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Ryan Smith Latest Posts

Former Senior Editor
Distance Traveled in 2025
Visited in 2025

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.

American Express Adds ‘Family’ Language to Delta Credit Card Rules

American Express Adds ‘Family’ Language to Delta Credit Card Rules
Ryan Smith
by Ryan Smith
September 18, 2023
0

It hasn't been a quiet week for Delta, and there's another change sure to make people unhappy: the introduction of a "family" rule on American Express' Delta co-branded credit cards. American Express and Delta offer numerous credit cards, and we've had numerous questions over the years from people wondering whether it's possible to earn the welcome bonus on all of these cards. Until today, the answer was an easy "yes." Now, it's muddier.

Huge Delta Changes: More Difficult To Earn Medallion Status, Lounge Access Cuts

Huge Delta Changes: More Difficult To Earn Medallion Status, Lounge Access Cuts
Ryan Smith
by Ryan Smith
September 14, 2023
5

Rumors have been swirling for weeks that Delta Air Lines was going to massively overhaul its Medallion (Delta's elite status) program, with an expected announcement on September 14. The airline accidentally leaked the changes a day early. And the rumors were true: Delta is making sweeping changes to its Medallion program, lounge access, upgrade priority, Million Miler perks, and more. Here's what you need to know.

Crazy Good Availability for Starlux Flights Using Alaska Miles

Crazy Good Availability for Starlux Flights Using Alaska Miles
Ryan Smith
by Ryan Smith
July 26, 2023
9

Alaska Airlines and Starlux (the Taiwan-based airline) launched a partnership earlier this year, and mileage redemptions with Alaska Mileage Plan miles are now live. That means you can book Starlux awards. And I'm not just saying, "In theory, you can book awards." You really can book awards...pretty much any day you want. Let's show you how to take advantage of this award availability for a dream trip to Taiwan or onward to other points in Asia.

You Can Now Book ITA Airways Flights With Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Points

You Can Now Book ITA Airways Flights With Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Points
Ryan Smith
by Ryan Smith
July 21, 2023
1

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club joined SkyTeam on March 2, 2023, and it's now possible to book awards for SkyTeam partner ITA Airways using your Virgin points. Best of all, you can do this online. ITA Airways, for those unfamiliar, is an Italian airline and is the successor to now-defunct Alitalia. Here's what you should know about using your Virgin Atlantic points for ITA Airways flights — and the wide-open availability we're seeing.

Changes Coming to American Airlines Admirals Clubs® and Citi AA Executive Card

Changes Coming to American Airlines Admirals Clubs® and Citi AA Executive Card
Ryan Smith
by Ryan Smith
March 26, 2025
1

American Airlines and Citi just announced a slew of changes to Admirals Club® membership costs and the benefits and fees of the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®. Thankfully, some of the negative changes don't take effect for another two weeks, giving you time to plan. But these changes see the elimination of one of our favorite credit card perks. Are the changes worth the additional fees? Let's dig into the changes to see.

Marriott Finally Displays Resort Fees in Compliance With Court Order

Marriott Finally Displays Resort Fees in Compliance With Court Order
Ryan Smith
by Ryan Smith
May 10, 2023
12

In late 2021, Marriott agreed to a legal settlement to clearly list resort fees (and other mandatory fees) on the first page of hotel results. After years of delays (and fines), Marriott is finally complying with the settlement. You'll now see resort fees in the initial Marriott search results. However, the initial price still won't be your total cost. Here's how to compare the all-in prices for Marriott hotels.

Wells Fargo and Choice Privileges Launch Two Credit Cards Offering Up to 60K Bonus Points

Wells Fargo and Choice Privileges Launch Two Credit Cards Offering Up to 60K Bonus Points
Ryan Smith
by Ryan Smith
April 28, 2023
7

This month, Choice Privileges launched two credit cards issued by Wells Fargo. The welcome bonuses can yield up to 60,000 points, which fans of Choice Privileges will love. But there's a lot to love beyond just the sign-up bonus. In fact, even if you value Choice points at 0.35 cents each, one perk alone justifies the reasonable annual fee. Here's a closer look at the details so you can decide whether to apply for or keep these cards long-term.