106. Lessons Learned & Top Tips from Running Thousands of Award Searches

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

🗓️ 10 March 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

I share my top tips for running successful award flight searches gleaned from years of experience booking award travel.

Let's dive into the key differences between searching for cash flights versus award flights, and how to overcome the challenges of information overload and limited award seat inventory. I break down the most important mindset shifts and practical strategies you can start using today to increase your chances of finding your dream award flights.

Get full show notes and transcript: https://points.pointmetofirstclass.com/blog/lessons-learned-top-tips-award-searches

Get your copy of the Award Booking Calendars: Your Airline-by-Airline Guide here!

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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.
0:28.1	Hello, everyone, and welcome back to the podcast. If there is one thing I consistently get asked
0:36.0	about more than anything else in the game of
0:37.9	award travel, it's often this. How do I find great award flights? And this question comes in lots of
0:45.4	different flavors, like, when should I start searching for award flights? Where's the best place
0:50.2	to look for award flights? How do I increase my chances of finding award flights that are a great
0:55.2	deal and also work for my travel schedule? What are the best tools or apps to help with award flight
1:00.6	searches? No really, which single award search tool is the very best one, usually followed by
1:07.0	point. me, points yeah, seats. arrow, or insert any other award search platform here,
1:13.8	shows an award flight I want to book, but when I go to the airline website to book it,
1:17.2	it is not there. What am I doing wrong? These are just a few of the award flight search
1:23.2	questions that I know so many of you have, and I can understand why award flight searches are the
1:28.6	source of so many award travel questions. First, if you've gotten this far in this hobby,
1:34.0	you've probably heard me or other points educators go on and on and on about how incredibly
1:39.8	valuable your points can be if you learn how to find and book the best flight deals outside of
1:45.6	your credit cards travel portal. But second, at least initially, that is much easier said than done,
1:52.5	because searching for award flights, especially the ones that represent the best value and the
1:56.8	biggest deals, is anything but obvious, intuitive, or straightforward.
2:02.2	For folks who are great at earning points, but who have less time and enthusiasm for
2:07.0	learning the intricacies of tracking down the hidden award flight deals, award flight searches
	...

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