---
title: "The World of Travel Rewards, 2026 🤌"
url: "https://loyalty.sarl/en/posts/2026-01-02-the-world-of-travel-rewards-2026/"
date: 2026-01-02
source: "https://t.me/statkarusel/176"
language: en
---

# The World of Travel Rewards, 2026 🤌

*Consultants to the left of me, consultants to the right, and me in the middle with a biscuit and a spreadsheet.*

The WSJ, [on its front page for the first of January](https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/want-a-free-luxury-trip-talk-to-a-credit-card-rewards-consultant-05589b44), skips the hangover cure and goes straight to what matters.

It reports that some travellers now hire credit card and rewards consultants to build a strategy for earning, and above all cleverly spending, points on "luxury" trips.

**What the piece is about**

The WSJ describes how the world of travel rewards has become complicated enough (lots of programmes, rules, transfers, limited award seats) that some people prefer to hand the planning over to specialists.

**What matters in practice**

The "magic" of these consultants usually isn't "making the trip free" but knowing how to pick the right set of cards and bonuses for a specific goal, and how to find good redemptions (award space, partner transfers, routing rules and fees).

If you're after premium cabins or expensive hotels, the real bottleneck is usually smart redemption and availability, not the earning itself.

[the original without the paywall](https://archive.is/20260102040611/https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/want-a-free-luxury-trip-talk-to-a-credit-card-rewards-consultant-05589b44)

[a breakdown from my own credit card consultant](https://chatgpt.com/share/69576bf7-4b88-800f-a261-3b9bb971947f)

Watch handed over ☝️

## Photos

![The World of Travel Rewards, 2026 🤌](https://loyalty.sarl/img/2026-01-02-%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80-%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%BB-%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B4%D1%81-2026/photo_115@02-01-2026_07-07-54_hu_98e0968487d18aec.webp)