You may have heard the ads – I know I get them all the time when I’m listening to podcasts on Spotify. Or maybe you’ve heard a friend mention that they use Rakuten when they’re shopping online. So what is Rakuten? Rakuten is a shopping portal where you can get cash back at many popular…
It’s the start of a new quarter. Which means it’s also the start of new 5x categories on the Chase Freedom and Chase Freedom Flex. If you aren’t aware, the Q4 Chase Freedom Categories are McDonald’s, PayPal, Pet Stores and Vet Services, and Select Charities. On the Freedom and Freedom Flex, you can earn 5%…
You’ve obviously heard of Prime Day – who hasn’t? But if you missed that sale or are wondering if Amazon has any upcoming days like that, you’re in luck. Enter Prime Big Deal Days. If you’ve been waiting to purchase an item in hopes that it would go on sale, start looking at Amazon now…
In our quest to de-mystify travel hacking, we’re continuing our series of sharing how many points and miles we earned from our trips. As we pursue our goal of visiting every U.S. National Park, we made a visit to the Seattle area. We did not redeem any points or miles to cover this trip. Rather,…
In early June, we took a trip to Southern California for four nights. P2 had some work meetings, so I decided to tag along. We didn’t use any points or miles for this trip. Some of P2’s expenses were covered by his company, and we covered all other expenses with our credit cards. With a…
When I got my first credit card, I opened the original Chase Freedom. It was an incredibly popular first credit card at the time, and it had (and still has) no annual fee. As a young professional just starting my career, I didn’t want to take on additional expenses in my budget. As I progressed…
It’s coming. Amazon’s biggest day(s) of the year – Prime Day. Starting on July 16th and running through the 17th, Amazon Prime Subscribers will have access to discounts and deals on thousands of products. If you’ve been waiting to purchase something, start preparing now. Maximize points and miles Amazon is not an elevated earning category…
As travel hackers, we’re always looking for the best ways to earn the maximum amount of points and miles. We try to do that by combining a variety of credit cards, portals, and other ways to spend less money / earn more points and miles (aka stacking). Last year, when we were just starting our…
In the United States, particularly in cities and surrounding suburbs, Starbucks stores are ubiquitous. It seems like you can’t go more than a few blocks without running into another one. And while Starbucks isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, it’s hard to deny the convenience when you need a shot of caffeine. If you’re someone who…
We are the proud owners of two wonderful yellow labrador retrievers. They are a big part of our lives, and we love traveling with them. And if you have a cat or dog (or bunny or guinea pig or insert your animal here) at home, you likely spend a fair amount spoiling your fur baby….