Sam Kemmis

Senior Writer | Travel rewards, point and mile valuation, data analysis

Sam Kemmis is a former NerdWallet travel rewards expert specializing in airline and hotel loyalty programs. In a previous professional life, he wrote comedy until a nomadic lifestyle and a lifelong obsession with saving money turned his attention to travel rewards. He is no longer funny. His work has been featured by The Associated Press, The Points Guy and Fast Company. He has spoken about travel rewards at CardCon, the Altitude conference and AwardWallet's "Award Travel 101" podcast. He is based in Ojai, California, and teaches mindfulness meditation because that's what you do in Ojai.

Education: B.A. in philosophy from Boston University, M.A. in biology from Binghamton University
Previous experience: The Onion, MyTravelNerd

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How to Save Money on Road Trips

Planning a road trip? Here are a few great money-saving tips from Sam Kemmis, NerdWallet's travel rewards expert. He offers smart ways to use your credit card points to save on gas, hotels and more.

Sam's picks

Personal Finance

NerdWallet’s Airline Point Transfers and Partner Award Bookings Tool

by JT Genter, Sally French, Kevin Berry

We built a tool to help you figure out how to transfer your points or miles and book a valuable award flight.

Smart Money Podcast: Travel Tips, and Finding the Right Financial Advisors

by Liz Weston, CFP®, Sean Pyles

Sam has also nerded out in...

Quotes and interviews

CNBC. Here are the 5 most valuable airline and hotel rewards programs.
"Award Travel 101" podcast. Juggling, The Onion, and Award Travel with Sam Kemmis from NerdWallet.

Other publications

The Washington Post, The Associated Press, MarketWatch

The latest from Sam

Smart Money Podcast — How to Save Money on Holiday Travel Without Using Any Points

Learn expert tips and tricks for saving money on holiday travel booking, from the best time to book to when you should use rewards points.

How to Avoid the New ‘Shoulder Season’ Crowds

Some destinations are seeing a boom in travelers during shoulder seasons in spring and fall.

Maximize Credit Card Points With Just One (Big) Skill

Transferring points to partners is the best way to get the most value. That doesn't mean it's easy.

How to Choose a Short-Term Vacation Rental With a Group

Airbnb has added new features to help groups plan trips, but that doesn't mean it's easy.

There Are New Digital Nomads on the Block: Families

As the cost of living rises in many places, full-time family travel can cost about the same as staying put.

Is Anyone in Charge of Making Your Airbnb or Other Rental Safe?

The safety of short-term rentals is a regulatory wild West, with nobody tracking or managing unsafe conditions

Travel Junk Fees Are a Virus With No Easy Fix

Recent rule changes offer some help on airline junk fees, but quashing them won't be easy.

Why I’m Still Rooting for Airbnb

Airbnb has plenty of problems that a flying Pixar house won't fix, yet it's still offering real-world connection.

Portland’s Airbnb Fiasco Shows Why Regulation Often Fails

The Oregon city's struggle to enforce restrictions on short-term rentals offers a lesson for other communities.

New Airline Requirements: Cash Refunds and Transparent Fees

The Biden administration is regulating airline junk fees and refunds — here's what it means for travelers.

Where Americans Are Traveling in 2024: By the Numbers

Americans are going abroad more than ever, with Japan and Central America seeing the biggest increases.

How to Navigate Those Confusing Flight Bundles

Airfare bundles presumably offer a shortcut and discount when checking out. Are they worth it?

Dynamic Pricing Is Coming for Everything in Travel

JetBlue added peak pricing to checked luggage, so comparing flight prices with fees just got more difficult.

Ask a Travel Nerd: Why Is Comparing Travel Prices Still So Hard?

It's nearly impossible to know how much travel booking will actually cost. Why haven't we figured this out yet?

JetBlue Quietly Adds Baggage Surge Pricing

Passengers will have to pay more to check their bags if they are flying on "peak" travel days.