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Ryan Smith

Former Senior Editor
Distance Traveled in 2026
Visited in 2026

Ryan is a writer and editor who first wrote for AwardWallet team in 2021 but has been around points and miles for several years. He has written at Forbes Advisor, CNBC Select, Miles to Memories, The Points Guy, and USA Today Blueprint.

After someone at his hostel in China said “I flew here for free using points,” Ryan was hooked. In December 2023, he finished his goal of visiting every country and now plans to return to those that merit another visit.

His wife joins him on many of his trips, and they enjoy snowboarding, diving, and seeing animals in the wild. When not traveling, Ryan is probably answering questions from his family about how he travels so much and whether all of this is illegal.

Travel Summary
Applying for the Venture X Business Card? You've Got One Less Benefit Now
Applying for the Venture X Business Card? You've Got One Less Benefit Now
1

In "news you might've overlooked," Capital One recently announced one card moving from Visa to Mastercard and another moving from Mastercard to Visa. Mostly, that news doesn't matter for the average person. However, we wondered if some of the benefits might change, given that benefits are often tied to the type of card you're carrying (ex: Visa Infinite or World Elite Mastercard). We reached out to Capital One and now can confirm that this change will result in the loss of a benefit. It comes by way of Priority Pass restaurant access for Capital One Venture X Business applicants.

Ryan Smith
Ryan Smith
You Can Now Redeem El Al Matmid Points for Air France Flights, but You Shouldn't
You Can Now Redeem El Al Matmid Points for Air France Flights, but You Shouldn't
0

We're generally fans of more options for using your points and miles. However, the title is likely a dead giveaway for how we feel about the ability to use your El Al Matmid points for Air France flights.This is a new redemption capability, coming online just recently. And while that seems exciting, the pricing will kill any original joy you felt when learning about this redemption option.

Ryan Smith
Ryan Smith