Follow Our Road-Trip In The Mountains Of North-East Mexico!
I’ll be posting videos every day for the next few days on the TravelisFree Instagram Stories (and eventually Facebook). Hopefully lots of beautiful clips of waterfalls, and more ..
Episode 84 – Guatemala and living in a non hub city with Becky Pokora
Episode Description
Becky Pokora returns to the podcast after her big move to talk one of her favorite countries, Guatemala. We then discuss the best ways to travel when living in
Means-testing and the real marriage penalties (wonkish)
For decades (at least as long as I’ve been alive), people have used the expressions “marriage bonus” and “marriage penalty” to describe what happens to the income tax liability of
Shop Talk: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly in This Game.
Welcome to another edition of Shop Talk where we discuss what’s going on in our personal points & miles space and highlight what we think is interesting in the broader
Do this now: register for 2018 3rd quarter bonus categories
With July 1 right around the corner, it’s time to make sure you’re registered for quarterly bonus earnings on some popular no-annual-fee credit cards.Chase FreedomAfter a great f..
JW Marriott Chengdu – Low Category City Luxury
A few months ago, I wrote about Le Meridien Chiang Rai, then a category 2 SPG redemption (now cat 3) for a luxurious 5-star resort tucked away from the bustle. Now I’d like to t..
Potential US Bank Gift Card Fraud Spotted in the Wild
I hate that I have to write a post like this (again), but I would be remiss if I didn’t put this warning out there. Years ago there was an
Absolute versus relative redemption values
In Wednesday’s post about passing on the current IHG Rewards point sale, I mentioned that it’s not enough to get good absolute value from a points redemption if you’re not
PSA: Iberia.com hates Google Chrome. Use Internet Explorer
I am writing this in hope of saving you a few hours of your life in frustration. At least for me, Iberia.com is very buggy in Chrome and Firefox. It wouldn’t let me login 95% o..
Targeted: American Express Business Gold 75k/$5k Offer
Today I’ll go over an excellent targeted 75k Offer for the American Express Business Gold Card that’s starting to show online on some American Express account login pages. This o..
This Week in Bank Points: Stacking Citi Prestige 4th Night Free with Four Seasons Offers
Quick Summary: It’s possible to stack the Citi Prestige 4th night free benefit with free night offers at hotels like the Four Seasons. You can pay with Citi ThankYou points
First flight on Southwest – lessons learned and tips
So I finally flew Southwest for the first time and my hot take is that I don’t really understand why people have such strong feelings about it. Before my flight
You probably shouldn't participate in a good IHG points sale
Through Friday, June 15, IHG Rewards Club is offering a 100% bonus on purchased points, meaning you can buy up to 200,000 points for $1,000, or 0.5 cents each, when you
The [New] Best Use of Wyndham Rewards Points
All Wyndham hotels cost 15,000 Rewards points… Which makes earning 15,000 points the same as earning a free night certificate. Free night certificates are fantastic for high end ..
Pay Federal Taxes Online with a Credit Card Fee-Free with Plastiq
Quick Summary: You can pay federal taxes online with a credit card for free through bill pay service Plastiq as part of the Masterpass/Mastercard promo they’re running through Se..
Is the Grand Hyatt brand moving away from complimentary toothbrushes?
I realize in the big scheme of things, the complimentary toothbrush and toothpaste found in most mid-to-high end hotel rooms is minimal. But, based on a recent stay at the
What Should I Do About FT4RL?
Please bear with this stream-of-consciousness post. I’ve come to a crossroads and have put off making a decision long enough. I could really use your help deciding what to do ab..
Shop Talk: Chase Ritz-Carlton, Full Sized Car Seats, Open Ended European Vacations, Kauai (Food & Coffee) and More
Welcome to another edition of Shop Talk where we discuss what’s going on in our personal points & miles space and highlight what we think is interesting in the broader
To my reader who mistyped his own e-mail address, Starwood edition
I recently received a question from a reader using the “Contact” page, but the reader seems to have mistyped their e-mail address, which I discovered only after writing my reply.
Help! I’m flying Southwest for the first time
A lot of ink has been spilled about how Southwest Airlines is the best airline for families. And even though this purportedly is a family blog, I’ve never flown Southwest
This Week in Bank Points: [Not] Booking that Park Hyatt St. Kitts Deal with Points
Welcome to another edition of This Week in Bank Points where we examine the pros and cons of booking various forms of travel with flexible bank points like Chase Ultimate
Using Chase Ink Business Unlimited to rejigger your Ultimate Rewards card portfolio
Chase has been fiddling with both their personal and business credit card lineup for a few years now, introducing both the personal Freedom Unlimited credit card, which earns 1.5..
I Signed Up For Plastiq For Simplicity And Extending Payment Terms
A couple of weeks ago a representative from Plastiq reached out to me about the service and see if I would be interested in blogging about it. The timing was