00:00:00:02 - 00:00:06:20 Chris Summer 2026 is basically here. Peak travel starts now and awards race is already thinning. 00:00:06:22 - 00:00:10:23 Katie If you haven't booked yet, you're not too late. But the window is closing fast. 00:00:11:04 - 00:00:17:06 Chris These five tips are actionable right now, whether you're flying domestic or international, solo or with family. 00:00:17:09 - 00:00:28:14 Katie Plus, Chris has a hot take for families visiting Epic Universe. It's all coming up right now. 00:00:28:16 - 00:00:31:22 Chris Hey, I'm Chris. Welcome to the Upgraded Points podcast. 00:00:32:00 - 00:00:50:06 Katie And I'm Katie and today we're talking about Chris's epic trip to Epic Universe. And then we have five tips for booking summer travel before it's too late. Before we get to all of that, don't forget to like and subscribe and leave some feedback wherever you're watching or listening. And if you have questions or comments for us, you can always reach us at podcasts at upgraded points.com. 00:00:50:08 - 00:01:00:18 Katie Okay, Chris, I am dying to hear about your trip to universal. I have not been there in a long time. So how was it? What did you guys get into? 00:01:00:20 - 00:01:24:13 Chris Yeah, so I was there kind of within some extended family and some friends. And we did the, the classic, you know, Islands of Adventure and studios. But we also spent the day at Epic Universe, and I've been to epic before, and this is the first time I finally brought my family. So they were really excited because I've been talking about it for a year now, but I finally got to bring them and it was an amazing day. 00:01:24:15 - 00:01:47:18 Chris If you like theme parks, this is the one to go to. But I have a hot take in that is that I think Epic Universe is the best theme park in Orlando for a multi-generational trip. And yeah, I know a lot of people are going to say, Disney, bring the grandkids, bring the grandparents. That's awesome. But you know, each park at Disney is a little bit different. 00:01:47:18 - 00:02:08:04 Chris So, you know, maybe Epcot is geared a little bit more towards adults, because of the food. And then Magic Kingdom, you have some of the characters in the princesses and photos and all that stuff. You get some good rides as well, but I think Epic Universe for one park does almost all of that, and they do it really, really well. 00:02:08:06 - 00:02:27:21 Chris So for example, we were there, we had a two year old with us. So we're starting young. And while this isn't the park is definitely not geared towards two year olds. There was a lot of stuff for her to do. So inside Isle of Berk, there's a playground. There are dragons walking around around all of epic universe. 00:02:27:21 - 00:02:49:19 Chris There are just characters roaming, which is really cool. Not something you see at the parks in, on the other side of town. And there are some awesome shows they have. Then Super Nintendo World was just anyone walking in there. Their eyes are going to light up and then arguably the nicest carousel I've ever seen in my life, especially at night. 00:02:49:19 - 00:03:13:22 Chris So, for young kids, there's a lot to do that maybe, we'll skip. You know, people may not think of. And then it starts getting fun. We were there with my son. He's seven years old, my daughter, 12, and then the adults and we went on every single ride. My son, he's seven. He went on start his racers like 3 or 4 times. 00:03:14:00 - 00:03:36:12 Chris And for those not familiar, it is an extreme roller coaster, goes super fast, upside down, and it is equivalent to the Veloster Coaster over in Islands of Adventure. But he doesn't have a height requirements for the last coaster. But the way that they set up the seats here at Stan's Racers, he can. So it's really, really great for for kids. 00:03:36:12 - 00:03:54:13 Chris And he's seven. And so if anyone's, you know, have kids around that age, it's really nice time to start bringing them because besides that, you also have the Donkey Kong Mine, Cart Madness and Harry Potter battle at the Ministry. That's one of the most stunning entrances and rides you will ever see, whether you're a kid or an adult. 00:03:54:15 - 00:04:17:14 Chris But where I think epic really separates itself is the dining. So just in Celestial Park, which is kind of like the the park that connects all the different lands. There's live music, there's an excellent pizza spot, there's a tiki bar, is a fancy seafood restaurant. They have an Asian restaurant. And then inside each land has its own food. 00:04:17:16 - 00:04:45:10 Chris And so for like Burning Blade Tavern, it's literally a bar with a windmill on fire. And then inside it's all dark and there's beer and it's just like, really well done. And the food is good. And now I'll circle back to the grandparents. So if we were going to do, you know, multi-generational trip and you want to do epic universe, the hack is to stay at the Helios Grand Hotel because it's literally inside the park. 00:04:45:12 - 00:05:03:23 Chris So, you know, grandpa, maybe they're not rope dropping and they're not going on all the on the roller coasters. They can just come and go as they please, maybe get a baby in the family and go down for a nap, bring them up to the room, can leave during the hot peak periods, and go for an espresso martini in the lobby bar, and then come back at the end of the day when it's more comfortable. 00:05:03:23 - 00:05:27:03 Chris So I think it's epic. Universe really has a lot of good things going for it still. You know, a year old so has it's growing pains. But it's a really nice park, for all families, all families of all ages. One hot tip that we did, we didn't stay at the Helios Grand. We were staying at the Sapphire Falls. 00:05:27:05 - 00:05:55:12 Chris And that is a Hotel Universal. When you stay at any hotel, whether it's the really expensive Helios Grand or the really reasonable prices like Cabana Bay, you have access to the early park entry one hour before everyone else. And that is what we did. And that is a huge advantage, especially if you are buying an Express Pass. So we did the, you know, the most popular three rides were done by 10 a.m., and then we just got to make our way casually through the park for the rest of the day. 00:05:55:12 - 00:06:04:20 Chris And so that is something you know, free if you're already staying at universal, that can really help your day at Epic Universe. 00:06:04:22 - 00:06:15:02 Katie That sounds like a fantastic place. I'm dying to take my daughter there. Did you stay at that Helios Grand at one point? Our tour. Because I feel like I've seen photos and videos that you had. Or am I making that? 00:06:15:02 - 00:06:34:19 Chris It was. No, no, I was there. That was before the park opened. We were there for like a media preview and we got to see some rooms. So I'll put some some photos and videos up here for people to see. But now it's a it's really nice and I've been there since, but not to stay. I visited a couple times because the, restaurant in the lobby is excellent. 00:06:34:19 - 00:07:05:00 Chris They have, an espresso machine. I'm going to I'm probably gonna say it wrong, but it's like 20 or $25,000, and it makes. Yeah, it makes the most incredible espresso. And then obviously they make that into an incredible espresso martini. So that is like the popular drink over there. And you have views of the park. And then if you go upstairs, I think it opens at like 5:00 each night or Helios, which then you have 360 degree views of the area, including overlooking the park. 00:07:05:00 - 00:07:12:21 Chris And it's just like a really nice place, even if you're not staying there and you get a know free day. And that's a nice hotel to visit. 00:07:12:23 - 00:07:17:14 Katie Is that one part of any, loyalty program or is that an independent hotel? 00:07:17:16 - 00:07:20:00 Chris Well, it's Loews, so, Oh, it's Loews. 00:07:20:00 - 00:07:20:22 Katie Okay. Yeah. 00:07:21:00 - 00:07:25:02 Chris It's there. They have a good park product, but loyalty is not. 00:07:25:05 - 00:07:25:10 Katie Really. 00:07:25:13 - 00:07:26:16 Chris There points and miles is. 00:07:26:17 - 00:07:41:00 Katie Fairly non-existent. Stay. Yeah. Awesome. Well, I know it's I, I'm dying to go there. Ever since that opened. What, last year? I remember you reporting on it when it first opened. And it just looks incredible. Okay, adding that to my Orlando list. 00:07:41:01 - 00:07:42:11 Chris Let's go, let's go. 00:07:42:12 - 00:07:57:02 Katie I love it. Okay, let's take a quick break. And when we come back we are going to talk all things summer travel. And if you haven't booked your trip yet, there's still time. Stick around. 00:07:57:04 - 00:08:07:09 Chris You. Hey, real quick before we jump back in, if you're listening to this podcast, you're exactly the kind of person we built our free newsletter for. 00:08:07:11 - 00:08:17:12 Katie We break down the best credit card offers, transfer bonuses, award alerts, and travel news that actually matters. No fluff, no spam. Just the stuff we'd text a friend if something big dropped. 00:08:17:14 - 00:08:22:11 Chris A lot of the deals we talk about on the show don't last long. The newsletter is where we fly those fast. 00:08:22:13 - 00:08:31:06 Katie It's totally free, and you can sign up at upgraded points.com/newsletter. 00:08:31:08 - 00:08:54:11 Katie You. Welcome back. Let's talk about summer travel. So summer summer is here. It is June. And even if you don't have a vacation planned there is still time. So we're going to go over five tips for booking summer travel. You can still get a trip or 2 or 3 if you want to be really, fancy. There. I don't hate it. 00:08:54:13 - 00:08:59:08 Katie So let's jump right in. Chris, what is our first tip for booking summer travel? 00:08:59:10 - 00:09:33:11 Chris Tip number one is stop waiting for a better deal. It's probably not coming. It's the good news. Yeah, unfortunately. Go book your darn flight. Is summer. Is this one time of the year where both cash fares and award space tighten the longer you wait. June, July, and August are all peak season, and prices reflect that. So you should set up alerts for the trips you want to take, whether that's on Google flights for free or C0, and then sign up for our free newsletter and upgraded points.com where we send out flight and hotel alerts. 00:09:33:13 - 00:09:44:15 Chris The goal right now for you should be to find something good enough and book it. Holding out for that perfect award on a last minute summer trip is a losing game, unfortunately. 00:09:44:17 - 00:10:12:14 Katie Yeah, that's great advice. Sometimes good enough is is good enough to get you on that trip. So absolutely. Okay. Tip number two flexibility is your biggest asset right now. So I get it. Sometimes your dates are locked and that just can't be changed. But that kind of shrinks your options. However, if you can be flexible with your destination then you're opening up the door to a few more options again. 00:10:12:14 - 00:10:42:22 Katie So consider some off the beaten path destinations or places that aren't typical summer summer places you can, refer back to episode 46, which was our favorite weekend trips in the US, and there are some great options in there and places like I'm just going to throw this out as an example. Columbus, Ohio I'm guessing Columbus is not on your list of summer vacation destinations, but guys like any and and take, you know, substitute any other city for Columbus. 00:10:43:00 - 00:11:05:21 Katie We've got a great water park. We have an amazing zoo. We've got an inside science museum for kids. So there are so many cities across the country that you will be able to probably find better deals on flights and hotels, and you can still do some really cool stuff. So get a little flexible with your destination. Another thing is getting flexible with your airport. 00:11:05:23 - 00:11:29:06 Katie So if you're going to London, look at Heathrow and Gatwick. If you're going to Italy, consider, you know, Rome or Milan or Venice or, you know, any of those airports, especially in Europe, a lot of times the actual airport doesn't really matter because they're so easy to hop on a train to get to another big city. I've done the train from, Paris to Amsterdam. 00:11:29:08 - 00:11:45:17 Katie There's a direct train it took, I don't know, maybe a couple of hours, but it was easy. It was quick. It wasn't too expensive. So let's say you want to go to Paris, but you find a great deal to Amsterdam or Brussels or whatever. Book that flight. And I hop on a train to get yourself to where you actually want to go. 00:11:45:19 - 00:12:15:02 Katie You got to have some flexibility to find some of these great deals. And actually, that's a really good piece of advice just on going when you're looking for award tickets, having that flexibility is a lot of times how we make these things happen. Use those flexible search tools as well. Chris mentioned, CSIRO, Google flights. With Google flights, you can search from your specific destination and just click anywhere to see where the deals are. 00:12:15:04 - 00:12:36:10 Katie And that's great. It's like, you know, if you have a week for vacation, log in those dates and just see where the deals are and chase the deals. Another good option for award searches is Rome. They have their sky view tool. It's a mouthful. And that allows you to search different regions, different countries over a period of a couple months. 00:12:36:10 - 00:12:49:15 Katie So if you have some flexibility and you want to go somewhere this summer, you can kind of plug in those more generic, parameters and see where those deals are instead of having to search for specific days and specific cities. 00:12:49:17 - 00:13:03:11 Chris I love that. And that's kind of, you know, in the points of Miles game, chase the deal kind of thing. That's we do that year round. But yeah, for for the casual traveler in the summer that you're going to have to maybe chase the deal or not the destination. 00:13:03:12 - 00:13:04:22 Katie Absolutely. 00:13:05:00 - 00:13:30:16 Chris Tip number three, don't forget about partner airlines. The chances that you're going to find a Delta flight you want using Delta miles or a United flight using United. United miles is very slim in the summer, but partner rewards can be a better deal. For example, you could use air Canada Aeroplan to book Star Alliance flights or use Air France KLM Flying Blue for Delta or Virgin Atlantic flights. 00:13:30:18 - 00:13:37:03 Chris So having a good stash of transferable points is the key to having flexibility to make this work. 00:13:37:05 - 00:13:54:03 Katie Next tip, which actually kind of goes along with that is book that flight. First. Figure out the hotel later. Yeah, it's so easy to get overwhelmed and you get that sort of, what parallelization do. Just like, is parallelization a word that just came out of my mouth. And I don't know if that's a word. 00:13:54:03 - 00:13:55:12 Chris So in fact, checker, please. 00:13:55:12 - 00:14:22:18 Katie Okay. Okay. I'm going to I'm not going to try to be creative here. It's not jogging. But like flight availability in the summer is the constraint. It's not really the hotels. So lock in those flights, especially if you're booking international and do your hotels afterwards. There are a lot more options with hotels. There are a finite number of flights to Paris or Rome or the Dominican Republic or wherever you're going. 00:14:22:19 - 00:14:47:22 Katie It's easier to do the hotels, and when you are ready to do the hotel, think about those lesser known programs. We talked about that on episode 54, like a core and preferred and choice. A lot of times, especially in the points and miles a sphere, we're not necessarily going to those first. So maybe there are a lot more deals in some of those bigger cities then maybe with like a, a marriott or Hilton. 00:14:48:00 - 00:15:06:16 Katie Wyndham is another one that we just talked about a couple weeks ago. They had that, from Wells Fargo to Wyndham, that 1 to 2 transfer ratio, which we talked about. You can get some killer deals. There was that one, I forget the name something rain forest. And then there was another. And I should have. Look this up. 00:15:06:16 - 00:15:18:06 Katie But there was an all inclusive in, Mexico, I believe Carmen for like 70, 500 Wells Fargo points. That's great. Look, for some of those hidden gems to find a great deal. 00:15:18:12 - 00:15:26:23 Chris And I think what you were trying to say, Katie, was analysis paralysis analysis. That's what I was. I was thinking the whole time. You're talking, I was just like, what is that? 00:15:27:01 - 00:15:31:09 Katie Yes, that's exactly what I was trying to think of when I made up a new word. 00:15:31:11 - 00:15:33:21 Chris Invented meant. 00:15:33:23 - 00:15:36:06 Katie Thank you for that, I appreciate it. 00:15:36:08 - 00:16:00:22 Chris All right. Number five, don't forget to use your travel credits and certificates that you already have. If you have any free night certificates, summer is a great time to use them. Whether it's Amex, Pine Hotels Resorts or Chase the ETA credits. Maybe have some Delta stays from some of your Delta credit cards. Or if you have a high IHG, Marriott or Hilton fringe that we get from a credit card, there's a great time of year to use these. 00:16:01:00 - 00:16:20:17 Chris And then if you have a credit card in your in your wallet that has travel credits like the Chase Sapphire Preferred has that $50 annual hotel credit. The City of Premier card, which is $100 off $500 or more hotel stay when you book through city travel or the city Straight to Elite, which has a $300 off, hotel stays of two nights or more. 00:16:20:17 - 00:16:42:11 Chris And when booked through city travel, these are all benefits on card on cards that you have that you may have forgotten about. And we talked about that in another episode because it's so common. Yes, in my ceiling I've never used, but I know it's nice to know it's there. But I'm, I mean, I'm sure we're not alone when we forget about these, these benefits that we already have. 00:16:42:12 - 00:17:03:20 Chris Same thing with flight credit that most summit card, the 25,000 companion award, the most ascent and business cards, those companion awards. And then you have the, a heavy to red and silvers. There was just transition to city, but the benefit is still there. Plus you get Delta Platinum and reserve cards and the companion tickets. Katie, didn't you didn't you book something? 00:17:03:20 - 00:17:23:03 Katie I just use that. I have the Delta Platinum card and this was the first like full year I'd had it. So this was the first companion certificate I got. I was shocked at how easy it was to use it. I mean, I just clicked on the certificate in my account and then went to book my flight and it just automatically took the price off. 00:17:23:05 - 00:17:44:09 Katie It was easier than using the Southwest Companion Pass, this one. I thought it was one of those where you have to pay like 99, and then the taxes. I just paid the taxes, so I saved it was like almost like $457 or something. And it's just a flight to New York. But it's Labor Day weekend and the prices are insane. 00:17:44:11 - 00:17:56:14 Katie And that was just such an that card is 350, I think annual fee like that one benefit. Oh, completely makes up the annual fee. Don't quote me on that. I think it's 350, but I didn't look that up before we started. 00:17:56:14 - 00:17:57:16 Chris Recording checker again. 00:17:57:18 - 00:18:06:06 Katie But please do. But like, I was so impressed with how easy that was to use. So do not forget those like credits. 00:18:06:08 - 00:18:27:18 Chris Love that other credits. If you have Capital One venture X, you have that $300 in annual credit. That's a great time of year to to use that. Same with the the Chase Sapphire Reserve. The $300 credit for any travel. You have a Hilton honors, American Express aspire card like I do, which I love. You get two $200 semiannual resort credits. 00:18:28:00 - 00:18:45:10 Chris So and those were reset in July, July 1st, I think. So if you travel in June, you could get $200 off your resort stay. And then if you travel in July, you can use another $200. Plus you get your $50 per quarter in airline purchases so you can knock out, you know, take a couple bucks off your flight to your resort. 00:18:45:10 - 00:19:04:23 Chris So those are really good. And if you have, you know, an old Citi Prestige in your in your wallet, it's not available for new applications. You still that $250 travel credit. Same with the Ritz Carlton card $300 travel credit for airline purchases. So they're just these credits that, you know, you have that you should use. 00:19:05:00 - 00:19:24:16 Katie The other ones that just popped into my head, for Hilton, the Hilton Surpass and the Amex Business Platinum have that $50 quarterly credit. And that one's nice because that can be used. It doesn't have to be from those same the resort hotels that the aspire credit is only allowed for. So it's $50 per quarter for any Hilton. 00:19:24:18 - 00:19:44:20 Katie And fun fact I discovered that that works even like if you're not traveling for a Hilton and you have one, just go to your local Hilton and buy stuff from their little coffee shop, and that will trigger the credit. Even though that stuff is overpriced. It's like I'd rather have some of that. Or like go for breakfast in the restaurant or dinner or whatever, and that will trigger the credit. 00:19:44:20 - 00:20:07:05 Katie You don't even have to be staying at the hotel. So those are a couple others. Don't forget about them. Yeah. Okay, let's jump into our questions. We do have one from our email. And this is from Kellyanne. And Kellyanne says I have two kids, ages seven and ten and would like to plan a fun trip this summer or maybe a long weekend this fall. 00:20:07:07 - 00:20:25:07 Katie I started looking at all inclusives in the Caribbean, but there were so many choices that felt overwhelming. Do you have any specific recommendations for an easy vacation spot for a family with kids? We want a warm destination with a good pool. Thanks. All right. You have analysis paralysis. There's too many options. 00:20:25:13 - 00:20:41:15 Chris Too many options. But you're not going to be much help here because I'm no expert in the Caribbean. I will default to Katie, but I will just toss out one option here, and that's going to be the Conrad at Evermore in Orlando. I know. Shocker. Yeah. I'm sorry. And I'm I'm guessing it does. 00:20:41:15 - 00:20:44:03 Katie Not work for the Conrad Evermore. I'm just going to. 00:20:44:03 - 00:21:02:17 Chris Think that out. They would throw me some sand or something. I don't know, this is a I'm telling you, it's a great option for a hotel. Even if you don't want to go to the parks or Universal or Disney or whatever you could. It looks like you're in the Maldives in some of these angles. It's a giant pool and beach, and there's just a lot of stuff going on there. 00:21:02:19 - 00:21:05:12 Chris But that's not what you ask, so I will let Katie answer. 00:21:05:13 - 00:21:24:16 Katie Still a good answer, though. Still a good answer. A great pool and a warm destination. So, I have a couple of options. I mean, there's the thing to remember is there are a million different resorts in the Caribbean and in Mexico or Florida or any warm destination that you want to go to for a trip with your kids. 00:21:24:18 - 00:21:43:04 Katie And probably a lot of them are going to be really good. So you're not necessarily making a bad decision picking one of these over the other. So at some point you just kind of have to pick one and go for it and stop thinking about it. And I know that's hard because I fall into that trap, too. But there are just so many to choose from. 00:21:43:05 - 00:22:04:11 Katie A couple that I've been to personally, the Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana in Dominican Republic. It is the family friendly, all inclusive one of their brands. The reason I loved it is, first of all, Punta Cana is just easy to get to. There's flights from everywhere, gorgeous beaches, but this place has an on site waterpark. And we went there a few years ago. 00:22:04:11 - 00:22:20:21 Katie My daughter was nine, I believe when we went there and it was perfect. I mean, there was maybe five slides and I think there was like a small lazy river, if I'm remembering correctly. But we just loved it. My husband and I went down the slide, so it's great for adults too, but it's so nice with that age. 00:22:20:21 - 00:22:38:21 Katie You said you had 7 in 10. I think that would be a perfect age for that because it's right there. You don't have to get in transportation anywhere. You just walk out and go to the little water park, their seats there. There was a food truck there. So you can spend the day there and just let the kids get their energy out, going up and down the water slides. 00:22:38:21 - 00:22:59:18 Katie We had a blast at that hotel and it was just it's a really nice, just comfortable, great pools. The pools like there's the main section of the hotel with pools and then the water slides are just over to the side. The main pool was phenomenal. It's just one of those enormous pools that just goes on forever. It was heated to perfection, if I remember correctly. 00:22:59:18 - 00:23:02:11 Katie I really liked that one. And it's got, you know, you would. 00:23:02:11 - 00:23:04:01 Chris Remember if it wasn't, I think I. 00:23:04:03 - 00:23:25:05 Katie 100%, 100%. Actually, yeah, I don't know. I'll tell you about that in a minute. But, you know, it has the swim up bars and everything, so it's just great for the whole family. The cap. I'm sorry. The Hyatt, Ziva, Los Cabos, is another one that actually, I really did enjoy. But the pool was freezing there. 00:23:25:05 - 00:23:41:13 Katie Well, there are two pools. One was fine, one was freezing. So that's why I chose the cap counter to tell you about instead of that one. And that one didn't have a waterpark, but I still really enjoyed it. But but yeah, I do remember a good heated pool. So that would then that's just an easy fun for the whole family. 00:23:41:13 - 00:24:03:23 Katie Easy trip. And I really enjoyed that hotel. The Kimpton C fire is another one. This one's not all inclusive, so if you're really going for all inclusive, I'd recommend the cap option. The pool is smaller, but it was still really nice. There is a kids club there that my daughter loved and gorgeous beach. Just amazing beach. And it's one that you can actually swim in. 00:24:04:01 - 00:24:22:00 Katie And then another option, not the Caribbean but Mexico. So it kind of has the same, you know, warm weather, great pools option, and it can be really easy. I'm not sure where you're coming from, but the dreams, Bahia mita and that would be you'd fly into Puerto Vallarta. So it's on the other side of Mexico from the Caribbean side. 00:24:22:01 - 00:24:26:03 Katie But that's another one that had an on site, waterslides. 00:24:26:05 - 00:24:26:20 Chris Love it. 00:24:26:22 - 00:24:49:00 Katie And that one had the on site ropes course, which was a blast. We did this place last year. It is another Hyatt all inclusive. And the Dream's brand is another all family friendly. We really enjoyed that. The ropes course, like my husband, daughter and I all had a blast on it. It was really fun and the water slides are great and both of those are right there. 00:24:49:00 - 00:25:05:14 Katie So it's another one where you just go to the resort. You don't have to worry about transportation, but you still have a lot of activities to get the kids tired. Sleep really well and you can enjoy yourself. There are a ton of great options, but those are a couple that I've been to that I really do enjoy. 00:25:05:18 - 00:25:19:19 Katie So thank you so much for the question. We really appreciate it. If you have questions or comments for us that you would like us to read on air, you can reach us at podcasts and upgraded points.com. And that's going to do it for us this week. We will see you next week.