Are Chase Ultimate Rewards® still the best points for travel? The Points Talk Squad certainly thinks so. These points offer unmatched flexibility and value, making them a cornerstone of any serious travel rewards strategy. With recent changes to Chase’s offerings, this episode is your guide to the essential updates in 2025. In this episode, the […]

Overwater bungalows in Bora Bora might seem like a once-in-a-lifetime splurge, but what if you could experience it more than once? The crystal-clear lagoons and breathtaking Polynesian sunsets are even sweeter when you know how to make this dream destination a reality without breaking the bank. Points and miles turn this exclusive getaway into a […]

Whether you’re booking an aspirational vacation or simply a night at the airport before your early morning flight, hotel free-night certificates are a useful part of any traveler’s points-and-miles toolkit. Read on to learn how to maximize value from hotel free-night certificates, wherever your travels take you.    Use Them Before They Expire  The most important […]

No one loves the annual fees of credit cards, but what if they could save you hundreds on travel? Free-night certificates are one of the most valuable perks you can earn from hotel credit cards, and with the right strategy, they can easily pay for themselves year after year. While many travelers cancel their cards […]

Getting a discounted stay at a luxury Maui resort sounds too good to be true, especially when the catch involves sitting through a timeshare presentation. After receiving a letter from Marriott Vacation Club offering five nights at a Westin property for $1,999 instead of the usual $5,000, Alex decided to see if the savings were […]

Orlando is packed with hotel options, which is great if you’re headed there with the kids to visit theme parks. On a recent trip, I had the chance to stay at two family-friendly favorites: the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress and Hyatt Regency Orlando. Since I’ve experienced both firsthand, I thought I’d break down the differences […]

We’re continuing my recent Thailand trip today with a review of the Ritz-Carlton Koh Samui. We came here after a stay at the Conrad Koh Samui that we didn’t want to leave. How does the Ritz-Carlton compare? Nestled on 58 acres of a former coconut plantation, The Ritz-Carlton Koh Samui offers a luxurious retreat overlooking […]

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 that help on the journey to earning Globalist status. Additionally, one of the best benefits of this card is that […]

We are the first to admit that we love a nice luxury hotel on credit card points and miles. But that’s not always the case when we are doing family travel. Those types of hotels usually won’t fit an entire family, they cost a lot of points, and having to pay for breakfast for an […]

For Valentine’s Day, we’re taking a trip down memory lane! In this episode, we’re sharing all the details about our honeymoons—how we booked them before we knew about points and miles, what we spent back then, and what we’d do today now that we’re points-savvy. Spoiler alert: our original honeymoons were not nearly as luxurious […]

Our latest reader success story is from one of our dads! This may be called Points Talk Squad but we have a lot of dads who are readers, too and we really appreciate them. Here’s Jeff’s reader success story to Japan:   I just wanted to say thank you for your advice over the past […]

We shared our top ten most popular blog posts of 2024 this week, so now it’s time for our top ten podcasts of 2024!  We love publishing our podcast episodes so we can teach (and entertain) you about individual credit cards, talk about a particular aspect of the points and miles hobby, or (my favorite) […]

Every year I say I am going to travel less, and every year I fail. 2024 was no exception to that! I took so many trips this year that would have never been possible without points and miles, and I marked a few countries off my bucket list. Here’s my 2024 points and miles recap! […]

2024 was another year full of earning and redeeming points and miles for nearly free travel! This year we took more family trips than we have ever before. It was a great year full of making great memories! Here’s Alex’s 2024 points and miles recap!   Alex’s 2024 Points and Miles Recap January 2024 started […]

2024 was another incredibly great year for travel for this grandma of 21! Business-class seats, luxury hotels, and wonderful memories were all made possible with credit card points and miles. Here’s Pam’s 2024 points and miles recap!   Pam’s 2024 Points and Miles Recap January I started this year in a BIG way with a […]

Ever wonder what kind of points and miles traveler you are? In this episode, the Points Talk Squad dives into the different types of travelers and how your personal travel style can shape your points strategy. From planners to luxury travelers to earn-and-burn enthusiasts, we break down the styles that work best for different lifestyles […]

Michelle sends us her reader success story to London and Edinburgh. We love both cities, so we can’t wait to hear how she did it!   Michelle’s Story I started leveraging credit card welcome offers to redeem flights and hotels in 2021 when my best friend showed my husband and me how to navigate this […]

We recently wrapped up our family of five’s second two-week international trip just this year. This summertime family trip to Italy and the Paris Olympics was a true trip of a lifetime, made possible with the help of points and miles. For two weeks, we visited Rome, Assisi, the Vatican, Florence, San Miniato (Tuscany), Pisa, […]

Welcome back to another episode where we dive into the fantastic possibilities of points and miles! Recently, one of our favorite cards introduced a welcome offer of 120,000 points! We thought it’d be fun and incredibly useful to share how we each would plan a trip using those points. Whether you’re looking to learn about […]

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. The Capital One Venture Rewards credit cards have become very popular for award travel. They are great cards […]

Join us in this episode as Alex and Pam, from the Points Talk Squad, share the enchanting details of their separate summer journeys to Greece and other stunning European destinations. While Jess is off exploring Alaska on a Disney cruise, we’re here to transport you to the sun-drenched islands and historic cities of Europe.  Listen […]