117. Making Smart Transfer Moves: When Speculative Points Transfers are Worth It (And When They’re Not)

Point Me To First Class

Devon Gimbel MD

Finances, Education, How To, Travel, Credit, Expenses, Card, Cards, Society & Culture, Professionals, Tips, Personal, Places & Travel, Business, Points, Rewards

5 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 26 May 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A major points transfer pathway is shutting down—and it's got a lot of people wondering: should I move my Amex points to Alaska Airlines before the door closes?

In this episode, I break down the fast-approaching June 30 deadline to transfer Amex points to Hawaiian Airlines (and from there to Alaska), and walk you through my personal decision—including the 4-step framework I use for evaluating speculative points transfers.

If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s smart to move points to a transfer partner without a specific booking in mind, this episode will help you weigh the risk and make a decision you can feel confident in—whether it’s for this opportunity or any future bonus or expiring partnership.

Get full show notes and transcript: https://pointmetofirstclass.com/speculative-points-transfer-guide/

Want to shape the show? Take the Point Me To First Class listener survey and share what you love and want more of! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeAPfb3wIaphMn_NoQzm_fljydsivTELQwh7pYoxrI2uTFoKQ/viewform?usp=header

Eager to learn the secrets of award travel so that you can turn your expenses into unforgettable experiences? Join the Points Made Easy course waitlist here: https://pointmetofirstclass.com/pointsmadeeasy

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Point Me to First Class, the only show for employed professionals, entrepreneurs, and business owners who are looking to optimize their higher than average expenses to travel the world.
0:10.7	I'm your host, Devin Gimble, and I believe that your expenses are your greatest untapped asset, if you know how to leverage them.
0:17.8	Ready to dive into the world of credit card points and miles so you can travel more, travel better, and travel often. Let's get started. Hello everyone, and welcome
0:31.2	back to the podcast. Did you hear the recent announcement that as of June 30th of this year,
0:36.9	Hawaiian Airlines will no longer be a transfer
0:39.2	partner of American Express. Are you wondering if you should take advantage of this opportunity to
0:44.5	effectively transfer Amex points to Alaska Airlines via Hawaiian Airlines before this loophole closes?
0:51.4	Or are you wondering why it even matters that this point's transfer pathway
0:55.7	will be shutting down in just a few short weeks? If so, you are not alone. I've been fielding so
1:01.6	many questions from folks in my Points Made Easy course and online community asking whether they
1:06.6	should take advantage of the current ability to transfer amex points to Hawaiian Airlines, and more
1:12.7	specifically, to ask if it makes sense to transfer points to Hawaiian Airlines before the end of June,
1:19.3	even if you don't have a specific award booking in mind right now that you would use those points for.
1:24.9	Even if you don't have American Express points right now, you have no
1:28.8	interest in transferring your Amex points that you do have to Hawaiian Airlines, or if you've already
1:33.9	made a decision about how many Amex points you do want to move over, this episode is still for you,
1:39.8	because we're going to be tackling the larger question of speculative points transfers,
1:45.2	including what they are, why other people will tell you never to do them, and why I disagree
1:50.4	with that advice. We are going to get to all of that in just a bit. But first, let's touch
1:56.2	on why this specific question is coming up so much right now and why if you also have American
2:02.4	Express membership rewards points, it might be prudent for you to wonder the same thing.
2:07.8	So let's back up a second and review the current landscape of Amex points transfers to Hawaiian
	...

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