When I started researching hotels for my New Zealand trip, little did I think I would stay at a 5-star hotel in Queenstown with points.  I was looking at using my Hyatt points, and the Carlin Hotel in Queenstown had availability for two nights. It is part of the Small Luxury Hotels brand that collaborates […]

When planning a points and miles trip to Sydney, Australia, I knew I needed to stay at the Park Hyatt Sydney. No other place would do for that part of my stay. I used 40,000 Hyatt points per night for a room that runs over $1000/night in cash. That is a good redemption in my […]

I just completed a stay at the Kimpton Margot Sydney, and it confirmed to me that Kimpton Hotels are my favorite IHG brand. Let me tell you why:   Boutique Feel Kimpton Hotels have a very boutique feel. They are all different, and many were built on historical sites. They have 75+ boutique hotels in […]

For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply. There are traditional ways to save on a Disney cruise—sail at off-peak times, get an inside or guaranteed […]

Here is my Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills Review. I had initially planned to stay at the Park Hyatt in Tokyo but started researching the best accommodations on points and miles and changed my mind. Many people felt the Park Hyatt was outdated, so I decided to try the Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills. I was not […]

One of my travel goals has been to go to Australia and New Zealand. I knew that flying ANA to Australia in business class was a great deal, but it was also difficult to find availability. At the end of the pandemic and right after Australia and New Zealand had reopened, I began to search. […]

Booking a round-the-world trip with points is one of my goals. Originally, I planned to do it for 2023 but overbooked myself for this year. It is now on the plan for 2024.  In the meantime, one of our readers, and frequent reader success stories contributor, Trent Sanders, did it! Here is his story! Warning: […]

We love using credit card points and miles for all types of vacations! Family trips, couple trips, girlfriend getaways, luxury trips, staycations —you name it, we’ve done it! Because so many of our readers want to book family travel, we will start a new feature—Family Vacation Friday! On most Fridays, we will share either a […]

There’s no denying that Singapore Airlines offers a fantastic flight experience no matter which class of service you’re in. But is business class worth the extra miles required? On a recent trip to Europe, my family of three flew business class on the way to Europe and economy class on the way home. Here are […]

In October I traveled to Cabo San Lucas with my 9-year-old daughter and oldest stepdaughter. I had been wanting to check out The Cape for quite some time, and my daughter’s fall break seemed like the perfect excuse to take a trip down to Mexico. So what did we think? Keep reading…   The Redemption […]

Trying to decide the steps to booking your next flight to go on vacation can be difficult. Do I want to pay cash and get points on my credit card? Should I book through the travel portal? Should I transfer to a travel partner? Talk about analysis paralysis! Sometimes it can be overwhelming. Let’s go […]

As we often say, it is important to start earning and then booking for peak travel times EARLY! That means if you are wanting Spring and Summer travel, you should start earning those points NOW! We are heading into holiday time and which means we will all be busier than ever. Once the holidays are […]

I just spent 5 days in Bora Bora, and it was paradise. Even though we had a lot of rain 😩. You know it is a great resort when you are dying to get more points so you can come back again, even when the weather the first time wasn’t the greatest. I enjoyed it […]

You’ve earned those points/miles and want to combine them with a spouse/partner/friend – how do you do that? Unfortunately, each program has its own rules and regulations for this, so it can be confusing. Here’s our ultimate guide to combining points/miles you’ve earned with another person.   Chase Ultimate® Rewards We have a whole post […]

When you think of Mykonos, you may think of beach clubs and wild parties. As a mom looking for a relaxing getaway in Greece, that’s not really the vibe I was going for. I am happy to report that I found a gem in Mykonos that was gorgeous, relaxing, and practically free, thanks to Hyatt […]

I just finished an unforgettable trip to the Maldives. If you want the experience of being on a secluded island, this is it. There are many bookable resorts in the Maldives with points and miles. Since this is such a popular location, let’s go over these today so you can refer back to them when […]

Sometimes when you are booking award travel, things don’t come easily. Let’s talk about when they don’t, and we have to begin troubleshooting award travel. Three of my daughters and I were traveling to Croatia from the US and meeting another daughter there. We easily found 3 business class award flights and booked those. One […]

Most people say that earning points/miles is the easy part. It is the booking that can make you want to pull your hair out sometimes. Enter AwardLogic.  AwardLogic helps you book award travel because they do the searching for you so you don’t have to look over numerous airline sites. You can get a 3-day […]

I love using credit card points and miles because it allows me to do things I couldn’t have imagined. Even things I didn’t know existed! Ever since I heard about Singapore Suites, I have been wanting to fly in them. Singapore Suites has been a dream flight for me for a very long time. I […]

I seldom book in the travel portals, preferring to transfer points and miles and book directly with an airline or hotel. You may wonder why and so here are my 3 reasons why I seldom book in the travel portals.   Cancellations/Changes Difficult Because you are working with a third party, it is much harder […]

Flexibility is key. In fact, it is everything with using credit card points and miles. If you need to go to a wedding in Paris during the summer and have to have business class seats for flights on June 2-7 it could be hard. Especially if it is now April 4th and you want to […]