Updated March 30, 2020 to include data points on award refunds

Updated March 27, 2020 to include data points on United's refund practices.

There’s nothing normal about travel during the COVID-19 outbreak. As with any travel decision, always do what you feel most comfortable with. It is our personal opinion that there are many good reasons to take this time to plan ahead for future travels and more.

Let’s move about the cabin and discuss.

Eventually We’ll Be Cleared For Takeoff

There will come a time when the virus is over.

UPDATED 6/23/20

I hope all of you and your loved ones are coping during this trying time. Whether you're hunkering down at home with work or study, or are still needed in public as a healthcare professional or otherwise essential employee, I wish you all good health and peace of mind.

Below I will go into detail on the current policies for the top five US airlines (defined by passengers carried).

I am currently staying about 20 minutes north of a town called San Martin de Los Andes, which is located in the lake region of Argentine Patagonia. San Martin, as locals refer to it, is a fly fishing hub nestled alongside Lácar Lake, surrounded by the Andes and not far from Argentina's border with Chile. Hiking and backpacking options are plentiful with Argentina's version of the Appalachian trail, the Huella Andina, spreading out in either direction north and south.

A note from Sarah Page: You may know Kevin from the MileValue Award Booking Service. Together with his wife, their friends and family refer to them as K2, which you'll notice in the by line. They’re excited to contribute to MileValue and I'm happy to be able to share two new perspectives with all of you!

After months of waiting, we both have our Global Entry cards. It was definitely a marathon rather than a sprint. But as they say, good things come to those who wait.

Andrew Chen and I recently talked ins and outs of the miles and points world on his podcast, Hack Your Wealth. The recording was published today. Listen to it on his site, linked above, or directly from MileValue via Spotify, below.

A note from Sarah Page: In case you don't catch the byline, this was written by MileValue founder Scott Grimmer. We're happy to feature a post by our old friend and coworker! Thanks for your time and valuable insight, Scott.

Uruguay is a gem of a country that's under the radar for the typical American. My attention was drawn to it years ago when I relocated to Buenos Aires, as Uruguay and Argentina share a border and river delta.

One of the most valuable benefits of the Platinum Card from American Express is its $200 per year--calendar year--of incidental travel fee credits. You get a couple other credits as well this month, at least another $85 worth of Saks Merchandise + Uber credit, that would be a shame to forget about.

Avianca has a co-branded credit card issued by Banco Popular called the Avianca Vuela Visa that comes with 40,000 Avianca LifeMiles after your first purchase on the card and a $149 annual fee.

There are a lot of reasons to collect miles and points.

For free First Class flights and luxury hotel stays
To travel to more places than you could otherwise afford (like the arctic circle of Norway, pictured above)
To take your family on vacation
To visit home for the holidays
To earn big rewards for everyday spending

And the amazing thing is you don't need much money to achieve your goal.