Listener Q&A Live Show + Big Anniversary Giveaway!

#56: Today, our Host, Chris Hutchins (@hutchins) celebrates the one year anniversary of ATH and the podcast! This was a live Q&A recorded on May 9th, 2022 with ATH listeners tuning in. Chris answers questions on earning points buying a house and car, how flexibility helps you save big on award flights, whether elite status is worth it and much more. This is a really fun episode with 3 big giveaways you can enter for 10k miles, a $100 Vuori gift card and a lifetime subscription to CardPointers.

Partner Deals

For all the deals, discounts and promo codes from our partners, go to our Partner Deals

ATH Episodes Mentioned

Resources Mentioned

ATH Upgrade Program - free upgrades, breakfast and more on paid luxury hotel stays
Savanti Travel: - High end travel concierge, owned by Leigh Rowan (ATH #1 and #51)
Point.me and BookYourAward.com - Award booking services
Notion - How I track all the information for podcast (and actually for our family)
Countdown to the FOMC - FedWatch Tool for interest rate hikes
CreditKarma - Free credit score and helps find cards you can get approved for
Extra.App - Debit card that helps you build credit
CardPointers - Get 20% at chrishutchins.com/cardpointers
Vuori: 20% off your first purchase at chrishutchins.com/vuori
Rakuten - Big Give Week with 15% cash back and free $40 for new users

Anniversary Giveaway!

Enter the giveaway by visiting https://chrishutchins.com/giveaway for a chance to win:

$100 to Vouri Clothing Store
Free Lifetime Membership to CardPointers
10,000 Capital One points, courtesy of Chris!

Full show notes

Q: Colin asks, How can I maximize points while trying to purchase a house or a car?

Q: Chad asks, When planning a trip with points should I aim to book last minute? Or should I plan in advance?

Q: Webber asks, how should I figure out where to stay in London for a luxury splurge?

Q: Mallorie asks, how should I plan my trip to Japan while also making sure that I optimize my credit card award bonuses? How do I know which new cards to sign up for?

Q: Brandy asks, how do you decide when to maximize points and when to just spend the money to save the time?

Q: Jared asks, how important is elite status?

Q: Andrew asks, if it’s worth staying with IHG when Hyatt seems to be the best hotel transfer partner?

Q: JC asks, how does Chris keep all his podcast notes organized?

Q: Mallory asks, if you are lower income, how can you start earning bonuses?

Q: Yevgeniy asks, are there any BlockFi alternatives for high yield?

Q: Peter asks, what are your tips for students who don’t have established credit?

Q: Benji asks, is there a cash back debit card?

Q: Mallorie asks, when you have a lot of financial goals, but limited financial resources; where do you start?

Q: Webber asks, what are the best cards to use on Amazon?

Q: Lessie asks: what about Discover cards?

Q: Marlin asks, what cards should I use to optimize my spend while doing my home remodel?

The Quick Tips and Tricks

Use your favorite card for a down payment on your new car (including Tesla!)
Don’t forget about “Position flights” or flying from one smaller airport to a major hub.
CardPointers is an amazing app for tracking and optimizing your points.
Don’t forget to try the “reconsideration line” if you ever get declined for a card
If you have an old card, don’t cancel the card, it’s helping your credit score! If it has a fee you don’t want to pay, ask to get the card downgraded to a no annual fee card.
When appropriate: don’t pay in cash, pay in gift cards!

Connect with Chris

Newsletter | Membership | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

Editor’s Note: The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired. Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.