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 […]

My home airport (Denver) is a United hub, so the cobranded United credit cards have always been a part of my points-and-miles strategy. I’ve had all of them at one time or another! Right now, there’s an elevated welcome offer on United credit cards. Is it time for you to grab one? We’ve covered these […]

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 […]

It won’t shock you to learn that each of us has the World of Hyatt Credit Card. While this card doesn’t currently have a huge welcome offer, it does give cardholders five elite-night credits on your journey to Globalist status. Additionally, one of the best benefits of this card is that each year on your […]

If you’ve ever wondered whether Hilton Honors deserves a spot in your points and miles strategy, this episode is for you! We’re diving into everything you need to know about Hilton’s award program, from earning points and using free night certificates to snagging unforgettable stays like Bora Bora and Santorini—all without breaking the bank. Listen […]

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, […]

My sister and I had an emergency interruption to our trip to Italy last year, so this year, we took a sisters’ return trip to Italy on points/miles. This trip was made possible by an incredible 90K Turkish Airline redemption from ORD-FCO and MXP-JFK—roundtrip business class for 90K each. Sadly, redemptions that low are now […]

In this episode, Pam takes us on a journey through Italy, sharing how she and her sister made the most of credit card points to explore some of the country’s most iconic spots. From the excitement of snagging business class seats on Turkish Airlines to their adventures in Rome, Lake Como, and Cinque Terre, this […]

Last year my sister and I visited Italy as part of our annual sisters’ trip which included NYC, London, and Florence. However, part of it (the Cinque Terre) was cut short because a family emergency she had. This year we decided to do that part of the trip and add on a couple of other […]

Annalee sent us in her reader success story to Amsterdam, Croatia, and Venice. She’s only been using credit card points and miles for about a year, so seeing what she has done is amazing! Spoiler Alert: she ended up swapping out Croatia for Switzerland! Here is her story:   Starting Out with Credit Card Points […]

We have some quick airport security tips to help your time in airports feel more enjoyable. We like to take advantage of some programs to get us through security faster. Three of the ways we do that are using our TSA PreCheck®, Global Entry, and CLEAR memberships. The really great thing is that we can […]

We always say that it is easier to earn credit card points/miles and more complicated to redeem them. That is where we really find the value of flight award alerts. There are several award alert subscriptions you can pay for. These are especially valuable if you have flexibility, as they will alert you to significant […]

Feeling overwhelmed by the world of points and miles? We get it! In our 101st episode of Points Talk with the Travel Mom Squad, we’re sharing our must-have tools, apps, and strategies to make it all so much simpler. This one is packed with practical tips for tracking credit card points, finding award flights, and […]

The Grand Hyatt Baha Mar is the destination of choice for our reader success story to Nassau. This is an extremely popular destination among points and miles users, and we haven’t booked it yet. Thanks, Amanda, for sharing it with us! I love that it was her FIRST redemption – showing everyone that even a […]

What type of traveler are you? Knowing the answer to this question can help you create a plan for traveling with points and miles that coincides with your travel goals. You want to travel on points and miles and you plan to open credit cards. You can’t wait to get bonus points.  But do you […]