Points for Normal People by Katie&#8217;s Travel Tricks

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S3E6: Alaska and Hawaiian Miles for Domestic Award Flights Apr 16, 2025

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4/16/25 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.

ACTION STEPS

Consider applying for the Hawaiian Business card before it's discontinued (check offer details).
Look at personal Hawaiian cards if you have 5/24 space available.
If you have any Bank of America card (credit or debit), check out the Museums on Us program.
Consider adding kids as authorized users on BofA cards for museum access (no minimum age).
Next time you fly Alaska and check bags, time the delivery (under 20 mins?) and claim miles if they're late.
If focusing on Alaska miles, sign up for/use the Mileage Plan Shopping portal and link cards for in-store offers.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

My Best Offers page (for Alaska card offers when ≥ 70k): https://katiestraveltricks.com/bestoffers/
Bank of America Museums on Us program: https://about.bankofamerica.com/en/making-an-impact/museums-on-us-partners
Alaska Mileage Plan Shopping portal: https://www.mileageplanshopping.com/instore
Alaska Air Deals: https://www.alaskaair.com/content/deals/flights/sale
Alaska Air delayed baggage info: https://www.alaskaair.com/content/travel-info/baggage/baggage-claim/delayed-damaged-missing
Seats.Aero (award search tool): https://seats.aero/
Email me at katie@katiestraveltricks.com with any Alaska or Hawaiian tips!

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S3E5: Amex Points Explained: The Good, The Bad, and The Rules You Need to Know Apr 09, 2025

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4/9/25 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 navigating those tricky welcome offers!), the key application strategies you can't ignore, and super important: how to create an exit plan to keep your points without paying those high annual fees long-term. Consider this your guide to deciding if Amex is right for you!

ACTION STEPS

Opt-In to Amex Marketing
Plan Your Exit Strategy
Ask for a Retention Offer
Check Your Amex Offers
Consider Card Pointers: https://cardpointers.com/partner/katiestravel/
Try Rakuten: https://www.rakuten.com/r/KMGALL29?eeid=44749

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

My new Amex overview (blog): https://katiestraveltricks.com/amex-membership-rewards/
Best Card Offers: https://katiestraveltricks.com/bestoffers/
Sign up for this beginner’s guide and we’ll also send you our Saturday morning newsletter: https://katiestraveltricks.com/travel-points-101-quick-start-guide/
TrackRak: https://trackrak.com/
Rakuten info: https://www.rakuten.com/help/article/is-the-cash-back-button-available-for-mobile-devices-and-tablets-360002100928 and https://www.rakuten.com/help/article/installing-the-ebates-cash-back-button-360001446688

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S3E4: Best Avios Strategies for Domestic American Airlines Flights Apr 02, 2025

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4/2/25 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 American's own miles.

It might sound a little complicated at first, but we’ll take you step by step. Avios are actually some of the easiest airline miles to earn thanks to all the credit card transfer partners out there. We'll break it all down for you so that you understand each step.

ACTION STEPS

Check out the Seats.Aero webinar. Video in my free course: learn.katiestraveltricks.com
Sign up for a Finnair loyalty account
Consider signing up for a British Airways account

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Using Finnair Avios for US Flights (blog): https://katiestraveltricks.com/using-finnair-avios-to-book-american-alaska-flights/
Using Qatar Avios for US Flights (blog): https://katiestraveltricks.com/using-qatar-avios-to-book-domestic-us-flights
Video Tutorial - Find and Book AA Flights with Finnair Avios: https://katiestraveltricks.com/find-and-book-american-airlines-flights-with-finnair-avios-video-guide/
Your Best Credit Cards transfer bonus notifications signup: https://yourbestcreditcards.com/current-transfer-bonuses/?ccid=katiestravel
Dan's Deals workaround for regional Qatar bookings: https://www.dansdeals.com/points-travel/milespoints/book-qatar-avios-award-bargains/
Booking flights to Europe on points: https://katiestraveltricks.com/guide-to-flying-to-europe-on-points/

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S3E3: American Airlines Miles: Best Ways to Earn & Redeem for Domestic Flights Mar 26, 2025

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3/26/25 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 about booking with American.

For a video guide of navigating the American Airlines website, watch here: https://katiestraveltricks.com/navigating-the-american-airlines-website-video-guide/

ACTION STEPS

Consider opening a Barclay Aviator card
Sign up for Simply Miles: https://www.simplymiles.com
Enroll a card in the American Airlines Dining Program
Get logged into American's eShopping portal
Consider browsing Loyalty Point Hunters (or joining their Facebook group): https://loyaltypointhunters.com

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

FinnAir article: https://katiestraveltricks.com/using-finnair-avios-to-book-american-alaska-flights
American Airlines sales: https://www.aa.com/en-us/spring-deals
American Airlines miles finder map: https://www.aa.com/en-us/miles-finder-map
American Airlines Dining Program: https://www.aadvantagedining.com/

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S3E2: Award Flights Made Easy: My Simple Research Process Mar 19, 2025

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3/19/25 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 cover some outdated advice you might have heard. Plus, I'll touch on the sometimes confusing world of booking partner airline awards and give you a sneak peek into future episodes where I'll be diving into specific sweet spots and strategies to help you get the absolute most out of your points.

ACTION STEPS

Do a test run of the initial flight search process for a route you'd like to fly.
Go to FlightConnections.com to find nonstop routes for your chosen route.
Go to Google Flights to gauge cash prices and check connecting flight options.
Make notes on your findings, including nonstop and connecting options, and cash prices.
Check the distance of your flight.
Save this information for when we look at specific sweet spots in future episodes.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Watch me walk through the process: katiestraveltricks.com/how-to-book-domestic-flights-with-points-video-guide/
Flight Connections: FlightConnections.com
Google Flights: https://www.google.com/travel/flights
Download my free course: learn.katiestraveltricks.com

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S3E1: Season 3 Premiere: Unlocking Domestic Flights with Points & Miles Mar 12, 2025

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3/12/25 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 foundation. Think of Season 3 as your guide to mastering domestic award flights – we're going way beyond Southwest this time!

ACTION STEPS

Download the free Travel Points 201 Guide.
Take stock of your points across different programs.
New to the podcast? Start with Season 1, Episode 1.

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S2E9: Listener Travel Tricks: Your Best Tips for Saving Money and Maximizing Rewards Dec 18, 2024

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12/18/24 Click MORE to see Ad disclosures

Welcome 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 Southwest card – just with the higher $199 annual fee business card. You earn 3 points per dollar with the other Southwest business card.

Season three is coming soon and I’d love to hear from you! Do you have any specific topics you’d like to see me cover? Send me an email at katie@katiestraveltricks.com.

ACTION STEPS

If you have a Southwest credit card, use this trick to check Southwest credits: https://katiestraveltricks.com/southwest-upgraded-boarding/
If you want to try the Southwest schedule change trick, try it with round trip flights for an even better chance at being able to change to a better flight.
If you are working toward a Southwest Companion Pass and you need a few extra points, transfer points from your Southwest account to another person – pay the fee with your business card to earn up to $500 in reimbursement – and you’ll earn 2,000 extra points.
Verizon customers: To keep your autopay discount, but pay your bill with a credit card that offers cell phone protections, keep your autopay setup, but pay your bill in the store at a kiosk before the due date.
Don’t forget to sign up for my free newsletter! Sign up for this beginner’s guide and we’ll also send you our Saturday morning newsletter: https://katiestraveltricks.com/travel-points-101-quick-start-guide/

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Best Credit Card for Lounge Access (by Airport): https://katiestraveltricks.com/best-credit-card-for-lounge-access-by-airport/
Sign up for my free course: learn.katiestraveltricks.com.

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S2E8: Hidden Gems: Unique Ways to Use Venture Miles Nov 20, 2024

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11/20/24 Click MORE to see Ad disclosures

Welcome 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 help you as you navigate the ways to use your miles that bring the most value to you.

ACTION STEPS

Sign up for my newsletter so that you don’t miss out on the best offers and latest resources: https://katiestraveltricks.com/travel-points-101-quick-start-guide/

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Venture X Card Guide: https://katiestraveltricks.com/venturex/
Travel Points 201 - All About Transfer Partners: https://katiestraveltricks.com/travel-points-201-all-about-transfer-partners/
Best U.S. Choice Privileges Hotels for Families: 1+ Bedroom Suites [Map]: https://katiestraveltricks.com/choiceprivileges/
Best Hotels for Families of 4 in Europe to Book with Points [Map]: https://katiestraveltricks.com/map-best-hotels-for-families-of-4-in-europe/
Preferred Hotels with Choice Points [Map]: https://katiestraveltricks.com/preferred-hotels-with-choice-points-map/
Sweet Spot: Round trip to Europe for 25,000 points (or less!) + $227: https://katiestraveltricks.com/flyingbluesweetspot/
Booking Virgin Voyages on Points: https://katiestraveltricks.com/booking-virgin-voyages-on-points/
Strategy for the 5/24 Rule: https://studio.youtube.com/video/50I7wU0lQqQ/edit

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