We recently spent a long weekend in San Diego, the land of never-ending 75º temperatures and endless sunshine. It was my birthday weekend, and I wanted to escape the 100º temperatures in the Central Valley. I’m so thankful that we live close enough to drive to so many beautiful locations throughout California. How we booked […]

If you’re anything like me when I first jumped into points and miles, you probably think business cards are out of the question. When I first heard about opening business cards to earn more points, my immediate response was, “Well, I don’t have a business, so I can’t do that.” But the thing is, you […]

One of the most common questions I get is, “What about annual fees?” And trust me, I totally understand the question. It does seem a little crazy to pay $100+ just to have a credit card. I mean, why pay to use a card when there are numerous options available without fees? Or do what […]

Good things come to those who… ask! You may think it’s necessary to have elite hotel status if there’s any chance of getting hotel room upgrades, but this isn’t true! While yes, that does help, we’ve been able to secure upgrades and gifts upon arrival even with low/no status. Sometimes all you have to do […]

When it comes to navigating the world of credit cards, people often get confused by all of the different rules. One of these rules is Chase’s infamous 5/24 rule. Let’s look at what the 5/24 rule is, why it’s important, and how to build a strategy when choosing which cards to open. What is the […]

One of the most common questions I get is, “Do you keep all of these cards open?” and the answer is no! We keep a lot of them open, but not all of them. There are things to consider when deciding what to do with each of your cards. First of all, we always keep […]