I know there is a general aversion to paying an annual fee on a credit card. People tend to forget that along with annual fees come some amazing benefits, not to mention those welcome offers you earn after meeting the minimum spending requirements. (Those welcome offers are what enticed us to get the card in […]

Have you ever checked into a hotel and immediately knew it wasn’t the hotel for you? I recently had this happen on a stay at the Zoëtry Mallorca. I was on a girls’ getaway with my daughter, Lindsey, and the theme of our trip was supposed to be luxury. Our stay at the Nobis Palma […]

Have you ever been at checkout, ready to earn some serious points, only to realize later that you used the wrong credit card and left bonus points on the table? Or even worse, have you ever found out after the fact that you had an American Express or Chase offer that could have saved you […]

One of the not-so-glamorous sides of self-employment is taxes. The only silver lining is being able to pay those taxes with a credit card! Here’s how I turned a large tax payment into two free nights at a luxury Hyatt property worth over $1,200.   Options to Pay With a Credit Card You have two […]

We all love a tropical beach vacation, traveling in business class, or staying at a luxury hotel. However, one of the less-talked-about features of credit card points and miles may be the unsexy award redemptions we can make that are just convenient or emergency lifesavers. Let’s talk about a few of these.   Family Emergencies […]

Did you know that there are airlines that let you pool points with your family members or even friends? I remember so many times that my children or grandchildren would earn a few miles on a trip I had booked for them, but they were never used because they didn’t amount to much. Now, with […]

The card_name came out with an elevated welcome offer back in August, and I’ve been on a mission to snag this card ever since. It’s marketed as a cash-back card, but if you have another card that earns Venture miles (like the card_name or card_name), you can convert the cash back you earn from the […]

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 […]

Today is a long travel day for me. I know many of you hate travel days, but I love travel days with points and miles! Even my husband, who is a reluctant traveler at times, says they are a lot better than they used to be because we use credit card points and miles to […]

I travel to/from JFK quite often due to positioning flights. Today, I had three hours to kill before my flight to Denver after my trip to Italy with my sister. I decided to airline lounge hop and review the airport lounges found here. There were also a couple of Priority Pass lounges I could have […]

I thought it would be fun to hear from some of our readers, particularly our Award Travel Academy Students, about their points and miles journey. I asked them to tell us about their first redemptions and their journey from beginner to booking that first trip with credit card points and miles.   Olivia’s Story with […]

Have you ever considered flying to a destination but not leaving the airport? Neither had I until the Capital One Lounge opened at DFW. I’d seen the photos and videos online—food, cocktails, showers, Peloton bikes. I needed to go! And I’d have free access with my card_name. I decided to try a Capital One lounge day […]

We recently asked, “What keeps you from traveling with points and miles?” The majority of people mentioned time. I’m here to tell you—don’t let time stand in the way of traveling with points and miles! How many times have you wished you started something (that ended up being great for you) sooner? I get it. […]

Do you see us travel on business class seats and think you need to be doing that to be successful? Do you see people traveling to the Maldives and think you should plan that trip instead of going to Hawaii? Have you seen our all-inclusive trips at the Hyatt Ziva Cancun and think you must […]

While traveling is exciting and fun, it can have its fair share of uncertainties. Whether you’re planning a girls’ getaway, a family vacation, or a solo adventure, life can sometimes throw unexpected changes your way. And in these times, it’s important to have an understanding of the airline change and cancellation policies.  This Ultimate Guide […]

I just realized that I am not using all of my credit card benefits 😩 —and I’m supposed to be a pro at this.  There are some credit card benefits you might be missing out on, too. There are so many credit card benefits – here are the ones I use routinely: Annual night certificates […]

We enjoy our elite status through different hotels, particularly our Hyatt Globalist status. But did you know that there is an elite status you can buy instead of earning it? If you have ever stayed at an Intercontinental Hotel, IHG’s luxury brand, you know they are very luxurious. Think marble, elegant furniture, and chandeliers; you […]

On our return flight from Singapore, we flew business class which allowed us to check out Singapore’s KrisFlyer Business Class Lounge at Changi Airport. It is their flagship lounge, and it is massive! There are so many places to sit and work. I was very impressed. Considering how much I enjoy the airline, the fact […]

Big news for those who fly United Airlines—United now allows miles pooling! This is especially beneficial if you are traveling with someone with elite status who can book a better seat. For instance, I am Platinum Elite on United. My daughters and I are planning a trip this summer to Portugal. There is a very […]

Virgin Red is Virgin’s group-wide rewards club while Flying Club is Virgin Atlantic’s frequent flyer club. While they’re technically two separate programs, you can link your accounts and share points between both. American Express, Chase, and Citi all transfer to Virgin Atlantic. Capital One transfers to Virgin Red, but by linking your accounts, you can […]

Once again, I’ve booked an airplane award redemption without a real trip planned. The option of flying Etihad Apartments for 65K miles (booked on Air Canada’s site) was too good to pass up. Amazingly, many people jumped on this offer in 2023, and many had their trips canceled as Air Canada and Etihad had some […]