{"podcast":{"title":"Point Me To First Class","slug":"point-me-to-first-class-6237146","podcast_index_feed_id":6237146,"rss_url":"https://feeds.libsyn.com/464010/rss","website_url":"https://pointmetofirstclass.com/podcast","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/2/5/d/a/25dae9ed72ce1f8bd959afa2a1bf1c87/PMTFC-Podcast-Cover-Art-3000.jpg","author":"Devon Gimbel MD","episode_count":184,"summary":"Point Me to First Class is a show for employed professionals, solopreneurs, entrepreneurs, and business owners with higher-than-average personal and/or business expenses who want to learn to leverage them into credit card points to spend on travel. Your expenses are your greatest untapped asset - but learning how to use them to travel the world doesn't have to be confusing or complicated. Each week, Devon Gimbel shares valuable tips, tools, and strategies to help you uplevel your skills earning and redeeming credit card points and shows you how to spend them on incredible travel experiences. Interested in learning more about working with Devon? Visit www.pointmetofirstclass.com to learn more. This podcast is for you if you find yourself asking questions like: How do I earn credit card points and use them for travel? How can I make my expenses benefit me? How can I earn as many credit card points for as little spending as possible? How to maximize value from credit card points. How to earn credit card points for travel. Turn credit card points into travel.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-20T16:19:21.757777+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/point-me-to-first-class-6237146"},"episode":{"title":"168. A $111k Family Trip to Japan for $1,660: How It Started","slug":"168-a-111k-family-trip-to-japan-for-1-660-how-it-started","published_at":"2026-05-18T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/point-me-to-first-class-6237146/168-a-111k-family-trip-to-japan-for-1-660-how-it-started","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/point-me-to-first-class-6237146","url":"https://pointmetofirstclass.com/japan-family-trip-recap-part-1","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/971afa5f-caf9-4235-9445-9b18164a0a4c/PMTFC_-_Ep168.mp3?dest-id=3917916","summary":"Have you ever been tempted to completely change your vacation plans because of an irresistible points deal? That's exactly what happened when Japan Airlines did a random first class award dump last April. I couldn't resist jumping on the opportunity to book our family of four in first class to Tokyo - even though it meant splitting us across two different flights and completely scrapping our original Mexico plans. For the first time in this podcast's history, my husband Brandon joins me at the mic to recap our spring break trip to Japan with our two kids. In part one of this two-part series, Brandon and I walk through how this accidental trip came together, what it was like flying Japan Airlines first class as a family, our stay at the newly renovated Park Hyatt Tokyo, and the reality of traveling with kids in Japan - from the Pokémon Cafe to nearly missing the bullet train to Kyoto. This is an honest, unfiltered look at what goes right and what goes wrong even with advanced planning, as we cover the flight drama, the Tokyo highlights, and everything that happened before we made it to Kyoto. Get full show notes and transcript: https://pointmetofirstclass.com/japan-family-trip-recap-part-1 Want to shape the show? Take the Point Me To First Class listener survey and share what you love and want more of! Eager to learn the secrets of award travel so that you can turn your expenses into unforgettable experiences? Join the Points Made Easy course waitlist here: https://pointmetofirstclass.com/pointsmadeeasy","meta_description":"Have you ever been tempted to completely change your vacation plans because of an irresistible points deal? That's exactly what happened when Japan Airlin…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3261,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/point-me-to-first-class-6237146/episodes/168-a-111k-family-trip-to-japan-for-1-660-how-it-started/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/point-me-to-first-class-6237146/168-a-111k-family-trip-to-japan-for-1-660-how-it-started.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}