by Lisa Mays | Aug 24, 2026 | Maximizing Points and Miles
I get asked constantly how I actually find award flights, because staring at an airline’s award chart and hoping for the best is not a strategy. For years I bounced between a handful of tools, checking each one manually, comparing screenshots, losing time...
by Lisa Mays | Jul 2, 2026 | Maximizing Points and Miles
Most travelers know about airline miles, hotel points, and travel rewards. But one tool that’s often overlooked is the online shopping portal. Before I started using Rakuten, I didn’t realize you could earn cash back on purchases you were already planning...
by Lisa Mays | Jul 2, 2026 | Maximizing Points and Miles
Travel is one of those things many of us look forward to all year. Whether it’s a weekend getaway, a family vacation, or an international adventure, the excitement of planning a trip can quickly be followed by a reality check when the costs start adding up....
by Lisa Mays | Jul 2, 2026 | Maximizing Points and Miles
If you’ve ever spent an evening jumping between airline websites trying to find an award flight, you’re not alone. I’ve done it myself. Search one airline, check another, change the dates, try a different airport, and somehow still come up...
by Cherry | Senior Travel Editor, The Miles Academy | Jan 21, 2026 | Maximizing Points and Miles
Most of us have a weird relationship with points. We want more of them, we swear we will optimize “later,” and then we discover a setting we should have turned on months ago. When that happens, we recommend one mindset shift: celebrate the new stream you just unlocked...
by Cherry | Senior Travel Editor, The Miles Academy | Jan 20, 2026 | Maximizing Points and Miles
January is when prices, plans, and promises all collide. Airfares swing, hotel rates jump around, and a lot of people decide they are going to travel this year, then they book one trip and wonder where the budget went. Points and miles fix that problem in a practical...
