Stack Your Points

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Stack Your Points episodes

May 10, 2025This Podcast Condones Tiny Goblins
Stack Your Point(s)
Date: 05/6/2025
Intro
Who we are
Viewer Questions
What's your grail card? And your grail SUB? - Keith
Which card or cards do you think are the most beautiful or coolest-looking? And which ones are the ugliest? - DDAF
Many times you all have asked for any other bank to add Mobile Wallet as a spending category. The forthcoming Alaska Airlines card is going to have foreign transactions as a spending category. What other spending categories are out there that banks haven't added to good cards would you like to see? - Jason
What are your favorite hotel brands inside of Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and Hyatt? (Eg. Westin, Embassy Suites, HIX, Andaz) - AP
Now that we find ourselves living in even more uncertain economic times, do you find yourselves using your credit cards less often? And do you think Americans will prefer cash, debt, electronic payments before using credit as they once did? Will there be any secondary effects with less miles and points generated because the banks pull back on the credit that they are willing to lend to card holders and issue to new applicants? I find myself using my cards much less often than I did at this time last year. - Keith
News Round-Up
New AmEx Trademarks?
Topics
Matt
This isn’t a Travel or Credit card topic; but it isn’t just me, general macroeconomics are just broken right? The “Law of Supply and Demand” seems to have died off somewhere, and now it’s just the “Law of what you’re willing to pay” and like…At some point that has to break, right?
K1D
We all love to travel, but how are credit cards allowing you to have other financial freedoms? What are some of the wins that you have experienced because of credit cards that are not travel or points/miles related?
Tariq
We’ve all picked our bank ecosystems based on our travel partners (Chase/Bilt for United & Hyatt, Amex for Delta & Hilton), but if you could choose which bank had your transfer partners, which would you choose and why?
RJ
There was a time when airline ticket prices were regulated. From 1938 to 1978, the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) oversaw routes, fares, and schedules. That all changed with the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, which opened the doors to competition. Since then, flights have gotten cheaper—but so has the experience. Gone are the quality meals, spacious seating, and polished service, as airlines now race to offer less for less.
Would you support a return to standardized pricing on routes if it meant bringing back the “golden age” of air travel?
Outro -
Where to find us
2 hr 40 min
May 03, 2025You Were the WHOLE Sundae BUT the Cherry
Intro
Who we are
Viewer Questions
What are the most useful overlapping transfer partners? For example, Aeroplan is a transfer partner for Amex / Capital One and Star Alliance. Perhaps break it down into domestic and international travel? - Trucker X
The Thanos Snap happens and instead of wiping out half of the population, one bank that issues credit cards is no longer. Each of you pick one bank between AMEX, Chase, Citi, and C1 and figure out how the remaining banks respond to fill the void created by the bank that is snapped out of existence - Jason
There are some interesting long-term plays in this game - examples might be getting one of the Chase Marriott cards to product change to the Ritz after a year, or timing Southwest card applications to secure the Companion Pass, or at the extreme running seven figures of spend through a Platinum card to fish for a Centurion invite. Which long-term credit card play is the most interesting to you? - SpaethCo
Each of you has a different preference as to which points ecosystem you want to primarily earn in for redemptions. Aside from adding the obvious transfer partner (Lani = united, Tariq=Hyatt, RJ =Delta & Hilton, Matt= jet Blue maybe?) What would Wells Fargo need to do to their cards/rewards program for them to become the preferred ecosystem in your wallet. Like for example if they added a grocery category or made bilt points interchangeable or something of that nature would that be enough to entice you to their ecosystem - Thic Boii
News Round-Up
Cap 1 Savor X?
Topics
Matt
Have you ever considered a complementary system to your main setup? If yes, who; if not, why?
Lani
Bonus categories; love’em or hate’em. How about a flat earning card?
2x/3x flat on everything. Yes, I’m aware that some card like this already exist, but what if there were more options like this?
May affect travel portals, may mean higher annual fees? What effects do you see if this was the standard?
Tariq
With Capital One getting the approval for the acquisition with Discover, what does this mean for the bank's future business model?
RJ
Do you ever feel stress or frustration when you have a plan in place and part of that plan is just waiting? You have to wait until X day to do Y, for example. No amount of new apps or polishing your credit score will help. Just time.
Outro -
Where to find us
2 hr 8 min
April 26, 2025I Make Steel Look Like Memory Foam
Stack Your Point(s)
Date: 04/21/2025
Intro
Who we are
Viewer Questions
I got three questions mostly for Lani but anyone can answer, I wonder how often you get upgraded with 1k status?
Also with 1k status or with the united infinite card, do you get discounts on business class award flights and if you do what kind of discounts do you get on average?
Have you booked with last minute hotels in the Mileageplus X app because I was looking at hotels in Las Vegas and was amazed to see 10x to 15x on some hotels? LordTorr23
You may have talked about this already, but wondering if any of you have personal minimum limits on how low you let your transferable points drop to? - DDAF
I.e., Do you always use points if you have them to avoid paying cash (assuming acceptable value) or will you pay cash to maintain some arbitrary minimum points balance in case you need them in the future?
Have you made any CC mistakes that you initially regretted but ended up working out well? - Double Double Animal Fries
In reverse, are there any cards that started well but as time passed you started to regret? - JettinwitJan
What's your current favorite shopping portal for maximizing points and miles? - Dad Hacks Travel
News Round-Up
Bilt has added JAL as a 1:1 transfer partner; and added the ability to earn 1x Bilt points for ALL cards used for rent in addition to any other points on that card…
Topics
Matt
When your “normal” friends post about Credit cards on social media, how fast do you go 0-60 now with card knowledge, or do you keep things in reserve and say “I can help, just let me know”
Lani
Is there such a thing as “too much travel?” I’ve recently stated I hit travel burnout. Too much flying, too much planning. To the point where I get to my destination and I just want to watch old movies on T in the room. Have you been there, or felt the pressure from travel, planning, or ensuring you get the best/highest redemption value?
Tariq
Based on their recent news, do you think that Bilt is feeling threatened by the emergence of the Mesa Homeowners card? These are the first “positive” changes announced in a while, so I think they’re starting to feel the heat.
RJ
The longer that I’m into credit cards the less I care so much about max point generation and SUB hunting and the more I care about the perks, natural point accumulation with less friction and the like.
Are you a points person, a perks person or a hybrid? What drives you in your current game and has it changed over your journey?
Outro -
Where to find us
Future Viewer Questions
You can choose up to 5 statuses to parlay the most expensive trip possible for the least amount of money. How would you plan it and which statuses would you pick ? No points. All cash - K1d_Cat37
What are the most useful overlapping transfer partners? For example, Aeroplan is a transfer partner for Amex / Capital One and is Star Alliance. Perhaps break it down into domestic and international travel? - Trucker X
What are the plans for the channel moving forward? Are you looking at memberships in the future? What ideas are you guys kicking around? - AP
Now that we find ourselves living in even more uncertainty economic times, do you find yourselves using your credit cards less often? And do you think Americans will prefer cash, debt, electronic payments before using credit as they once did? Will there be any secondary effects with less miles and points generated because the banks pull back on the credit that they are willing to lend to card holders and issue to new applicants? I find myself using my cards much less often than I did at this time last year. - Keith
The Thanos Snap happens and instead of wiping out half of the population, one bank that issues credit cards is no longer. Each of you pick one bank between AMEX, Chase, Citi, and C1 and figure out how the remaining banks respond to fill the void created by the bank that is snapped out of existence - Jason
There are some interesting long-term plays in this game - examples might be getting one of the Chase Marriott cards to product change to the Ritz after a year, or timing Southwest card applications to secure the Companion Pass, or at the extreme running 7 figures of spend through a Platinum card to fish for a Centurion invite. Which long-term credit card play is the most interesting to you? - SpaethCo

Future Topic Ideas
On the question of Churning vs. Maximizing/stacking…what is best for who (beginner, pro, credit enthusiast) (MC)
Pooling points to Amex/Chase/whatever vs dedicated hotel or airlines currency - RJ
Effective Annual Fees - Lani
What’s up with trifectas? - RJ
Do credit cards have too many features nowadays? The more card you have the more overlap there is from bonus categories and benefits, which means that eventually something is useless. What’s your useless benefit and what would you get rid of? - Lani
Points Vs. Perks: Which is more valuable to you? Are you sub hunting or just using the card(s) that provide the highest earning or are you chasing specific benefits/perks to use at specific properties (i.e. United free checked bag, hotel status for food credits/upgrades, maybe if lounge access if you’re into that, etc.)
2 hr 5 min
April 19, 2025 Every Kick In the Groin Begins with K
00:00:00 - Welcome to the show!

00:01:38 - Question 1 - For a very long time, people with a “business” have been able to apply for Business credit cards and all the bonuses and perks associated with them despite the fact that their “business” might not be super duper legit. What changes that have nothing to do with “business” verification could banks do to slow this down?

00:09:32 - Question 2 - So how much points diversity is too much points diversity? I currently have points in all 6 transferrable currencies ecosystems. Is it worth it in your opinion to have your points balances split to take advantage of transfer bonuses when they suit you?
00:19:55 - Question 3 - I have a non credit card question for you, if you won $2 million would you keep your job and what would you do for the rest of the year? It's April now so from April to December what would you do and where do you see yourself in 5 years after the winnings?

00:30:17 - Question 4 - We often talk about the credit card game as travel and often coded for middle class folk. How do you think people rebuilding credit or low income earners can effectively and efficiently leverage credit?

00:43:14 - Question 5 - With what seems like a regular series of issues with DCA regarding safety and near misses, what are your thoughts regarding travel to that area? Do you think it’s still incredibly safe and convenient and fly to DCA or do you look to maybe fly into IAD or heaven forbid BWI?

00:53:41 - Question 6 - Question for the podcast, but probably mostly Matt. Wells Fargo has had transfer partners for almost a year now. Does it bother you that they haven't had any transfer bonuses yet?

00:57:49 - News

01:13:34 - Tariq - Store cards. We all know about them, and for the most part we avoid them in the game. What store/retail cards are actually worth getting, and if a certain store closes, does the issuing bank close the account, or do you get an involuntary product change?

01:26:12 - RJ - Should banks have a similar program to hotels/airlines around buying points or being able to have a “subscription“ to points other than the multipliers on the cards? What would you want them to look like?

01:39:41 - Matt - With modular cards an impossible dream, what other incentives, besides credits, do you think issuers could use to provoke more loyalty/dedicated spend?

01:50:15 - And we’re out
1 hr 52 min
April 12, 2025Lani’s Moving to Only Fans?
Viewer Questions
What was your worst travel fail? What are your tips for dealing with travel disruptions? - DDAF
What airlines/hotels and related programs are prime candidates for acquisition in your opinions? - AP
How do you think international travelers boycotting the US and these new tariffs will affect this hobby and the travel industry? - Keith
If you were to do a two-card setup what would you pick and why?- Thic Boii
Rich with Points
Before any refresh, if the banks go crazy and make amazing cards what would you most want out of any refresh/new release from each major bank? - Jared_T
Topics
Matt
Given the current economic climate, do you think we’re going to see a retreat from those on the fringes of points and miles and a future boom cycle of amazing deals?
Lani
With credit card changes and refreshes seemingly getting less profitable for the average consumer needs and wants, do you think with the rise of AFs and credit people are less interested in will lead more cardholders to “end game,” or less applications?
Tariq
We all know the credit card game is a niche within a niche, but how do you think the community should respond with generalized criticisms from people in the personal finance space?
RJ
If you could take any co-brand card and turn it into a transferable points earning card, which would you pick and which ecosystem?
2 hr 36 min
April 05, 2025 We’re All A Little Mad Here
00:00:00 - Welcome To The Show

00:01:45 - Question 1 - What is the flight or hotel you are most looking forward to staying at/flying? Why are you looking forward to it (what is special about it) and how are points/miles going to get you to that goal (tentative game-plan)? - AP

00:18:58 - Question 2 - Do you have any cards that are close to a 50/50 decision on whether you will keep or cancel them going forward? - Spaethco

00:27:46 - Question 3 - My wife will never take a cruise and I would hate an all-inclusive resort on a beach. What kind of travel absolutely doesn’t interest you? - Jason

00:38:59 - Question 4 - If you had multipliers covered, but could only have 3 cards for the benefits, what would they be (duplicates count)? - Points Precision

00:44:41 - Question 5 - What is your least favorite music genre? - Ronald

00:52:31 - News

01:10:28 - Tariq - Inspired by Key’s goal of visiting every MLB ballpark, do y’all have any aspirations to visit every stadium/arena/venue of your preferred sports/entertainment niche?

01:24:27 - RJ - What is the next card you plan to apply for, what role will it fill and what’s stopping you from hitting the apply button?

01:35:34 - Lani - Credits! Credits! Credits! I think with some new Chase refreshes, there are a lot of credits out there. For those who have a lot of cards, how do you navigate credits? Do you care? Do you try to use every single one, every single month (i.e. Amex Gold), or do you take it in stride and if one dies, then one dies?

01:53:36 - Matt - Let’s take a break from credit cards; what two/three historical figures would you want to have a meal with, and why (lets assume you’re picking up the bill on the dining card of your choice)?

02:03:51 - Goodnight And Good Luck
2 hr 8 min
March 29, 2025 The $2,700 Louis Vuitton Bag to Nowhere
00:00:00 - Intro

00:02:51 - Question 1 | What got you into CCs in the first place?

00:08:40 - Question 2 | What’s the best unexpected travel surprise that brought just a little bit of joy to your trip?

00:16:56 - Question 3 | How do you earn points if you don't really spend a lot of money? 00:33:30 - Question 4 | If you could go to any concert in the world, which musician or group would it be, and where would you like to see them?

00:43:57 - Question 5 | Using credit cards with high multipliers that are already on the market, High multipliers defined as 4x, 5x, or 6x. Create a trifecta of these cards to achieve YOUR best points/cash earnings scenario. Which cards would you choose and why? You can use any combination of business, personal, travel currency, cashback. The goal here is to think about your monthly spend and how to best maximize it with high multipliers that already exist.

01:03:15 - News | United Cards

01:16:25 - Craig | Route of the parks and the beauty of America. How do you prepare to visit places off the beaten path? Also, why do we so rarely hear about domestic travel?

01:47:13 - RJ | How do you handle travel when your travel partner(s) have different non-negotiables, wants, maybe even budget than you do?

02:10:48 - Matt | Credit card coupons are here to stay and will only get worse (so, so, so much worse). Cutting bait on the worst ones will likely be the only way to stay Sane, how are you planning to keep your sanity?

02:22:52 - Tariq | What the hell is going on with the airlines? Are they going broke? Are they just getting more greedy and money-hungry? Who’s next??

02:54:42 - Ending
2 hr 58 min
March 22, 2025 Southwest Slept With Your Brother
Take the SYP Credit Card Survey | https://forms.gle/MCZ5fUoaHRRTMGeP8

00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:26 - Opening
00:04:44 - Can you go over when it makes sense to transfer points to hotels (other than Hyatt) because hotel points are always less the 1 cpp and you could do better with things like the cap1 travel eraser or the chase portal with the CSP or CSR. It seems like it makes more sense to either earn those with a cobrand credit card or buy them on sale. - Thic Boii
00:20:49 - Where do you see Priority Pass domestically in 3 or 4 years? Priority Pass and the bank’s with their own lounges seem to be growing apart. - Keith
00:39:20 - If you could steer the CC YouTube content in a different direction, what would you like to see more of and what would you like to see less of? - Jason
01:07:53 - We see many videos about the extreme success that people have in applying for cards and seemingly NEVER getting denials. The only time a denial seems to be talked about is when an application goes through a successful reconsideration process. I personally have scores over 820+ with all the bureaus, a 25+ year old pristine profile and the income/spend to be an attractive customer, and I still get denied for cards. The question is, how honest are creators being when it comes to how many cards they are NOT actually getting? - Sha-Tan
01:25:21 - We’re a quarter into the year. Do you have at regrets or major course corrections to be made to your travel habits, partners, or overall strategy? - K1d_Cat37
01:39:06 - News
01:47:19 - Tariq - Congratulations! You just won the Powerball jackpot! After taxes you walked away with over $100 million. How do you adjust your strategy now that you don’t need points and miles anymore because you can essentially afford whatever trip you want to take? Do you just go with a flat catch-all card, or do you just get all the premium cards for the benefits? Also, what’s the first trip you’d take once the money hits your account?
02:08:19 - Lani - Quality vs. Quantity; it’s not always about getting the most points: After you hit a certain number of cards, you begin to experience overlap of categories or benefits. Piggy backing on Picking Partners, do you ever use a lower points earning card based on what you need or trying to achieve vs. what can earn the most points. If so when?
02:24:19 - Matt - Wyndham just launched a rewards debit card. After the Durbin Amendment that more or less killed off debit rewards, do you think this is a good play, would you want to see any other companies also take this on?
02:44:05 - RJ - PUJ is better than flat rejection even if it is more opaque. Both in terms of not submitting an app if you can’t get the sub AND in terms of allowing people to decide if the card is worth it for them without a SUB.
03:03:49 - Closing
03:06:29 - Ending
3 hr 7 min
March 15, 2025The Tangent Episode
Hosts | Matt Clausen of Credit Tidbits | Lani from Call Me Lani | Tariq Gaines from Riq’s Rewards | RJ from Do You Take Cards

Viewer Questions
If you woke up on January 1st, 2026 and was gifted one status via a hotel or airline program what would status would you request? And @ RJ , why wouldn’t you request Globalist? - Keith
What is your favorite Hilton credit card? What's the best way to get 1 million Hilton points? - M2K
The Hilton Aspire card offers a Free Night Certificate on your card anniversary date. This certificate becomes available 8-10 weeks after your anniversary and expires one year from issuance. Considering that Hilton releases room availability exactly 365 days in advance (when award availability is typically best), what time of year would you choose for your card anniversary date to maximize the value for your personal travel schedule? - JP
Assume you're keeping the card long-term, your annual fee timing works with your budget, and there are no special sign-up bonuses to consider.
Do you ever foresee the big three domestic carriers implementing (international style) business class on shorter domestic flights and if they did, would you have any interest in flying them? (categorizing short domestic flight it’s anything under five hours.) K1d_Cat37
I recently was looking through all of the cards I signed up for in 2024 between me and my P2 and every card is either being product changed or canceled except for one (ironically, the much-maligned Bilt). Do you do any kind of similar analysis and what have you changed about your card acquisition over the years to make sure you're getting things that provide value? - Jason
Topics
Matt
Thinking on the AmEx Zync card we talked about, would you pay a fee (Monthly or Annual) to add multipliers to a card instead of just applying for SUBs; this would potentially be in addition to any annual fee you currently pay or turn a No Annual Fee card into a card with an optional fee.
Lani
We talk a lot about credits we use, but what about the ones we lose? Do you have any credits which which you just let die?
Tariq
We’ve seen recent pushes to cap credit card interest rates in Washington D.C. I’m curious to see what you all think about the effects of the points and miles game if that were to happen.
RJ
How do you handle SUBs? Do you put that one card for EVERYTHING for a month or five to hit the magic number? Do you wait until you have a major buy? Do you use it as you plan to typically use that card (Gas card or supermarket card or what have you) and just do the math to make sure you hit?
2 hr 20 min
March 08, 2025Be an Adult and Get the Venture X
Hosts: @MattClausen | @CallMeLani | @RiqsRewards | @DoYouTakeCards
Viewer questions (~30 minutes; separate video)
Can we have a dramatic reenactment of the lost episode from last week? - Jason
Are you a cat or dog person? - Anthony
How much is top hotel status actually worth for the normal family that travels maybe twice a year? - M2K
Please build a 3 card setup staying under $200/year on annual fees for a person who makes less than $40K/year and wants to take one budget friendly trip a year. Please note why the card is selected including multipliers and benefits of note. - AP
There are lots of discussions about "what cards would you keep forever" and long-term pick-ups. What are your thoughts on picking up cards for shorter term goals as part of a campaign? ie, having P1 and P2 acquire Aspire and Surpass cards to rack up a pile of FNCs for one planned trip with the intent to downgrade/close the cards after that goal is met? - SpaethCo
News Round-Up (45-75 minutes)
Chase business cards accidentally reported
Topics
Matt
Have you experienced Burnout with credit cards and welcome offers? Welcome Offers may be the best return for you on credit card spend, but…there are too many to chase and even fewer worth chasing (for various reasons). Have you experienced Burnout, are you experiencing it? How are you handling it?
Lani
Tariq
Out of the three main ways to get around in the city you travelled to (ride share, rental, or public transit), which do you gravitate to the most and why?
RJ
Should companies make their credit cards weird again? It feels like so many cards are the same now it’s less choice via more choice.
Outro - 1 to 3 minutes
Where to find us
1 hr 34 min

About Stack Your Points

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Credit cards can be a fun playground of make points, spend points and stack points.

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Stack Your Points

Stack Your Points episodes

About Stack Your Points