Why Middle Class Budgets Are Cracking and How to Use Travel Points Before They Devalue

About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of the E-shaped economy on middle-class budgets and offers strategies for effectively using travel points.

Learn how the E-shaped economy is reshaping middle-class budgets and how to stretch travel points on real trips. What does it really mean when economists say the U.S. economy has shifted from a K-shape to an E-shape, and where do middle-class households fit in this new picture? Hosts Sean Pyles and Elizabeth Ayoola talk with senior news writer Anna Helhoski about why middle-class earners are increasingly slipping from the top of the K to the middle of the E, what new data reveals about families struggling to afford basic necessities in their own metro areas, and how spending patterns are shifting as essential costs eat up more of each paycheck. Then, how can you actually make travel points work for a real trip without burning them on the wrong redemption? Sean and Elizabeth are joined by Meghan Coyle, co-host of NerdWallet's Smart Travel podcast, to walk through the smartest ways to use airline miles and hotel points. They discuss how to calculate whether points or cash is the better deal for any booking, why hotel points and airline miles aren't created equal, what happens when you transfer points speculatively, and creative ways to keep earning points without picking up another…

People in this episode

Hosts: Sean Pyles, Elizabeth Ayoola

Guests: Anna Helhoski, Meghan Coyle

Topics covered

• middle-class budgets
• E-shaped economy
• travel points
• airline miles
• hotel points
• spending patterns

Keywords

• E-shaped economy
• middle-class
• travel points
• airline miles
• hotel points
• budgeting
• spending patterns

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: NerdWallet, NerdWallet's Smart Travel podcast

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