This episode pulls back the curtain on the real-life systems we use as a family to earn and stretch our points. It’s full of practical answers, honest numbers, and lessons learned the hard way—so you can shortcut your own strategy.

In today’s episode, we’re chatting about

• How many personal and business credit cards I actively keep open
• Why my credit score stays above 800—even with frequent applications
• What I do with cards after the first year (your 4 options)
• The real (and shocking) number I pay in annual fees each year
• The always “annual spend” question debunked
• How I think about using points vs cash for flights and hotels
• The #1 item I will not travel without
• The biggest mistake I made when I started—and how it held us back for years

👋 Hi! I'm Michele!

A points and miles expert, using points for family vacations to Japan, Hawaii, Thailand, Greece, Italy, Spain, theme parks and so much more.

I don't believe in spending more to earn more points. The key is knowing how to earn the best points and getting massive value from them.

With a teenager in competitive sports & public school, traveling during the busiest of times is our family's norm. I'll show you my best tips & strategies to use points for making incredible family travel happen.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fancy Travel Pointers is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as Bankrate.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers.

Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.