The key to successful rewards travel is flexibility. In today’s post, we break down the benefits of cash back, fixed-value, and transferrable points to help you find the right type of rewards for big travel savings.

During its recent rebranding exercise, Marriott updated its policy for transferring points between Marriott Bonvoy accounts. The previous policy allowed members to transfer up to 50,000 points per year, with an exception for one-time transfers that were to be used…

From humble beginnings in 1983 as Marriott Honored Guest Awards, Marriott Rewards is the oldest continuously operating hotel loyalty program in operation today. With roughly 54 million members, Marriott Rewards (when combined with sister rewards program The Ritz-Carlton Rewards) is the second largest hotel loyalty program in the world, second only to IHG Rewards Club (92 million). That said, Marriott Rewards members have access to more hotel rooms across the world.

In addition to the original auction site, Marriott’s expanded Moments platform now includes a car rental portal in partnership with Hertz, and a supersized experiences marketplace for custom tours and activities in cities all over the globe which Marriott claims is “the worlds largest selection of tours.”

As reported by View from the Wing, new card restrictions/approvals will be in effect as of August 26, 2018, for those looking to pick up any Marriott Rewards or Starwood Preferred Guest co-branded credit cards from either Chase or American Express.

We expected more notice about a significant change with the Starwood Preferred Guest^® Credit Card from American Express and the Starwood Preferred Guest^® Business Credit Card from American Express, but strongly sourced rumors from Doctor of Credit indicate the long-standing 25,000-point welcome bonus is about to be decimated, and replaced with a small cash welcome bonus.

It’s been a long time coming, but Marriott has finally announced the key features of the combined Marriott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest loyalty programs that will launch August 1, 2018.

Almost every rewards card features ancillary benefits ranging from purchase protection and extended warranty coverage to roadside assistance and a slew of different travel insurance perks. One of the most valuable (and widely used) of these benefits is Trip Delay Reimbursement, which can cover your expenses in the event of a delayed or canceled flight.

For the next month, United and Marriott credit card cardholders can earn double points when purchasing United flights and booking Marriott hotels with one another. United cardholders earn double miles on stays with Marriott, and Marriott cardholders earn double points when booking flights with United.

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.