by Lisa Mays | Oct 5, 2026 | Maximizing Points and Miles
Rakuten is one of those tools that sounds too simple to actually work: click a link before you shop, get money back. But it’s been paying out cash back and points for years, and once it’s part of your routine, it takes almost no extra effort. Here’s...
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...
