In January of 2018, I began a credit card fast that lasted for nine months. In other words, I stopped applying for new credit cards. At that point I had been cutoff from Chase credit cards for a long time, years, and was tired of it. I had opened a number of new credit cards, more than five in the prior two 24 months, which is where the Chase 5/24 rule gets its name from.

Today I'm going to wrap up a trip report I started with you guys back in January, on a three week adventure through Tuscany with my boyfriend and parents. If you haven't read Parts I and II, I recommend doing so before reading today's post.

Tuscany Trip Report: Part I 

Tuscany Trip Report: Part II

Tuscany Trip Report: Part III (this post)

I took too long in general to write this trip report, as it's now March and I took this trip in September. Life gets in the way sometimes.

Giveaway time.

I like Southwest for many reasons. You always get to fly with two checked bags for free. No other US carrier has that lenient of a domestic baggage policy. Flights booked with enough anticipation (or during frequent sales) can be super cheap, with points as well as cash. They have one of the best and most flexible change and cancellation policies. In general they tend to put customers first more than other US carriers.

This week one lucky reader will win a $200 Southwest gift card. Southwest gift cards are fully transferable and don’t expire.

Have you also been Bonvoyed? Thanks to reader Vince, who shared in a comment below the site www.bonvoyed.com. It was created by people like us so we can share our grievances in the hopes that perhaps someone from Marriott may decide to give a $h1t.

Warning: If you're considering a points transfer to utilize one of the various mileage sweetspots of the Etihad Guest loyalty program, don't pick Marriott Rewards for the job.

Hey MileValue readers!

I've been experiencing a rough patch over the last month with my health that I would like to dive into with you guys when I'm ready. That moment isn't now, but it will come. And as I'm sure many of you can relate to, I've been sick while traveling. While I've had gorgeous environments to relax in and am not complaining about that, it's ultimately been stressful to be unsettled away from home. But life happens, and sometimes you just have to adjust.

By Amy M. Gardner and Keith R. Sbiral

This is Part III of our series on how we used miles and points to make possible a 10 week, round-the-world trip in 2018. 

If you missed Part I, you can check it out here.You can find Part II (on airlines) here. 

In Part III we will discuss hotels and accommodations.  For more information on photography, photographers, and places we traveled, please check out reddotbluedot.com.

Welcome to Part II of a three part series about why and how Amy M. Gardner and Keith R. Sbiral planned a heavily subsidized 10 week round-the-world trip to 15 countries, thanks to the power of miles and points. We hope you take this story as inspiration to travel more! Check out Amy and Keith's content and beautiful photography featured on their blog Red Dot Blue Dot, which you'll learn was of central importance on this journey.

This post focuses on the planning and execution of flights.

Did you know that it only costs 90 to 95k Virgin Atlantic miles to fly All Nippon Airways Business Class between the United States and Japan? And only 110 to 120k to fly in ANA First Class?

Those are roundtrip mileage prices. Not one way.

To give you some perspective, it costs 160k United miles to fly ANA Business roundtrip US to Japan, or 180k United miles roundtrip in ANA First.

At the end of December, I sent out a request for reader contributions. I want to thank everyone who reached out to me in January with their ideas and stories. Your enthusiasm is inspiring! I am happy to say that I got enough of a response that I plan on publishing plenty of reader experiences in the future.

I'm bumping this up to the top of the blog roll as a reminder to make a change by TODAY. You must choose the designated airline for any Platinum card (including the Business Platinum), and the Hilton Aspire card (which comes with up to $250 incidental fee credit) by today as well if you want it to be different than last year's. 

One of the most valuable benefits of the Platinum Card® from American Express is up to $200 in statement credits for incidental fees with your designated qualifying airline every calendar year.