Holding points across a range of rewards programs allows you take advantage of award availability as it appears, no matter which program it’s in. It also means you’re not locked into one program that may not have award availability to your destination, or coverage in that location in the case of hotels.

Fixed-value points and miles don’t get nearly as much attention as their transferable counterparts, but they form an essential part of any solid points-and-miles strategy. These points work just like cash, allowing you to redeem for any flight without having to worry about blackout dates or award charts. In this post, we cover our favorite types of fixed-value points and how to decide when to use them.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card provides a huge new cardmember bonus with a reasonable spend amount and sets you up with the most valuable flexible travel rewards in our opinion.

Charge cards and credit cards are commonly mistaken as the same thing. However, the fundamental difference is the ability of a card to carry a balance from month to month. Despite the fact the terms are often used interchangeably, only a credit card allows debt to be paid over time, with added interest, of course.

Companion pass, companion certificate, companion fare, or companion ticket. While the terms are much alike, they all carry different definitions as to what constitutes a companion pass or ticket. Some airlines have designed their companion pass as a well thought out feature of their rewards program, worthy of attention and pursuit, while others have turned it into a lazy half-benefit, slipped into the backend of a credit card’s benefits as an afterthought, and offering only marginal value.

Learn why the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card stands out amongst all the noise and should be considered for the first spot in your newly minted, or even experienced, loyalty portfolio.

If you want the benefits of elite status within a hotel program but don’t happen to have that status, leveraging luxury hotel programs could deliver just what you’re looking for. Upgrades, complimentary breakfast, and late check-out are just a few of the perks you’ll be eligible for with the right program.

The ultimate goal of award travel is redeeming points and miles to pay for flights, saving the cash outlay required to purchase revenue fares. But if you travel regularly, for business or pleasure, a significant portion of the flights will…

Finding award availability can be a challenge on its own, but knowing the rules on when award space becomes available and which miles can book at what time can make things even more confusing. We’ll address all that here.

How far out you can book a hotel? And does making reservations at the far side of the booking window provides any tangible benefit? Each hotel chain handles reservations differently, with the booking windows of major hotel chains ranging from 11 months through to a mammoth 3 years.