than 13,000 flights available on Chase Travel.

And he found some pretty interesting stuff.

So for starters, he found that fewer than 10% of flights even had Points Boost available pricing.

And And for economy flights, that percent went down to 3%.

Basically, he found that most points boost options were in business or first class.

And then many also had terrible layovers or higher points prices than just booking cash.

So unless you're flying a premium cabin on a very specific airline like United, the odds of your flight qualifying for points boost in the travel portal are a little bit slim.

Okay, so he gave Wisseam a lot.

What does he do?

Basically, if you have the Chase App Fire Reserve and earn points before October 26, 2025, try to redeem them before October 2026 through the portal, only if the value is good, though.

Otherwise, and this is always my go-to advice, transfer your points to Chase's travel partners.

That's how you unlock the real value.

And you know, Haya is our favorite for outsized value.

You can also transfer to United, Air Canada Aeroplan, Virgin Atlantic, and more.

All right, now time for someone who has points and wants to spend them.

You want to read this one, Sally?

Okay, this one comes from Nico.

Hi, Sally and Megan.

I've been saving up my Chase Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum Points to help cover flights for my fiancé and me to our wedding in Italy.

Oh my gosh, everyone's getting married in Italy.

Okay, Nico says, but I'm stuck figuring out how to best use both.

We have very specific travel dates because of work, so flexibility is limited.

I was thinking about United and its partners.

Any tips for how to book efficiently using both points currencies?

Well, Nico, glad to hear you also have a wedding to go to in Italy.

I just went to two in Italy.

I think it's his own wedding that he's going to.

Oh, that's so i know amazing okay well pack everything in your carry-on please don't lose the wedding clothes so while we usually recommend being as flexible as you can with your travel dates that's often how you get the best deals i totally get it that you can't really move too much around your wedding maybe get there a couple days earlier but i will say you've got two of the most powerful points currencies in the game Chase Ultimate Rewards and Amex membership rewards.

Sally, how would you approach this?

Yeah, so Chase Sapphire Reserve Points transfer one to one to United Mileage Plus.

That is part of the Star Alliance network.

That's really nice because it means you can search award flights not just on United, but also Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Tap Air Portugal, basically a buffet of Europe-friendly options.

So you just head over to united.com, plug in your exact travel dates, be sure to check the box that says book with miles.

And then from there, you'll see results for United and their partners right there.

Now for your Amex membership rewards, you've got a few strong options.

I think my favorite one is you could transfer them to a partner like Air France or KLM.

They have this joint loyalty program called Flying Blue and they have a lot of really cheap redemptions to Europe.

And then here's also what I will say.

If you are striking out on award availability, you can also just use your points kind of like cash through the travel portal.

So there's an Amex travel portal, there's a Chase travel portal.

That gives you full control over dates, though sometimes a redemption is not as good as actually exchanging them for miles with the airline.

Yeah, if you want business class, like on international flights, you'll usually come out way ahead by transferring those points to the airline instead of booking an award seat through the portal.

And then I think we should also let people know, I think a lot of travelers forget this, but you do not have to book a round trip on one airline, particularly if you are booking award travel.

You can always do an outbound on one flight.

So you might do your chase points through United outbound, and then you might use your Amex points back inbound on Megan's favorite, Flying Blue, or another partner.

The other thing I will say is often when you're booking cash, I find that round trip is cheaper, but when you are booking with points, that's not always the case.

I would say just compare prices, either doing one round trip or two one ways.

Yeah, well, round trip international is usually cheaper.

Yes.

I do agree with it.

International one ways.

Right, right.

Yeah.

So if you could use points for this Italy wedding, I would do that.

And also, if you have any wiggle room in your travel dates, even by a day or two, you can sometimes set up alerts and use tools to find better deals.

Megan, I know you're all about these.

Yeah.

I mean, these are the things we've talked about on this show, like points, yeah, point.me, seats.arrow.

They can flag award availability that matches your exact routing and can help you jump on a good deal before they disappear.

Okay, Nico, have a great trip and happy wedding.

All right.

And time for our hot takeoffs this week.

Okay, let's do one.

I have one that I already know you're going to hate.

Hit me.

I'm scared.

I think airlines should find a new snack.

I hate discoff cookies.

Oh my God, you hate biscoff cookies?

Yeah, they are so dry, man.

Like the airplane is already so dry.

I don't need to have this like dry cookie in my mouth.

Yeah.

What?

Oh my gosh.

They're classic.

You dunk them in coffee.

Biscoff ice cream.

I made some in my ninja creamy, and I literally took some biscuits off the plane because I didn't eat it on the plane and I put it in my ninja creamy to make ice cream with it.

Ew, okay.

I literally begged the flight attendant to give me pretzels.

I'm like, I know you have one bag back there.

Just give me one.

Megan, can I tell you something?

Go ahead.

So we're doing a lightly travel-themed wedding.

And guess what?

The little souvenirs at the end are

goodie bags.

Okay, okay, all right.

We're gonna, we're gonna cut it off there.

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This episode was produced by Tess Wiglund and Hilary Georgie.

Claire Soci helped with fact-checking and Nick Chris and me mixed our audio.

And here's our brief disclaimer.

We are not financial or investment advisors.

The advice here was purely the opinions of two credit card obsessed nerds.

You're a nerd.

Yeah, for sure.

And the information provided here is for general educational and entertainment purposes.

It may not apply to your specific circumstances.

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See you next time.

Before we let you go, we want to give another shout out for our giveaway.

We're offering some pretty cool stuff right now, and all you have to do is fill out our listener survey.

One winner will get a Polaroid Go instant camera, and six people will win the Bagu Cloud carry-on bag.

Oh, man, those Polaroid Go's are so hip these days.

All the cool kids have them.

I last had a Polaroid when I was like 12, but I need this one now.

And it could still fit your light packing ethos, as it's the world's smallest instant camera.

Dang, okay, so how do I enter this survey?

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Thank you and happy travels!