Tag Archives: Award Travel

a close up of credit cards

Redeeming Wells Fargo Rewards Points: My Plan of Attack

Posted on by . Leave a reply

Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday! This morning, I was looking at my Wells Fargo account and trying to decide what my long-term strategy (aka my plan of attack) should be for my stash of 62,320 Wells Fargo Rewards Points.  If you were a former Bilt Card 1.0 member, then there is a good chance your card was converted to the no annual fee Wells Fargo Autograph Credit Card.  I also currently have the $95 annual fee Wells Fargo Autograph Journey Credit Card.  Before I share my strategy, let’s quickly review the bonus categories and transfer partners for the Wells Fargo Rewards program.

a screenshot of a phone

Continue reading →

a close up of a credit card

A Tale of Two Citi Strata Elite Credit Card Applications

Posted on by . 8 Replies

Good afternoon everyone, I hope your week is going well. First, a quick nod to the bookworms and literary buffs who caught the reference to A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.  Now let’s fast forward to this century.  In mid-December, Laura and I both applied for the Citi Strata Elite Credit Card because we were hoping to triple dip the annual benefits ($300 Hotel Credit and $200 Splurge Credit) in December 2025, January 2026, and again in January 2027 before the $595 annual fee was due. Unfortunately, “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times” in terms of instant approvals.

The Results

My application: instant denial.  Laura’s application: pending.

a screen shot of a computer

Continue reading →

a black and white logo

Don’t Let your Hilton Free Night Certificate Expire: Call to get a 2 Week Extension

Posted on by . 4 Replies

Good afternoon everyone, happy Friday! Today I wanted to share a quick tip that might save you from losing a very valuable free night certificate. If you’ve ever earned a Hilton Free Night Certificate from a credit card, you know how valuable they can be toward a hotel stay. Unfortunately, those certificates also come with expiration dates and those dates may not line up with your travel plans.  Recently, I had a Hilton Free Night Certificate that was set to expire on February 10.  Instead of rushing to use it on a nearby hotel, I decided to call Hilton (1-800-446-6677) and see if there was anything they could do.  After explaining the situation, the rep offered to extend my existing certificate by 2 weeks.

To find your certificate and expiration date, log into your Hilton account, click your name in the top right corner, and scroll down to the Rewards section.  You should see when your certificate is set to expire.

a screenshot of a computer

Continue reading →

a close up of credit cards

My Favorite Underrated Wells Fargo Autograph / Journey Credit Card Feature: Transfers Starting at 1 Point

Posted on by . 6 Replies

Good afternoon everyone and happy Friday! A warm welcome to any former Bilt Card 1.0 members who may have found their way here. By now, you’ve likely received your no annual fee Wells Fargo Autograph Credit Card and are wondering: What should I do with this card, should I keep it?

While the Wells Fargo Autograph offers decent bonus categories, my favorite feature is something far less flashy, but far more useful to me: you can earn transferable points and move them to airline and hotel partners without paying an annual fee.  This is a huge deal if you ever need to top off an account with fewer than 1,000 points. There are no minimum transfer amounts, which means no orphaned points stranded after a redemption.  That combination is wonderful, but not very common in the miles / points space.

a screenshot of a credit card

Continue reading →

a close-up of a sign

My Overly Ambitious (and Probably Wrong) 2026 Airline, Hotel & Credit Card Predictions

Posted on by . Leave a reply

Good afternoon everyone and let me be the first (or maybe the tenth) to wish you a very happy New Year! Fresh off the heels of reviewing my 2025 travel predictions (including 7 wins and plenty of misses), it’s time to look ahead. From airlines and hotels to credit cards and loyalty programs, here are my overly ambitious (and occasionally wishful) predictions for what 2026 has in store for the miles and points community.

Airline Predictions:

  • Alaska Airlines will change the Global 25K Companion Award into a Global 25K Award Discount (valid for a single passenger).
  • Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, or Delta Airlines will launch a debit card.
  • Southwest Airlines will not award Rapid Rewards Points on Basic Fares.

Continue reading →