From Broadway to museums to world-class food, the Big Apple has something for everyone–but it’s certainly not cheap! That’s why we love traveling to New York City on points and miles, and why many of our readers and Facebook Group members do, too. The high hotel prices mean this city can be a great place […]

Today we’re talking all about some of our favorite family hotel stays with points.  There are a few repeats in this list as we tend to create FOMO with each other when we talk about our favorite stays!   Alex’s Favorites Hyatt Ziva Cancun (all-inclusive): all the food, drinks, and treats they could want! Two […]

Hyatt has announced their award chart changes for 2025. Before we get into some of the not-so-good news, here’s the GREAT news—the Hyatt award chart is still around. Hyatt is our favorite brand because of the oversized value it offers, and the award chart is a huge part of that. There has been some speculation […]

Where in Europe do you want to go? Greece, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Croatia? There are so many fabulous European destinations, and most beginner points-and-miles users start off their points-earning journeys earning Chase Ultimate Rewards®, so let’s talk about using Chase Ultimate Rewards® for European flights. First, there are 11 airline transfer partners that you can […]

Currently, the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card has an elevated offer. But . . . what can I do with the welcome offer from card_name? Does it make sense to get it now? Here are our thoughts and some ideas for using the welcome offer!   Learn How to Apply bonus_miles_full   For Capital […]

I don’t often fly American Airlines, but get ready for my American Airlines business-class flight review from DFW-AKL. This flight was a last-minute flight to bookend with a mistake-fare flight I booked from AKL-DFW. The mistake fare was only $1,000 in business class on United Airlines, which was fantastic—but I had to get to New […]

Nothing causes more analysis paralysis than this question, “Are you getting your best points/miles redemption?” You’ve done the work of earning all those credit card points and miles for that nearly free trip, and now you worry if you are doing it “right.” We see many messages in our Facebook group where people panic about […]

Nicole sent us her reader success story to Hawaii in 2024. This was a family trip with four generations in Hawaii, and we love it so much! Here is her story: About a year into my points and miles journey, I took my family of four to Hawaii. I fell in love with Maui’s natural […]

In 2024, many hotels in the luxurious Mr. & Mrs. Smith collection became bookable with Hyatt points through an exciting new partnership. Staying at a Mr. & Mrs. Smith hotel is an experience unlike any other, as each property is uniquely designed, brimming with character, and exudes an air of exclusivity. With locations spanning the […]

Kimberly shares her reader success story to Vancouver and Whistler with us today. Kimberly took her two boys and their friend on a winter vacation that included snowboarding, snowshoeing, and bobsledding. Here is her story:   I’m writing today to share my first BIG redemption story. My oldest son is a Wildland Firefighter. His work […]

I love Air France and KLM for getting to Europe on points and miles! One reason is the Flying Blue Promo Rewards that come out on the first day of every month. Check out my post detailing the four reasons I love Air France. These are such good deals, so I will update this post […]

We just received this reader success story about Chelsea’s European Christmas Adventure and want to publish it now in case you’d like to do this next year! It can take some strategic earning of credit card points, some cash, and some planning to pull this off, but it sounds like an amazing trip. Thanks, Chelsea, […]

It might surprise you, but I’ve only traveled on JetBlue once! I wanted to learn more about this popular airline so we can make sure we’re giving them their due in our content, especially for our readers who live on the East Coast. So today, it’s all about JetBlue. I often position to or from […]

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 […]

All three of us—Alex, Jess, and Pam—had post-Christmas celebrations to Hawaii with points and miles. TMS takes Hawaii with points and miles! Sadly, we weren’t on the same island, but Alex and Jess did meet up in Las Vegas before their connecting flights to Maui and Kauai, respectively.     Never could we have gone […]

I’ve really enjoyed my stays at the Thompson Central Park in NYC and The Cape, a Thompson Hotel in Cabo San Lucas. We have our own Thompson Hotel in Denver, but I hadn’t stayed there until recently, and I thought it was about time that I did, so I could review it! Spoiler alert: I […]

Jeannae sent in her reader success story to Madrid.  You’ll enjoy seeing how she and her family made the most of credit card points and miles for a Thanksgiving dream trip!   How We Took Our Dream Trip to Spain for Thanksgiving—Using Points & Miles (and a Little Magic) Thanksgiving 2024 will forever be etched […]

Have trouble finding available dates to use points to stay at a popular hotel? Our favorite alert system for hotel award-night availability is MaxMyPoint. Can’t find dates for the Conrad Bora Bora? Jess set an alert there and found her dates! Can’t find dates for the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal? I set an alert […]

KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes are a way to book a Singapore Airlines flight at a reduced redemption. Similar to the Flying Blue Promo Rewards, these offer a discount, usually 30%, on award redemptions on certain routes. There are many routes from one city in Asia to another but there are also some flights to/from the United […]

Last week, there was a sudden Flying Blue devaluation—overnight, with no warning. Which meant no rushing to make any last-minute award redemptions before award prices went up. While we don’t love devaluations of any type, they’re a fact of life in the world of miles and points, and, as such, we’re at least glad that […]

Applying Hyatt Guest of Honor (GOH) Awards  and Suite Upgrade Awards (SUAs) online just got easier! In the past, I had to go through my Hyatt concierge (which is something that’s only available after you’ve achieved Globalist status). Now I can do it myself! 🎉 Here’s what you need to know about applying Hyatt GOH […]