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 […]

It’s no secret that I am a fan of IHG credit cards. They have given me great value internationally in Dubai and Vietnam. In both of those places, I got suite upgrades! I have also used IHG points to stay at beautiful Kimpton hotels in the USA. Redeeming IHG points at hotels like Holiday Inn […]

One of my “have to” purchases is gas and we spend a lot of money on fueling the cars in our household. If we have to pay a lot to use our cars, let’s at least get rewarded for it! Here are the best credit cards to use when paying for gas! Citi Premier Strata℠ […]

After watching Alex’s incredible trip to the Maldives, the number one question we keep getting asked is, “Which are the best cards for flights to the Maldives?” Let’s go over them!   American Airlines Credit Cards   The credit cards that give American Airlines miles have long been a favorite for booking on Qatar Airways […]

Our Christmas this year was weird. For the first time ever, my husband and I spent it without children and grandchildren. One family wanted us to go to Mexico with them but I was having back surgery soon so we decided not to go there. Another family got COVID 2 days before we were to […]

We love using points for hotel stays when we go on vacations. Using them for a staycation is another great use of our points, particularly using a free hotel certificate. Recently, it was my daughter’s birthday, who lives two hours away, so another daughter and I arranged to meet her in Denver for a girl’s […]

Prior to Covid, my husband and I had booked a tour to Machu Picchu. This got canceled and rescheduled for this fall. Although most of our hotels were with the group, our flights and some hotel stays were made with points and miles. I’ll add a few more possible hotels that are available as we […]

We can all agree on one thing. Earning points and miles is easier than booking award travel with points and miles. We all want the best deal possible and sometimes analysis paralysis keeps us from pulling the plug on a redemption. Let’s talk today about two different subscription providers that can help with that. Help […]

We love the bonus offers we get with all credit cards. There are so many different types of points though – airline, hotel, and, my personal favorite, transferable points. The most flexible credit card points are transferable points. There are several types of transferable points including: Chase Ultimate Rewards® American Express Membership Rewards® Citi ThankYou Points […]

We love our main four transferable points types of credit cards. Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Points, and Capital One Venture Miles are all great ways to get free vacations. Can each of these transferable point credit cards get us to Hawaii?  Let’s check it out! Let’s see how many different […]

Here’s a reader’s success story that everyone wants to know about – the Maldives. And Turkey. And Paris. Three countries, one trip with points and miles! Unbelievable. Thanks for your submission Devan!   Devan’s Story Hi Alex + Pam, I wanted to submit a response about the redemption/trip that I recently went on! My partner and […]

Have you noticed those “CLEAR” check-in stations near security at the airports? They are a way to make your airport check-in times go even faster, and I’m all about that. Get me to my airport lounge! I have both CLEAR®+ and Global Entry (which includes TSA PreCheck®). This gets me through an airport security line […]

We have had many people complain about having trouble finding cheap award redemptions, especially in business class. We recently were planning a trip to Croatia and found the same trouble. What is going on? I can always find a business class seat in United to Europe for 75K, but this time, we had to be […]

Booking an Airbnb with points and miles – is it possible? Many of our readers want to know so today we will be talking all about it! There are definitely times I prefer to stay at an Airbnb, VRBO, or another vacation rental. When you are traveling in a larger group and all want to […]

Analysis Paralysis with credit card points and miles. You get it. I get it. We all get it. It’s that feeling that we just aren’t sure what to do, so we do nothing. Or procrastinate doing something. Let’s talk a little about it today.   Getting Started in the Points and Miles Game Who has […]

Our if only… series continues with a frequent reader thought. “If only I could take my family to Hawaii for free or at a reduced cost.”  We get it. Taking a family all the way to Hawaii and then having to get lodging is expensive. Once you get there, you still need a rental car […]

Have you ever walked by an airport lounge and thought, “If only I could go into an airport lounge?” and wondered what they even looked like? I remember that feeling and thinking that only the very richest of people could use them or elite business travelers. I had no idea that very ordinary travelers, even those […]

“If only I could stay at an all-inclusive resort?” Has that ever been your thought?  Imagine all the free food you can eat, free beverages at your fingertips, and great entertainment! That is what many all-inclusive resorts offer and that is why they are the dream of many travelers. Pay once and everything is included […]