If you’ve ever watched the price of a family vacation creep higher and higher and thought, there has to be a better way — there is. And it has nothing to do with finding a deal on a discount travel site.
On this episode, we sat down with Owen, The Points Partner, who has built an entire business around helping families travel for free using credit card points and air miles. With half a million followers across social media and appearances on Good Morning America, Owen has seen it all. And his message is surprisingly simple: most families are already earning points. They’re just using them the wrong way.
For more family vacation inspiration, check out all the podcast episodes. Adventure Awaits!
The #1 Mistake Families Make with Points
Here’s the thing Owen hears all the time: “Travel is getting so expensive.”
His response? “That’s a shame — if you’re buying tickets.”
When you’re using points and miles correctly, the cash price of a flight becomes almost irrelevant.
The reason most people don’t feel that way comes down to one fundamental misunderstanding — there are two very different ways to use your points, and most people are using the wrong one.
Way #1: The Credit Card Travel Portal (Easy, but Expensive)
When you click the “Travel” button inside your credit card app, you’re essentially using points like cash. A $1,000 flight costs 100,000 points. You’re still paying full price — just in points instead of dollars.
Way #2: Transfer Points to Airlines (More Effort, Massively More Value)
This is where the magic happens. When you transfer your credit card points to an airline, they become air miles — and air miles are priced completely separately from the cash cost of the ticket. That means a business class seat with a lie-flat bed that might cost $5,000 in cash could cost a fraction of the points you’d expect.
Owen summarizes the value difference clearly:
- 1% cash back = 1 cent per dollar
- 1 hotel point = 0.4 to 0.6 cents
- 1 air mile = 0.6 to 1.2 cents
- 1 credit card point used correctly = up to 10 cents
That’s potentially 10x the free travel — from the same spending — just by using your points differently.
How to Choose the Right Credit Cards
With 3,000 credit cards available in the U.S., choosing the right one feels overwhelming. Owen has strong opinions about where not to start:
- Not the mailers — those credit card offers that show up in your mailbox are from third-party marketing companies, not banks, and the fine print rarely works in your favor.
- Not random Google searches — most “help me choose a credit card” sites are affiliate-driven and recommend whatever pays them the most.
- Not your local bank — they’ll only sell you what they offer.
What you need, Owen says, is someone independent who can match cards to your actual spending habits.
The key questions to ask yourself:
- How much do I spend per month?
- Where do I spend it? (This is the most important factor.)
Groceries, dining, gas, travel, medical, and online shopping — each category has a credit card that earns the most points for it. Most families only need 2 to 4 well-chosen cards.
Another important rule: don’t keep all your points in one place. Airlines and credit card companies can devalue points at any time. Spreading across multiple programs protects you — and also unlocks more transfer partner options and monthly bonuses.
The Airline Alliance Secret Most Families Don’t Know
Here’s a piece of insider knowledge that changes how you search for flights entirely.
The world’s airlines operate in three major alliances that cover 98% of all flights on earth:
- Star Alliance (~44% of all flights): United, Lufthansa, Air Canada, and dozens more
- SkyTeam (~30% of all flights): Delta, Virgin Atlantic, KLM, Air France, and others
- Oneworld: American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas, Qatar Airways, and more
Why does this matter? Because when you have United miles, you’re not just booking United — you’re booking nearly half the flights on the planet. And sometimes the best price for a Delta flight isn’t found through Delta at all — it’s found through Virgin Atlantic or Air France, which are in the same alliance.
As Owen explains it, “As long as you’ve got a way to get into each alliance, you are already searching all the flights on Earth.”
5 Tips for Families Specifically
Families face unique challenges with points travel: school schedules limit when you can go, you need multiple seats together, and availability is tightest exactly when you need it most. Owen’s tips are built for real family life.
1. Book 11 Months in Advance
This is Owen’s number one tip for families. Book your flights to Europe (or wherever you’re headed) at the end of thissummer for next summer. You don’t even need to be sure you’ll go — most award tickets can be canceled up to 24 hours before departure for a small fee (around $50). “Book your beds on planes for all four of you,” Owen says. “If it doesn’t work out, click a button and get your miles back.”
2. You Don’t Need Award Seats for Everyone
If you’re a family of five, don’t wait until you find five award seats at the best price — that can be nearly impossible in peak summer. Instead, search for three or four seats at the best award rate, then book the remaining seats through the credit card portal or with cash. When you average out the cost, you still save significantly overall.
3. Book One-Way Flights
Most people default to round-trip searches. Owen says award travel works differently. Searching one-way opens up more availability, more flexibility, and often better pricing. You can mix and match airlines for each direction to find the best deals.
4. Be Flexible About Airports and Cities
One of Owen’s most eye-opening examples: if flying from JFK to Paris costs 300,000 points, but flying to London is only 40,000 points — and a connecting flight from London to Paris costs just 5,000 points — you’ve just saved 255,000 points by being willing to land in a different city first. Even flying out of a nearby airport can cut your points in half.
5. Always Keep Kids with an Adult on Award Bookings
This is a critical rule when splitting bookings. Minors cannot be on a separate mileage booking alone. When you’re mixing award tickets and portal/cash tickets, always assign at least one adult to each child’s reservation.
The Mindset Shift That Makes It All Click
Owen is careful about one thing: he doesn’t like the word “hacking.” It implies breaking rules — and that’s not what this is.
“We’re not breaking any rules. We’re not breaking any terms and conditions. We are simply maximizing every step of the transaction.”
Points are a currency, he says, just like euros or yen. You earn them at a certain rate, and you spend them at a certain rate. The difference is that most people focus 70% of their energy on earning points and almost none on how to use them — which is where 70% of the value actually lives.
The banks, airlines, and credit card companies aren’t going to teach you this. It takes an independent third party with a reason to help you win.
How to Get Started with Help from Owen
Owen makes it clear there’s no single right approach — just the one that fits your personality and how much you want to be involved.
Path 1: Do It Yourself
Start with Owen’s free Fly Free Academy on his website — about 90 minutes that covers the fundamentals. If you’re hooked, the full course runs 6–7 hours.
Path 2: Have Someone Do It for You
Fill out the travel form on his site, and Owen’s team will come back to you within 24 hours with flight options using your points. Many families use this service for a year or two, then decide they want to learn it themselves.
Owen is offering our listeners a free 5-minute Zoom call to help you figure out if you have the right credit cards — no charge, because helping you earn more points benefits both of you in the long run.
And be sure to let him know you heard him on the KeeKee’s Big Adventures Family Travel Podcast.
You can also follow Owen on Instagram and Facebook.
For more family vacation inspiration, tune in to all the podcast episodes. Adventure Awaits!