The points and miles world is abuzz about the Alaska Airlines Premium card that is coming soon! Rumors have been swirling about this card and we have more details and some offers so you can earn some “free” Alaska Miles too! Earn 500 Alaska miles just by signing up for more information about this card […]

Our reader success story to Southern California comes from Amanda. She and her family of four just enjoyed a memorable trip to Southern California from Charlotte, North Carolina. Her family’s SoCal trip included amazing hotel upgrades, Legoland, a national park, tidepools, kayaking, the beach, the San Diego Zoo, and a wonderful strategy to get kids […]

Today we’re sharing some of our favorite business-class flights. While we usually fly in economy class when traveling with our families, we sometimes splurge for business class internationally. (To be honest, Pam always does 😜.) Here are some of our faves!   Jess’s Picks Turkish Airlines The food is SO good. I flew from Denver […]

I have had a lot of airline credit cards over the years. Delta, American Airlines, Frontier, Alaska, United, Southwest, Hawaiian Airlines, and more! The ones I always keep open are my United and Alaska Airlines cards. United is the airline I fly the most because Denver International Airport (my home airport) is a United hub. […]

Jeannie sends us her reader success story about her trip to Panama Beach, Florida. We spent some time there this year, too, so it is great to get another review of such a great a family-friendly area right on the beach! Here’s her story:   The Start of the Trip My friend called and told […]

Earlier this week, we talked about unsexy points and miles redemptions. We also love all of our family trips that aren’t luxury stays. But there’s yet another way we love to travel—living the bougie life on points and miles. (🙋🏻‍♀️)  Never, ever did I imagine that I could travel in business class or first class […]

I know you’ve seen all our business-class flights, and we might give the impression that that’s the goal of using credit card points and miles, or that we never fly in economy-class seats. Business class may work for us sometimes, but there are also several pros to flying in economy class using points and miles. […]

Jen sent us this reader success story to Washington D.C. She and her husband had a fun getaway as a couple and also realized they’re both totally on board with this hobby of points and miles. Here is her story: My husband and I took a leap of faith with our first card in January […]

It is absolutely no secret that we love our Hyatt Hotels because of their outsized value. We are also huge fans of their luxury brand, Park Hyatt. But each of us all really enjoys another brand of Hyatt hotels:  the Hyatt Thompson Hotel brand, which is part of the Hyatt Boundless Collection.  It’s a TMS […]

You’ve filled out the credit card application and now you’re holding your breath—will they approve you? It doesn’t matter how many cards I’ve applied for, I still love/hate the anticipation of finding out if I am instantly approved! Here are some things you can do to increase your odds of a credit card approval.   […]

Julie sent in our latest reader success story about how she got her family to Niagara Falls to view the eclipse earlier this year. Within one year of opening her first card, she has already helped her family of six have unforgettable experiences.   Starting Out with Travel Mom Squad I joined the Travel Mom […]

At the end of each year, we should all go over a miles-and-points checklist to make sure that we’ve used all of our credit-card benefits, to see where we stand with our annual free-night certificates, and to check that we’re on target to achieve any status milestones we have in mind. There are also a […]

Using credit card points and miles,  I planned a girls’ trip to Amsterdam with two of my daughters and a granddaughter. We used points for travel there and paid cash to stay at an Airbnb.  We had a wonderful visit and encountered so many friendly, helpful people during our stay there!  Here are some things […]

We are so happy to share our two courses with you—Award Travel Academy and Award Travel Academy Next Level. When we started our points and miles journey years ago, we spent so much time, energy, and frustration trying to figure out the complicated world of points and miles. I would have LOVED a course to […]

Travel Mom Squad podcast listener Larisa shared her story about a recent mother/son trip she took to Costa Rica and here’s how she made it happen:   Starting Out With Miles and Points I stumbled on to Points Talk with the Travel Mom Squad early in January 2024. I was looking for a podcast on […]

I’ve had discussions with a couple of people recently that made me realize that they are totally NOT taking advantage of their credit card benefits. One friend lives in Salt Lake City and flies Delta a lot. Delta has an amazing Delta SkyClub Lounge. She has the Platinum Card® from American Express, so she could […]

Hilton offers our favorite annual free-night certificate of all the major hotel brands. Surprised? We talk about Hyatt so much, and Hilton is usually low on our radar—except when it comes to their free-night certificates. The reason why Hilton shines with their free nights is that you can use them at almost ANY Hilton—even the […]

The Alaska/Hawaiian Airlines merger was completed in September. Here are some things you should know about the merger that may help you make even better redemptions. While I have never gotten over-the-top value with my Hawaiian miles like I have with several other programs, I have gotten good value with Alaska miles.  I have had […]

Rachel sent in her reader success story about her trip to Poland using points and miles. We hadn’t covered Poland yet, so this was great hear about and Rachel has me scheming to go there now! Here is her story:   Getting to Poland on Points and Miles I started getting into the points and […]

I travel to London quite often and have anxiously anticipated the opening of the Park Hyatt London River Thames. My daughter lives outside of London, so I don’t need a hotel very often because I usually stay with her. But I love going to the theater in London, so we decided to stay overnight at […]

I love a good airport hotel, and they get extra love from me when they are an in-terminal hotel! Talk about ease; waking up and walking to your gate is the best way to start a great travel experience. My sister and I had a great stay in Italy recently, and before we flew home, […]