Every year I say I am going to travel less, and every year I fail. 2025 was no exception to that (though I did manage to relax a little more than I did in 2024)! I took so many trips this year that would have never been possible without points and miles, and I marked a few countries off my bucket list. Here’s my 2025 points and miles recap!

 

Jess’s 2025 Points and Miles Recap

January

My family rang in the new year at the Grand Hyatt Kauai! I still can’t believe we spent six nights at one of our favorite luxury resorts for families and paid $0 out of pocket! You can hear more about this trip in podcast episode number 113.

 

 

Later in January, Ted and I flew to Mexico to spend my birthday in the charming city of San Miguel de Allende. We redeemed Hyatt points for our stay at Numu Boutique Hotel. We fell in love with San Miguel de Allende, and we plan to return at some point!

 

 

February

In February, I whisked Molly, Ella, and my mom off to Costa Rica. We redeemed points to fly Southwest Airlines—Molly flew free as my companion and Ella flew free as my mom’s companion! We redeemed Hyatt points for two rooms at the Andaz Papagayo and paid $0 for our three-night stay. We then made our way to Rio Perdido where we spent two more nights for $0 thanks to Hilton points! Learn more about how to make Costa Rica a possibility for your family by checking out this podcast episode!

 

 

March

In March, Ted, Ella, Molly, and I took a trip to Japan for spring break. We redeemed American Airlines miles to fly from Chicago to Tokyo (on Japan Airlines metal). Ted and I flew first class (amazing!) and Ella and Molly were in premium economy. On the way home, all four of us were in business class on Japan Airlines (again booked with American Airlines miles)!

We spent four nights at the Hyatt House Tokyo Shibuya (we redeemed Hyatt points for two rooms) and two nights at the Hyatt Place Kyoto. Before flying home, we spent one more night (in two rooms) at the Conrad Tokyo (we redeemed two Hilton free-night awards for our stay).

Redeeming a combination of AA miles, Hyatt points, and Hilton free night awards for this trip (and paying less than $50/person total out of pocket for all of that) was one of my 2025 redemption highlights! You can hear more about our trip in this podcast episode. 

 

 

April-May

In April, Ted, Charlie, Molly, and I spent a long weekend in Scottsdale. The Hyatt Regency Scottsdale recently underwent a huge renovation/rebranding and is now the Grand Hyatt Scottsdale. We used our Companion Pass to fly to Phoenix and we redeemed Hyatt points + a suite upgrade award for our room at the Grand Hyatt. We were there over Easter weekend, so Charlie and Molly even got to participate in the egg hunt! The renovations are beautiful and it’s the perfect resort for families.

 

 

At the end of April/beginning of May, Alex, Pam, and I flew to Madrid and Barcelona for a little PTS getaway. I redeemed United miles for my flight from Houston to London, then paid cash for a cheap flight from London to Madrid. On the way home, I redeemed British Airways Avios (but flew on Iberia) from Barcelona to Dallas. We redeemed Hyatt points to stay at the Thompson Madrid and IHG points to stay at the Kimpton Vividora. We had so much fun, and we shared more about our trip in this podcast episode. 

 

 

In late May, I took Ella and Olivia to Bora Bora. Ted and I went last May, and when these two saw our photos they wanted to go themselves! We redeemed Air France miles for our flights from Los Angeles to Papeete on the way there, and United miles for our flights from Papeete to San Francisco on the way home. To reach Bora Bora, you have to take a separate flight from Papeete to Bora Bora. For these flights, I redeemed my $300 Capital One travel credit that I earn each cardmember year with my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.

We used a combination of Hilton points and free-night certificates for our six nights at the Conrad Bora Bora. We paid cash to upgrade to an overwater villa—talk about a pinch-me moment! It’s one of the most stunning places I’ve ever been! We had so much fun, and we shared more about our trip in this podcast episode. 

 

 

June

In June, Ted, Ella, Olivia, Molly, and I took a trip to Iceland and Ireland. This was the highlight of my summer! We redeemed Alaska miles to fly from Chicago to Dublin (with a four-night stopover in Reykjavik), then we used British Airways Avios to fly from Dublin back to Chicago (on Aer Lingus). We redeemed Hilton points to stay four nights at the Canopy Reykjavik, Hilton free-night awards to stay one night at the Conrad Dublin, and Hilton points to stay two nights at Glenlo Abbey Hotel & Estate. You can hear more about this AMAZING family vacation in this podcast episode.

 

 

August

In August, I traveled to Salt Lake City for our annual Award Travel Academy/Next Level student meet-up (and spent two nights at the Hyatt Regency Salt Lake City, which I loved). Then Alex and I traveled to Tucson to spend two nights at Miraval Arizona. I’ve been to the one in Austin, but the one in Tucson is the OG, so I was really looking forward to our stay. I only wish we could have spent more than two nights there! It was the perfect place to recharge after a busy summer. You can hear more about our trip in this podcast episode.

 

 

September

In September, my Swiftie bestie and I went to New York City to do all the Swiftie things! We spent four nights at the Park Hyatt New York for FREE! It was incredible. Not only that, I made a guide of what we did if you want to do the same next time you’re in the Big Apple.

 

 

October

In October, my mom and I visited Switzerland. This was our first time in Switzerland, and it did not disappoint! We could not get over the beautiful scenery. We flew Swiss business class from Boston to Zurich for just 60,000 Aeroplan points each. On the return, we flew from Zurich to Houston (with a layover in Chicago) for just 40,000 United miles each in economy. We spent four nights at Bergwelt Grindelwald (we paid cash), and two nights at Park Hyatt Zurich (we redeemed Hyatt points + $0)! 

If you want to hear more about our adventures in Switzerland, check out this blog post or listen to this podcast episode.

 

 

Later in October, I took a trip with some girlfriends (including our copyeditor, Traci) to Portugal! We flew Air France business class from Chicago to Lisbon for 64,000 miles in business class. Coming home, we flew from Lisbon to Chicago in TAP business class for 60,000 points (booked via Air Canada Aeroplan). We redeemed Hilton points for two nights at Legacy Hotel Cascais, and we redeemed Hyatt points for three nights at Hyatt Regency Lisbon. I would love to return to Portugal with the family, and I haven’t stopped dreaming about pastéis de nata since we left!

 

 

December

In early December, a friend and I flew to Kansas City for the Chiefs vs. Texans game. I redeemed Southwest points for my flight, and my friend flew as my companion for just $11.20 in taxes and fees. We redeemed two Hyatt category 1-4 free night awards for our stay at Hotel Kansas City. With the money I saved on our travel expenses, I was able to purchase amazing tickets right in front of Taylor Swift’s suite! 

 

 

My final trip of the year was our annual PTS retreat. We were supposed to be at the Park Hyatt Los Cabos, but due to a delayed opening, we ended up at the Thompson Houston (and Alex and Pam flew to me)! While it wasn’t Cabo, we had some delicious food, made some hilarious reels, and set our goals and intentions for 2026. The fact that we were able to spend a couple of nights for free at the Thompson was just icing on the cake!

 

 

Cards Opened This Year

In 2025, I opened nine cards and Ted opened six cards.

Jess’s Cards:

• Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® personal card—I wanted to apply before it became the Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® Credit Card and was no longer open for applications.
• card_name—I got a targeted mailer, so I had to take advantage of it!
• card_name—You can never have enough Chase points! And for no annual fee? Yes, please!
• card_name—This card earns cash back that can be converted to Capital One miles (if you have a Venture or Venture X), which is exactly what I did.
• card_name—A brand-new business card that earns my favorite points and doesn’t count toward 5/24!
• card_name—The annual fee increased, and this card suddenly became more appealing! Higher welcome offer and better benefits meant I was all-in.
• Atmos™ Rewards Visa Signature® Business Card—Another brand-new card with the release of the Atmos™ Rewards program (the combined loyalty program for Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines). This one also didn’t add to my 5/24 count.
• Citi Strata Elite℠ Card—A third brand-new card! I initially applied for this one for the welcome offer, but I’ve come around to really loving this card (mostly for the spend category multipliers and the easy-to-use annual credits).
• card_name—More of my favorite points + no annual fee.

 

Ted’s Cards:

• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card—He finally got back into Chase’s good graces!
• Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® personal card—He also applied before it became the Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® Credit Card and was no longer open for applications.
• Atmos™ Rewards Visa Signature® Business Card—Another brand-new card with the release of the Atmos™ Rewards program (the combined loyalty program for Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines). This one also didn’t add to his 5/24 count.
• card_name—More of our favorite points + no annual fee.
• card_name—Companion Pass® for most of 2026 and all of 2027, here we come!
• Citi Strata Elite℠ Card—Another brand-new card! He initially applied for this one for the welcome offer, but we’ve come around to really loving this card (mostly for the spend category multipliers and the easy-to-use annual credits).

All information about the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card has been collected independently by Points Talk Squad. The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is no longer available through Points Talk Squad.

 

All together, from welcome offers on the cards we opened in 2025, we will have earned over two million points. That does not include any points earned on meeting the minimum spend or points from referring each other to those cards.

 

Cards Canceled, Downgraded

We canceled or downgraded the following cards:

• Several Ink cards (I closed an Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card and Ted and I each closed an Ink Business Cash® Credit Card and an Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card). Chase seems to be getting stricter about the number of Inks they’ll allow. 
• card_name—Ted closed this one; I’m hoping to have him re-open it at some point soon.
• card_name—I could no longer justify the annual fee. 
• Atmos™ Rewards Visa Signature® Business Card—The one I opened in 2025 was actually my third! I don’t need to pay annual fees on three of the same card, so I closed my oldest one once the annual fee hit.

Plans For Next Year

I’ve already booked the following (so far):

• Roatán—I’ll finally get a chance to stay at the Kimpton there!
• Tanzania safari—including Qatar Qsuites round-trip and a few nights at the Park Hyatt Zanzibar.
• Chicago for spring break—Gotta take full advantage of having two Companion Passes!
• London—This was a birthday surprise for Ted. Business class + the Park Hyatt = his love language.
• Budapest + Istanbul with Alex & Pam.
• Alila Ventana Big Sur—Finally get to see what the hype is all about!
• Italy summer trip for our entire family—Flights to/from Italy, Park Hyatt Milan, and Grand Hotel Victoria all covered with points! We’re also paying cash to stay at a vacation rental in the Dolomites.
• French river cruise with my mom —Flights to/from France and our pre-cruise hotel stay all covered with points!

 

Bottom Line

2025 was one for the books—and I can’t wait to see what 2026 brings. I know many of you are feeling the same way! We love to hear about the travels you’re able to take (that you never thought possible) thanks to points and miles! Which trip are you most looking forward to in 2026? Tell us in the comments!

 

Related Posts

• • Pam’s 2025 Points/Miles Recap
  • Pam’s 2024 Points/Miles Recap
  • Alex’s 2024 Points/Miles Recap
  • Alex’s 2023 Points/Miles Recap
  • Pam’s 2023 Points/Miles Recap
  • Jess’s 2023 Points/Miles Recap
  • Pam’s 2022 Points/Miles Recap
  • Alex’s 2022 Points/Miles Recap
  • Jess’s 2022 Points/Miles Recap