Sharing my tips on how to use credit card points for travel. Check out all of the details here!
There are some things in my life that I regret. That one time I moved to Tucson and was having a crisis and got bangs. Quitting my MBA program when I was more than halfway finished. Aaaaand not signing up for reward credit cards sooner.
We often heard our friends talking about credit card points, but since we had debt in the past, it was something we avoided. We kept hearing about free flights and lounge access, so about 10 years ago, we decided to go for it. It’s been a total gamechanger. Since then, we have traveled multiple times for free, enjoyed hotel upgrades, lounge access, and have been rewarded for everyday spending through points.
How to use credit card points for travel
How to Use Credit Card Points for Travel: Maximize Rewards for Flights, Hotels, and Lounge Access
In this post, I’m going to share some tips on how to maximize your credit card rewards for travel and share my experience with the American Express Platinum Card, including its pros and cons. I’ll also share my favorite tips for getting the best airfare deals!
Ways to Use Credit Card Points for Travel
1. Free Hotel Stays & Upgrades
Many travel credit cards allow you to redeem points for free hotel nights at major chains like Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt. Some cards also offer automatic elite status, which can lead to room upgrades, late checkout, and free breakfast. When I book through the Amex travel portal, we’re able to see which rewards we’ll receive, whether it’s late checkout, early check-in, a resort credit, or a room upgrade when available. You also get $200 credit each year for their Fine Hotels & Resorts collection.
(Free room service at our upgraded Venetian suite in Vegas. Our flight was also free)
Tip: Look for transfer partners where your points stretch further. For example, American Express Membership Rewards points transfer at a 1:1 ratio to Hilton Honors but often have promotions offering extra value. Sometimes you can get 2 for 1 points so it’s worth it!! You can do this directly through the American Express website.
2. Booking Flights & Scoring Airfare Deals
One of the best ways to use credit card points is to book flights. You can redeem points directly through your card’s travel portal or transfer them to airline partners for even better value.
Best ways to find airfare deals:
Use Google Explore:
Crunchy toasted Brioche topped with jam and almonds creates an irresistible pastry called Bostock.
As simple as it sounds (and is to make) once you’ve tasted it, I’m willing to bet that you’ll be telling everyone about it. I’ll go ahead and call this the Ultimate French Toast in the sense that it puts French toast to shame.
Bostock may not sound like the fanciest pastry or bakery treat, but I’m telling you now that this is absolutely positively irresistible.
I tried Bostock for the first time while visiting my friend Rebecca in Western New York several years ago.
There is an amazing bakery called Elm Street Bakery in East Aurora that we visited a couple of times, and their list of tempting treats goes on for days. When I spied the Bostock, I had to try it.
Bostock
Bostock is made with a sweet bread cut into slices and spread with a thin fruit glaze and topped with an almond spread. A sprinkling of sliced almonds goes on top and then it is baked until crispy.
Brioche is the most common bread used for making Bostock, but challah works too and can often be easier to find.
The taste reminds me of Italian Pine Nut Cookies (aka Pignoli Cookies) or these Italian Almond Cookies, which makes sense, as those cookies are made with almond paste as the main ingredient.
I am sitting here struggling for words because I love this so much. I compare it to French Toast, except that it is so much simpler and tastes better by a mile.
I made this recipe twice, in the week after I returned home, and I have been making Bostock on repeat ever since.
As we sat in the bakery, Rebecca and I chatted about how to recreate the Bostock at home. The bread is topped with a toasted frangipane.
All you need to make frangipane is almond meal, sugar, butter, and an egg. It makes a heavenly topping for this Bostock and it literally takes just a few minutes.
While I’m sharing traditional Bostock here in all its glorious almond deliciousness, Rebecca dreamed up a Nutella Raspberry Bostock and shared hers as well.
I’m thinking there are endless flavor combinations possible and we are duty bound to try them all, right?
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Sharing some of the food highlights from our trip to Spain. If you have any recs to share, please shout them out in the comments! My last Spain recap is here.
Hi friends! Happy Monday! I hope that your week is off to a great start. We had a lovely weekend over here. We celebrated my nana’s birthday – I’ll share some pics in Friday Faves – enjoyed the Tucson monsoons (SO good), and got ready for a little adventure. I post a lot more over on IG stories if you’d like to follow along there!
For today’s post, I wanted to share some eats from Spain! You guyyyyyyssss. The food was incredible. Everything was fresh and delicious – even the fried options felt light and less greasy than their US counterparts – and I’ve already tried to replicate some of our favorite dishes here at home. While we went out to eat a LOT and tried so much incredible places, I’m sharing our top picks from Sevilla below.
A funny note before we get started: we like to eat. Like, a lot. We’re all foodies, we all enjoy it, and we like the try ALL the things. Also, when we travel, we tend to have one giant meal each day and then snack and grab smaller bites the rest of the day. (You can see an example of this when we went to Mykonos here.) At least three times during the trip, the server asked us to stop ordering. “Ok, that’s enough food.” LOL. Let it be known that we ordered a lot – you know, in the name of research – and we crushed it. Maybe they’re used to tourists ordering a lot of food and wasting it? Welp, that wasn’t us.
Sevilla Food Recommendations and recap!
Fresh lemon sorbet is a light and refreshing treat that is a terrific addition to any meal.
At first glance, a scoop of sorbet is unlikely to grab your attention and impress. However, at first taste, you’re certain to be won over immediately.
Lemon Sorbet
My sister and I often talk about that “unforgettable bite.” A special meal or fancy dinner out that you remember fondly often contains a certain food or combination of flavors that simply wows you.
It never fails to impress me when a small number of ingredients are combined to create something truly amazing. I tasted a lemon sorbet for the first time while on a cruise with my sister Jenny and we found ourselves talking about it repeatedly over the next few days.
I got back home from our trip on a Saturday night and on Sunday I was in the kitchen mixing this sorbet together. I simply had to recreate it for my family.
Sorbet Palate Cleanser
While I typically choose a rich ice cream, a fruit cobbler, or a chewy fudge brownie for dessert, believe it or not, there are times when I crave something lighter.
Whether you’re serving this sorbet as a palate cleanser, a light dessert, or a fancy after-dinner treat, I’m willing to bet that you’re going to love it every bit as much as we do.
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