Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

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Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

Katie's Travel Tricks

42 episodes

2 weeks ago

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures I used to call the Capital One Venture X a "no brainer," but with the major changes coming in 2026, I now consider it more of a "full brainer." In this episode, I’m breaking down exactly what is changing and helping you calculate if the card is still worth the $395 annual fee. I cover the solid benefits that remain that still help to offset the cost. I’ll also walk you through the massive new limited-time welcome offer of 100,000 miles and share critical appli...

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Places & Travel,

Society & Culture

All content for Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks is the property of Katie's Travel Tricks and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures I used to call the Capital One Venture X a "no brainer," but with the major changes coming in 2026, I now consider it more of a "full brainer." In this episode, I’m breaking down exactly what is changing and helping you calculate if the card is still worth the $395 annual fee. I cover the solid benefits that remain that still help to offset the cost. I’ll also walk you through the massive new limited-time welcome offer of 100,000 miles and share critical appli...

Show more...

Places & Travel,

Society & Culture

Episodes (20/42)

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

Is the Capital One Venture X Still Worth It?

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures I used to call the Capital One Venture X a "no brainer," but with the major changes coming in 2026, I now consider it more of a "full brainer." In this episode, I’m breaking down exactly what is changing and helping you calculate if the card is still worth the $395 annual fee. I cover the solid benefits that remain that still help to offset the cost. I’ll also walk you through the massive new limited-time welcome offer of 100,000 miles and share critical appli...

2 weeks ago

33 minutes

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

The Best Credit Card for Airport Lounge Access (2025-2026 Changes)

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures Finding the "best" credit card for airport lounge access is a trick question. The real answer depends on your home airport, who you travel with, and your budget. With changes to guest policies and new cards being released, the lounge landscape is totally different in 2025. In this episode, I’ll walk you through all the options, from airline-specific cards to the big bank lounges like Centurion, Capital One, and the newer Sapphire Lounges. I’ll cover the "secre...

4 weeks ago

28 minutes

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

Podcast Update: We're Back! (Season 3)

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures Hey everyone, sorry for the long break! The podcast is officially starting back up, but first I'm adding some much-needed updates to the end of Seasons 1 and 2 so everything still makes sense for new listeners. For Season 3, I'm super excited to add new segments like your success stories and helping you plan trips! If you want to share your story or get help with a trip, just email nicole@katiestraveltricks.com, and don't forget to stay in the loop by signing ...

1 month ago

2 minutes

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

Southwest is Changing - Here's What to Do!

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures Southwest Airlines feels unrecognizable with all the changes in 2025 and 2026, and while new policies have lost my trust, I'm not abandoning the airline yet. Instead, I'm tweaking my strategy to adapt, and I want to help you do the same. In this episode, I'm digging into all the changes, from the new baggage and assigned seating policies to the breakdown of "Basic" vs. "Choice" fares. I discuss the current loopholes for extending flight credits that are expiri...

1 month ago

29 minutes

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

Chase 2025 Business Card Shake-Up: New Perks, Stricter Rules & A New Card

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures In this week's update episode, I'm breaking down all the big changes to the Chase business cards that have happened over the past year. I also cover some important new rules for getting approved for business cards and a major shift in how referrals work for the Ink cards that will require a strategy pivot for many of us. The biggest news of all is Chase's brand new premium business card: the Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business(SM) Credit Card. It's definitely ...

1 month ago

20 minutes

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

Chase Sapphire 2025 OVERHAUL: Is the $795 Reserve Card Worth It?

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures Welcome to Points for Normal People! When it comes to our favorite points programs and credit cards, change is inevitable, but it doesn't have to be discouraging! In this episode, I'm breaking down all the huge updates that rolled out for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card and Chase Sapphire Reserve® card in the summer of 2025. We'll walk through everything from the new standard welcome offer and increased minimum spend on the Preferred card to the eligibility...

2 months ago

32 minutes

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

Partner Airline Deals for Booking Alaska & Hawaiian Flights

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures Welcome to Points for Normal People! Today I’m going to show you how to book Alaska and Hawaiian flights for less by leveraging partner airline points. We'll explore options with Finnair, Qatar, JetBlue, American, and Singapore Airlines, including tips for maximizing your savings. I’ll break down everything from using Avios sweet spots to booking nonstop flights from the East Coast to Hawaii. Plus, I'll give you a heads-up on the upcoming changes with the Alas...

7 months ago

22 minutes

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

Alaska and Hawaiian Miles for Domestic Award Flights

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures Welcome to Points for Normal People! Today we're diving into two airlines perfect for trips to and from the West Coast and Pacific Northwest, or flights to Hawaii and Alaska: Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines! With their merger underway, things are shifting, creating some unique opportunities, especially a cool loophole involving Amex points that gets them over to Alaska. We'll cover earning and using miles from both programs for domestic flights. AC...

7 months ago

17 minutes

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

Amex Points Explained: The Good, The Bad, and The Rules You Need to Know

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures Welcome to Points for Normal People! Let's tackle a topic I get asked about a lot: Amex Membership Rewards. Honestly, I have mixed feelings – the points themselves can be fantastic for travel, but the cards? They definitely come with extra rules and quirks, making them feel more intermediate level. Still, since you're asking and the points can be super useful, this episode is your essential overview. We'll cover the must-knows for earning these points (like na...

8 months ago

29 minutes

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

Best Avios Strategies for Domestic American Airlines Flights

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures Welcome to Points for Normal People! Today I’m sharing the current best strategies on how to use Avios to book American Airlines domestic flights! With these methods you can book flights to Hawaii from anywhere in the US for 30,000 points round trip – or less! It used to be that British Airways offered a great way to do this, but now Qatar, and Finnair are the best option to book those same American Airlines flights, often for fewer points than using Ame...

8 months ago

23 minutes

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

American Airlines Miles: Best Ways to Earn & Redeem for Domestic Flights

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures Welcome to Points for Normal People! In this episode, we're diving into American Airlines miles. I know a lot of you want to use points for domestic travel, and American is a good option. We'll talk about the best times to use your miles on American flights, and how to earn those miles. I'll cover the pros and cons, and give you some tips to maximize your points. We'll also look at some tools to find the best deals, and I'll share a few tricks I've learned abo...

8 months ago

25 minutes

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

Award Flights Made Easy: My Simple Research Process

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures Welcome to Points for Normal People! In this episode I'm sharing my exact process to research the best domestic award flights. I’ll walk you through the initial steps I always take before even thinking about searching for award availability. I'll show you why it's so important to understand your routing options and get a feel for cash prices first, and I'll tell you about the tools I use to build a solid foundation for successful award travel planning. I also ...

8 months ago

19 minutes

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

Season 3 Premiere: Unlocking Domestic Flights with Points & Miles

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures Welcome to Points for Normal People! Hey everyone, welcome back to Points for Normal People! I am so excited to kick off Season 3 with you today! We're going to get into all things domestic flights and points this season, which is going to be a bit of a step up, getting into some of those intermediate strategies. If you're just joining us, welcome! But if you ever feel lost, definitely pop back to Season 1, Episode 1, because that’s where we build a foun...

9 months ago

21 minutes

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

Listener Travel Tricks: Your Best Tips for Saving Money and Maximizing Rewards

Click MORE to see Ad disclosuresWelcome to Points for Normal People!Today is special because I’ll be sharing the tips and tricks I’ve learned from you. The Points for Normal People community is full of great information and on occasion some of you have reached out to me with resources or information that I wasn’t even aware of. I’m so thankful to each of you who reached out to me and excited to share that information today. One CORRECTION: You don’t earn 4 points per dollar with every So...

11 months ago

24 minutes

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

Hidden Gems: Unique Ways to Use Venture Miles

Click MORE to see Ad disclosuresWelcome to Points for Normal People!Today in part two about the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, I’ll be showing you a lot of unique ways to use your Venture miles. We’ll cover ways for the average person to get the most out of their miles, and I’ll also show you some tricks for how to boost your earnings of Venture miles. We cover a lot in this episode, but don’t worry, you don’t have to remember everything! We have a lot of resources below to h...

1 year ago

28 minutes

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

The Venture X Card: A Deep Dive into Perks and Benefits

Click MORE to see Ad disclosuresWelcome to Points for Normal People!This episode is part one of a deep dive into the perks and benefits of the Venture X credit card from Capital One. There are a lot of reasons this is one of my top two credit cards! Today I’ll show you why I love this card and help you identify if it is a good card for you. If you already have this card, I’ll give you resources for how to get the most value out of it. Next week I’ll be back with part two about the Ventu...

1 year ago

25 minutes

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

Best 2024 Credit Cards for Airport Lounge Access

Click MORE to see Ad disclosures All information was accurate at time of recording, however benefits and credit card details can and do change. Please always review the links in the show notes and check our blog for the most up-to-date info. For up to date lounge info, check out these links to our guides: Guide to Chase Sapphire Reserve: https://katiestraveltricks.com/sapphirereserve/ Guide to Venture X: https://katiestraveltricks.com/venturex/ Guide to airport lounge access for families: ht...

1 year ago

25 minutes

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

Skip the Lines: Your Ultimate Guide to Save Time at the Airport

Click MORE to see Ad disclosuresWelcome to Points for Normal People!In today’s episode, I’ll be sharing everything you need to know about how to skip airport lines. We’ll cover security, immigration, food, and rental car lines. You may be surprised how many easy ways there are to save time!So, if you're tired of waiting in long lines at the airport, tune in to this episode. I’ve also put together a lot of resources below to help you make the most of your airport experience.ACTION STEPS:Check ...

1 year ago

22 minutes

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

Southwest Flight Savings: Tips and Tricks for Saving Big

Click MORE to see Ad disclosuresWelcome to Points for Normal People!In this episode, I’ll be going over all of my favorite ways to save money when booking flights with Southwest Airlines. I’ll give you background information on the Southwest booking process, explain what makes their ticketing different from other airlines, and give you step-by-step tips and tricks to save you lots of time and money. My family has been flying Southwest regularly for over a decade and we love it! Be sure t...

1 year ago

21 minutes

Points for Normal People by Katie's Travel Tricks

Maximize Your Rewards: The Ultimate Guide to Credit Card Cancellation

Click MORE to see Ad disclosuresWelcome to Points for Normal People!In this episode, I’ll be sharing about the most requested topic for this podcast; when to close your credit cards for maximum value. I’ll break down the various reasons that you may want to cancel a card and then give you a list of questions to ask yourself, to make sure that you get the most out of your card before you cancel. If you find yourself new to credit cards and points, I’m here to help you with all the details...

1 year ago

21 minutes