Points and Travel Guides
How to turn points and miles into trips: where award seats come from, how alliances connect programs, when hotel points beat cash, and the mistakes that cost the most.
- Airline Alliances and Partners: A Beginner's Guide
How the three global alliances and other partnerships let you earn and redeem miles across airlines.
- Hotel Points vs. Cash: When to Use Points
How to compare a points stay with a cash stay, including fees and the points you would earn.
- How to Combine Points With a Partner or Family
The ways couples and families can pool points, and the rules and fees to check.
- How to Earn Airline Miles Without Flying
The main ways to earn miles on the ground, ranked by how much they usually add.
- How to Plan Your First Trip With Points and Miles
A step-by-step plan from a trip idea to a booked award, for solo travelers and families.
- Mistakes to Avoid When Transferring Card Points
The errors that strand points in the wrong program, and a checklist to transfer safely.
- Should You Buy Points During a Promotion?
A simple test to decide whether buying points is cheaper than paying cash.
- When Do Airlines Release Award Seats?
How award seats are released, why they appear and disappear, and how to search for them.