Boston is a city rich in history and culture. Families can explore famous landmarks such as the Freedom Trail, which takes you through 16 historical sites including the Paul Revere House and the Old North Church. Additionally, Boston has a vibrant sports scene, with teams like the Red Sox, Celtics, and Bruins, so families can […]

A couple of years ago, I booked flights, a pre-safari hotel, and a post-safari trip to Zanzibar. I paid cash for a safari at TAASA Lodge in Tanzania with a TravelZoo deal. This time, I have booked a safari entirely with points and miles! Here’s how booking an African safari with points is possible. Recently, […]

In a world where everyone is comparing themselves to each other because of social media and other things, one of my favorite sayings is, “You Do You”.  This is also true in the points and miles game. You do you! Please don’t compare yourself to others. There are countless strategies for earning points and miles, […]

There are many solid redemptions for IHG points, but one of the best is certainly Eastern Europe. With solid 10,000-20,000 point redemptions, there is no better place to maximize your IHG points. And with a high point-earning card, you can easily accumulate enough points for a free week in Europe with IHG points. Here are […]

My recent trip to Scotland allowed me to stay at a new IHG brand of hotels—voco. We had actually checked into an Airbnb that was smaller than anticipated. My first night’s sleep there was so horrible. Luckily, with points and miles I was able to remedy that! Just another reason I love this game! I […]

The Bahamas is a beautiful country located in the Atlantic Ocean, specifically in the Caribbean region. The country is known for its stunning white sandy beaches, crystal-clear turquoise waters, and vibrant coral reefs, which attract visitors from all over the world. It is a popular spot for water sports such as snorkeling, scuba diving, and […]

Earlier this summer my husband and I spent 3 nights at the adults-only Alila Ventana Big Sur. This is one of those properties that gets a lot of ooohs and ahhhhs in the points and miles space due to its gorgeous location and being a one-of-a-kind redemption. So did it live up to the hype? […]

Our latest reader success story comes from Jessica as she shares her trip to Ireland. Ireland has long been on my “to-do” list. Here is her reader success story to Ireland!   How It Began Early last year, we learned that our nephew’s high school band had been invited to play in the St. Patrick’s […]

Do you have a spouse, partner, family member, or friend who is less than thrilled with your newfound interest in credit card points and miles? If so, this post is for you! Today, we are going to share some tips that will help you ease some of the concerns and skepticism your spouse (or other […]

Credit card points and miles are great for paying for our flights and hotels. However, those are not the only vacation costs. There are still rental cars, food, and excursions to pay for. You can certainly book rental cars through a portal and pay for some excursions with the Capital One purchase eraser. To be […]

Aruba is a beautiful island located in the southern Caribbean Sea and is known for its stunning white sandy beaches, crystal-clear turquoise waters, and year-round warm weather.  The island’s economy is primarily based on tourism, with many visitors coming to enjoy its beautiful beaches, water sports, and vibrant nightlife. Aruba is also known for its […]

We know you hear us talk about luxurious hotels, business-class seats, and opening up a dozen credit cards each year and probably freak out a little. Do you have to do all of that to be successful with credit card points and miles? Absolutely not! We have Facebook Group members ask about getting a certain […]

When it comes to Hawaii, you really can’t go wrong. But on a recent trip to Maui with my 9-year-old daughter, stayed at the Hyatt Regency Maui and the Andaz Maui. We stayed three nights at each of these kid-friendly Maui hotels. I guess Pam is rubbing off on me with her hotel hopping! Here’s […]

Want to know a way to make your credit card miles and points go even further? Plan stopovers on award flights for free and get more mileage out of them. A stopover is when you stay 24 hours or more in a connecting city, and then finish your travel. It’s like a 2-for-1 special! Here […]

We’ve talked about how we keep our hotel credit cards that come with free night certificates each year because we can book a room for at least double the annual fee. Our hotel cards are credit cards for which we don’t mind paying an annual fee. Let’s go over booking with free annual night hotel […]

Last year I visited Monterey, California for a promotional opportunity with IHG. I had never been to the rugged, central California coastal town but I was really excited to check it out as I had only heard great things! Spoiler: It did not disappoint. With so much natural beauty and plenty to explore, Monterey is […]

Usually I book one-way award segments when going somewhere with my points and miles. Here are 3 reasons why this works best for me. If I have many miles with one carrier and that is who I want to fly with, then booking a round-trip flight works just fine.   Wanting to Use a Variety […]

The sweltering London heat brought on one of my favorite points and miles activities—hotel hopping! Luckily, no one was traveling with me since I am probably the only person on earth who loves this activity! I was spending the days at my daughter’s flat but ran to an air-conditioned hotel to sleep well at night. […]

IHG has dynamic pricing which means that as the cash price increases, so does the points price. While we prefer the predictability of an award chart, the nice thing about IHG is that if the points price decreases, you can modify your booking and get points back! It’s basically like re-booking flights on Southwest Airlines […]

Our latest reader success story comes from Kayla, and it’s all about the “happiest place on earth” – Disneyland.  Here is Kayla’s reader Success Story to Disneyland.   Using credit card points and miles for discounted trips was something I hadn’t heard of prior to July 2022. Fast forward to March 2023, and my family […]

I recently took my first Virgin Atlantic Upper Class flight from London to Boston. I then flew home from Boston to Denver. Basically, I positioned myself to the U.S. and then flew home. I was excited to fly Virgin Atlantic because I had heard that they have a great premium-class product. Here is my Virgin […]