Category: credit cards

  • My favorite ways to earn points during the winter holiday season

    Some people love to shop. But I’m not one of those people. So when I do have to shop, like during the holiday season, I want to give myself a little incentive to make it more fun! My incentive is trying to earn the most points I can. Then each purchase isn’t just a gift—each…

  • Deciding which Chase Sapphire card you need, in two easy questions

    I think this decision tree speaks for itself, so here you go: Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Chase Sapphire Reserve have some benefits that are really similar, slightly different, or greatly different, and lounge access versus no lounge access is the one “greatly different” benefit I think this all really boils down to.…

  • The #1 best card to start with

    If I were starting from the very beginning with miles and points right now, I’d pick this card as my first card. What’s this magical go-to card? The Chase Sapphire Preferred. It’s been around since before I started earning miles and points back in 2011, and at the time, I didn’t know enough about the…

  • Bilt: The Basics

    Bilt is a loyalty program that’s fairly new (it began in 2021) but offers some interesting features that could appeal to you if you’re in their target demographic: renters. And even if you’re not a renter, their loyalty program is worth joining just for the ability to a few extra thousand easy points every now…

  • All about the 5/24 rule

    If you’ve been following miles & points talk even for just a short time, you’ve probably heard people refer to the “5/24 rule” or “5/24 status.” And if you’re wondering what that means or need some confirmation that it means what you think it means, here’s a simple breakdown. What is the 5/24 rule? The…

  • How the $300 Capital One Venture X travel credit works

    UPDATE: Referral links for this card are now showing a 90,000-point bonus instead of the normal 75,000-point bonus. Even better! If you have a Capital One Venture X card, you’ll want to make sure you get the full value out of your $300 annual travel credit to offset the $395 annual fee as much as…

  • All About the Southwest Companion Pass

    There’s no better deal in the points-and-miles world than getting the Southwest Airlines Companion Pass if you do a lot of travel within the US, the Caribbean, and Central America. The Companion Pass allows a companion to travel with you for free (plus taxes/fees) on any flight you take on Southwest, whether you pay for…

  • Drastic changes to the personal Platinum AmEx authorized-user fees

    Can the most expensive travel-rewards card get even more expensive? Sure can! And American Express is testing the limits of what people will pay with their recent changes to the fee they’re charging for authorized users on the personal Platinum American Express card. The good news is that if you’re a current cardholder and aren’t…

  • Whoomp! (There’s Your Referral Bonus)

    When you have a travel partner, whether they be your spouse, significant other, sister, parent—whoever else you can rope into earning miles and points—you should be thinking about these guys: The ’90s are back, baby! And you need to have Tag Team on your miles-and-points mind like it’s 1993 all over again. Banks offer referral…

  • Travel With Miles and Points Intro Series: The Best Cards for Most Beginners (Part 3)

    This post lays out my best strategic suggestions for great cards that someone just getting started with miles and points will likely want to get and why. If you are itching to get started and want a quick and simple guide about what cards to start with and in what order, this is for you.…