Best ways to book Europe flights with Ultimate Rewards Part 1: Introduction Part 2: Star Alliance-Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and United Part 3: SkyTeam Alliance- KLM/AirFrance FlyingBlue and Korean Air Part 4: OneWorld Alliance-British Airways Part 5: Virgin Atlantic (no alliance) Using Ultimate Rewards partners in the Star Alliance to book flights between the US and … Continue reading Best Ways to Book Europe with Ultimate Rewards Part 2: Star Alliance
Best Ways to Book Europe with Ultimate Rewards: Part 1
Want to go to Europe with Ultimate Rewards? This is the first of 5 posts about booking Europe with Ultimate Rewards. In this introduction post, I list my 9 overall favorite ways to redeem Ultimate Rewards for flights between North America and Europe. In parts 2-5, I will go into more specifics about each of … Continue reading Best Ways to Book Europe with Ultimate Rewards: Part 1
How to Transfer Ultimate Rewards to Hotel and Airline Partners
If you have a Chase Sapphire card that earns Ultimate Rewards, you will notice that Chase gives many options for redeeming these points. The only two options that are worth using are Book travel through the redemption portal Transfer Ultimate Rewards to hotel and airline partners at a 1:1 ratio Other ways to redeem such … Continue reading How to Transfer Ultimate Rewards to Hotel and Airline Partners
Maximize AAdvantage Miles with American Airlines Off-Peak Dates
Redeem your AAdvantage miles for American Airlines off-peak dates when possible In addition to the two tiers of awards tickets in the American Airlines AAdvantage program, there is another important element to consider. American Airlines considers certain dates in certain regions off-peak. Not every region has off-peak dates, but if you're in the early phase … Continue reading Maximize AAdvantage Miles with American Airlines Off-Peak Dates
How to Transfer SPG Starpoints to Airlines
In addition to using SPG Starpoints for hotels, you can also transfer Starpoints to airlines and then use those miles to book plane tickets. A few things before you transfer Starpoints to airlines: Remember that the best deal is to transfer 20,000 miles at a time to get the 5,000 bonus. An exception to this … Continue reading How to Transfer SPG Starpoints to Airlines
Buying a House? Earn 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points
Do not apply for credit cards if you have plans to buy a house in the near future Mortgage companies look down upon credit inquiries when considering your credit worthiness, so you should not apply for credit cards if you're in the market for a house. If you are within a year of buying a … Continue reading Buying a House? Earn 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points
How to Search for American Airlines Award Space
American Airlines has two tiers of award tickets You can read more about it in this post. The point is, you probably only want to book a ticket with AAdvantage miles if there is availability at the lower level (also known as MileSAAver). If you plan to book an American Airlines flight with miles in a … Continue reading How to Search for American Airlines Award Space
What You Need to Know When Booking American Airlines Award Tickets
Since I've recently received many questions about the ridiculous amount of miles that the AAdvantage program is charging for some American Airlines award tickets, I thought that now is a good time to explain how award tickets work. A few days ago, I received a message from a friend who was looking for flights to … Continue reading What You Need to Know When Booking American Airlines Award Tickets
The Chase 5/24 Rule Explained
What is the Chase 5/24 Rule? Back in 2015, reports began emerging that people were getting denied on applications to open new Chase cards. It was eventually determined that Chase was denying applications from anyone who has opened more than 5 credit card accounts in the past 24 months. This policy looks at all of one's recently … Continue reading The Chase 5/24 Rule Explained
Best Credit Cards for Everyday Spending
Best Credit Cards for Everyday Spending Many people who are new to this ask me what credit card is best for beginners. My usual advice is to start with a card that earns flexible rewards. By this I mean cards that earn American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, or Starwood Preferred Guest Starpoints. In general, … Continue reading Best Credit Cards for Everyday Spending