My family of four just took a 3-week European vacation. Flights, trains, rental cars, accommodations, and prearranged activities were under $2000. Rome was our first city in this summer adventure. Flights / Transportation: One-way tickets were booked from Kansas City (MCI) to JFK to position to Rome. This positioning flight saved me 100,000 American Airlines […]

Rental cars can be an expensive part of travel. Some sites like Autoslash and companies like Costco and AAA offer discounted rates. The NEA is a teacher union that provides up to 30% discounts on rental cars. Your company or industry may have something similar. Using your Capital One Venture X card, you can also use […]

We recently returned from an epic road trip through Arizona and Utah. Along the way, we stopped at Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon National Parks, tons of little state parks, and National Forest spots near Sedona, and on our way back to Las Vegas to catch our flight, we made a pit stop at the […]

I love two main annual fee cards regarding Hyatt stays on points: the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (or Chase Sapphire Reserve®) and The World of Hyatt Credit Card. I’ll go over this more below. Cards I hold for access and perks The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card has a $95 annual fee and allows me to […]

Free night certificates are part of a lucrative points and miles strategy.  When it comes to Hyatt, there are five ways to earn free night certificates. 1) Hold the Chase World of Hyatt personal card. Upon card renewal, you receive a free category 1-4 night every year. The annual fee is $95.   2) Spend $15,000 […]

Getting outside and enjoying America’s National Parks is one of the best ways to explore nature and connect with your family. In order to use points and miles, flexibility and variety are key when booking accommodations. Check out a few of my favorite options below. As well as a way to save on National Park […]

Each of these four brands comes with its own pros and cons when it comes to booking stays with points. So far, in my personal travel strategy, I primarily stay in Hyatt properties and fill in stays here and there with Hilton. This isn’t to say I’m opposed to Marriot or IHG, I just like […]

You have probably heard of Airbnb and VRBO, but have you heard of Vacasa? Vacasa vacation rentals offer a fantastic selection of homes and apartments for travelers to stay in. From cozy cabins in the mountains to beachside bungalows and even luxury villas, Vacasa has something for everyone. Thanks to transfer partners, there are three […]

What is a cobranded card? Cobranded cards are credit cards that earn points or miles for specific airlines or hotels. Examples are Hilton, American Airlines, Delta, and Marriott. Once you have a strategy for earning flexible points, introducing cobranded cards into your strategy can allow you to begin to take advantage of loyalty perks. The […]

Find out why Chase Bank’s unwritten rule makes all the difference in your points and miles strategy. To be approved for a card from Chase Bank, you must have fewer than five approved credit cards within 24 months. When you apply for any personal card from any bank, it will count toward your five cards […]