What is a waitlisted flight, and is it a viable option? Recently, I had an experience with one on Singapore Airlines. Alex, Jess, and I decided to book a trip to Singapore, and Jess did an outstanding job of convincing us that the Premium Economy in Singapore would be “just fine.” There was this incredible deal for 39K KrisFlyer Miles to Singapore. After we had booked these tickets, I flew in business class on Singapore Airlines for a different trip. I decided to go back and get a sneak peek of the Premium Economy seats on the SFO-SIN flight, which I would be taking when traveling with Al ..read more

Our latest success story is a blast from the past for Alex and I. Shannon sends her reader success story to Bali on points and miles, where she used a mix of points/miles and cash for an unforgettable trip!   Shannon’s Story I know Pam and Alex from California, and I feel like I know Jess from listening to every single Travel Mom podcast at least once! I want to tell you how proud I am of you three for having such a successful business and sharing your travel knowledge with all of us.   Flights to Bali on Credit Card Points My husband, Dave, and I recently traveled to Bali on points ..read more

Recently, Citibank rebranded the Citi Premier card (no longer open to new applicants) to the Citi Strata Premier Card. There were not a lot of changes to the card besides the design and a new name, increased earn rates at EV charging stations, and travel protections. We do love a flexible currency card, and all of us have definitely redeemed ThankYou Points for award travel. ThankYou points are some of our favorite points because they are transferable points. This means they can be transferred directly to one of Citi’s many airline or hotel partners, which leads to more flexibility when redeem ..read more

With the recent Hyatt award chart changes, the Hyatt Place Kyoto is one of the hotels making a rare downgrade in a category. It was previously a Category 3 Hyatt hotel, but as of March 26, 2024, it is a Category 2. This makes standard nights only 8k points per night! While traveling during the Sakura (cherry blossom) season, we were in Kyoto during their peak rates. I had originally booked each room for the Category 3 peak rate of 15k points per night, making our stay for two rooms for three nights 90k points total. We happened to check in on the date the new award changes went into effect and ..read more

Tokyo was the last city we visited on our 2.5 week family trip to South Korea and Japan. There are so many hotels in Tokyo that it was difficult to narrow down where our family of 5 would stay for our three nights. Pam and Jess had previously stayed at the Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills . However, we were traveling during peak rates, and the 35k point per night price tag was too much for me. Not to mention, as with most hotels overseas, we would need two rooms to fit all 5 of us. My next choice was to stay at the new Hyatt House Shibuya, but it was unfortunately booked up for our dates. Howe ..read more

On my recent trip to Roatan, Honduras, I had pizza at Pizzarama. This restaurant is located at Bananarama, a Dive and Beach Resort less than half a mile from the Kimpton Roatan, where I was staying. While the pizza was good, the resort was not somewhere that I would ever want to stay. Once again, the power of credit card points and miles was brought to the forefront of my mind.   Bananarama Cost Bananarama is probably not somewhere I would pick to stay. However, the diving in Roatan is great, and for a diver, it is an affordable place to sleep at night. Knowing there is a two night minimu ..read more

Ever wonder how a busy mom of two transformed from a points and miles novice to a traveling on points pro, jet-setting in first class and organizing family vacations for practically pennies on the dollar? Well, buckle up, because today’s episode is all about Stephanie’s jaw-dropping journey through our Award Travel Academy. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on YouTube Join us, Pam, Jess, and Alex, as we dive into Stephanie’s adventure into the world of points and miles. From her first tentative steps earning slow-burn points on a single credit card to mastering the art of maxim ..read more

Seoul, South Korea was the first stop of our family of five’s 2.5 week trip to South Korea and Japan. I originally booked two rooms at the Holiday Inn Express Seoul Hongdae with IHG points. However, after realizing we would want more comfort for our first few nights in Asia while we adjust to the time change, I switched to the Grand Hyatt Seoul. Spoiler: this incredibly family-friendly hotel did not disappoint!     How to Get to the Grand Hyatt Seoul from Incheon Airport (ICN) The Grand Hyatt Seoul is a Category 5 Hyatt hotel located in Seoul, South Korea. It is situated at the top ..read more

Our most recent reader’s success story comes from Jess’ husband, Ted. Originally, the whole family had planned to go to San Antonio to watch the eclipse. Circumstances changed for Jess and Molly, but Ted went anyway and wrote us a reader success story: Hyatt Place and the Eclipse. (Yay, for Ted)! Here’s his story: I recently stayed at the Hyatt Place San Antonio/Riverwalk Hotel on a trip to attempt to see the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. The next total eclipse visible from the United States will be in 2044, so I traveled from Houston to San Antonio to put myself in the path of totalit ..read more

We love Ultimate Rewards and it is fairly easy to earn them. Today we wanted to give you some ideas on how to use 75K Ultimate Rewards for hotels (you can certainly use these ideas if you have fewer points, too.)  We previously wrote about how to use those points for flights, so check that post out too.     These cards will help you earn those 75K Ultimate Rewards (spoiler alert – the higher-than-usual signup bonus is available NOW on the CSP and CSR):                       Hotels Your 75K points can be used for flights and ..read more