One of the biggest challenges in effectively communicating the value of points and miles is quantifying the value you get from points. I’ve done it. Matt’s done it. We’ve all done it. 

How we explain the value of points matters. It has an impact on how people decide to redeem points and miles. Unfortunately, this can sometimes be more harmful than helpful. 

The number of times I’ve seen someone exclaim that they aren’t sure about redeeming their points for a trip because they’re not getting more than a certain financial value per point is high.

If your travel goals include mostly domestic travel, and you are traveling as a family and need to book multiple seats, then your travel rewards earning strategy is likely very different from someone who’s looking for aspirational redemptions in first or business class.

Let’s look at a few ways of maximizing your points redemptions and dive into the credit card strategy for domestic travelers. We’ll look at using transferable currencies, such as Chase Ultimate Rewards or Citi ThankYou points because they offer much better flexibility and many more redemption options than airline miles.

Let’s talk about Avios.

Three airlines—Aer Lingus, British Airways and Iberia—use this rewards currency, yet they’re separate award programs. Same, same, but different. And, because the programs are different, they also use their own award charts and follow their own rules.

Although there are three loyalty programs that use Avios, in this article, we’ll focus on two: British Airways Executive Club and Iberia Plus.

I bet I know exactly what comes into your mind when I ask the question “which hotel program is best for transferring bank points to.” The majority of people would hedge their bet on transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards to Hyatt.

While the Chase to Hyatt option is a great choice, many people overlook transferring Membership Rewards to hotels.

Points and miles are a great tool to reduce the cost of a vacation. They cover the cost of your flights and sometimes hotels and offer an opportunity to travel more and pay less.

When I’m trying to decide what my next credit card is going to be, I consider a lot of factors. What trips do I want to take in the next one to two years? What points do I currently have? What points do I want? What’s my 5/24 status? 

These questions always help guide me towards a card that will help me meet my goals. I don’t open cards just for the sake of opening them.

Updated Monday, July 13 to include expanded dates of blocked seats on Alaska Airlines and JetBlue.

The landscape of aviation is changing faster than a private jet en route to a private island. If you find yourself travelling, be ready for a very different experience. It starts even upon arrival to the airport. Once onboard, you’ll find that the usual amenity kit may now be replaced by masks and hand sanitizer.

One of the most polarizing issues onboard is social distancing. Only a few airlines are blocking middle seats while others are selling all available seats.

If you’re anything like us, nearly every moment of this pandemic has been spent dreaming of travel. Especially as we try to avoid nauseating headlines like “Corona” being on the rise for baby names. With U.S. residents barred from entering Europe for the foreseeable future, now is the time to focus on feasible travel.

In this three-part series, we are looking at the basics of the cheapest domestic awards.

The Coronavirus pandemic has plunged the world into a state of uncertainty. Travel within the United States is more appealing and logistically more feasible than international travel, at least to the majority and for the time being. Today we are kicking off a new series of posts that examine some of the cheapest U.S. domestic award options in each major airline alliance, including:

Oneworld – British Airways, Iberia, and American Airlines (this post)

Star Alliance – Avianca, Turkish Airlines, and United

SkyTeam – Air France/KLM and Delta

When the words “domestic travel” come up, the big three U.S.

The world is in a time-out

The travel world has certainly been turned upside down due to COVID-19. Every country around the globe has been changing travel restrictions on pretty much a weekly basis. Airlines are adjusting their routes and aircraft even more frequently.

At the moment, some airlines including Air Baltic, Ryanair, Avianca, and EasyJet have 100% of their fleet grounded. Air France and KLM have over 90% of their fleet grounded, with hopes to be 30% airborne in July. Singapore Airlines has been flying just 9 aircraft.