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 […]

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 […]

  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 […]

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 […]

You are probably wondering why we are writing about bank account bonuses when we are usually talking about credit cards. Well, credit cards are great for paying for your flights and hotels but what about food, tours, rental cars, and massages? We found another way to fund these items.  Bank account bonuses come into play […]

When it comes to  Chase Ink Business cards, many people are wishing they could get one again or wondering, “can I have both?” The answer is YES! Let’s go over how to get a business card again using our favorites, the Chase Ink Business cards, as an example. Chase Business Cards Chase has three business […]

Using your credit card like a debit card is the way to meet minimum spending and earn a lot of nearly-free travel. Remember when we used to use checks to pay for things? So old school, right? Then we changed over to using a debit card for most of our purchases, and that was such […]

One of the best cards out there is not available to apply to anymore. The Ritz-Carlton card is one of my favorite cards that I keep and have no plans to get rid of. You may not be able to apply for it anymore but you can get it through a product change. These are […]

Recently, I wrote a post entitled, “It’s Not Always About Luxury” so that you could see how points and miles can be used for little family trips, sports events, emergencies, etc. We don’t want anyone to think that this game of points and miles is only about luxury but sometimes, it IS all about luxury! […]

One of the frequent questions we get asked is, “Should I use miles/points or cash to book a trip?” Obviously, this depends a lot on your individual circumstances and what you want to do with your points. Ask yourself some of the following questions: Can I afford to pay for the flight and just get […]

When booking award travel, it’s not always about luxury. You will see each of us book a lot of luxury travel. We like luxury hotels and business class seats of course and spend a fair share of our time with luxury travel. We have been doing this for about 5 years and continually are opening […]

We love apps to help keep us organized with our points and miles. Travel Freely is our #1 favorite free app and it keeps us on track with our 5/24 status, when annual fees are due, and if we are meeting our sign-up bonuses. We also love Award Wallet to keep track of our point […]

Every year, Hyatt seems to have an offer for a fast track to Hyatt Globalist Status. It might be corporate-sponsored, as Jess did her first time, or a public announcement.  This is how it works. Enroll in the program Stay at a Hyatt and checkout The challenge is activated with that checkout (Jess said that […]

  When I travel, I look forward to the journey to get there almost as much as the destination itself. Well, maybe not THAT much but I do enjoy it. When you travel with points and miles and fly business class and use airport lounges, the journey can be part of the whole experience that […]

Let’s talk about the United Excursionist Perk. What, you’ve never heard of it? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. If you fly United sometimes, it is the way to get a free flight segment, and who isn’t all about that? Basically, the United Excursionist Perk is a free one-way award within select multi-city itineraries. If […]

“Can I use credit card points and miles and book a cruise?” This is a common question we get asked. Cruising to far-off destinations and getting to see multiple places combined with midnight buffets, parties, and entertainment is a dream of many. Let’s talk about using points and miles for cruises. First of all, yes, […]

Without points and miles, I would be reduced to being a budget traveler most of the time. Because of points and miles, I can be bougie on a budget. Points and miles have let me have some experiences I NEVER thought possible!   Lay-flat Seats I remember those days that I walked past people who […]

Have you noticed those “CLEAR” check-in stations near security at the airports? They are a way to make your airport check-in times go even faster, and I’m all about that. Get me to my airport lounge! I have both CLEAR+ and Global Entry (which includes TSA PreCheck®). This gets me through an airport security line […]

Booking an Airbnb with points and miles – is it possible? Many of our readers want to know so today we will be talking all about it! There are definitely times I prefer to stay at an Airbnb, VRBO, or another vacation rental. When you are traveling in a larger group and all want to […]

Analysis Paralysis with credit card points and miles. You get it. I get it. We all get it. It’s that feeling that we just aren’t sure what to do, so we do nothing. Or procrastinate doing something. Let’s talk a little about it today.   Getting Started in the Points and Miles Game Who has […]

Our if only… series continues with a frequent reader thought. “If only I could take my family to Hawaii for free or at a reduced cost.”  We get it. Taking a family all the way to Hawaii and then having to get lodging is expensive. Once you get there, you still need a rental car […]