Why Travel Rewards Might Not Be Worth It Anymore With Chris Hutchins

The Personal Finance Podcast

Andrew Giancola

Entrepreneurship, Investing, Business

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 17 November 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

👉 Join Master Money Academy today! In this episode of The Personal Finance Podcast, Andrew talks withChris Hutchins—host of All The Hacks and one of the smartest people in the travel rewards world, to answer the burning question: Is travel hacking still worth it as credit card annual fees skyrocket and loyalty programs devalue points left and right, breaking down Chase versus Amex strategies, the rise of cashback alternatives, how to build a smart travel rewards plan for that dream trip you've been planning, revealing advanced tactics and underrated transfer partners that most people don't even realize exist, plus sharing some of the funniest and most ridiculous stories from the world of points and miles, helping you separate signal from noise and squeeze insane value out of rewards programs even as the game continues to evolve. How Andrew Can Help You: Listen to The Business Show here. Don't let another year pass by without making significant strides toward your dreams. "Master Your Money Goals" is your pathway to a future where your aspirations are not just wishes but realities. Enroll now and make this year count! Join The Master Money Newsletter where you will become smarter with your money in 5 minutes or less per week Here! Learn to invest by joining Index Fund Pro! This is Andrew’s course teaching you how to invest! Watch The Master Money Youtube Channel! , Ask Andrew a question on Instagram or TikTok Learn how to get out of Debt by joining our Free Course Leave Feedback or Episode Requests here. Car buying Calculator here Thanks to Our Amazing Sponsors for supporting The Personal Finance Podcast DELL: Get a new Dell AI PC starting at $749.99, at Dell.com/ai-pc Indeed: Start hiring NOW with a SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLAR SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at Indeed.com/personalfinance Acorns: Start investing automatically with Acorns and get a $5 bonus at Acorns.com/PFP Chime: Start your credit journey with Chime. Sign-up takes only two minutes and doesn’t affect your credit score. Get started at chime.com/ Thanks to Policy Genius for Sponsoring the show! Go to policygenius.com to get your free life insurance quote. Shopify: Shopify makes it so easy to sell. Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/pfp Go to https://joindeleteme.com/PFP20/ and Use Promo Code PFP for 20% off! Connect with Chris Hutchins: All The Hacks Podcast Newsletter Instagram Linkedin X Connect With Andrew on Social Media: Instagram TikTok Twitter Master Money Website Master Money Youtube Channel Free Guides: The Stairway to Wealth: The Order of Operations for your Money How to Negotiate Your Salary The 75 Day Money Challenge Get out Of Debt Fast Take the Money Personality Quiz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	on this episode of the Personal Finance Podcast
0:02.9	is travel hacking dead?
0:05.0	We're going to ask Chris Hutchins.
0:29.1	What's up everybody and welcome to the personal finance podcast?
0:32.0	I'm your host, Andrew, founder of MasterMoney.com.
0:37.8	And today on the Personal Finance Podcast, we're going to be talking to Chris Hutchins about travel hacking.
0:41.3	If you guys have any questions, make sure you join the Master Money Newsletter by going to MasterMoney.com slash newsletter. And don't forget to follow us on Spotify, Apple Podcast,
0:47.3	YouTube, or whatever podcast player, you love listening to this podcast on it.
0:51.2	If you want to help out the show, consider leaving a five-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast player. Now, today, we're
0:59.4	going to be diving deep into a topic that's been heating up in the travel rewards world. Is the
1:04.2	game still worth playing right now? See, credit card annual fees are skyrocketing and loyalty programs
1:10.1	are devaluing points left and right.
1:12.5	And a lot of people are asking a fair question. Is this still worth it for the average person,
1:16.8	or has the golden era of travel hacking started to fade? Now, to help us separate signal from noise,
1:22.8	I brought in one of the smartest people I know when it comes to points, miles, and optimization,
1:28.1	the host of all the hacks, Chris Hutchins. Now, Chris has traveled the world on points,
1:32.8	built incredible strategies around loyalty programs, and is known for squeezing insane value
1:37.3	out of rewards that most people don't even realize exists. And today we're going to break down
1:41.6	a bunch of different things from Chase versus MX,
1:50.1	loyalty point devaluations, and the rise of cashback strategies to how to build a smart travel rewards plan for that big trip you've been dreaming about.
1:53.4	We'll also dig into advanced tactics, underrated transfer partners, and yes, some of the
1:57.9	funniest and most ridiculous stories from the world to points and miles.
	...

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