Frequent Miler

For the past few weeks, expiring credit card credits (particularly hotel credits) have been on my mind almost non-stop. With about three weeks left to go in the first half of the year, I still have yet to use the following: Use by June 30, 2026: Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts® credits for the first half of 2026 x 3 on Platinum cards Bilt Palladium card hotel credit for the first half of 2026 $50 in statement credits for purchases at Hilton (for the 2nd quarter on a Business Platinum card) $150 in s

The San Diego area is my favorite part of the West Coast, and my favorite part of the San Diego area is the northern part of the county. Stretches of long, empty, cliff-backed beaches alternate between laid-back towns like Solana Beach, Encinitas, and Carlsbad, and it’s all within easy reach of San Diego proper. It’s a delightful area. A few years ago, when a clifftop Alila Resort opened up just north of Encinitas, I was excited to check it out. I finally had an opportunity to do so

In today’s episode, Greg shares the story of how Citi shut down his accounts and what’s next for him. (What will he do without his beloved Prestige card?) Read more about Greg’s situation with Cit here. Life after Citi Watch the full episode below, or listen on your favorite podcast platform. You can click the timestamps below to navigate directly to a specific part of the episode within YouTube. For a transcript of this episode, click “Watch on Youtube” on the video below, the

We don’t write much about the Business Green card, and for good reason. It’s not terribly exciting. For a couple of years, Greg has predicted that Amex would finally refresh this forgotten stepchild of the Membership Rewards-earning portfolio. I hope he’s eventually proven right-it desperately needs it. See our Guide to the Amex Business Green Card here Current Welcome Offer Card Offer Business Green Rewards Card from American Expressⓘ $91 1st Yr Value EstimateClick

Choice Privileges is again offering VIP experiences for NASCAR Cup races, but the packages are auctioned off starting at only 30,000 Choice points. For a NASCAR fan, the experience could be well worth the redemption cost, especially since you can transfer points from Wells Fargo to Choice at a 1:2 ratio or from Citi at 1:1.5. The Deal Bid on VIP experience at the following NASCAR Cup races, starting at 30,000 Choice Privileges points: San Diego, CA Sonoma, CA Chicago, IL Atlanta, GA North Wil

There are a couple of targeted card-linked spending offers for Caesars Rewards at the moment that can save you up to 20% on your stay(s). Last month, Stephen already wrote about an Amex Offer for $40 back on $200+, and now there’s a new Citi Offer for $25 back on $250+. Stack the two together, and you could get $65 back on a $450 stay.   The Deals Amex Offer: Spend $200+ on room rate & room charges at participating Caesars Rewards properties & get $40 back Citi Offer –

Ultra-premium credit cards, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve and American Express Platinum Card®, have annual fees that commonly exceed $500/year. Despite those hefty costs of ownership, these types of cards can be very popular in the points and miles community due to extensive lists of benefits and credits that can mitigate or completely offset those fees. Travel protections are one of the perks provided by these cards. In some cases, these benefits can meet or even exceed those offered by pa

We recently received an excellent question via the giant mailbag. I started outlining an answer for a “question of the week” podcast, but quickly realized that there was more to say than would fit in a couple of minutes of audio discussion. I decided it was worth a post to answer this question that came in from reader Casey: I’m curious what you think the “ultimate” credit card setup would be for someone focused almost exclusively on domestic U.S. travel. Put another way: if internat

There’s a new targeted Amex Offer for Virgin Atlantic that gives $250 back when you spend $2,000 or more on flights departing the US. While that only represents a maximum of 12.5% back, it’s still a useful rebate and, hopefully, it works when paying taxes/fees on award flights booked with Virgin. The Deal Spend $2,000+ in one or more transactions with Virgin Atlantic for flights originating in the US & get $250 back with a targeted Amex Offer. Key Terms Expires July 31, 2026.

Today, Amex announced new, limited-time welcome offers that let you earn between 90,000 and 125,000 SkyMiles after approval and meeting the spending requirements of a new Delta SkyMiles credit card. Unusually, the consumer cards each offer the same potential SkyMiles as their respective business cards, but the spending requirements are split into two tiers, each requiring ~75% of the business cards’ minimum spend (normally, consumer cards have lower spend AND lower bonus miles). Delta also

Chase has introduced an excellent new offer for the Marriott Boundless Card. New applicants receive 125,000 Bonvoy points and a free night certificate worth up to 50,000 points after approval and after spending $3,000 on the card within the first 3 months. The free night cert can be topped off with up to 25,000 points from your account, so it can be used for any standard award priced at 75K points per night or less. Aside from the recent 5x50K free-night certificate offer we saw earlier this yea

IHG One Rewards is targeting some members with a promotion giving double elite night credits through the end of July, with a limit of 5 bonus elite nights on offer. The Deal Earn double elite night credits with IHG One Rewards. Valid on stays completed by 7/31/26 Five bonus elite nights maximum Direct link to registration Key Terms To participate in this Offer, you must be an IHG One Rewards member and must be invited to participate. After receiving an invitation, you must register your m

Today, Capital One Shopping and Capital One Offers are featuring 15%/15x miles back for lululemon purchases, making it a great day to use up those quarterly credits from the American Express Platinum Card®. This is Capital One Shopping’s “Offer of the Day,” so you won’t see it by searching for lululemon. Instead, scroll down on the home page until you find the offer. In order to access Capital One Offers, you’ll need a Capital One card to find them and click through

There are many ways to get Hyatt free night certificates. The World of Hyatt card offers a category 1-4 cert each year upon renewal and again when you spend $15K within a calendar year. Additionally, Hyatt offers free night certs as Brand Explorer rewards (when you’ve stayed at 5 different brands); as Milestone Rewards (when you earn 30 elite qualifying nights within a calendar year, you get a category 1-4 cert, and at 60 nights you get a category 1-7 cert); and sometimes as rewards for miscella

The latest set of Atmos Rewards Global Getaways is out, and it’s a good one, including Europe starting at 15K one-way; Mexico City for 7,500; and Tahiti starting at 20K. The Deal Save on award bookings made using Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards points to/from the following destinations (prices listed are one-way costs): Mexico City, Mexico – from 7.5K points Helsinki, Finland – from 15K points Paris, France – from 20K points Papeete, Tahiti – from 20K points Bangko

Virgin Red is again offering a discount on redemptions for Finch Hattons, an all-inclusive safari camp in Kenya. Redemptions cost 100,000 Virgin Red points for two people per night, with a two-night minimum. That price includes two game drives per day, all meals, and transfers to and from the local airstrip to the lodge if you choose to fly to Nairobi. Additionally, each person gets a complimentary massage if they stay for five nights or more. Bookings are open for two months, between October 16

On Wednesday, April 22, I popped into a local grocery store to pick up a few items. As usual, I attempted to pay with a Citi Custom Cash card to earn 5X on grocery purchases, up to $500 per billing cycle. DECLINED. I tried a second Custom Cash card. DECLINED. WTF? I paid with a different card and then opened the Citi app on my phone. After clicking past an offer for a higher credit limit, I found that all my Citi credit cards had been closed. Yikes! Later, I learned that my wife’s only Cit

Did you know that Nick once pulled his kids out of school to travel the world? Today, Nick appeared on the BoldlyGo podcast to talk all about it with host DeAndre. You can watch the whole episode here, or click the timestamps below to navigate directly to a specific part of the episode in YouTube. (00:00) Introduction to the Journey (05:01) Nick’s Background and Entry into Points and Miles (08:19) Homeschooling While Traveling: A Unique Approach (15:56) Structuring Learning During Trave

There’s a new, targeted Amex Offer for Hotels.com that’s giving 10% back on up to $1,000 spent on prepaid stays. The Deal Get 10% back as a statement credit on prepaid hotel bookings at Hotels.com with a targeted Amex Offer. Key Terms Expires August 31, 2026. Limit of $100 in total statement credits per eligible Card Member. Offer valid for pre-paid hotel purchases made online through the hotels.com/amex link using the pre-paid option at checkout (“pay now”) only. Excludes “pay a

AARP’s travel portal which is powered by Expedia is offering a $50 gift card free when booking a $500+ hotel stay or car rental. The Deal Get a $50 multi-brand gift card free when booking a $500+ hotel stay or car rental through AARP’s travel portal. Direct link to offer. Key Terms Expiry date unknown. Quick Thoughts If you book a hotel stay through AARP’s travel portal, you’ll be forgoing the opportunity to earn hotel points, receive elite status benefits, earn elit