Diversify Your Points & Miles
The classic phrase "don't put all your eggs in one basket" applies to credit card points and miles, too. You always want to be earning a mix of different types of points and miles.
There are several good reasons to diversify your points. I personally hold hotel points, airline points, and flexible/transferable points spread across multiple programs and banks. Let's look at why this is my recommendation.
The most important reason is flexibility: points across different programs give you more options for hotels and flights. Say you've settled on a destination and start researching lodging, only to find it has a Hilton property. If you have a stash of Hilton points, you'll be able to book your stay easily. But the next time you travel, your destination might have a Hyatt instead. Having a mix of points means you can book what you actually want, wherever you go.
The same logic applies to flights. One of my favorite travel tips is booking a one-way flight with one airline, then booking the return with a different program. This also helps with award availability — airlines release seats at different times, so if you miss one booking window, you can simply switch to an alliance partner or a different carrier altogether.
Devaluations are a hot topic in the points and miles world, and for good reason — we want our points to be worth as much as possible. Diversifying protects you against them. A devaluation can happen overnight, and if all your points are tied to one bank or program, your cents-per-point value can take a serious hit. Your points become worth less and won't stretch nearly as far.
Diversifying also helps you jump on last-minute deals. When you spot a great one, you want to be able to book it immediately — and having points across several programs makes that possible.
Finally, travel plans change, whether we like it or not. If all your points are locked into one program, you have little flexibility to make new arrangements if something goes wrong.
Key Takeaways:
Diversifying your points and miles across several programs is a smart move. It gives you more flexibility and protects you against devaluations, availability issues, and unexpected changes to your travel plans.
Amazon Travel Favorites
Affiliate Disclosure: The Jet Set Teacher is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
Travel Clothing
Travel Gear
The Truth About Annual Fees
“Why would you pay for a credit card?” is one of the most common questions I get - and it’s a fair one. But here’s the truth: a high annual fee isn’t automatically a red flag. Sometimes it’s actually where the value is.
Here’s how to think about it. A card with a $95 annual fee and no real benefits is a bad deal. But a card with a $550 annual fee that includes a $300 travel credit, airport lounge access, and elevated earning on travel and dining? That fee can pay for itself before you even use the card for a single purchase.
The question isn’t “does this card have a fee?” It’s, “will I actually use enough of what this card offers to make the fee worth it?” If a card gives you $400+ in credits and perks you’ll genuinely use, a $300 fee isn’t a cost - it’s a discount.
This is also why I don’t recommend closing every card the moment the annual fee posts. Sometimes downgrading to a no-fee version of the same card makes more sense than canceling outright, and sometimes the benefits are worth keeping the fee altogether.
Key Takeaway:
Don’t judge a card by its fee alone - judge it by what you get back for paying it. A $0 annual fee card and a $550 fee card can both be “good” or “bad” depending on how you use them.
My 3 Rules for Travel Cards
I get asked all the time how I decide which travel card to open next. Honestly, it comes down to three rules I run every card through before I apply.
Rule 1: The welcome bonus has to be worth it. I’m not opening a card for 20,000 points when there’s a version of that same card offering 75,000+ elsewhere. Welcome bonuses are where almost all the value lives, so I always check whether a card is at its current best offer before applying.
Rule 2: The points have to be flexible. I lean towards cards that earn transferable points-like Chase Ultimate Rewards-instead of cards locked into one single airline or hotel. Flexible points mean I can decide later where they’re most valuable, instead of being stuck with miles for an airline I never fly.
Rule 3: The annual fee has to make sense for how I’ll actually use the card. A high annual fee isn’t automatically a bad thing - it’s only bad if I’m not using the benefits that offset it. Before I apply, I map out exactly how I’ll use what the card offers. The first year with a card is usually where you’ll get the most bang for your buck.
Key Takeaway:
Every card I open has to pass all three rules - a strong bonus, flexible points, and an annual fee that pays for itself. If a card only checks one or two boxes, I skip it.
Chase Changed How Your Points Transfer to Hyatt- Here’s What That Means
If you’re a Hyatt person like me, this is one to pay attention to. As part of the Chase Sapphire Preferred’s recent refresh, Chase quietly changed how points transfer from Ultimate Rewards to World of Hyatt - and depending on which card you hold, it either doesn’t affect you at all or it’s a real hit.
Here’s The Simple Version:
Chase points used to transfer to Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio - 10,000 Chase points became 10,000 Hyatt points, no math required. Now, for the Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred, that ratio is dropping to 4:3. So that same 10,000 Chase points only gets you 7,500 Hyatt points instead.
Who’s Affected and When:
-Sapphire Preferred and Ink Business Preferred: If you already hold one of these cards, you keep the better rate 1:1 until October 1, 2026. After that, you’re at 4:3
-Sapphire Reserve & Sapphire Reserve for Business: No change at all. These cards keep the 1:1 ratio to Hyatt.
So if the Sapphire Preferred has been your go-to card, specifically because of its Hyatt transfers, this is genuinely worth sitting with. It doesn’t mean the card is suddenly bad- it’s still one of the best low-fee travel cards out there for its everyday earning and benefits. It just means Hyatt transfers aren’t the automatic win they used to be.
What I’d Actually Do:
If you have a Hyatt stay already in mind and you’re holding the Sapphire Preferred or Ink Business Preferred, consider transferring before October 1 to lock in the better rate. If you don’t have a specific redemption planned, don’t transfer speculatively just to beat the deadline- once your points move to Hyatt, they can’t come back to Chase, and flexible points are worth more than points parked In one program “just in case.”
Key Takeaways:
The Sapphire Reserve and Reserve for Business is now the only Chase cards that keep a 1:1 Hyatt transfer. If Hyatt is central to your points strategy, that’s a meaningful reason to at least run the numbers on whether the Reserve’s higher annual fee could be worth it for you.
The Hilton Status Most People Think You Have to Earn The Hard Way
Hotel elite status usually works the same way: you stay a certain number of nights, you earn points toward the next tier, and eventually you get upgraded. It can take months - sometimes years- of loyalty to a single brand.
Hilton has a shortcut most people don’t know about.
Certain Hilton credit cards hand you elite status immediately- no nights required, no waiting period, no “loyalty ladder” to climb. You open the right card, and status is attached to the account starting day one.
That matters more than it might sound like at first. Elite status with Hilton can mean:
-Room upgrades when available
-Complimentary breakfast at many properties
-Waived resort fees
-Bonus points earned on every stay
The Hilton Surpass Card and the Hilton Business Card both come with automatic Hilton Gold Status. The Hilton Aspire card comes with automatic Diamond Status.
Normally, getting that kind of treatment means being a frequent, loyal Hilton guest. With the right card, you get treated like one from your very first stay- even if it’s your first time at a Hilton property ever.
Key Takeaways:
If elite status has felt like something reserved for people who travel constantly for work, this is your reminder that it’s more accessible than you think - you just need to know which card actually gets you there and meets your goals.
The Most Generous Perk in Hotel Loyalty You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
Every hotel programs has its version of elite status. But Hyatt has a perk that’s a little different from the rest- and once you know it exists, it might change who you bring on your next trip.
It’s called Guest of Honor, and here’s the short version: if you’re a Hyatt Globalist (Hyatt’s top elite tier), you can share nearly all of your top-tier benefits with someone else’s stay - even if that person has never stayed at a Hyatt before, and even if you’re not there with them.
What That Actually Looks Like:
Say your sister is booking a solo trip to a Hyatt property. As a Globalist, you can add her as your Guest of Honor for that stay, and she gets treated like a Globalist too- think room upgrades, waived resort fees, and other top-tier perks - without having earned a single night of status herself.
This is a big deal in the hotel loyalty world, where most benefits are tied strictly to the person who earned the status and are only usable when traveling together. Hyatt’s approach means status can genuinely benefit your circle of people, not just your own bookings.
Key Takeaways:
If you’re working towards Hyatt Globalist status (or already have it through card spend or stays), Guest of Honor is one of the most underrated reasons to prioritize this program over others.
What Does It Actually Mean to “Transfer” Points?
What Does It Actually Mean to “Transfer” Points?
If you’ve spent any time in the points and miles world, you’ve probably heard someone say, “Just transfer your points to an airline,” like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. It’s not. And if no one has actually explained it to you, that phrase alone can be enough to make you close the app and go back to booking through the travel portal.
So let’s break it down.
Most credit card points- think Chase Ultimate Rewards, Amex Membership Rewards- can be redeemed two ways. The easy way is through your card’s built-in travel portal, where points act kind of like cash towards flights and hotels. The other way is transferring those points directly to an airline or hotel’s loyalty program before you book.
Why bother with the extra step?
Because that’s usually where the real value is. A flight that costs 45,000 points through a portal might only cost 25,000 miles once you transfer to the right airline partner. Hotel stays work the same way- transferring to a program like Hyatt instead of booking through a portal often stretches the same points into more nights, or nicer rooms, than you’d get otherwise.
It requires a little more research up front (you have to know which transfer partners exist and what a good redemption looks like), but that’s exactly why this strategy separates casual points users from people who consistently get outsized value from the cards they already have.
Key Takeaway: Transferring isn’t an advanced trick - it’s just a second option most people never learn exists. Once you understand it, you’ll never look at your points balance the same way.
This Month’s Best Chase Offers: July 2026
This Month's Best Chase Offers (July 2026)
If you’ve been sitting on the fence about opening a new card, this is the month to pay attention- Chase has a few offers out right now that don’t come around often.
Chase Sapphire Preferred: 100,000 points
This is only the third time in the card’s history the Sapphire Preferred has offered 100,000 points (the standard offer is usually 75,000), and you only get $5,000 to spend in the first 3 months to earn it. The card also just got a refresh - a doubled $100 hotel credit, 3x points on gas/EV charging, a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit, and a year of Apple TV- all for a $95 annual fee.
One thing to know if you’re a Hyatt person like me:
Chase is changing the Sapphire Preferred’s transfer ratio to World of Hyatt from 1:1 down to 4:3 for anyone who opens the card after June 15. If you already have the card, you keep the better 1:1 ratio through October 1, 2026 - so if you’ve been eyeing this card specifically for Hyatt transfers, that timing matters.
Chase Ink Business Unlimited: $1,000 cash back:
If you have any kind of side income- tutoring, selling a course, freelance work - this one’s worth a look. Spend $8,000 in the first 4 months, get $1,000 cash back. On its own, that’s just cash. But if you also hold a points-earning card like the Sapphire Preferred, that $1,000 can convert into 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points instead.
Quick recap:
Sapphire Preferred at 100k is one of the best offers this card has ever had, and pairing it with the Ink Business Unlimited is one of the most efficient ways to stack points from two different bonus categories at once. If you’re a Hyatt transfer fan, the ratio change is a real reason to move sooner rather than later.
Offers change often - always confirm your exact terms in the Chase app or website before applying.