# Is the Points Party Ending in 2026? Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-thrifty-traveler-podcast-7239229/is-the-points-party-ending-in-2026 Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-thrifty-traveler-podcast-7239229/is-the-points-party-ending-in-2026.md Podcast: [The Thrifty Traveler Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-thrifty-traveler-podcast-7239229) Published: 2026-01-27T11:15:00+00:00 Episode link: https://thrifty-traveler-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/is-the-points-party-ending-in-2026-FkX_DEJI Audio file: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/afp-957879-injected.calisto.simplecastaudio.com/b5a012d1-5a98-4220-89d0-e08e89f21c75/episodes/2c8fe58a-38a9-4bdf-b743-e7e047893cf7/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=b5a012d1-5a98-4220-89d0-e08e89f21c75&awEpisodeId=2c8fe58a-38a9-4bdf-b743-e7e047893cf7&feed=MFk8PVUG Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-thrifty-traveler-podcast-7239229/episodes/is-the-points-party-ending-in-2026 Duration seconds: 3190 ## Resource A year ago, we saw signs award travel was on the upswing … but in 2026, we’re not so sure. Airlines’ constant tweaks to their mileage programs - not just for the rates they charge, but who can even book - have us posing the question: Is the points party ending? Are we on a sinking ship? Not to get too negative, but it’s time for a reality check. So Kyle and Gunnar break down the new trends shaping award travel while offering some hope and guidance for travelers worried about their rewards. ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-thrifty-traveler-podcast-7239229/episodes/is-the-points-party-ending-in-2026/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-thrifty-traveler-podcast-7239229/is-the-points-party-ending-in-2026.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.