Award travel is the part we're known for. Here's what it can do for your next trip.
Points can turn a good trip into the one you'll never stop talking about: lie-flat seats, hotels you'd never splurge on, sometimes the whole trip for a fraction of the price.
Most of the people we work with started exactly where you are. Tell us where you dream of going, and we'll show you what points could unlock.
Three ways a points strategy pays for itself.
Reduce the cost
Even a modest balance can cover the flights or a few hotel nights, taking a real bite out of the trip you were going to take anyway. You pay cash for less of it.
Upgrade the experience
Spend the same, travel better. Points are the difference between economy and lie-flat business class, or between a standard room and the hotel you didn't think was in budget.
Pay for the whole thing
With the right strategy and some patience, flights and hotels can both land on points: a trip that would cost thousands, booked for just the taxes and fees.
Start with the trip, not the points.
You don't need to research programs or compare cards before talking to us. That's our job. Here's all it takes:
Tell us your dream trip
Where, roughly when, and who's coming. "Somewhere warm in February" counts.
Book a free consult
We'll tell you honestly what cash gets you today, what points could get you, and what earning them would take.
Pick your path
Book it with cash now, start earning toward points, or blend the two, whatever fits your trip and your timeline.
Our picks for your first rewards card.
If you're brand new to points, these are the two cards we recommend most often in consults, and for the same reason: both have solid transfer partners that can lead to outsized value on flights and hotels, and both give you a way out if you decide points aren't a good fit for you. Chase points can be redeemed for cash at 1 cent each, and Capital One miles can erase a travel purchase at 1 cent per mile. Used that way, your points are worth what a cash-back card would have earned, so trying them costs you very little.
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Good US-based transfer partners you're already familiar with: United and Southwest for flights, and Hyatt for hotels. Even after Chase cut Hyatt transfers to 4:3 in June 2026, Hyatt is often still where these points stretch furthest, which says something about how strong its award chart is. It's the card behind many of the first award trips we plan.
3x categories include dining, gas, online groceries, and vacation rentals, but everything outside those categories earns only one point.
Capital One Venture
It earns 2x on everything, and people consistently underestimate how much of their spending falls into the "other" category that bonus-category cards miss. No categories to track, and the points still transfer to partners when a big redemption shows up.
Capital One's transfer partners skew international, so the biggest wins tend to be with airlines you may never have used, even if you will be flying on airlines like Delta, United, or American.
Not sure which fits? That's exactly what the free consult is for. We'll look at how you spend and where you want to go, and tell you which card to start with, even if the answer is "none yet."
Card details current as of July 2026.
- How we're paid. When we link to a card offer, that link may be an affiliate link, meaning we may earn a commission if you're approved. It costs you nothing, it never changes which cards we recommend, and we'll tell you at the consult if we think neither card is right for you.
- Applying affects your credit. Every card application puts a hard inquiry on your credit report and a new account on your file. Apply deliberately, not all at once.
- Chase 5/24. Chase generally won't approve you if you've opened five or more credit cards in the past 24 months, so if you want a Chase card, apply for it before the others.
Your first consult is free, points or no points.
Tell us about the trip you have in mind. We'll tell you the smartest way to make it happen.
Request my free consult