Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures Southwest just announced big changes to Rapid Rewards, including what we've been fearing for a while: the end of the Companion Pass as we know it. In this episode I walk through what's changing and when, the new status levels, and a few smaller positive changes, like partner awards and the new Icon Lounges. Then we talk strategy. If you were hoping for a Companion Pass in 2027 or 2028, your best move is to pivot and earn one before December 31, 2026. I cover e...

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures If you've been avoiding Chase Ink cards because you heard about the "lifetime language," or because someone told you Chase is dead, I want to walk you through what I'm actually seeing. There's a lot of half-truths floating around right now, and it's leaving a lot of people confused. In this episode I break down why I think "lifetime" is a misnomer and what the approval data points tell us about who is still getting approved and who isn't. RESOURCES Sign up for...

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures Significant changes are hitting the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card program starting June 15th, and while there are some nice new perks, others might cost new cardholders as much as $700 in potential value in the first year alone. In this episode, I’ll be covering the bad news and the good news. Because these changes have different rollout dates depending on which card you have and when you applied, it can feel a bit complex. But don't worry—I'm walking y...

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures Welcome back to the final episode of Season 3! This season has been a bit more drawn out than I originally planned, and because the world of miles and points moves fast, I wanted to take a moment to catch you up on all the significant changes that have happened since I first recorded these episodes over the last year. In this wrap-up, we are covering everything from the Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines merger, to the shifting sweet spots with Finnair and Avios. I'...

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures Last episode I went deep on MileagePlus®, and today I'm following it up with the other half of the United puzzle: how to book United flights even when you don't have United miles, and when it might make sense to book that way even if you do. We're walking through Avianca LifeMiles®, Air Canada Aeroplan®, Singapore KrisFlyer, JetBlue TrueBlue® (through the new Blue Sky partnership), and a quick note on what happened with Turkish Miles&Smiles® after their De...

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures If you fly United — or even if you're just thinking about it — this episode is your starting point for understanding their MileagePlus® program from the ground up. I'm covering how dynamic pricing and saver awards work, the full United credit card lineup and what cardholder pricing actually means for your bookings now, ways to stack your earnings with the MileagePlus X app, and one of my favorite United features that no other major airline offers: miles poolin...