Some people may think I’m nuts for already dreaming about next summer’s vacation (yes, 2026!). But many readers can probably relate to this advanced planning timeline. After all, flights go on sale 11-12 months in advance, and that’s often the best time to find cheap award flights using miles and...

This is the final installment  in my series of posts on our recent trip to South America. See my previous  posts Back from our family trip to Peru and Easter island: Bumpy start, awesome memories  , Flying in LATAM economy to South America and Easter Island , Layovers in airport-adjacent hotels:...

This is a continuation of my Japan/China trip report. See also Back from China and Japan Trip! 5 Takeaways, Worth it: JAL Premium Economy Award Seats, Better Than Expected: AA Premium Economy Shanghai PVG to DFW, Hits and Misses from our day at Tokyo DisneySea, Take this Line and Shove...

I look forward to buying a car like I look forward to having a root canal. Aside from spending our hard-earned money on material things (I much prefer experiences), I find it super stressful. But my husband was determined to get another car now, even though we agreed to wait...

Recently, Royal Caribbean rolled out a new feature on its newest cruise ship Star of the Seas. Parents can now track their kids’ locations throughout the cruise ship through the “Find My Kid” section on the Royal Caribbean app. While it’s meant to bolster peace of mind for parents, is...

On a recent trip to London, I made a mistake. The choice then became how we all get to London and the answer was: separately. My Mistake: Positioning Flight Award space is hard to come by and for this trip we needed five seats, not four in business class. I have remarked...

The #1 way that my family travels the world is by earning miles and points from new credit card welcome bonuses. See Beginner’s Guide: 7 Steps to Free Travel with Miles and Points. Right now is a good time to apply for a new credit card since there are several with...

I have written before about the 5 best uses of Hilton points and 4 best uses of Choice points. To continue the series, I will show you the 8 best uses of IHG points in this post. While the IHG Rewards program has devalued a bit over time (remember using...

Yesterday, I posted about the newly launched Alaska Airlines premium credit card, Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite Credit Card (non-affiliate link). ICYMI, see this post from yesterday.  My husband applied for the card, and he was instantly approved! His stats: 5/24 (he’s opened 5 new cards in the past 24 months) 1/12 (he’s opened...

Back in June, Chase Sapphire Reserve has undergone significant changes. Call it Amex-ization, couponification, whatever. See Nancy’s post for more details. Either way, it’s clear that CSR is a different beast compared to the original product launched in 2017. I went ahead and locked in the old rewards structure by...

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’ve been patiently waiting for the Alaska Airlines premium credit card to launch this summer. Today is the day! I received an email about the card this morning. Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite Credit Card Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite Credit Card (non-affiliate...

This is a continuation of my Japan/China trip report. See also Back from China and Japan Trip! 5 Takeaways, Worth it: JAL Premium Economy Award Seats, Better Than Expected: AA Premium Economy Shanghai PVG to DFW, Hits and Misses from our day at Tokyo DisneySea, Take this Line and Shove...

When it comes to getting award tickets, I’m very much a believer in KISS principle (keep it simple, stupid). The goal is to book the most direct routing on the day I want to travel, even if it means flying in economy. In fact, 90% of the time, that’s exactly...

I hope you all had a great weekend. Here is the latest miles and points news: Leaked Details of Upcoming Alaska Airlines Premium Card: I mentioned a few weeks ago and I’m excitedly awaiting the release of the new Alaska Airlines premium credit card. Some details of the card have...

Have you ever wondered how to leave a large Membership Rewards balance for family in case of death? Here are three ways to keep them from disappearing.