Tips, Tricks, and Guides Archives

Miles & Points 103: How to Actually Book an Award Flight

In the last post, we talked about the shift that changes everything: moving from “how much can these points erase” to “what’s the best way to use these points.” That shift is where the real value in this hobby lives, and it all starts with transfer partners.

This post is the part where we stop talking in theory and just show you the process. We’re going to walk through exactly how we booked business class to Tahiti using points, step by step, including the parts that didn’t go perfectly and the numbers that have changed since we booked it.

Saving Money on Airbnb Without Points

Airbnb is one of the hardest things to “travel hack.” There are no points programs, no transfer partners, and no award charts to study. Most of the time, you just pay cash.

So, when we needed to book a week in Taiwan and wanted to keep costs as low as possible, I had to get creative.

Earning and Using Rove Miles: How I’m Doing It

Rove is a new and upcoming shopping and travel platform, and I’m a big fan. There are always skeptics as new programs tend to overextend themselves, but I’m here for it and will be as long as it continues. This is how I’m taking advantage of what they have to offer and how I’m earning and using Rove miles.

How I Booked Taiwan for 37,400 Miles Round Trip Using a Delta SkyMiles Flash Sale

If you are trying to book a trip to Asia with points and miles, Delta is probably not the first place you look. In fact, if you’re in the miles and points game at all, you probably have Delta at the bottom of your list. But every once in a while, a SkyMiles flash sale shows up that is hard to ignore. This is exactly how I booked a Delta SkyMiles flash sale to Taiwan

JAL Account Waiting Period: Why You May Not See Award Flights on Desktop

If you recently created a Japan Airlines Mileage Bank account and cannot see award flights on desktop, you may be running into the JAL account waiting period. But, there is a way around, not the waiting period, but the availability.

Capital One Travel Booking Window: Mobile vs Desktop Differences Explained

If you are trying to book travel far in advance and the Capital One Travel booking window does not show as many dates as you expect, the issue may not be availability. It may be your device.

Cathay Pacific Award Availability: How and When Business Class Seats Are Released

In order to plan a business class trip to Thailand, I had to narrow down airlines and award programs pretty quickly. After some early digging, I filtered my options down to Cathay Pacific using Asia Miles. I tracked Cathay Pacific award availability closely and eventually booked our seats. This is what I learned from tracking Cathay Pacific business class award space in real time.

Planning a Trip to Thailand with Miles and Points

After leaving the kids at home and visiting Cuba, and later French Polynesia, we convinced ourselves that what we really needed next was a quiet, snowy cabin in the middle of nowhere. No more sweaty nights. No more dirty streets. Just cold air, silence, silence, and maybe a fireplace.