How To Maximize Your Credit Card Points

Al has over a million American Express points and dreams of booking another once-in-a-lifetime luxury vacation for his family. But the opaque, frustrating system of transferring and redeeming rewards has him completely paralyzed. On this episode of How To!, Mike brings on Elliot Rosenberg, founder of the luxury points concierge Stratys, to demystify the credit card game. They discuss how airlines secretly devalue their miles and why hoarding points is a massive financial mistake. Elliott walks Al through the "earn and burn" philosophy, explains why you shouldn't put everyday spending on premium cards, and shares a simple hack for turning Amex points into five-night stays at elite hotels. Stratys - Executive Producer Corey Wara Edited by Geoff Craig Booking by Ben Astaire Do you have a burning question or a problem you need help with? Email us at howto@mikepesca.com and we will consider your topic for the show. For full Pesca content and updates, check out our website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ To receive ad-free content, become a Pesca Plus subscriber at ⁠⁠⁠⁠ For Mike's daily takes on Substack,

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How To Maximize Your Credit Card Points is an episode from How To! by Peach Fish Projects.

This episode is 28:40 long.

This episode was published on May 12, 2026.

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