146. 2025 in Points and Miles In Review: The Biggest Wins, Disappointments & Shifts - Part 1
Point Me To First Class
Devon Gimbel MD
4.9 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 15 December 2025
⏱️ 62 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode, we bid farewell to 2025 with a year-in-review analysis of the biggest news, changes, and trends in rewards, credit cards, and award travel over the last 12 months.
This episode is part one of a two-part year-in-review series, and I'm joined by Kelly, the Points and Miles Doc, to break down the biggest changes, surprises, and shakeups in the points and award travel world over the last year.
In this first half of the conversation, we focus on the biggest wins and disappointments of the year—from credit card issuers that made significant changes to new programs that expanded what's possible with points. We talk through how the landscape has shifted, why earning and redeeming points feels more complex than it used to, and how those changes showed up across credit cards, transferable points currencies, and airline loyalty programs.
This episode isn't about declaring whether 2025 was "good" or "bad." It's about understanding how the points and miles world is becoming more specific, more nuanced, and more complex—and what that means for how you participate in it moving forward.
Be sure to tune in next week for Part Two, where we'll dive deeper into the trends we expect to shape 2026, along with our predictions and award travel wish lists for the year ahead.
Get full show notes and transcript: https://pointmetofirstclass.com/2025-points-and-miles-year-in-review-part-1/
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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, |
| 0:21.4 | travel better, and travel often. |
| 0:23.1 | Let's get started. |
| 0:29.9 | Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the Point Meita First Class podcast. |
| 0:33.7 | I hope that you are ready for a jam-packed episode because today we are going to bid farewell to 2025 with a year-in-review analysis of the biggest news, changes, and trends in rewards, credit cards, and award travel of the last 12 months. |
| 0:48.5 | Joining me for this year-in-review conversation today is my good friend and points expert Kelly, the points in miles dock. |
| 0:54.5 | Together, Kelly and I will be diving into the year's biggest headlines in award travel, |
| 0:58.8 | both the highlights that made us cheer and the low lights that left us shaking our heads. |
| 1:03.2 | We'll be crowning our top winners and biggest disappointments in the points and award |
| 1:07.5 | travel game and digging into the trends that defined award travel this year |
| 1:11.1 | and what changes are sure to impact how points are earned and used moving into 2026. |
| 1:18.0 | From the most disappointing program changes to the most exciting points announcements, |
| 1:22.4 | this episode will have a little bit of everything. Whether you're a seasoned award travel |
| 1:26.3 | or just dipping your toes into |
| 1:28.2 | the points pool, you'll walk away with insights to help you make the most of your points in the |
| 1:32.6 | year ahead. So make yourself comfortable and get ready to wrap up the best and worst of 2025 in |
| 1:39.0 | points and miles and join me as I welcome Kelly back to the podcast. Kelly, welcome back to the podcast. I have |
| 1:46.2 | literally been waiting all year to have this conversation. I love doing our year end look back at |
| 1:53.0 | kind of what happened overall in points and miles and award travel this year. So I cannot wait |
| 1:58.0 | to hear what you thought about this year and where we agree on things, |
... |
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