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In this episode, Jess and Alex break down one of the greatest deals in travel – the Southwest Companion Pass. Learn how you, too, can make it part of your award travel strategies! Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on YouTube   Welcome back, travelers! It’s just Alex and Jess here today. Pam […]

Airplane

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When it comes to traveling on points, it pays (or in this case saves) to have some flexibility. One area that can offer you huge savings is positioning flights. Positioning for a flight means taking a flight from your home airport to a bigger international airport. This is something that can save you a lot […]

Yellow and rust colored homes on side of river

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We love using our points and miles for family trips and luxury vacations. However, points and miles can save the day (or vacation) in some instances! Having a stockpile of points and miles when you have to travel at the last minute (and the cost of travel is high) makes a huge difference. If you […]

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There is a new United Club Lounge at the Denver Airport. It is located in Concourse A near gate 25. Now, here is a statement that I never thought I’d make—this United Club Lounge is gorgeous! United must be upping their game in the lounge department. Not only is it sleek, modern, and gives off […]

Pelican sitting on ledge near water

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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, […]

Tahiti

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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 […]

Triple towers near water

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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 […]

Southwest Airlines plane

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Southwest Airlines® is my go-to choice for domestic travel, including flights to Hawaii. I have found huge value in using Southwest® Rapid Rewards to book flights. In my opinion, you really can’t beat Southwest Airlines® for family travel. Today, I will share with you 5 reasons why I love Southwest Airlines®. But first, let’s talk […]

airplne flying through the sky

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We still don’t understand why more people, especially our friends, don’t use credit card points and miles for nearly free travel. Who doesn’t want to travel? Especially for almost free? One of the comments we get most is, “I could never keep it all organized!” Is that something you struggle with, too? Let us introduce […]

maldives with boat

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Do you have a place you want to travel to (or several)? Maybe a type of flight that you have heard about and you really want to fly sometime in your lifetime? Alex, Jess, and I have had a multitude of bucket list travels that credit card points and miles have made possible.  The amazing […]

Airplane seats

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I don’t use card points and miles for cheap seats. Now that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t, but I have some reasons I’d like to share with you regarding why I’ve made that choice. Free is free, though. If you are buying 4 airline tickets domestically, I know it can add up. It may make total […]

Waterfall into green pool of water

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Sometimes, you may want to downgrade a card instead of canceling it. Let’s go over the basics of how to downgrade a Chase card.   Steps to Downgrade a Chase Card You can downgrade a Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve by calling the number on the back of your card. The credit card number and […]

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There are so many ways that you can use credit card points and miles, and credit card issuers constantly give you ideas. Not every idea is a great point or mile redemption, so let’s go over the do’s and don’ts of credit card point redemptions.     How NOT to Use Your Points Shop at […]

Beach with blue water and palm trees.

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Chase Card spending bonuses occur every quarter and are a great way to get some extra points/miles on some of your favorite cards. You just need to go here and enter the information on each card to see what you are eligible to earn. This example below was for purchases between April 1 and June […]

Airplane in Sky

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One of the benefits of several credit cards is an airline incidental credit. These are usually offered on the cards with higher annual fees, so you want to use these benefits to make the annual fee seem lower. Using credit card airline incidental credits can be tricky because most things you can use don’t cost […]

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If you are like me, most of the time I travel, I head to the airport wondering if I did everything I needed to do before I leave. In that vein, here is a list of 15 important things to do before you travel. I’ll check these off before every trip so I feel less […]

emirates plane

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You may have heard someone talk about fifth freedom flights and using points and miles to take one. And you may have been totally confused. We’re hear to clear up that confusion as we talk about fifth freedom flights today. A fifth freedom flight or route is flight that operates between two countries that are […]

City near water

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My husband and I are in Sydney, Australia, as part of a great trip to Tokyo, Australia, and New Zealand. We should have left for Auckland this morning, but the weather changed dramatically on the North Island of New Zealand. We noticed the following scenes in Auckland on tv the night before we were to […]

Airplane in the sky with clouds

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What is airline elite status? Is it a big deal? Should you try and get airline elite status? One year I bought an economy-plus subscription from United so I could always fly in comfort. That is when I decided flying in comfort was worth it. That economy-plus seat was much nicer than regular economy. I […]

Folder, Federal taxes, pen, etc on desk

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Last year we paid our federal taxes by credit card. Is it worth paying your taxes with a credit card? My husband is self-employed, and we had a tax bill of about $30,000. I hate writing a check for taxes and getting nothing back. Taxes are hard enough to pay anyway, right? I decided I […]

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  We love credit card points and miles! Without them, we wouldn’t be staying at fancy hotels in Maui, flying business class to Greece, or going on nearly free vacations to Thailand. Before you can redeem your points for free flights and hotel nights, you have to earn them. Today we are going to talk […]

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Advertiser Disclosure: Travel Mom Squad has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Travel Mom Squad and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers. This compensation may impact how or where products appear on this site. Travel Mom Squad has not reviewed all available credit card offers on this site.

Editorial Note: Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.