Oahu, Hawaii First-Timers: The Stay, the Food & Oahu Highlights — All Thanks to Points

Oahu has been on our bucket list forever, and we finally made it happen — using points 🙌 In this episode, we’re sharing a full, honest review of our first trip to Oahu, Hawaii, including where we stayed, what we ate, and the activities that were actually worth it.

If you’re planning your first trip to Oahu or wondering if Hawaii is really doable with points, this episode is for you.

In this episode, we cover:

• 🏨 Where we stayed in Oahu (and whether we’d stay there again)
• 🍽️ Where we ate — must-tries, overrated spots, and family-friendly wins
• 🌴 Oahu highlights & activities we loved as first-timers
• ✈️ How we used points to make this trip affordable
• ❌ What we’d skip or do differently next time

We’re sharing the good, the “meh,” and the worth-it moments, so you can plan smarter and get the most out of your Hawaii vacation — without blowing your budget.

How we booked Hawaii on points:

Flights:

American Airlines - Denver to Honolulu - 25,000 points/ person

*Opened American Airlines Co-Branded Card

United Airlines - Honolulu - Denver - 100,000 points/ person (1st class)

*Transferred points from Chase - Thanks to the Sapphire Preferred

Hotel:

Hyatt Place Waikiki - 15,000 points/ night

*Transferred points from Chase - Thanks to the Sapphire Preferred

Who this episode is for:

• First-time travelers to Oahu, Hawaii
• Couples planning a Hawaii trip
• Anyone curious about booking Hawaii with points
• Travelers who want honest hotel, food, and activity reviews

🎧 Press play to hear our full Oahu breakdown and learn how points turned a dream trip into a reality.

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone planning a Hawaii trip!

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Let’s Connect:
📲 Follow us on Instagram & Facebook: @PointMetoVacay

💌 Share your wins, questions, or dream trips—we’d love to feature you on a future episode! DM our social links!

📸. Family trip? Couple getaway? Don’t settle for selfies or awkward shots. 😅 We’re now Flytographer Affiliates! Local photographers capture beautiful, stress-free vacation memories—so everyone’s in the photos, even the parents.

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Katie Spills the Travel Tea: Minimum Spends Explained (And How We Hit Ours)

Credit card minimum spends don’t have to be overwhelming—and they definitely don’t mean spending money you don’t have.

In this mini episode of Point Me to Vacay, I break down exactly what a credit card minimum spend is, why it matters, and how everyday expenses can help you unlock massive travel rewards.

☕ Real-Life Travel Tea: Our Latest Minimum Spend Win

I also share a real-life example from our own family’s most recent win—including how Tom and I each earned 100,000 Southwest points and secured the Southwest Companion Pass for nearly two full years using normal household spending.

If you’ve ever thought travel hacking sounded confusing or out of reach, this episode will change that.

✈️ What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• What a credit card minimum spend actually is
• Common mistakes people make with minimum spends
• Tips to hit a higher minimum spend
• Timing your card applications can unlock years of free travel

💳 Favorite Travel Credit Cards We Love and current favorite card offers here:

(These are the cards we personally use and recommend—always apply when the offer makes sense for you.)

✈️ Southwest Cards

• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus
• Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business

💎 Chase Cards (Great for Beginners)

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® or Reserve®
• Chase Business Ink Unlimited® or Cash®
• Chase Freedom Flex®

💛 AMEX Cards

• Amex Personal Gold

🏨 Hotel Cards

• World of Hyatt Credit Card

⚠️ Important Reminder

Travel hacking works best when you:

• Pay your balance in full every month
• Avoid interest and unnecessary spending
• Open cards with a plan and purpose

Free travel should never come with financial stress.

🎧 Listen, Share & Connect

If this episode helped you:

• Share it with a friend who thinks travel hacking is “too complicated”
• Subscribe so you never miss a new episode of Katie Spills the Travel Tea

📲 Follow along for daily travel tips & real-life wins:
@PointMetoVacay

Send us a text

Support the show

Let’s Connect:
📲 Follow us on Instagram & Facebook: @PointMetoVacay

💌 Share your wins, questions, or dream trips—we’d love to feature you on a future episode! DM our social links!

📸. Family trip? Couple getaway? Don’t settle for selfies or awkward shots. 😅 We’re now Flytographer Affiliates! Local photographers capture beautiful, stress-free vacation memories—so everyone’s in the photos, even the parents.

- Book your session: https://flytog.co/POINTMETOVACAY

✈️ Thanks for listening to Point Me to Vacay! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review so more families can learn how to turn everyday spending into unforgettable travel.

💳 What’s In Our Wallets: The Credit Cards We Actually Use Daily (and Why)

Ever wonder what credit cards we actually use every day? In this episode, we’re opening our wallets and breaking down the exact cards we use for everyday spending—and why.

We’re sharing:

• Which cards earn us the most value on daily purchases
• How we keep things simple (even with multiple cards)
• Which card we use when buying groceries vs gas

If you’re overwhelmed by credit card options or trying to figure out which card to use right now, this episode is for you.

What We Cover in This Episode

• Our current “daily driver” credit cards
• What categories we use each card for (groceries, gas, bills, etc.)
• Why we don’t put everything on one card
• How our wallet changes depending on travel goals
• How to decide what should be in your wallet

Who This Episode Is For

• Travel hacking beginners
• Families trying to earn points without stress
• Anyone wondering “Which card should I actually use?”
• People who want nearly free travel without juggling 10 cards

Let’s Connect
If this episode helped you, share it with a friend who’s always asking how you afford your trips ✈️
And if you have a trip in mind, DM us—we’ll help you figure out which points to earn first.

Send us a text

Make every vacation memory count! Flytographer pairs you with local photographers so everyone is in the shot, smiling and stress-free. Grab our affiliate link for a special deal and help support the show!

Flytographer: Stress-free vacay photos
Book a local professional photographer with Flytographer—perfect vacay photos, zero awkwardness.

Support the show

Let’s Connect:
📲 Follow us on Instagram & Facebook: @PointMetoVacay

💌 Share your wins, questions, or dream trips—we’d love to feature you on a future episode! DM our social links!

📸. Family trip? Couple getaway? Don’t settle for selfies or awkward shots. 😅 We’re now Flytographer Affiliates! Local photographers capture beautiful, stress-free vacation memories—so everyone’s in the photos, even the parents.

- Book your session: https://flytog.co/POINTMETOVACAY

✈️ Thanks for listening to Point Me to Vacay! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review so more families can learn how to turn everyday spending into unforgettable travel.

Point Me to Vacay = Christmas Edition 🎄🎅

It’s almost Christmas — and if you’re a mom feeling the end-of-year chaos (like me), this episode is your permission to pause for a few minutes and dream.

In this Christmas Edition episode, I’m counting down my top five places I’d spend Christmas, from bucket-list destinations to the place that will always win no matter what. We’re talking Christmas markets, iconic cities, theme-park magic, tropical escapes — and more...

This episode is perfect for listening while wrapping those last minute gifts, driving to one more school event, or hiding in the bathroom for five quiet minutes.

In this episode, I count down my TOP 5 places I'd spend Christmas!

Whether you’re traveling for the holidays or staying close to home, this episode is a reminder that Christmas doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful.

🎄 From our family to yours — Merry Christmas and thanks for listening!

Send us a text

Support the show

Let’s Connect:
📲 Follow us on Instagram & Facebook: @PointMetoVacay

💌 Share your wins, questions, or dream trips—we’d love to feature you on a future episode! DM our social links!

📸. Family trip? Couple getaway? Don’t settle for selfies or awkward shots. 😅 We’re now Flytographer Affiliates! Local photographers capture beautiful, stress-free vacation memories—so everyone’s in the photos, even the parents.

- Book your session: https://flytog.co/POINTMETOVACAY

✈️ Thanks for listening to Point Me to Vacay! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review so more families can learn how to turn everyday spending into unforgettable travel.

NFR Las Vegas Trip Recap: Rio Hotel Review, Points Travel & the Chaos We Didn't Expect 🎰

Vegas always delivers… just not always how you expect. 😅

In this episode, we’re recapping our latest Las Vegas trip for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR)—from staying at the Rio on points, to navigating crowds, chaos, and a little unexpected drama along the way.

We’re sharing the real behind-the-scenes of traveling during one of Vegas’s busiest weeks, what worked, what we’d do differently, and why using points made this trip possible (and way less stressful on the budget).

If you’ve ever wondered:

• What Vegas is really like during NFR
• Whether the Rio is worth it on points
• Or why “what happens in Vegas” isn’t always glamorous

…this episode is for you.


What We Cover in This Episode:

✨ Our experience traveling to Las Vegas during NFR
🏨 Staying at the Rio on points – the good, the bad, and the honest truth
🎟️ NFR vibes, crowds, and what surprised us most
🎭 The chaos we didn’t plan for
🤍 Full breakdown of our trip to Las Vegas - where we ate and what we did.

Listener Takeaway:

Vegas will always be loud, bright, and chaotic—but traveling on points gives you flexibility, freedom, and way less financial stress, even when things don’t go perfectly.

Send us a text

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Let’s Connect:
📲 Follow us on Instagram & Facebook: @PointMetoVacay

💌 Share your wins, questions, or dream trips—we’d love to feature you on a future episode! DM our social links!

📸. Family trip? Couple getaway? Don’t settle for selfies or awkward shots. 😅 We’re now Flytographer Affiliates! Local photographers capture beautiful, stress-free vacation memories—so everyone’s in the photos, even the parents.

- Book your session: https://flytog.co/POINTMETOVACAY

✈️ Thanks for listening to Point Me to Vacay! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review so more families can learn how to turn everyday spending into unforgettable travel.

This week’s episode is a little different than usual — we just got back from Vegas and Tom had to head straight back to work on the railroad, so our full Vegas + NFR + Cowboy Christmas breakdown is coming next week.

For today, we’re sharing a quick mini episode focused on exactly how to travel hack Vegas — because this is one of the easiest cities in the U.S. to book using points and miles.

In this episode, we cover:

✈️ How to Hack Flights to Vegas with Southwest

• How easy it is to earn Southwest Rapid Rewards points
• Why the Companion Pass is a total game-changer
• Transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards → Southwest (1:1)

🏨 How We Booked the Rio on Points

• Option 1: Booking the Rio through Hyatt using Chase points
• Option 2: Booking the Caesar's properties by transferring from Wyndham using Citi points
• How transfer partners unlock multiple hotel options

🔮 Coming Next Week

• Our full Vegas spending vs. points breakdown
• Where we saved, where we splurged, and what we’d do differently — including Cowboy Christmas damage

If you’ve ever thought, “I want to go to Vegas but the prices are insane,” this episode shows you how to do it smarter using points.

🔗 Ready to Start Travel Hacking?

If you’re brand new, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is one of our favorite beginner cards for:

• Southwest transfers
• Hyatt hotel stays
• Everyday flexible points

👉 APPLY HERE

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Send us a text

Support the show

Let’s Connect:
📲 Follow us on Instagram & Facebook: @PointMetoVacay

💌 Share your wins, questions, or dream trips—we’d love to feature you on a future episode! DM our social links!

📸. Family trip? Couple getaway? Don’t settle for selfies or awkward shots. 😅 We’re now Flytographer Affiliates! Local photographers capture beautiful, stress-free vacation memories—so everyone’s in the photos, even the parents.

- Book your session: https://flytog.co/POINTMETOVACAY

✈️ Thanks for listening to Point Me to Vacay! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review so more families can learn how to turn everyday spending into unforgettable travel.

Katie Spills the Travel Tea: Our 2026 Travel Plans & Card Strategy

In this mini episode, I’m spilling all the travel tea on what our 2026 calendar actually looks like—from a bucket-list Hawaii trip with our kids, to a big multigenerational Outer Banks vacation, a moms-only Disneyland week, and Tom’s 40th birthday trip at the end of the year.

But the real behind-the-scenes magic?
Planning and strategizing...

This episode is a real-life look:

• Our 2026 Travel Plans
• The 2026 card strategy that will help us achieve our 2027 travel goals
• The framework of our strategy so you can do it too
• A 2026 timeline for nearly free travel in 2027

✈️ Our 2026 Travel Plans

Here’s what’s officially on the calendar:

• 🌴 Hawaii with our kids – March 2026
• 🏖 Outer Banks multigenerational family trip – June 2026
• 🎢 Moms-only Disneyland week with my best friends
• 🎂 Tom’s 40th birthday trip – December 2026 (destination TBD - but probably Las Vegas)

🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• How to copy this framework in your own life—without copying our destinations

💳 Our Favorite Flexible Beginner Card

If you’re building your own 2026 → 2027 strategy and want a strong flexible foundation, this is one of our go-to cards for beginners:

👉 Chase Sapphire Preferred
🔗 Apply Now

Why we love it:

• Flexible airline & hotel transfer partners
• Excellent beginner travel protections
• Easy redemptions
• Strong long-term points value

⚠️ FTC Disclosure

Some of the links in this episode may be referral links. This means we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. We only share cards and tools we personally use and genuinely recommend.


🪜 How to Use This Strategy in Your Own Life

1. Pick your 2027 Trips
2. Open cards (Intentionally)
3. Earn the SUB
4. Let normal spending do the work

You don’t need more money. You just need earlier timing.


🎁 Free Resources

✨ Free Beginner Travel Hacking Guide
Learn exactly how to earn your first points and book your first nearly-free trip.
🔗 Start Now

Send us a text

Support the show

Let’s Connect:
📲 Follow us on Instagram & Facebook: @PointMetoVacay

💌 Share your wins, questions, or dream trips—we’d love to feature you on a future episode! DM our social links!

📸. Family trip? Couple getaway? Don’t settle for selfies or awkward shots. 😅 We’re now Flytographer Affiliates! Local photographers capture beautiful, stress-free vacation memories—so everyone’s in the photos, even the parents.

- Book your session: https://flytog.co/POINTMETOVACAY

✈️ Thanks for listening to Point Me to Vacay! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review so more families can learn how to turn everyday spending into unforgettable travel.

✨ Viva Las Vegas: Rodeo Nights, Neon Lights… and a Haunted Surprise? 🎰👻

We’re taking you behind the scenes of our adult-only Vegas trips — from the glitz of neon lights to rodeo thrills, and yes… a spooky hotel experience we won’t forget.

💥 Spoiler: Vegas isn’t just slots and shows — there’s a little haunted chaos in the mix.

🎯 What We Cover

• The best (and worst) restaurants we tried — where to eat and what to skip
• Iconic Vegas sights you can’t miss
• Our favorite things to do in Sin City
• A haunted hotel story from The Horseshoe
• Tips for planning your own adult-only Vegas trip
• Travel Hacking tips to get your Vegas trip for nearly free

🗒️ Our Vegas Highlights

Neon Lights

• Classic Vegas Strip experiences
• Hidden gems off the main strip

Haunted Surprise

• A spooky encounter at The Horseshoe hotel

💡 Key Takeaway

Vegas is more than the glitz and glam — with a little planning, you can have the perfect mix of food, fun, and unexpected thrills.

🗣️ Homework

• Rate & review the show ⭐
• Share this episode with a friend who loves travel, rodeos, or spooky stories
• Follow us on Instagram → [@pointmetovacay]

Send us a text

Make every vacation memory count! Flytographer pairs you with local photographers so everyone is in the shot, smiling and stress-free. Grab our affiliate link for a special deal and help support the show!

Flytographer: Stress-free vacay photos
Book a local professional photographer with Flytographer—perfect vacay photos, zero awkwardness.

Support the show

Let’s Connect:
📲 Follow us on Instagram & Facebook: @PointMetoVacay

💌 Share your wins, questions, or dream trips—we’d love to feature you on a future episode! DM our social links!

📸. Family trip? Couple getaway? Don’t settle for selfies or awkward shots. 😅 We’re now Flytographer Affiliates! Local photographers capture beautiful, stress-free vacation memories—so everyone’s in the photos, even the parents.

- Book your session: https://flytog.co/POINTMETOVACAY

✈️ Thanks for listening to Point Me to Vacay! Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review so more families can learn how to turn everyday spending into unforgettable travel.