Oh, what a summer! Unless you have been living under a rock, you have heard about all the canceled and delayed flights this summer. When you pair massive throngs of travelers wanting to get out and see the world again with a transportation system that was scaled back because of COVID, chaos was waiting to […]

One of the easiest transfer partners to use for award flights is Avianca LifeMiles. I have used them several times. Additionally, both Citi ThankYou Points,  Capital One Venture Miles, and American Express Membership Rewards transfer to Avianca so you have options.   Step One: Sign up for a loyalty account on Avianca’s website. Then, hit the […]

Our latest reader success story comes from Laura about a trip to Maui and Kona. Here it is in her words:   Getting Hooked on Using Points and Miles A few years ago, my husband read a blog about a way to travel for free that didn’t involve being tied to a contract or multi-level […]

I’ve had the American Express Bonvoy Brilliant Card for a few years now. I also don’t plan to get rid of it because, despite the hefty $450 annual fee, the benefits work for me. You can read more about why I keep it here. Well, starting 9/22/22, there is a change to the American Express […]

Recently I realized that there are some credit card myths that people hang on to.  I was talking to a friend about travel. He was looking for a plane ticket for an upcoming vacation and I asked him if he used credit card points and miles? His reply was that he didn’t want his credit […]

Many people prefer to stay in a vacation rental because they have more space and have kitchens where they can do their own cooking. There are times when you travel with a group of friends or family, like our Croatia trip, when you just want to be together too. A vacation rental just works in certain […]

What’s in your wallet? If it’s the Capital One Venture X Card, you just got more airport lounge access. You all know that I am the queen of hitting up a nice lounge to elevate my flying experiences, so the fact that Capital One adds more airport lounge access is welcome news. However, I have […]

We love so many things about Southwest® Flights! The Southwest® Companion Pass is one of the best deals! Free baggage allowances make family travel so cheap! And the ability to rebook Southwest Flights when prices drop saves us a ton of points/money! On our Instagram account we have talked about how we keep an eye […]

Our latest Reader’s Success Story comes from Corey. Her family used points and miles to go to Iceland, a destination that we know some of our readers are interested in! Here is her story: We have been collecting points since 2020 and have about 15 cards. We primarily used Chase Ultimate Rewards for this trip. […]

We often hear from you about the difficulty in finding hotel nights for award stays. This is especially true if you have a set time to book your stay. Flexibility is key to booking flights and hotel stays on the cheap with miles and points. But what do you do if you can’t find award […]

I recently was in London and wanted to stay at a hotel near the Theater District after watching the musical “Six”. Having a nice stockpile of Chase Ultimate Rewards, made it an easy opportunity to make this happen. I checked out several Hyatt stays near the theater district and was intrigued with this theater which […]

We just got back from our (almost) annual girls/mom trip and it was one for the books! A girl’s trip to Croatia with points and miles is definitely something you want to consider. Or a couple’s trip or a family trip. If you love Italy, you will love Croatia! They are definitely very similar with […]

One of our favorite ways to get more credit card points and miles is through the use of business credit cards. You may think that this doesn’t apply to you, but you would be surprised at how many people (including us before we started teaching points and miles) have received business credit cards with just […]

We love our Marriott Bonvoy credit cards because they come with annual free night certificates. Marriott gives you a 35K or 50K certificate each year when you renew your card depending on what credit card you have. In the past, you could only use them for a hotel that had a redemption of no more than […]

Let’s talk about the United Excursionist Perk. What, you’ve never heard of it? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. If you fly United sometimes, it is the way to get a free flight segment, and who isn’t all about that? Basically, the United Excursionist Perk is a free one-way award within select multi-city itineraries. If […]

When we planned our Safari to Africa, we decide that since we were traveling so far to get there, we wanted to see another area so we decided to add Zanzibar, the Spice Island, to our trip. We used credit card points and miles for all of this part of our trip except for the […]

“Can I use credit card points and miles and book a cruise?” This is a common question we get asked. Cruising to far-off destinations and getting to see multiple places combined with midnight buffets, parties, and entertainment is a dream of many. Let’s talk about using points and miles for cruises. First of all, yes, […]

For years, United Airlines was the only airline I flew consistently. We lived in Northern California and our tiny airport was only serviced by United. Every time I flew it was United to San Francisco as a connecting flight. My first experience with using credit card points and miles was getting an old United Airlines […]

One of the easiest ways to get a Hyatt free night is by getting a Hyatt Brand Explorer Award. Seriously, so easy. Hyatt hotels have many brands of hotels, including:     That is a grand total of 33 brands. To be honest, I am not at all familiar with a few. Hyatt knows this […]

I just completed one of my bucket list destinations using points and miles for a portion of it. Africa and Zanzibar on points and miles was an absolute dream! While we had purchased our safari on Travelzoo with cash, the flights, hotel in Arusha, and all of Zanzibar was done with points and miles. Here […]

Without points and miles, I would be reduced to being a budget traveler most of the time. Because of points and miles, I can be bougie on a budget. Points and miles have let me have some experiences I NEVER thought possible!   Lay-flat Seats I remember those days that I walked past people who […]